The Apocalypse of Jesus Christ

[Editor’s Note: These are notes from a message that was an introduction to the book of Revelation, which I’d like to add to our End of the World Series. -Joel]

Rev 1:1 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: Rev 1:2 Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. Rev 1:3 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.

The Apocalypse of Jesus Christ

The King James Bible titles this book “the Revelation of Saint John the Divine”, which is hilarious. The disciple John is not being revealed to us, nor was he divine. One could say “John’s writings are absolutely divine,” because it’s literally inspired by the Holy Spirit.

The first verse tells you what the revelation is. The first five words of the book says, Rev 1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, and the point must be emphasized that the very heart and theme of this book is The Revelation of Jesus Christ. Some would equate the word “revelation” to “prophecy.” Certainly, prophesy is part of revelation, but revelation primarily means that truth has been made known to man which he could never learn through experience alone. God has revealed something you could’ve never known had He not shown it or explained it to you.

However, “revelation” can also mean an unveiling, which is the intent here. In the Greek, this is the apocalypse of ee-ay-soos Christos, the apocalypse of Jesus Christ.

I know many equate “apocalypse” with end-of-the-world doom and gloom. I saw a joke in which someone said, “So what if I don’t know what the word ‘apocalypse’ means. Is it really… the end of the world?” Funny, but no.

“Apocalypse” means unveiling. The end of the world is always synonymous with the literal unveiling of Jesus Christ to the world. And the book of Revelation, the theme, and the heart of all 22 chapters is that this is the ultimate unveiling of Jesus Christ.

One point J. Sidlow Baxter made that I loved was that Revelation offers three primary unveilings of Jesus Christ. There is the unveiling of Christ in Heaven like we won’t find anywhere else in Scripture. Then there is the unveiling of Christ once again on the Earth in His glorified state to reign for 1,000 years. And then there is a third unveiling of Christ in the eternal state atop New Jerusalem, in which there will be no more sun or moon because the Lord will be the light of the entire universe, as the glory of God the Father (Rev. 21:23).

I was also moved by Arno Gaebelein in his commentary on Revelation. He never lost sight of this central theme of Revelation as being the ultimate unveiling of Jeus Christ. He wrote in his intro, “The Revelation is pre-eminently His revelation; the revelation of His person and His glory. ‘In the volume of the book it is written of Me…’ (Heb. 10:7). Martin Luther asked, ‘What Book and what Person?’ and answered, ‘There is only one Book – the Bible; and only one Person – Jesus Christ.’ The whole book, the Word of God, bears witness of Him, Who is the Living Word. He is the center, the sum total and substance of the Holy Scriptures. The prayerful reader of the Bible will never read in vain if he approaches the blessed Book with the one desire to know Christ and His Glory. His blessed face is seen on every page and the infallible Guide, the Holy Spirit, never fails to satisfy the longing of the believer’s heart to know more of Christ. Inasmuch as this last Bible book is the Revelation of Jesus Christ, an ‘Unveiling’ of Himself, we find in it the completest revelation of His Person and His Glory.”

He also wrote, “It is here where many expositions of Revelation have missed the mark. Occupied chiefly with symbols of the Book, the mysteries, the judgments, and the promised consummation, they have neglected to emphasize sufficiently Him, who throughout this Book is pre-eminently the center of everything. The reader of Revelation does well to read first of all through the entire Book with this object in mind, to see what is said of our Lord, of His Person, His present and His future Glory. We shall find all the features of His Person and His work mentioned. He is the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last (1:11); the Ancient of Days (1:14 compare with Dan. 7:9); the ‘I Am,’ that is, Jehovah, ‘I am He that liveth’ (1:18); the Son of God (2:18). These terms speak of His Deity. His earthly life in His humiliation is touched upon in the statement, ‘the faithful Witness’ (1:5). His death on the cross is likewise mentioned – ‘He hath washed us from our sins in His blood’ (1:5); ‘He was dead’ (1:18); ‘the Lamb as it had been slain’ (5:6); ‘worthy is the Lamb that was slain’ (5:17). He is mentioned 28 times as the Lamb in Revelation and each time it reminds us of the cross and the great work accomplished there. His resurrection is seen, for He is called, ‘the First begotten from the dead’ (1:5); and He speaks of Himself as, ‘He that was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore’ (1:18); and again, ‘these things saith the first and the last, who was dead and is alive’ (2:8).”

