REV. Study- # 2 -Rev.1:1-6 4-25-09
Revelation is an open book in which God reveals His plans and purposes to His church.
When Daniel finished writing his prophecy over 500 years B.C., he was instructed in
Dan. 12:4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: but John, the writer of Revelation, was given opposite instructions: he was told in Rev. 22:10 Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.
When John penned down Revelation, Jesus had already went to the cross and paid our sin debt, and he had risen from the dead, He was then seen by many eye witnesses for 40 days, then He ascended back to heaven, and then ten days later the Father sent the Holy Spirit, what we know as Pentecost in Acts 2:
God has ushered in this Grace dispensation, and we’re now in the latter days of it. [Over 2000 yrs]
2 Peter 3: 8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day
So in Gods way of thinking, it’s only been a couple of days.
In the O.T. book of Hosea, we read what God is saying to Israel, not the N.T. church, as the church is not seen in the O.T, the church was not reviled to them.
Hosea 6: 2 After two days [2000 years] will He revive us: in the third day [millennial reign of Christ] He will raise us up, and we shall live in His sight.
Israel will see her King, in His sight.
I tell you dear heart the rapture could happen just any time, are you ready?
Sinner friend if you’re listening, don’t put it off any longer, call on God to forgive you of your sins and ask Jesus to come into your heart while you still have time.
Isaiah 55:6-7 6Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: 7Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
So the Kingdom dispensation is next and it can not begin until King Jesus returns back to earth in Rev. 19: and that’s when He will destroy His enemies at what is known as Armageddon that we read about in Rev.19: and after that he sets up His 1000 year reign here on this very earth. Rev. 20:
So In these days we’re now in, God is fulfilling His hidden purposes in this world.
Never forget that God does nothing just by happenstance, He does every thing in His already preset time, He is never taken by surprise about any thing, His plan is exactly on schedule, its not early and its not a minute late. The rapture will happen the very hour, day and year its suppose to.
Jesus said in Matthew 24 36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. So that verse tells us that He knows the day and hour.
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The Holy Spirit is at this present time calling out the Church, the Bride to be of Christ, and when that certain number is met that only God Himself knows, He will take we that are saved, we that have been born again, we that are among that number out of this world, and then the seven year Tribulation will began on the earth, the True Church is taken out of the world in chapter 4:, the Tribulation begins in chapter 6: and into 19:.
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Peter gave a rule for the interpretation of prophecy in 2 Peter 1:20: “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.”
“The figurative language of Revelation is figurative of facts.”
John uses the word [beast] in the revelation; he could have used the word, [dictator] when he is telling about the Antichrist, but he uses “beast” it presents a freighting picture.
So the symbol says much more than the title of “dictator”
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1The 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:
1The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly [shortly] is a reference to events to appear soon rather than speedily, once the events prophesied begin]
- must shortly come to pass; and he sent* {Jesus] and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:
God gave it to Jesus, Jesus gave it to His angel, and the angel gave it to John, and John is giving it to you and me.
Jesus Christ gave this revelation to an angel (Gabriel?** cf. Dan. 8:16; 9:21-22; Luke 1:26-31) who passed it on to the Apostle John.
~John~ 2Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.
2Who bare record of the word of God, [The "word of God" is a reference to God the Father’s word to Jesus Christ.
- and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.
"The testimony of Jesus" is a reference to the Lord Jesus’ faithful communication of God’s word to John who passed it on to his readers.
-and of all things that he saw.[ Forty-four times in this book John wrote "I saw" He saw many things and passed this revelation ("all that he saw") on to the church.
1st John 1:-1-3 1That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;
2(For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)
3That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.
3Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.
John did not send this book of prophecy to the assemblies in order to satisfy their curiosity about the future.
God’s people were going through great persecution at that time and they needed encouragement. As they heard this book, its message would give them strength and hope.
And its message would help them examine their own lives (as well as each local assembly in chapters 2-3).
--and keep those things which are written therein:
They were not only to hear the Word, but they were also to keep it—that is, guard it as a treasure and practice what it said.
All who read, hear, and keep this prophecy will receive a special blessing from God. Vs 3
This is the first of seven blessings that John mentions in Revelation.
God promised a special blessing to the one who would read the book and obey its message. TO read here means, “to read out loud. Revelation was first read aloud in local church meetings.)
Remember they didn’t have copies of Gods Word as we have today, some one would read aloud so the others could hear Gods Word.
Ø The Apostle Paul had sent letters to seven churches—Rome, Corinth, Galatia, Ephesus, Philippi, Colossae, and Thessalonica—and now John sent one book to seven different churches.
Chapters 2-3 John had a special message from Christ to each church.
--Now John addresses the churches---
4 John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;
Since this book deals mainly with future events, John described the divine Author as God (the Father) who is, was, and is to come. This description stresses the fact that He;” GOD” is continually dealing with humankind.
John sent this letter to the seven churches mentioned in chapters 2 and 3, which were in the Roman province of Asia, or modern western Turkey.
These were distinct assemblies in the several cities and towns named. Asia here is not the whole continent as we know it today, but Asia Minor of which Ephesus was the principal city.
THESE 7 churches are representative of a prophetical unfolding of the history of the Church on earth from the apostolic times to the end of the Church Age, when the Lord will take her unto Himself.
The conditions in each of these 7 differed, but the seven, when combined, are representative of conditions in Christendom from Pentecost to the end of the Church Age.
-----5And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
~~ who is the faithful witness,
The book of the Revelation, above all other books, points out the one Person of history Who is the preeminent and peerless Christ. He has no peers, no ones above Him.
He is described first as “the faithful wit-ness” He was the first to demonstrate a true and faithful witness. We can believe anything and every thing He says.
This title was first given to Christ by the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 55:4 4Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people.
Jesus said that He came into the world to bear witness to the truth (John 14: 6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life:
While on earth He was the Father’s faithful witness of the truth. He never lacked courage nor did He ever compromise.
Christ was faithful unto death.
---5b and the first begotten of the dead,
The first begotten of the dead (1:5).
Having died for that truth to which He faithfully witnessed, He arose from the dead, and He ever remains the first in rank, supremacy, and preeminence in resurrection.
The Apostle Paul had said that about Him earlier, (Colossians 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
It means that of all those who rise from the dead. [passed, present and future] He will always be 1st in rank and dignity over all.
He was raised never to die again and exalted to a position above all, waiting the day when every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:8-11).
--Vs. 5 c-- and the prince of the kings of the earth
Proud earthly leaders have tried, and still are trying, to rule the world, but “the earth is the LORD’S, and the fulness thereof” (Psalm 24:1).
Rev. 11:15 “The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever”
He is the King of Heaven (Daniel 4:37), --the King of the Jews (Matthew 2:2); The King of Israel (John 1:49 --the King of the ages (1 Timothy 1:17); -- the King of glory (Psalm 24:7); --the King of saints (Revelation 15:3) -- and the King of kings (Revelation 19:16).
Vs. 5 d Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
The meaning here is that He unbound us, released us from our sin. He destroyed its power over us and freed us from it (Romans 6:6-7 6Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. 7For he that is dead is freed from sin. Rom. 6:14 “sin shall not have dominion over, you”
6And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
We will reign with Jesus in the millennial kingdom.
