The Revelation Of
Jesus
Christ….Revealed
By Mike Taylor
“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”.
Revelation 1:1.
In the margin,
shortly means to “be
revealed quickly” or
“swiftly”….but it
must be taken in the
light of verse 10:
“I was in the Spirit
on the Lord's day,
and heard behind me
a great voice, as of
a trumpet,”
What is the Lord’s
Day? He’s not
talking about a
particular day of
the week, but a day
of wrath:
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;
6:16 And
said to the
mountains and rocks,
Fall on us, and hide
us from the face of
him that sitteth on
the throne, and from
the wrath of the
Lamb:
6:17 For
the great day of his
wrath is come; and
who shall be able to
stand?
When John wrote
this, through the
instruction of Jesus
Christ Himself, most
biblical scholars
agree that John was
an old man, probably
writing it between
90-100 A.D. The
temple had already
been destroyed and
what happened right
after John wrote his
visions down and the
words spoken by our
Lord? Nothing! Not
for 2000 years has
any or most of the
prophecies of
Revelation come to
pass. It was written
not for the time of
John, but for our
time, the time of
the end of days.
When these things
begin to happen,
those who witness it
will have their
breaths taken away,
as it could happen
most rapidly,
building a crescendo
or a volume of
events that go
faster and faster.
How fast? We are not
told. It will be in
a period of seven
years, but when they
unfold, one after
another, we are not
told how much of a
time period in the
seven years of
Daniel’s 70th
week prophecy it
will envelope. It is
a time of
Israel
being refined as
silver in the fire,
and man-kind’s
rebellion on earth
being extinguished.
I entitle this
article, “The
Revelation of Jesus
Christ” as it is not
what it was titled
when translated into
Greek. This is the
book's real title,
not what the Greeks
titled it,
Apokalypsis Ioannou?"The
Revelation of John."
In a sense, the
apostle John is
merely a witness or
observer of the
visions and sayings
that we find within
these twenty-two
chapters, one who
faithfully wrote
them down for the
instruction,
preparation, and
edification of the
church. Jesus Christ
is called the “Alpha
and the Omega”..the
beginning and the
end. As He started
it,
He will
also, finish it.
To whom was this
book written? Verse
11 says that it was
written to the
churches in
Ephesus,
Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira,
Sardis,
Philadelphia, and Laodicea. Each church was a model of what we
would be at the end
of the age. It
speaks to us and
uses them as symbols
of our
pre-tribulation
condition. This
makes sense, as it
was written for the
end times..not for
their time, but
ours.
Apokalypsis
means "unveiling,"
"disclosure," or
"revelation," which
is just the opposite
of what most people
suppose it means. It
was a not designed
as a book of
“mystery, symbols,
and allegory with
metaphors that
obscure, but to
“reveal” what must
shortly take place.
The facts were given
from the Father to
the Son and revealed
to John through our
Lord, so that John
could write down
what was to come, so
that His disciples
could pass it on and
reveal to us, His
imminent return. God
does not wish for
His Word to be an
enigma or confusing,
but to shine a
light, to reveal
“what shortly must
come to pass”.
It’s a
sharing of
privileged
information.
In the Greek New
Testament,
apocalypsis
appears in two
senses. When used
figuratively, it has
the sense of
"bringing someone to
knowledge," as in
the English phrase
"remove the veil of
ignorance." For
example, when we say
that a mystery is
unveiled, we
mean that the veil
of ignorance is
lifted so that the
matter can be
plainly understood.
In terms of the book
of Revelation, this
is the sense that
most interpreters
and readers
recognize in it.
They see it as the
unveiling of
prophetic events to
understanding.
The New
Testament
consistently
supports the literal
sense of
apocalypsis
rather than the
figurative, and that
the "revelation of
Jesus Christ" is not
limited to His
testimony or to His
unlocking of
prophecy. Instead,
the "revelation of
Jesus Christ" is, in
fact, an advance
record of His
visible appearance
in glory, to
overthrow the spirit
and human rulers of
this world and to
establish His
Kingdom on earth.
A key to effective
Bible study is to
let the Bible
interpret itself.
Another key is to
let the Bible's
usage of a word
determine its
meaning rather than
to rely solely on
what it means in
secular Greek or
Hebrew.