And he writes, “Then we behold Him ‘in the midst’ in glory, seen face to face by all the redeemed and worshipped by them, as well as by the heavenly hosts and ultimately by every creature, the fulfillment of Phil. 2:10-11, ‘that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in Heaven, and on Earth and things under the Earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father’ (Rev. 5:8-14). After the fifth chapter we have His revelation as the executor of the decreed judgments. He opens the seals; He sends forth the seven angels with the judgment trumpets and the seven angels with the judgment vials, in which the wrath of God is completed. ‘The Father judgeth no man, but has committed all judgment unto the Son’ (John 5:22). Then He is seen in the glorious union with the Bride (19:7-10) and as the victorious Christ who passeth out of Heaven followed by the armies of Heaven (19:11-21), conquering the opposing forces of evil, executing the wrath of Almighty God, appearing as King of kings and Lord of lords. The 20^th chapter reveals Him as the reigning Christ. He and His saints with Him will reign over the Earth for 1,000 years. And all which follows reveals Him and His Glory as well as the blessed and eternal results of His work.”

That, to me, is one of the greatest introductory comments ever made about Revelation.

Timing of the Book

Bullinger wrote in his Companion Bible notes that the date of the book “by almost unanimous consent of the early Church writers is ascribed to the close of the reign of the Emperor Domitian, about A.D. 96. At the time of the so-called ‘Second General Persecution’ of the ‘Christians.’” That is the weakest argument you can make for the dating the book.

Let’s briefly talk about those early church writers. When Paul died, the church was in utter ruins. When he wrote to Timothy in 2 Tim. 1:15 that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me, there were millions of Christians who turned their backs on Paul and invented these heretical works-based religions, which ultimately produced those “early Church writers” all of whom universally failed to rightly divide the Word of Truth, as Paul instructed in 2 Tim. 2:15.

I think it’s in understanding the basics of right division and the distinctions between prophecy and mystery that helps us to understand that the book of Acts was a transitionary period between these two programs, which would logically mean that there could not be any new kingdom prophesies after that transitionary period ended in Acts 28. That transition period was over. Israel had been completely and fully set aside by that point.

The new program of grace was in full swing, and there would not be new prophesies about the kingdom after Acts 28. By the time Paul died a few years after Acts 28, we had a completed written revelation of God. The age of grace had been fully implemented. The spiritual gifts had fully dissipated. Everything about the prophetic program had been set aside.

One of the key verses as to when Revelation was written has to be Act 16:6 about the Holy Spirit forbidding Paul to preach the word in Asia on his second apostolic journey. I think John had already received this revelation. He’d already written his book, which was being distributed to those seven Jewish churches that existed at the time. Look at what the Lord said to John in Rev 1:11 Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which ARE in Asia… Then He lists the churches.

He’s talking about churches that existed at the time.

Notice also that it was John himself who was put in charge of sending his new book to those seven churches, which ARE in Asia, which had to mean that those churches existed at the time and the book had to have been distributed before the transitionary period ended when Israel would be fully set aside. It only makes sense that God would want the distribution of Revelation before Paul entered those regions in Asia to proclaim the gospel of grace so as to prevent confusion. God is not the author of confusion. He would have the final revelation about Himself and His glory to get distributed before they would learn about His new administration of grace so as to prevent confusion.

Plus, I think it’s possible Paul quoted the book of Revelation in 1 Tim. 6:15 when he wrote of the King of kings and Lord of lords, which is an expression that can only be found in two places in the book of Revelation (17:14 and 19:16). Plus, we’ll get into those seven letters to the seven churches soon, but the point was never about who they were and when did they exist. The point was always about the tribulation saints comparing themselves to all the spiritual issues of those seven churches so they can all perfect their walk during the tribulation. The seven churches were merely being used as a teaching tool for all the Tribulation saints.

Knowing all their issues helps provide a spiritually complete big picture portrait of the whole believing remnant and all the mistakes to be avoided. The tribulation saints will compare themselves to the issues of those churches to keep themselves pure. If the tribulation saints are knowledgeable of the issues of all the seven churches, and they go out of their way to avoid making those same mistakes, they will keep themselves pure. They will keep themselves in the Lord’s divine protection, and they’ll be richly rewarded at His Second Coming.

