03.07. The Book of Revelation
THE BOOK OF REVELATION
There is not a more interesting book in the Bible than the book of Revelation; there is no book which more clearly describes the future.
It has been called by some a sealed book, a book of mystery, a theological puzzle, a religious conundrum. Because of this, many Christians have passed it by as unfathomable and have thereby missed untold blessing.. Others who read it look upon its language as figurative and its incidents as allegorical. To them it is a book of speculation. The Key
It is said that every book in the Bible has its key chapter, every chapter its key verse and every verse its key word. To me, the key to Revelation is found in the lock of the door as we enter the book.
"The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John."
Here we find five things about the book.
1. What it is: "The Revelation of Jesus Christ."
2. Whence it came: "Which God gave unto him."
3. Why it was written: "To shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass.
4. How it came: "Signified ... by his angel."
5. Unto whom it came: "Unto his servant John."
It does not seem reasonable that God should write a book for His people for the specific purpose of showing them things which would be hereafter, place it among the other inspired writings where they could see it and handle it, yet so camouflage it and veil it in mystery that it could not be understood.
Many houses for years have been considered haunted because no one took the time or trouble to investigate. When investigation was made the weird noises and ghostlike sounds were easily explained. As It Reads
Dr. J. A. Seiss, author of one of the best commentaries on Revelation, has said that the book is more easily understood if we accept it as it reads instead of trying to make it mean something else. This is reasonable. If God did not mean what He said, surely He would have said what He meant. Do you not believe that if we will earnestly study it, devotedly read it, and diligently earch it, God will open it unto us? I believe He will. Do You Understand It?
You ask: "Do you understand the book of Revelation?" I must answer, "No, not all of it." I would have to give you the same answer regarding any other book of the Bible.
I do not understand all of the book of Genesis, but I have learned from reading it the origin of the earth, for it says, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." I have also foundin it the origin of my own being, for it declares, "God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." This is priceless knowledge. If I never learn anything else about the first book of the Bible, the knowledge of these facts will be more than worth all the time I might have spent in studying it. The Book Of Job
Consider one of the great central books of the Bible, the book of Job. I do not understand all of it, but I have learned from reading it that God can take a man through any and every kind of difficulty, keep him from sin and enable him to emerge a conqueror. This knowledge has paid me for all the time I have spent in studying the book of Job. The Psalms
Consider another great central book of the Old Testament, the book of Psalms. I do not understand all of it, but while reading it I discovered that The Lord is my shepherd:
I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
He leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. The Book Of Malachi
I cannot comprehend the entire book of Malachi, but while studying it, I learned that God is interested in the most minute things concerning His people; that He listens to their common conversations. In Malachi I read, "They that feared the Lord spake often one to another: and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name. Is this not exceedingly valuable knowledge? The Book Of Matthew
I do not understand all of the book of Matthew, but I found while reading it that Jesus said, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." I have tested that promise and found it to be true. The Apocalypse
No, I do not understand the entire book of Revelation, but Revelation 1:1 tells me that it is a "Revelation of Jesus Christ." That alone makes me want to read it and learn more about it. Read it, study it and you will find that Jesus Christ has not an attribute which is not revealed in this wonderful book. In it He is revealed to be what Isaiah prophesied when he said, "Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David . . . The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this."
How He Is Revealed He is revealed as a Judge, striking terror to the heart of the wicked and lawless.
He is revealed as a Mighty Warrior, leading His holy army to conquest and to victory.
He is revealed as a great General, going forth conquering and to conquer.
He is revealed as a Comforter, strengthening the weak and binding up the brokenhearted.
He is revealed as a Father, pitying and protecting His children.
He is revealed as a Saviour, rescuing the lost and hopeless. He is revealed as the Prince of Peace, abolishing strife and discord and restoring harmony and contentment.
He is revealed as an Emancipator, breaking the shackles of slavery and setting free those who all their lives have been subject to the bondage of sin.
