April 11, 2020: What in the World is Going On? (Part 2)
Revelation from and of Jesus Christ
I am sure most of you have heard of the term “apocalypse,” as it’s been popularized in the movies. It brings to memory movies like “Armageddon,” “2012,” “Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome,” “Apocalypse Now,” and many other Hollywood blockbusters. However, “apocalypse” is not what you think. The book of Revelation was written by the apostle John in the Greek language. The name of the book in Greek is Apokalypsis Ioannou, and it means the “Revelation of John.” “Apocalypse” is a transliteration of the Greek word apokalypsis and it means “unveiling,” “disclosure,” or “revelation.” The very first words in this book are “The Revelation of Jesus Christ.” It is both a revealing from Christ and a revealing about Christ. The revealing from Christ is in the first three chapters where Jesus spoke to John about the seven churches in existence at the time John was alive. It is also a revealing about Christ and it speaks to His second coming and His reign as King of kings and Lord of lords. However, before His second coming and when He takes His righteous reign, the entire world will go through a time period that makes all of the wars and all catastrophic events that have happened previously pale in comparison.
Revelation…the Only Book in a Bible with a Blessing to its Reader
Out of the 66 books in the Bible, only the book of Revelation has a blessing to those who read and hear it:
Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.
Satan (the devil) does not want you to read this book because it tells of the future for him and all who follow him. It’s not a good future for them but for those who believe in and put our trust in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, it’s a future so amazing we can’t even fathom…yet. Satan doesn’t want people to know about hell. He wants people to think it’s not real and that no one will go to it.
About the Apostle John
Approximately 95 AD, John was on the Greek island of Patmos, where he had been being exiled by the Romans, when he wrote the book of Revelation through the Holy Spirit. John was one of Jesus’ 12 apostles, and John had also written the gospel of John and three other books (i.e., 1 John, 2 John, and 3 John). John had been very close to Jesus and referred to himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” several times in the book of John. John, along with Andrew, were the first two people who became disciples (followers) of Jesus after Jesus was baptized by another John, called John the Baptist. The apostle John was one of Jesus’ closest and most faithful disciples. He and his fellow apostles Peter and John’s brother James were the three apostles who were with Jesus when He was transfigured before them and He talked with Moses and Elijah who had died hundreds of years beforehand. During the transfiguration, the voice of God said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him.” [Matthew 17:5]
John was the only one of the 12 apostles who was there with Jesus when Jesus was crucified on the cross. Judas Iscariot had betrayed Him to the Jewish leaders, who had Jesus crucified by the Romans. The rest of the apostles had left Jesus after He had been betrayed and arrested for they were afraid. Before Jesus gave up His life on the cross, He said to his mother, “Woman, behold your son!” Then Jesus said to John, “Behold your mother!” And from that hour that disciple [John] took her to his own home. After Jesus had been buried in the tomb after He died, it was John and Peter who ran to Jesus’ tomb when Mary had reported to them and the other disciples in the upper room that Jesus’ tomb was found empty on the third day after Jesus’ death. Jesus fully trusted John, and that I believe is why the book of Revelation was given to John to write. Finally, John was the only apostle of Jesus who did not die a martyr’s death.
The Revelation from Christ to the Seven Churches
Before getting to the horrific events of the tribulation that are described in Revelation, I think it’s important to mention that Jesus spoke to the angels (or messengers) of the seven churches in existence at the time John wrote Revelation. John said he was in the Spirit (i.e., the Holy Spirit) on the Lord’s Day and he saw Jesus. When he saw Jesus, he said he fell at Jesus’ feet as if he were dead. Jesus told him,
“Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.”
Jesus then told him to write down the things he had seen, the things which are, and the things which will take place.
The seven churches Jesus spoke to were: 1) Ephesus, 2) Smyrna, 3) Pergamos, 4) Thyatira, 5) Sardis, 6) Philadelphia, and 7) Laodicea. Out of the seven churches, He commended only two or 29% of them. The ones He commended were Smyrna, for their undergoing persecution and Philadelphia for their faithfulness. For the remaining five, He found issues with them and called them out:
Ephesus the Loveless Church: They left their first love (of Him) and focused on good works instead. Doing good works does not save anyone.
Pergamos the Compromising Church: They had people that held to false doctrine,
Thyatira the Corrupt Church: They allowed a woman named Jezebel who called herself a prophetess to teach and seduce His servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. He had given her time to repent and she did not.
Sardis the Dead Church: They did works and had a name but were dead inside.
Laodicea the Lukewarm Church: They were neither cold nor hot; they were lukewarm. Because of that, Jesus said He would vomit them out of His mouth. Jesus wants us to make a decision: are we for Him or against Him?
To every one of these five churches, Jesus told them they needed to repent and change their ways. There are many churches today that fall into one or more of the five categories above. Perhaps that is why Jesus has allowed all of the churches to be shut down during this time of COVID-19/coronavirus. There are many, many churches teaching false doctrine, omitting doctrine so that people don’t get offended by hearing that the Bible teaches their acts are sinful, allowing women pastors when the Bible teaches there should not be, and there are many churches that teach that the way to be saved is by good works. We must repent and follow the commands of Jesus to those five churches.
