Sermon Tone Analysis

Things Which Must Shortly Come to Pass (Part 1)

Revelation 1:1–3

Jesus said in Revelation 22:12, “And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.”

The time is at hand.

The Bible describes our earthly lives as a flash of vapor.

Here’s some things you ought to be doing if you truly believe we’re moving at rapidly into the future:

I. Look forward to His Return with Excitement:

Verse 1, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ …” “Revelation” means “an unveiling.”

It is the unveiling of Jesus Christ.

The book of the Revelation was written to reveal the Lord Jesus Christ.

So, right at the onset the Holy Spirit is saying don’t be more excited with His returning than you are about the One Who is returning.

We ought to anticipate the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ with all our heart, with all our soul, with great joy, because when He returns, He is returning in unveiled power!

(1 Timothy 6:15-16)

II.

Look Forward to His Return with Understanding:

The second thing we need to do is to look forward to His return with understanding.

Look again in Verse 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.”

God has given us a message, so we know what is going to happen.

“Servant” means “bondslave.”

Until you submit yourself to His Lordship, this is a closed book to you.

You’ll never gain the understanding of it.

What things must come to pass at any moment?

1.

The Rapture of the Church:

(Revelation 4:1) After the Church Age, there is going to be the sound of a trumpet.

And those of us who know the Lord Jesus Christ are going to rise to meet the Lord in the air with all those who died in the faith.

(1 Corinthians 15:52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)

2. The Great Tribulation:

(Revelation 6:17; Revelation 9:6) After the Church is caught up, God is going to pour out His wrath upon this world, and there will be a period of time known as the Tribulation.

(Matthew 24:21; Revelation 9:6; 2 Thessalonians 2:10-11)

3. The Battle of Armageddon:

(Revelation 16:16; 2 Thessalonians 2:9; Revelation 13:3) The antichrist will come to destroy God’s ancient people, the Jews, and he will gather all of the armies of this world against Jerusalem to make war upon the saints in Jerusalem and to try to destroy God’s chosen people and His chosen city.

But, at that moment, on the last day of the Great Tribulation, the Lord Jesus Christ, Who appeared before the beginning of the Great Tribulation to take His saints home, will come again at the end of the Great Tribulation with His saints, as the Bible describes Him in the book of the Revelation, riding upon a white horse.

(Revelation 19:11-15) It’s going to be a bad day for the devil.

4. The Millennial Reign:

(Revelation 20:6) When the Lord Jesus Christ comes back and defeats the armies of antichrist at Armageddon, the Lord Jesus will rule and reign from Jerusalem for a thousand blessed years from the throne of David.

(Micah 4:3; Habakkuk 2:14; Isaiah 11:6) No more war, no more disease, no more curse!

Hallelujah!