He is revealed as a Pioneer, opening a new and a better country for His people.
He is revealed as a Philanthropist, building homes for the needy and with His gifts making glad the hearts of the poor.
He is revealed in majesty, honor, and glory, the King of kings, the Lord of lords, Jesus Christ, the same yesterday and today, and forever.
Alpha And Omega
Revelation 1:1-20 contains the most wonderful word picture of the glorious personality of the Son of God that ever came from tongue or pen.There He is revealed as the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last. His snow-white hair, His flaming eyes, His voice like the sound of many waters and His stirring identification testimony, "I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death," proclaim Him to be the Glorious One.
Message To The Church
Revelation 2:1-29 and Revelation 3:1-22 reveal Christ’s attitude to and desire for His Church in what is called the message to the seven churches. In a sense these are not seven messages but one great message to the seven churches which compose the congregation. Christ is in the pulpit and the seven churches occupy the pews. This message reveals Him to be a God of love and a God of mercy; a God of justice and a God of judgment; a God who is keenly interested in every act of our lives and has an infinite knowledge of all our ways.
Things Hereafter
Revelation 4:1-11 initiates the specific revelation of those things which are to come. John introduces the revelation by saying, "I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter."
Before this time John was like a little boy watching a ball game through a knothole in a fence. He could not see all the players. The entire field did not come within his range of vision.
Occasionally he heard the crack of the bat on the ball and saw a player dash by, but John could not tell whether it was a "two bagger" or a home run. He could not see whether it was stopped by a baseman or one of the fielders. Then God seemed to say, "John, get away from the knothole. Come over the fence. Let us go up into the grandstand where you can see the entire field, the diamond, the bases and all the players. Come up where you can see who makes a home run, and where you can see who wins the pennant, and, John, if you will stay with Me, I will show you who will win the world series."
We miss much today because we live on a low plane. God is saying to every one of us, "Come up higher, and I will show you more." The higher we climb in grace, and the higher we rise above the world, the greater revelation will God be able to give us.
John, caught up in the Spirit, began to look and listen. As he saw and heard, he wrote, chapter after chapter, concerning seals, and trumpets of woes, and vials -- a terrible picture of sin, ripe unto harvest, and bearing the fruit of death, of hell and of carnage.
He saw a picture of Satan’s power and wicked reign. He observed tribulation judgments, and had occasional glimpses of divine mercy. The TribulationFrom his exalted position John saw the opening of the seals. He saw the red horse and his rider, War, as they dashed forth upon the race course of time with power to take peace from the earth. Before their terrible charge, peace palaces crumbled; peace conferences were disbanded.
He saw leagues of nations and leagues of notions come to naught as nations broke their peace pacts and sprang at the throats of one another.
John saw the black horse of sin and his rider, Famine, as they joined the eternal race accompanied by drought and pestilence, followed by plague and starvation.
He saw the pale horse and his rider, Death, as they, too, joined the race. He carried his scythe of destruction, and the rich, the poor, the young, the old fell before him like ripened grain before the reaper’s blade. The Sixth Seal John saw the opening of the sixth seal. And lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. 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 the rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth 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?
I used to hear my now sainted mother sing an old song with weird words and doleful melody which was based upon this passage of Scripture:
I’ve a long time heard that the sun will be darkened And the moon will be bleeding in that day.
O sinner, and where will you stand in that day?
You will cry to the rocks, and the rocks will flee away, And the rocks will flee away in that day; In that day, in that day,
O where will you stand in that day?I do not know where you will stand, but I do know Christ assures us He will never forsake the soul which flees to Him for refuge. Hell itself is powerless against the soul which trusts the Saviour.
I do not presume to predict dates, but I know that whether that day come soon or late, if you will give your heart to Christ, you can say with the apostle, "I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day." The Trumpets
John heard the blasting of the trumpets. He saw hail and fire mingled with blood cast upon the earth. The third part of the trees and the third part of the creatures in the sea died.
He saw hell opened and those horrible locust-like creatures, with poisonous tentacles and maddening sting, come forth into the earth with power to torment the bodies of men for five months.
He saw men in such agony of body and mind that they desired to die. They sought death, but death fled from them. John saw men, as it were, place revolvers to their temples to blow out their brains, but the bullets failed to find vital spots, and their agonies were increased. He saw others lift vials of poison to their lips, but death would not release them, and their misery was augmented.
They prayed for death, but their prayers were unanswered. The False Prophet
John saw the rise and reign of the false prophet. He saw him spread himself in great power. He saw him perform great miracles, bring down fire from the sky and give life to an image made with hands. John saw him become so popular and powerful that the multitudes gathered about him. The world worshipped at his shrine, and laws were passed which provided that all who failed to worship him should be put to death.
Vials Of Wrath
John saw the vials of the wrath of God poured out upon men who did not repent and who worshipped the beast and the false prophet. He saw horrible sores, similar to leprosy, break out upon their bodies. Agony, torment and pain were their companions day and night.
He saw the sun or some other planet swing so close to earth that men’s bodies were scorched with great heat. Their misery was so unbearable that they gnawed their tongues for pain; yet they repented not, but blasphemed the God of heaven.
Babylon
He saw Babylon rise and climb into world glory until she was seen and admired by all the wicked of earth; then John saw her fall and her glory was taken away because of the wrath of God. The General JudgmentJohn saw the general judgment and the doom of the unbelieving dead, which he described in these words: And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. A Dark Picture So dark are most of the scenes described by the apostle, that if we looked only upon them, we would cry out with the dying infidel, "All is lost -- finally and irrevocably lost. All is dark and doubtful."
But, remember, when you read the last book of the Bible, that it is a revelation of Jesus Christ. I care not how dark the picture, how terrible the scene, how awful the tragedy, look closely and you will see behind every dark cloud, every dark picture, every tragedy the hand of the Master, moving, molding, forming and planning to bring out of that dark chaos a redeemed world in which His people may serve Him without fear in holiness forever and forever. The New Heaven And New Earth John saw a new heaven and a new earth. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. The Holy City
John saw the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven and he said:I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there. A Book Of Invitations The Bible is a book of invitations. From the day God called Adam in the garden to the present moment, He has been calling, calling, calling.
Old Testament Invitations
He called Noah into the Ark; He called Abraham out of Haran, Israel out of Egypt, Moses to Sinai, Joshua into Canaan and David to a closer walk and fellowship with Him. He climaxed the invitations of the Old Testament when He said through the lips of His prophet Isaiah:
"Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come buy wine and milk without money and without price."
New Testament Invitations Listen as you turn the pages of the New Testament and you will hear the bells of invitation ring.
He called fishermen and tax-gatherers to be His apostles, publicans to be His disciples, sinners to be His friends and climaxed His earthly life with the invitation:
"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
"Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
"For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." The Crowning Invitation
It was left to the Apostle John in the last book of the Bible, Revelation 22:17, to record the crowning invitation of the Bible, of the world, of the universe:
"And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come."
Then he reached out and touched the length and the breadth and the height and the depth of all the world; he included the white man, the red man, the black man and the yellow man, men ofevery kindred, people and tongue, when he said, "Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely."
Let him come and escape the ravages of sin.
Let him come and escape the terrors of the tribulation Let him come and escape the damnation of hell.
Let him come and find hope.
Let him come and find life.
Let him come and find Christ.
Let him come and find heaven. This crowning invitation, with its grand word, "whosoever," reveals the height of His love, the depth of His compassion, the breadth of His mercy, the triumph of His power and the infinity of His grace. This climactic invitation with its grand word "whosoever" Is within itself a revelation of Jesus Christ. When John heard the voice saying, "Surely I come quickly," he was moved to conclude the last book of the Bible with the prayer of Christians through the ages, "Even so, come, Lord Jesus."
Then follows the beautiful benediction, "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen."
* * * * * * *