The Revelation

[phareztamar]

The Revelation

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: who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.


What is being shared with us here, is our Lord’s own panoramic vision, given to him by his God. Our Lord…Jesus, the Christ of God…is sharing the revelation God gave him. The very one who, in all innocent honesty, had once said:

But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

has now been given…by his Father…the revelation of these next 22 chapters. And he has sent that revelation by his own human angel…as each human has…to his servant John.

If we lose track of this opening statement, we shall quickly lose our way in Revelation’s pages. You simply must understand, the miracle of Emmanuel…God with us…the word made flesh. It is a rich and beautiful study of the science of pro-creation.

And separately, you must also understand God in Christ. These are clearly seen in the resurrection of our Saviour from the dead, and his receiving of the promise:

This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we are all witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.

John Baptist had blazed a trail in the wilderness. And the fiery tip of his spear was this:

I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire.

Yet it becomes clear, that in my Lord’s earthly ministry, he never once baptized anyone with the Holy Ghost and with fire. No wonder the great Baptist prophet fretted in prison. Not until Pentecost and after, is John’s fiery prophecy fulfilled, as Jesus is now baptizing with the Holy Ghost.

Understanding these things about God are fundamental, to going any further. For here in Revelation’s opening verses, he checks our theology at the gate, and our understanding of the Godhead going in.
Perhaps even a fly-over of Revelation is in order. Viewing the whole book from this singular port-hole perspective: Jesus received this revelation from his Father, and passed it on to John. Jesus…sometime after Olivet…saw seven seals, and himself opening them. Sometime after his ascension, Jesus saw seven trumpets, and seven vials, and all of the imagery of this book.

And Jesus sent his angel, to show it to John, and to all his servants. For if…as we propose…My Lord was on the one hand, fully human: then as all humans, he has an angel that’s been with him since childhood. And now, Jesus is the only resurrected human, walking amongst the angels of heaven.

Think of it as my Lord, having his angel deliver a letter to John. Only, in the world of angels, letters are 3-D panoramic full-blown visions; of sight, sound, and smell. This is the package Jesus sent, and signified by his angel, to his servant John.

The Revelation tells the end of Day Six, the beginning and end of Day Seven, and the future in eternity. Moreover, the Greek suggests that this vision was external to John. Something he beheld with his eyes, and heard with his ears. Not as Abraham’s night vision, in deep sleep.

After our Lord checks our theology at the gate, he extends this blessing:

Blessed 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.