To Whom it was Written

I would also point out that Bullinger said in his Companion Bible notes that “To Whom it was originally sent is unknown. We have no clue, and therefore all speculations on the subject are valueless.” He couldn’t be more wrong. The Lord said in Rev 1:11 that What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia…

Notice also that it’s not the individual letters that’d be sent to the seven churches. It’s the entire book of Revelation that’s sent to the seven churches. In vs. 4, John greets the seven churches. He writes, Rev 1:4 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… And even though this book was written to the seven churches, this book was also designed to be read by all the Tribulation saints.

Look at what John writes in Rev 1:3 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. This book was written to and for all the tribulation saints. The Ephesian letter was written by Paul to the church at Ephesus, but it was meant to be read by all of us grace believers. So too, the book of Revelation was written to the seven churches, but it was also meant to be read by all of the Tribulation saints. At the end of the day, this is a Hal question. Was the book of Revelation written to the seven churches or all the Tribulation saints? YES. The seven churches were the first ones to whom the book would be shared before being copied and disseminated abroad.

The seven churches were never really about the seven churches. Those churches existed. They had those spiritual issues identified in the book, which needed to be corrected, but the seven churches were used as teaching tools for the true audience, all the tribulation saints, who will learn and try to avoid all of those issues. This is also why John wrote in Rev 1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass. This book had always been written for a future audience of saints that won’t exist until the tribulation begins. It’s just brilliant!

Structure

A few words about the structure of the book of Revelation. I believe there is only one proper Biblical breakdown given by the Lord Himself:

Rev 1:19 Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter…

The Lord gives us a breakdown of three sections in Revelation. The things which thou hast seen, the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter. The past, the present, and the future. So how does this breakdown exactly?

The things John had seen:

Everything John had seen in chapter 1. Verse 2 also tells us he bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Christ, which I think includes the Lord’s Earthly ministry, evidenced by the references to the Lord’s crucifixion. John was there. John could affirm the claims Christ made about Himself and His resurrection, as well as being the firstborn from the dead.

The things which are:

The things John is seeing in that moment while the Lord is speaking, which does not end in chapter 1 but continues to the end of chapter 3 with the seven letters to the seven churches. The seven churches are part of the things which are. The Lord said, the seven churches which are in Asia, which means they had to have existed at the time of the Lord’s revelation to John.

The things which shall be hereafter:

This is everything else from chapter 4 to the end of the book. The Lord would say to John in Rev. 4:1, I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. The Lord clearly uses the word hereafter to signify the change in the structure to the book of Revelation.

There is another point to be made about the structure of Revelation. The majority of Revelation is chronological, but what primarily trips up most people about the chronology are two chapters: 7 and 11. From chapter 4 to chapter 6, we have a pretty straightforward narrative. We have the throne room scene, and we also have the first set of seven judgments, the seal judgments.

But then, in between the sixth and seventh seal judgments, God inserts a parenthetical revelation in chapter 7. The first half is about the sealing of the 144,000, which had to have taken place at the beginning of the Tribulation, and then the last half of chapter 7, John sees millions of people who got saved but died during the great tribulation, which means that what John had seen had to have taken place at some point close to the end of the tribulation.

Then the narrative goes back to the seventh seal judgment. And then what follows are the seven trumpet judgments. Once again, between the sixth and seventh trumpet judgments, God inserts a parenthetical revelation in chapter 11 about the two witnesses. The prophecy is very specific that these two witnesses would prophecy on this Earth a thousand two hundred and threescore days, which is 42 months, which is exactly 3 ½ years, which means that this parenthetical revelation is talking about something that has been ongoing since the tribulation began and will conclude at the midway point.

After that, most of the book of Revelation, with a few exceptions, is chronological. But I think it’s those two chapters, 7 and 11, that trip people up about chronology.

Rev 1:10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day…

Notice that John doesn’t talk of a vision. He says he was there on the Lord’s day in the Spirit. I think John time-traveled into the future by the Spirit and literally observed everything that took place on the Lord’s day. I can think of no Biblical reason to reject that idea.

Time has no meaning in the spiritual realm. One day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day (2 Pet. 3:8).

Time is merely a construct of our physical universe. A study of predestination teaches us that God can see into the future. Hence, the existence of prophecy. Hence, Paul telling us in Rom. 8:29 that God foreknew each one of us personally before He ever created the universe. If God can see into the future, if God can personally know each of us before the future ever existed, then why should we marvel at God transporting the apostle John into the future to personally observe the conclusion to the Day of the Lord?