Apocalypsis
appears in eighteen
places in the New
Testament, and in
ten of those places
it is used
literally, referring
to a person or a
thing. In every
case, it denotes the
"visible appearance"
or "unveiling" of
that person or
thing, confirming
how it should be
understood at the
beginning of
Revelation the first
chapter.
It has been noted
and written much
about Revelation,
but the most glaring
part of the
revealing is the
distinct break it
makes after three
chapters. In those
chapters, Jesus is
talking to us, the
Church of Jesus
Christ. He makes
warning after
warning of how we
should be living,
what we are doing,
and what we should
or should not be
doing.
But then what
happens? The Church
of Jesus Christ is
no longer spoken of,
for the next 15
chapters. It’s like
we vanished….Oh,
yes we did. He
speaks of the coming
Day of the Lord and
the unleashing of
His judgment on an
unrepentant planet
earth with its
rebellious humans.
Note that John was
describing visions
that he had no frame
of reference. He was
describing something
that was not
invented yet, or was
for modern times. He
could not envision
the machines, or the
technology that
would be our world.
He could only
describe in words
that had meaning to
him, but was
designed as a word
of knowledge for the
modern era of the
Church Age. Chapter
after chapter past
chapter4,
reveals a
most horrible time
in all of history of
mankind. Plague
after plague,
judgment after
judgment prepares
the earth for its
new beginning of a
righteous era of the
rule of “The King of
Kings, and Lord of
Lords”. I’ll not try
and interpret each
and every symbol of
what will come upon
the earth, as they
would take many
messages to cover
and many authors,
including those on
this site, have
attempted to
interpret what each
seal being opened
reveals, included
the seven trumpets,
and the seven vials
of the wrath of God.
As you read each
chapter, you get a
sense of the dread,
the sheer horror of
a man-made system
that wishes to
extinguish the last
remnant of anyone
who professes Jesus
Christ, coupled with
the divine
retribution of a
wrathful and
righteous Judge of
planet earth and its
inhabitants.
Revelation chapter
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;
16. And said to the
mountains and rocks,
Fall on us, and hide
us from the face of
him that sitteth on
the throne, and from
the wrath of the
Lamb:
17. For the great
day of his wrath is
come; and who shall
be able to stand?
Then a most
remarkable shift is
taken in chapter 19
starting in verse
11,
that gives
all who believe in
Jesus Christ, faith
and hope in our
Savior and what
happened to the
church that was not
mentioned for 15
chapters.
19:11 And
I saw heaven opened,
and behold a white
horse; and he that
sat upon him was
called Faithful and
True, and in
righteousness he
doth judge and make
war.
19:12 His
eyes were as a flame
of fire, and on his
head were many
crowns; and he had a
name written, that
no man knew, but he
himself.
19:13 And
he was clothed with
a vesture dipped in
blood: and his name
is called The Word
of God.
19:14 And
the armies which
were in heaven
followed him upon
white horses,
clothed in fine
linen, white and
clean. (a sign of
the saints of God)
Folks, that’s you
and I, the Church of Jesus Christ
coming on white
horses clothed in
His righteousness,
to watch our
champion, our God,
our Savior do final
battle with
rebellious mankind
of this
dispensation.
I had an argument
with a minister that
does not believe
that the church will
be removed prior to
the tribulation,
that somehow we will
be arise to meet
Jesus in the air and
make a sharp U-turn
and come right back
down to earth at
Jerusalem when Jesus
feet touches the
Mount of Olives
after His glorious
appearing called His
second coming. He
believes that we
will go through all
of the tribulation
and many will meet
martyrdom. My
quickest rebuttal
that gave him pause,
as He could not
answer it was, “if
we are going up to
meet the Lord in the
air, are we just
going into the air
to saddle up?”
No, the
argument of his just
fell apart. There is
a decided time lapse
of the two events.
It’s called the
“marriage supper of
the Lamb.”
Let us be glad and
rejoice and give Him
glory, for the
marriage of the Lamb
has come, and His
wife has made
herself ready. And
to her it was
granted to be
arrayed in fine
linen, clean and
bright, for the fine
linen is the
righteous acts of
the saints. Then he
said to me, "Write:
Blessed are those
who are called to
the marriage supper
of the Lamb!" And he
said to me, "These
are the true sayings
of God." (Revelation
19:7-9)
I’ve made my
point many times, in
2nd
Thessalonians
2:7 For
the mystery of
iniquity doth
already work: only
he who now letteth
will let, until he
be taken out of the
way.
