Spirit Of The Overcomer Pt 2 Series

REVELATION - Part 2

August 20, 2003 - Danny L. Williams

Revelation 1:1-7

THE BOOK OF REVELATION is the culmination of Bible prophecy -the point at which all the prophecies of the ages converge and find their ultimate fulfillment.

Revelation shows the future of the Jew, Gentile, and the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Within its pages are three specific details

1. the events concerning the Savior’s return,

2. the establishment of His Millennial kingdom,

3. and finally, the eternal state of both the saved and the lost.

The word revelation comes from the Greek apokalupsis,

meaning "an uncovering or unveiling.

" For this reason, the Book of Revelation is also known as the Apocalypse.

In either case, the definition reflects the fact that God has made known to mankind those eternal, supernatural truths and realities which man, on his own, could never realize or discover.

The Book of Revelation is the final work of the New Testament and the Revelation of Jesus Christ, which details world history from the time of John (the Early Church Age) to eternity.

It constitutes God’s last special revelation to mankind this side of heaven.

Simply stated, Bible prophecy and Revelation are history written in advance.

They form God’s description of future facts and events. ’

Yet, comparatively little prophetic teaching and preaching are currently taking place.

This is probably due to the fact that this field of endeavor involves a great amount of research and study (see 2 Timothy 2:15).

As we walk through the Book of Revelation together, remember that this special message has been given to reveal God’s truth, not conceal it, and to clarify God’s eternal purpose, not mystify it.

I have not attempted to present an elaborate outline or engage in

the use of heavy theological terminology.

My goal is simplicity through a verse-by-verse analysis.

I trust that, as a result, each will gain a clear understanding of the blessed truths the

Book of Revelation contains.

This work was prepared to alert millions to the fact that Jesus is coming soon-perhaps today!

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CHAPTER 1

Verse I: The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: .

We begin our study by immediately recognizing that the noun is revelation, singular, not revelations,

plural.

This term comes from the Greek word apokalupsis and means "an unveiling or uncovering."

It is often used in the epistles as a "manifestation" (Romans 8:19),

a "coming" (I Corinthians 1:7),

a "revealing" (2 Thessalonians 1:7),

and an "appearing’_ (I Peter 1:7).

The Book of Revelation, then, concerns the unveiling or appearing of our precious Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.

It is not the unfolding of the story of St. John the Divine, or even of prophetical truth, but rather the message of the "appearing of Christ."

This appearing takes place at the Rapture (chapter 4, verse I), as well as at the hour of His return to earth when every eye shall see Him (chapter I, verse 7).

Secondly, we see that this revelation was given to Jesus Christ, as is everything, for Jesus said, "All things are delivered unto me of my Father" (Matthew 11:27).

They are presented unto Him to "shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass."

The term "shortly" in the original means "rapidity(The acceleration) of action once there is a beginning.

"This certainly pictures the present an hour when signs pointing to His return are beginning to appear with alarming :frequency.

These truths, then, are sent and signified by Christ’s angel unto John, the writer of the book, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

Notice that the first four letters of the word signified spells SIGN.

Why?

The Book of Revelation is a study of signs.

There is the sign of the Holy Spirit presented as seven spirits

(v. 4) and the sign of the seven golden candlesticks and the seven

stars (v. 20).

through signs, we come to an understanding of

this gloriously revealed portion of Scripture.

Verse 2: [John] bare record of the word of God, and of the

testimony of ]Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.

This statement is self-explanatory.

Verse 3: Blessed is he that reads, and they that hear the words

of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein:

for the time is at hand.

Verse 3 proves that the apocalypse is not some deep, mysterious,

confusing book God would not be an omniscient, all-knowing

God promised a special blessing to those who read, hear, and keep what they read and hear, if they were unable to comprehend the truth.

No, the Book of Revelation is understandable and fills the heart with joy once one sees its glorious message concerning the Saviour.