To all seven of the churches, Jesus promised each of them something amazing if they overcame the challenges they face and stay faithful to Him:
“I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.
“He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.
“I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.
“I will give power over the nations - ‘He shall rule them with a rod of iron; they shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels’ as I also have received from My Father; and I will give him the morning star.
“He shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.
“I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.
“I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.”
Jesus said, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” Clearly, Jesus wants us to be overcomers so that we may be with Him and the Father and not have to experience the fate of those who reject Him as Messiah and the only way to God the Father.
The Revelation About Christ
After Jesus spoke to John about the seven churches, John saw an open door in heaven and was told, “Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.” He was in the throne room of heaven and it was absolutely amazing. I encourage you to read about this more in Revelation 4. He saw God the Father on His throne and He was surrounded by 24 other thrones on which sat 24 elders in white robes with gold crowns. Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. In the middle of the throne were four living creatures with eyes in the front and back. One creature looked like a lion, the second like a calf, the third like a man, and the fourth like an eagle. They sang this song of praise day and night, without rest,
“Holy, holy, holy,
Lord God Almighty,
Who was and is and is to come!”
In the right hand of Him who sat on the throne was a scroll that had seven seals on it. John wept when an angel asked “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?” because there was found no one worthy to open it. However, one of the 24 elders who were in heaven said to John, “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll, and to loose its seven seals.” John then looked and saw a Lamb that looked as if it had been slain. The Lamb, Jesus Christ, then took the scroll from the right hand of the Father. The 24 elders and the four creatures then fell down before the Lamb and worshiped Him and sang a new song of praise to the Lamb, saying,
“You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth.”
Then ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands more of angels, the four creatures, and the 24 elders, and every creature in heaven, on earth, and under the earth and in the sea all praised Jesus again and again in songs and worship.
Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, who came to this earth the first time to offer a way of salvation through His life, blood, death, and resurrection, is the only One worthy to loosen the first seal, which starts the tribulation. It will be like no other time on earth, nor will ever be again. Men will want to die because it will be so horrific but won’t be able to. The tribulation is also known as the “Time of Jacob’s Trouble” and will last for seven years, with the last 3-1/2 years known as the “Great Tribulation.” The Lord Jesus Christ will execute His righteous judgment on those who have chosen lies over truth, evil over good, and sin over salvation.
What is the Rapture of the Church?
I wanted to mention that there are quite a number of believers in Christ who believe the Bible indicates that those who are saved by Jesus Christ will not have to go through any of the events of the tribulation but will be raptured by Jesus before the tribulation begins. This is known as the pre-tribulation rapture. I do agree that there are certain verses in the Bible, including in Revelation and other books in the Bible, that seem to support a pre-tribulation rapture. Others believe the rapture will happen in the middle of the tribulation at the 3-1/2 year mark when the Great Tribulation begins, while others believe it happens at the end of the tribulation. Finally, some do not believe in a rapture at all.
I am certainly not a Bible scholar but based on everything I have read, I do support the pre-tribulation rapture view. There are three key reasons for my belief. The first is from 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17:
“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up [“caught up” is transliterated from the Greek word harpazo, which means to seize, carry off by force; to snatch out or away; take by force; pluck] together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.”
If believers in Christ will go through the tribulation, I am not sure how we would be comforted by these words.
The second is that the word “church” is mentioned 19 times in Revelation chapters 1-3 but not used again until chapter 22 after the seven years of the tribulation have passed. Thus, this may indicate that the church is not present when the tribulation occurs.
The third is found in 1 Thessalonians 5:9 that is discussing the Day of the Lord. This verse states, “For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” and also 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10, “For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for HIs Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.”
I am not God and I do not know everything that is in the Bible, nor do I understand the exact timing of all the events. God is in control, and He knows the future. I do not worry about fully understanding the timeline of events in Revelation. Rather, I trust in my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ that whatever happens, if that means I’m here when the tribulation and Great Tribulation happen, then so be it. He will be with me, as He has promised that He will never leave me or forsake me. As Philippians 4:6-7 says, I don’t have to be anxious about anything and I can have the peace of God that surpasses all understanding. If I die during the tribulation, then I trust that I will be like Stephen, who was martyred for his faith. Before he was stoned to death, Acts 7:55-56 states, “But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” As they stoned him to death, Stephen called on God, saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Stephen was full of faith. He saw his Lord and Savior, waiting to receive Him. Whether we must go through the tribulation or we are raptured, we know this: we will see and be with Jesus Christ.
Read the Book of Revelation
I highly encourage you to read the book of Revelation for yourself. It describes the three sets of seven judgments that will be poured out over the entire globe during the seven-year tribulation. Chapters 17 - 22 describe when Jesus Christ conquers and destroys the one world system, reigns on earth for 1,000 years with His saints, casts the devil into the lake of fire, and then creates a new heaven and a new earth, where all those who believed and accepted Him as their Lord and Savior will live with Him forever and ever. A place where, “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” - Revelation 21:4