"The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto Him, to show unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass......! Revelation 1v1
We come now to the climax of the Bible story. This book of Revelation brings all the histories and prophecies of time to its final conclusion . Contrary to what many people think, that this world has no plan, has no intelligent meaning, the book provides the answers to our entire existence. Rather than going round in never ending, and, apparently meaningless circles, as some suggest, this book of Revelation declares that God is moving in linear fashion towards an inexorable end which He had planned from the very beginning. The entrance of sin, and the failure of man has not frustrated the eternal purposes of God for this universe. Thus in Genesis we have the creation of the heavens and the earth; in Revelation we have the creation of the new heavens and the new earth. In Genesis we have the prediction that the serpent (representing Satan) will be crushed by the seed of the woman; in Revelation we have the final and eternal bruising of Satan (Revelation 20v10). In Genesis we have the first global rebellion against the authority of God in the story of the tower of Babel; in Revelation we have the final fall of the great mystery of Babylon the great, when God will bring to an end all rebellion. The Bible from Genesis to Revelation is one complete story and is the only book written that makes any sense of this world.
The book opens with this statement "The revelation of Jesus Christ;" and so the note is struck at the very outset as to what this book is all about, and indeed what the entire Bible is all about (as we shall see). History is just HIS STORY. The word used for "Revelation" is the Greek word "apokalypsis" which means simply unveiling; the word would be used for the parting of the curtains at a theatre, for the unveiling of a work of art or sculpture or something like that. The idea is of a masterpiece hidden from public view but now being revealed. This book is an unveiling of Jesus Christ. It contains many details of future events, of the rise and fall of empires and the appearance on earth of great personnages in the end times (not so far away as we might think). However the book is not so much about end time events but of a glorious person in a mode in which the world has never seen Him as yet but which every eye will see. This book is relevant to us all but it is not written for idle curiosity concerning future events, rather, just as it says, it is the Revelation of Christ. In the words of the Bible historian F.A. Tatford "God is more concerned with the glory of His Son than with the fate of empires."
Indeed the entire Bible is a Revelation of Jesus Christ, as reference to other scriptures will show: Luke 18v31-33: Luke 24v27: Luke 24v33: Luke 24v44: John 5v39. From Genesis to Revelation we have a piece by piece depiction of the most awesome being in the universe, Jesus Christ. According to Matthew in chapter 11v27 only Jesus Christ fully knows God and only Jesus Christ can reveal God. As is well documented now Jesus Christ is also God become man. He is the only being in the universe who can touch both God and man, no one else. The human race in its entirety is utterly dependent on Him The sweep of this revelation of Christ is astonishing:
- He is sovereign over the unseen world Revelation 1v18
- He is sovereign over the entire church on earth Revelation 2v1
- He is sovereign in the realm of the whole of heaven Revelation 5v8-14
- He is sovereign over all events upon earth Revelation chapter 6 - 19
- He is sovereign over the destiny of all the dead Revelation chapter 20
- He is sovereign in the new world order Revelation chapter 21 - 22
The book contains hundreds of allusions to the Old Testament but only one quotation which is in chapter 3v7. The reason for this is that the entire book is a revelation. Nothing like this has ever been revealed before and we are about to enter the arena of divine revelation the likes of which has never been seen, nor heard, but is now revealed to those who wish to read it. The Book of the Revelation is the unfolding of the majesty of Jesus Christ. The message of this book and therefore of the whole Bible, is this:
JESUS WINS
And all who are with Him also win; all who oppose Him lose, and that for ever.
No comments:
Post a Comment