John himself told us he was there on the Lord’s Day in the Spirit. Now I’ve heard some discussion about John using the word on, when he wrote, I was in the Spirit ON the Lord’s day. And it was observed that usually, the word on is used to describe a single day, which is true. It was also pointed out that Peter said in 2 Pe 3:10 how the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise… To write IN the which points to the fact that he is referring to a broad period of time, but on would be used to describe a single day. And that is generally true. Except for the fact that in and on are from the same Greek word and Webster’s 1828, in its many definitions of the word on would say that on can also mean “in the time of” or “at the time of”. If the translators translated Rev. 1:10 I was in the Spirit in the time of the Lord’s day, it would mean the same thing as on the Lord’s Day.

Notice also that John writes about being in the future in the past tense. He says, I WAS in the Spirit ON the Lord’s day. That’s like saying, “Yesterday, I time-traveled by the Spirit into the future to witness the Day of the Lord.” I traveled into the future yesterday.

I also think that in John’s narrative, he time-traveled into the future in Rev. 4:1. First, he sees this amazing portrait of the Lord in chapter 1. After that, the Lord tells him he’s going to write down the things he’s just seen. Then the Lord speaks at length about the things which ARE, which is the business involving the seven letters to the seven churches which ARE in Asia.

Then John is transported into the future and the things which shall be hereafter. He was, by the Spirit, taken into the future to the beginning of the Tribulation, in which the Day of the Lord resumes. I believe that took place in Rev. 4:1.

Notice how John writes in Rev 4:1 After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. The voice of the Lord is literally telling him that now begins the things which shall be hereafter, which signifies a break in the structure and the fact that John was in the future. Then we’re given this jaw-dropping scene of the throne room in Heaven. That is the moment the Day of the Lord resumes at the beginning of the Tribulation.

Exegesis of First Three Verses

Let’s finish the exegesis of the first three verses where we began.

Rev 1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, the unveiling of Jesus Christ and look at this: which God gave unto him. In other words, the fact of Christ’s unveiling in this book and the manner in which He is unveiled in this book was all entirely at the direction of God the Father.

Then John writes, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass. Ultimately, this is written for all the tribulation saints so they will understand how the tribulation will play out and how they must endure.

So when the intended audience, the tribulation saints, will finally sit down to read this book, it will be true about the things which must shortly come to pass.

Then John writes and he (the Lord) sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John. What does he mean by signified it? God made something known by words and visuals which were presented to John by an angel. Who is His angel? We’re not told, but I think (Joelology) that it was Gabriel. You might remember it was Gabriel who was sent by God to deliver some of the most important news in the entire Bible. In Daniel 9, Gabriel was sent to personally appear to Daniel in which he’d learn one of the most crucial prophesies in the entire Bible, the prophesies about the 70 weeks, which is nothing less than the foundation to the entire prophetic program. It was also Gabriel who appeared in a vision to Zacharias, John the Baptist’s father, to deliver the good news about John and the coming Messiah to Israel. And it was also Gabriel who would make a personal appearance to Mary. Luk 1:26 tells us that in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth… His personal appearance to Mary conveyed the immense importance of what he’s going to say to her about the miraculous virgin birth of the Messiah.

When Gabriel shows up in a vision, it’s important. When Gabriel shows up in person, he’s going to share news so big it’ll rock the entire prophetic program. Plus, you might remember what he told Zacharias in Luk 1:19 “I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings.” If Gabriel stands in the presence of God and is sent by God to deliver some of the most Earth-shaking news in the entire Bible, then it would seem logical to me that Gabriel would fit the description of “his angel”, the Lord’s personal angel, and he would be used to signify every Earth-shaking word that’s found in the book of Revelation. But here, it’s not that Gabriel made a personal appearance to John on Earth, but that John made a personal appearance to Gabriel in Heaven in the future.

In vs. 2, we read that John bare record of the word of God the Father (everything said to John was according to the will of the Father), and of the testimony of His Son Jesus Christ (not just His words about Himself, which were given at the direction of the Father, because the two are one, but also His life is a testimony to the will of the Father), and of all things that he saw, all he had seen was signified through (probably) Gabriel, basically, acting as John’s tour guide.

The First Unveiling of Christ

Let’s consider His first unveiling in this first chapter.