2:8 And
then shall that
Wicked be revealed,
whom the Lord shall
consume with the
spirit of his mouth,
and shall destroy
with the brightness
of his coming:
This is the
Holy Spirit. He is
leaving this earth
and drawing back to
a pre-New Testament
presence of His
Spirit, not it’s
indwelling after the
day of Pentecost in
its fullness. As He
leaves, we will be
called to a marriage
supper and a reward
ceremony at the Bema
Judgment Seat of
Jesus Christ. We
will be united with
our Bridegroom as
His bride and we
will forever be with
the Lord.
When Jesus Christ
returns for His 1000
year reign quoted in
chapter 19 above, He
will make short work
of utter destruction
of the vast army
coming out for
battle at a place
called Armageddon
. “And he gathered
them together into a
place called in the
Hebrew tongue
Armageddon”.
Revelation 16:16,
Then He will usher
in an age of sheer
joy and
righteousness, as
Satan will be bound
for a 1000 years to
refrain from
deceiving human
kind. But at the end
of Satan’s
imprisonment, he
will loose for a
little season. How
long is that season?
It’s not revealed,
but long enough to
prove that mankind,
in his human form is
corrupted, as the
army that comes
against the Holy
City of God, will be
as the sands of the
seashore. Fire will
come down out of
heaven and destroy
the last remaining
rebellion and Satan
will be cast in the
Lake
of
Fire
burning with
brimstone, forever
and
ever.
Revelation 20:7,
“And when the
thousand years are
expired, Satan shall
be loosed out of his
prison,
20:8 And
shall go out to
deceive the nations
which are in the
four quarters of the
earth, Gog, and
Magog, to gather
them together to
battle: the number
of whom is as the
sand of the sea.
20:9 And
they went up on the
breadth of the
earth, and compassed
the camp of the
saints
about, and the
beloved city: and
fire came down from
God out of heaven,
and devoured them.
20:10 And
the devil that
deceived them was
cast into the lake
of fire and
brimstone, where the
beast and the false
prophet are, and
shall be tormented
day and night for
ever and ever.
In the next to the
last chapter of this
most remarkable
book, God makes a
promise to all of us
who believe in the
only Begotten Son of
God:
21:1,
“And I saw a new
heaven and a new
earth: for the first
heaven and the first
earth were passed
away; and there was
no more sea.
21:2 And
I John saw the holy
city, new Jerusalem,
coming down from God
out of heaven,
prepared as a bride
adorned for her
husband.
21:3 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.
21:4 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.
21:5 And
he that sat upon the
throne said, Behold,
I make all things
new. And he said
unto me, Write: for
these words are true
and faithful.
21:6 And
he said unto me, It
is done. I am Alpha
and Omega, the
beginning and the
end. I will give
unto him that is
athirst of the
fountain of the
water of life
freely.
21:7 He
that overcometh
shall inherit all
things; and I will
be his God, and he
shall be my son.”
As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ,
washed in His blood
and made righteous,
that is our future.
That is what we
press forward
everyday to reach.
Revelation to the
believer in Jesus
Christ is not a book
of foreboding, but
of promise of our
future home, the
Heavenly Jerusalem
and God dwelling
with His people in a
new heaven and a new
earth. It will be a
time of unspeakable
joy.
To the unbeliever,
it’s a time of great
sorrow and
destruction,
eternally lost and
separated from God
our creator, who
made us and them
being cast into
outer darkness,
where there is
weeping and gnashing
of teeth. What side
are you on? Have you
found this Savior?
Have you made a
commitment to follow
Him, believe in Him
and believe who He
said He was, the Son
of God to take away
the sins of the
world? Do it today,
right now with a
simple prayer and a
belief in your heart
and your mind. Jesus
Christ has risen and
wishes you to be
with Him, not to
live through the
horrors that make up
a coming
tribulation. Do it
while there is still
time, as time is
drawing down
rapidly.
If there is anything
I can help you with,
pray with you, or
answer any questions
about biblical
matters of
salvation, drop me a
line to
realteam1999@sbcglobal.net,
or visit me online
at my website at
www.churchofgod-usa.org.
This is Mike Taylor,
wishing you well,
until we meet at
Jesus Feet.
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