The book of revelation is one many shy away from reading, and others teaching about,yet it is the culmination of the gospel.Christ came the first time to die for our sins, by shedding his blood on the cross. Through his blood we have forgiveness of sins and by believing in him we have the promise of eternal life.
He also promised to return again- this time in glory, as King to judge the living and the dead and to take his church with him to heaven.
No other being goes out of their way to rescue people and to bring them victoriously to eternal life.No other can save like our God does,no other god ever died for his own people and shed all his blood for his creation, only Jesus the Son of God!
God also love us so much that he sent Jesus Chist his only begotten Son to die for us,so that whoever believes in him would have eternal life – Hallelujah!
Over the next few weeks it is my desire to have an indepth study of the book of Revelation and will be delighted to share with you my learnings here.
It is my hope that this will be an encouragement to many and also a valuable resource to help ready the church for the second coming of Christ.
Jesus said “Behold I am coming soon! My reward is with me and I will give to each person according to what they have done.I am the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, The Beginning and the End” Rev 22:12
We need to be ready.
The best way to do this is to understand what he said about his second coming as well as other biblical prophecies and prepare ourselves accordingly. I don’t know about you but I sure do not want to be left behind when he raptures his people to heaven,nor do I want others to be left behind due to lack of knowledge.
Prophecies about the Second Coming of Christ in the Bible and Tanakh (Jewish Bible)
Prophet Daniel saw visions of Jesus,the Son of Man and prophesied of his return and his everlasting dominion.
“In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man,coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”
Daniel 7:13-14
Prophet Isaiah also prophesied about Jesus, as the shoot that will come up from the stump of Jesse.Jesus is a direct descendant of Jesse and King David through his earthly Father Joseph, who hailed from Bethlehem. This genealogy is found in the new testament Matthew 1:616.
Here goes Isaiah’s prophecy
“A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him……He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,or decide by what he hears with his ears;but with righteousness he will judge the needy,with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist.”
Isaiah 11:1 & 4-5
“The stars of heaven and their constellations will not show their light.The rising sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light.I will punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their sins.I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty and will humble the pride of the ruthless.“
Isaiah 13:10
Prophet Zechariah too gave a prophecy about the day of the LORD.It depicts the coming of the LORD to fight against nations and to judge the world.
“On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south……..Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him. On that day there will be neither sunlight nor cold, frosty darkness. It will be a unique day—a day known only to the Lord—with no distinction between day and night. When evening comes, there will be light.On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half of it east to the Dead Sea and half of it west to the Mediterranean Sea, in summer and in winter.The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name.” Zechariah 14:4,6-9
Jesus spoke of his second coming in the New testament
Our Lord Jesus even warned us about the signs of the end times – this is captured in the gospels that aligns with the prophecies in the old testament and Tanakh.
“Immediately after the distress of those days“‘the sun will be darkened,and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky,and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.”
Matthew 24:29-31
“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
Matthew 24:42- 44
“Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom.There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places and fearful events and great signs from heaven” Luke 21:10
“When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies you will know that its desolation is near.There will be signs in the sun , moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea….At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.When all these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads because your redemption is drawing near.” Luke 21:25,27-28
Now that we have a clear understanding that the coming of Jesus Christ as King is a legitimate prophecy,let’s dive into the Book of Revelation.
I will simply be giving summaries and expounding on the respective verses.I would highly recommend that you go through this next section with your new testament bible in hand.Here is an online NIV version of Revelation.
The Book of Revelation Chapter 1
Rev 1: 1-3
This book was written by Apostle John while he was imprisoned on Island of Patmos. Jesus sent his angel to describe to John the details and had him to write it on a scroll.
There is a promise of blessings to those who read this prophecy aloud and to those who take to heart what is written in it.
Rev 1:4-8
This elaborate greeting is from God the Father ( who is ,was and is to come) the seven spirits before his throne and from Jesus Christ his Son.
Jesus is also described as faithful,first born from the dead and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
This section also emphasises on Christ’s love for us and the freedom he gave us through his blood.He made us to be a kingdom of priests to serve his God and Father. Hallelujah!
God, the Alpha and Omega who is ,was and is to come describes the eternal immortal nature of the Living God.
The Seven spirits referenced here is the seven fold Spirit of God.Prophet Isaiah spoke about this in Isaiah 11 when speaking about the Spirit of God upon our Lord Jesus Christ.
“The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of might,
the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—
and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.” Isaiah 11:2-3
Rev 9 -19
Messages to the 7 churches
In this section John narrates how while in Patmos(as prisoner) he had a spiritual encounter , heard a voice like a trumpet speaking to him to write on a scroll what he sees and send it to seven named churches.
These refer to characteristics of the global church today, the body of Christ. These do not literally relate to cities or locations on the world map, but rather the behaviour,attitudes and characteristics of believers.
To put it in today’s corporate lingo the messages to the churches are akin to receiving emails from a CEO giving performance review feedback to each group, starting with the positives, then the areas of improvement and the subsequent eternal reward for improved performance.
We should be grateful that the Lord is gracious and compassionate enough to share this with us as he does not want anyone to perish but for all to come to repentance.He has shown us what we need to do to be ready for his return.
Jesus in his glorified state
John gives a vivid description of the Lord Jesus, he was in awe of his presence and even fell at his feet.
“I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance”
When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.
“Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.”Rev 1:12- 17
I love that the word describes how Jesus really looks like today, a far contrast of the Jesus who died on the cross.So many people today still “see”Jesus as he was back then and often wrongfully perceive him as helpless and defeated, yet in reality he is the Sovereign King and Saviour.
John reveals to us his glorious state as the Alpha and Omega, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, this is the image we should now engrave in our hearts, acknowledging his sacrifice on the cross and longing to see him in his glory when he returns.
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