Rev 1:4 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; (He is the I am that I am of Exd 3:14, the self-existing One) and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne; (We’ve often made the point that we think the Holy Spirit is seven-in-one, evidenced by the seven Spirits here, and also found in Isa. 11:2 where we’d learn that those seven Spirits have names, the Spirit of the Lord, the Spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, and fear of the Lord. Look at) Rev 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness (He is the living Word of the living God, whose life is a testimony to the will of the Father), and the first begotten of the dead (the first to be eternally resurrected from the dead. He would say of Himself in vs. 18 ‘I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death’).

Let’s reread vs. 5 again. And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth (this is His future title and His coming glory). Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood (even though the good news they’ll believe to be saved during the Tribulation is the Gospel of the Kingdom, which the Lord said in Matt. 24:14, but the distinction is that when they place their faith in Christ as their Messiah, their sins are washed by His blood, which will also lay the foundation to the New Covenant at His Second Coming), Rev 1:6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father (whereas earlier, the expression prince of the kings of the earth spoke of Christ’s future title and glory, we’re given a contrast here in this description of Israel’s coming glory as kings and priests unto the Father.

At the end of the day, the kingdom of priests is the Father’s kingdom of priests. Israel, as God’s kingdom of priests, was always of the Father, by Jesus Christ, and through the Spirit. And yet, Christ is praised for the fact that they will become kings and priests because it’s Christ who made them kings and priests through His work on the cross, which not only washes their sins but lays the foundation to the New Covenant.

Consider the last half of vs. 6.); to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. I think it was Arno Gaebelein who made the observation, which I absolutely loved, that John’s praise of Christ and the Father increases exponentially over the next few chapters. Here, John’s praise of Christ is twofold: glory and dominion for ever and ever. Then, in Rev 4:11 His praise of Christ is threefold. He writes, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power… Then in Rev 5:13 His praise of Christ and also the Father is fourfold: And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. Then in Rev 7:12 John’s praise of the Father is sevenfold. He writes, Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.

Rev 1:12 And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; Rev 1:13 And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. Rev 1:14 His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; Rev 1:15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. Rev 1:16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.

Of these passages, Arno Gaebelein wrote beautifully, “John turned to see the voice. He beheld the greatest vision human eyes have ever seen. The seven golden candlesticks (lamp-stands) represent the seven churches (vs. 20) and are [symbolic] of the entire church. [Christ…] is ‘in the midst’ and seen by John ‘like unto a Son of man.’ But the vision makes it clear that He is more than a Son of man, for He is the Ancient of Days as well. The title Son of Man belongs to Him in both His humiliation and exaltation. He was the Son of Man on Earth; He is the Son of Man in glory; and when He comes back to earth and receives the kingdom, it will be as Son of Man. Judgment will be executed by Him. In this vision His judicial character is the leading feature. He is clothed with a robe down to His feet. While this denotes priestly dignity we see Him not engage in priestly activity. The long-robed figure expresses the great dignity of Himself as the Priest-King who is about to enter upon His work as Judge. The golden girdle is [symbolic] of divine righteousness; His white head and hair identify Him with the Ancient of Days who sits in judgment (Dan. 7:9-12). The flaming eyes, all searching; the fiery feet; the voice like the sound of many waters (Psa. 29); the two-edged sword; the face which was once marred and dishonored, now shining like the sun – all is [symbolic] and speaks of the great dignity and glory and the judicial rights of the Son of Man. His judgment in this book begins at the house of God, that which professes His name; judgment is executed by Him on the earth and all culminates in His visible and glorious appearing, when all things will be put in subjection under His feet.”

And on this subject of Christ putting in subjection everything under His feet, I loved what Bullinger said in His commentary on Revelation. He wrote, “The prophecy as to Christ’s enemies’ being put under His feet (Psa. cx. 1) is quoted or referred to six times in the New Testament. Christ is now at God’s right hand ‘until His enemies shall have been placed (as) a footstool for His feet.’ (See Matt. xxii. 44; Mark xii. 36: Luke xx. 42; Acts ii. 34; Heb. i. 13; x. 12, 13). Then He will arise and use this footstool, treading His enemies under His feet (Psa. 18:37-50). This is the subject of the Apocalypse; and result and fulfilment of it is recorded in 1 Cor. 15.25, which speaks of Christ’s after-reign, ‘For He must reign till He hath put (lit., shall have put) all enemies under His feet.’ So that the two acts are carefully distinguished. First, the placing of the footstool; and then the using of it. The one is at the beginning of the ‘day of the Lord,’ the other is at the end of His reign.”

Conclusion

So after having seen the greatest vision ever beheld by human eyes, what does John do? Look at Rev 1:17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead.