REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST
By Richard Wakefield
Introduction
The Book of the Revelation has always exercised a certain attraction to Christians as they desire to see what the future may have in store. Events of the past two years, amazing political changes in Europe and the collapse of the Russian Communist Empire are causing many to return to the Book and to re-evaluate their thinking of the possible course of the future.
To understand "Revelation" (or any other book) we need to know who is the author, his qualification to write. to whom the book was addressed and the reason it was written.
We are told who was the human author . Rev . 1:4 and 1:9 tell us clearly that John was the penman and we find that chapters two and three were written as they were dictated to him by Jesus Christ. Chapter 1:19 teaches that ALL the Book was to be an account of what was being revealed to him. We believe this was John, brother of James and writer of the Gospel of John. He was one of the "Inner three" apostles who seemed to be closest to the Lord and he was the "Disciple whom Jesus loved" (John 13:23, 20a2, 2L220) . He was also the last of the apostles to die, tradition has him dying at a very advanced age.
His intimate association with the Lord during His earthly ministry, his years of faithful service and, above all, the special revelation given to him and the instruction to record it, all qualify him for the job.
The book was written "To show unto His (The Lord's) servants---" Rev. 1;1. Therefore we can say the book is intended to be read, and understood, by those who are in facts servants of the Lord. This should include all who profess to be Christians, and certainly all who have truly been saved through faith in the finished work of Jesus. Unfortunately not all who claim to be saved can claim to be servants! This may explain why many Christians are unable to understand it.
At the time Revelation was written the "Church" which had been in existence a little more than 60 years was undergoing very severe persecution. The Christians knew of the Lord's promise to return and to establish a kingdom on earth. Yet, as those who had seen and heard Jesus died, He had still not returned. Wickedness was increasing everywhere, immorality, violence, crime of every type was universal. And the increasing severity of the officially instigated persecution of the church appeared to threaten its very existence. Was it possible that God was no longer in control? Could it be that, finally, Satan would win in his contest with God?
This Book was written to reassure those of the early Church that God was (and is) still in control, that He has a plan and that all Satan's efforts fit into that plan for God's greater glory.
In our day, we may not experience persecution as did the early church (although it cannot be ruled out if the Lord delays His return much longer) but we do see a tidal
wave of evil sweeping over the world as predicted in 2 Timothy 3:1-4, so it is very timely for us to look anew et God's plan for the future.
the early church
A simple outline the Book is given in 1:19.
- "The things which thou has seen" Ch 1
- "The things which are" Ch 2-3
- "The things which shaLL be hereafter" Ch 4 -22
1. deals with the heavenly vision of the Risen Lord 2. covers the period from the Day of Pentecost up to the Rapture of the Church 3. is sub-divided:
- Seven years of Tribulation Ch 4-19
- The Millennium Ch 20
- Eternity ch 21-22
Before we proceed further we must state our firm c onviction that the Church, composed of all who have been saved through the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord, is to be "caught up---to meet the Lord in the air" (1 Thess. 4:17). Before the beginning of the Tribulation. We will look at this more as we study chapters 3 & 4.
Chapter 1 (The Things Which Thou Hast Seen)
This chapter is an introduction to the whole Book. We are told in the very first verse Who is giving the revelation and to whom it was given.
1:1 The Revelation of JESUS CHRIST! This is not intended to be a revelation of Antichrist (although many seek to find a means to identify him). The central figure is Jesus Christ even though He does not always appear on center stage through the main part of the Book.
This Revelation - the Greek word "Apocalipse" means "Removing the veil-" - was given to Jesus Christ by God the Father in order that the Persecuted church might be able to see the final outcome of the battle being waged by Satan against God.
During His earthly ministry Jesus voluntarily gave up the independent use of some of His attributes so that He might, indeed, be tempted in every way as we are. He gave up His knowledge of the future, "But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angel"s which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father" (Mark 13:32). And on the day of His ascension He told the" disciples "It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in His own power". (Acts 1:7).
As we read this introductory verse we can imagine God the Father saying, "Son, in this period of great Persecution, the church needs to know the victory is Ours. It is not yet the time of the end, and the Church must not be given dates but show Our servants that Ile are in full control and let them see the final defeat of Satan". the expression "which must shortly come to pass" should not be understood as indicating ALL the events in this Book were to occur soon after it was written. The process was to begin "shortly" and we will see it beginning in chapter two.
1:2-3, The human penman is introduced, John. We have already said that we believe this was John the Apostle, the disciple whom Jesus loved. But here he humbly identifies himself as "His servant". He than pronounces a blessing on those who read or hear what is written in the Book and live with it constantly in mind.
1:4-5. The "seven churches which are in Asia". Asia was the Roman province which included much of modern Turkey (not the continent of Asia). At the time John was writing there were more than seven churches in that area but there are two things we shouLd note,
