Revelation is not (as some translations have added) ‘the revelation of St. John the divine’. This not the revelation of the ‘end of the world’. This not the revelation of the ‘apocalypse’ (that would be redundant). This is not the revelation of the ‘anti-christ’. This not the revelation of the ‘rapture’. This not the revelation of the ‘great tribulation’ (place, time and people).
This IS (according to Rev. 1:1) The Revelation of Jesus Christ! The testimony of Jesus (1:2).
The word ‘revelation’ is the Greek word ‘apokulupsis’ and it means ‘appearing, coming, lighten, manifestation, be revealed, revelation’ and it comes from the root word ‘apokalupto’ which means ‘take off the cover, disclose, reveal.’ This is the ‘apocalypse’ of Jesus Christ. This is the appearing of Jesus, the coming of Jesus, the enlightenment, the manifestation; this is Jesus Christ revealed. This is the Revelation of Jesus Christ!
This revelation (according to 1:1) was given by God to show His servants things, which will happen QUICKLY the Greek says ‘to occur with speed’ – in other words – ‘in the twinkling of an eye’.
He sent this revelation to His servant John via an angel and John bore witness to the word of God and His testimony by what he saw.
In verse 3 it says that the one who reads AND hears AND keeps the words of this prophecy is blessed!
This is NOT a ‘doomsday’ prophecy to be feared and dreaded. This prophecy is a blessing to be kept! The word ‘keep’ used here is the Greek word ‘teros’ and it means ‘ to watch, guard, maintain, hold fast, preserve’, i.e. ‘will you keep my son for me while I go to the store?’
Read it! Hear it! Keep it! In doing so you receive the blessing that lies therein…the revelation of Jesus Christ!
‘For the time is near.’ What time is near? The time of the unveiling, the time of the manifestation, the time of the coming, the time of the ‘apocalypse’, the time of the revelation of Jesus Christ!
The first three verses then are the prologue, the preface, and the introduction to the prophecy to come. They set the tone. They give an overview, a behind the scenes view; they give details and explanations. Everything else that is read in the rest of this book must line up with these first three verses of Revelation.
http://www.theapocalypseis.com
2 comments:
I recently heard a sermon on the Kingdom of God that for once did not leave me feeling at odds with the mainstream church theology.
One of this gentlman's comments was that if your theology is based on "Heaven and harps" or "Hell and fire" your view of the consummation of the promises of God are all futuristic and we will only truely "live" as it were when we get to the "Heaven and harps" bit.
I like this man do not agree with this traditional theology.
In Revelation 9 it says "and they (the 24 elders) sang a new song: "You (the Lamb) are worthy to take the scroll and to open the seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a Kingdom and Priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the Earth."
(Revelation 5:9-10 NIV)
They (we) will be a KINGDOM and will reign on EARTH.
Jesus Himself when interrupting the parable of the weeds to his disciples said "The one who sowed the good seed is THE SON OF MAN. The field is THE WORLD, and the good seed stands for THE SONS OF THE KINGDOM. The weeds are THE SONS FO THE EVIL ONE, and the enemy who sows them is THE DEVIL. The harvest is THE END OF THE AGE, and the harvesters are ANGELS. As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man wil send out his angels, and they will WEED OUT OF HIS KINGDOM EVERYTHING THAT CAUSES SIN AND ALL WHO DO EVIL. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. THEN THE RIGHTEOUS WILL SHINE LIKE THE SUN IN THE KINGDOM OF THEIR FATHER.
Jesus makes it perfectly clear in this explaination that the Kingdom of God is here on Earth and it is here on Earth that we will "shine" and riegn. He also makes it perfectly clear who will be "taken" and who will be "left behind".
Matthew 13:30-35
The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:
But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.
But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.
So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?
He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.
Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field.
He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;
The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked [one];
The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.
As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.
The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;
And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Post a Comment