New Blessing in Hearing & Keeping this Revelation from Jesus
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Dear Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ,
It was the year 1938 and the family after great meal, homework done, all relaxing around cozy fire, and some turned on the radio to their regular station, Columbia Broadcasting System, when all of a sudden, came the emergency announcement: We interrupt the regularly scheduled programming to bring you this announcement. Our planet has been invaded by aliens, Martians landed in New Jersey. So realistic - whole families reportedly packed their things jumped in their cars and headed for the hills. Supposedly radio broadcasting infamous moment.
Now you may think how could that have happened, but Orsen Welles cutting edge of a new genre - science fiction, a genre that was as much social, philosophical commentary about where technology was taking us, some positive view evolutionary progress, others very skeptical of the evil - But none the less, a classic case of people not familiar with the genre - hearing and then complete misinterpreting - and listen: they didn’t head to New Jersey to head off this invasion. They didn’t round up their greatest leaders to coordinate a defense. They panicked and they fled!
And as we begin this series on the last book the Bible, God’s last part of the revelation of His word, the Book of Revelation to john for the Apocalypse to John, most today either avoid and dismiss it as too far out and mysterious to pay any attention to, or they in a sense panic and in response to the scary depiction of world-wide battle between Good and Evil and God’s overwhelming response to it - they are in so many ways not engaging in any part of the Battle - but fleeing this world where the battle is played out, hyper-vigilant to trace out the timetable of how John’s visions are being fulfilled, they might be incredibly detailed in figuring out the dates and movements like a cryptogram or difficult crossword puzzle, but their focus is not engaging in those battles, but rather just waiting for the very last day to come. For such a reader, the book is like tightly sealed mystery, so difficult to understand, and like 90%focused on the very last times before Christ glorious return.
Now we should never lose the overwhelming Good News that this world, though in a terrible battle with so much suffering, persecution, death, that God is Sovereign and He has intervened in Christ in the greatest way, and will do so again so that death, suffering, sinning and wickedness won’t win. Our King who was incognito in setting up his kingdom in his first coming, is going to be revealed in splendor and this book tells us how, and brings such hope. These messages will proclaim the gospel hope of Christ great and glorious second coming and judgment and salvation and new heaven and new earth that will follow. But that is not the purpose of God’s final revelation to us in Scripture. The purpose is for our King in these lasts days in the middle of the battle and the suffering, and our temptation to give up on Christ’s kingdom and compromise and just live for the kingdoms of this world, for Babylon and the two Beasts - the purpose is for our King to show Himself as He is now and to deliver promises and blessing so we don’t give up or flee, but actually live overcoming with Christ. We’re not just to live with a desperate hope that God’s going to intervene in the end, but now all is out of his control.
So, like those listeners in 1938, hearing we now interrupt regularly schedule listening and living, we are to hear God giving this revelation to Jesus who gave it to the angel who gave it to John for the churches - and we are to hear not only information, we are to seek not only a hopeful and accurate perspective on the end times, but listen to the stated purpose: Rev 1:3
Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.
This is why I don’t hesitate to preach this book - I don’t have all the details figured out of Christ return and the final battle with the apocalypse - I along with Christ, in his human nature and with the apostle Paul - refuse to engage in date setting. But listen, the final revelation of God to us, isn’t just information, it is about promise from the most powerful most loving, most beautiful Person in the whole universe. Not the promise of salvation, that’s why gospels written. Not promise of growth in Christian living & power to live the Christian life - what the epistles are for after Christ revealed in glory on Cross Resurrection and Ascension. But here is promise from the living the reigning Saviour and Lord - in all this evil this suffering, this trial - He confidently says: I’ve got this. Don’t worry, I want you to see the reality behind all this earthly travail - I want you to know the game plan, and I have not only promise of new blessing to get you through this.
Blessing! You must get is to hold this testimony - it is the only way to survive these lasts days, not an optional book for politically and end-times minded people, but book for whole church. Listen only OVER-COMERS in Christ - get in the lamb’s book of life, only overcomers get to eat of the tree of life - experience the ultimate healing and victory! This Revelation from Jesus given to us at the bottom of it not a closed sealed up puzzle that ordinary believer can’t open; it too is a proclamation of salvation through Jesus Christ that we all need!
Remarkable that there are seven statement of blessing in revelation. John uses symbol of number 7 55 times in this book - picture of completeness and fulness of blessing promises. Saying every believer needs to overcome in the manner described here, the overcoming is tied to the receiving of the future reward promised to every believer who will overcome. = seven beatitudes promised to all who hear & obey this book!
But not just 7 blessings, 6 promises: Six Promises to the Saints God sees their tears (7:17; 21:4). Their prayers are heard and used to rule the world (8:3–4). Their death or suffering leads to glory (14:13; 20:4). Their final victory is assured (15:2). Their blood will be avenged (6:9; 8:3). Their Christ lives and reigns forever and is victorious in time and eternity (5:7–8; 21:22). These seven benedictions and six sweet promises come to us in and through our union with the Lord Jesus Christ, ‘For all the promises of God in him are Yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us’ (2 Cor. 1:20). Revelation is primarily about him and what he is doing for his people.
I have a message of not only how you will survive, by I have instruction on how you must endure and more overcome and more through your service through your victory by suffering love, as you follow me - the Lamb who was Slain but who is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah and the Warrior King of Righteousness over all Wickedness. This book, though most certainly about he end times, is even more
Key Truth: The Revelation is focused about new promised blessings from the Living Jesus and His final instruction to overcome.
Key Truth: The Revelation is focused about new promised blessings from the Living Jesus and His final instruction to overcome.
More than information about the end times. And John himself the prophet messenger with Jesus’ revelation, he himself says - this how I am receiving this Revelation and I am a partner in receiving the blessing from Him and in enduring by following His instruction. And think about that John is writing this as he is in a kind of Roman concentration camp on the island of Patmos. Rev 1:9
I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.
We no less than those Christians in Asia Minor 2000 years ago, Christian there now, Christian through 2000 we need this promise and this instruction from Jesus. There is no question we need this information about the very last days and day and God’s final victory to live well; but the goal: The goal of Revelation is to bring encouragement to believers of all ages that God is working out His purposes even in the midst of tragedy, suffering, and apparent Satanic domination.
Don’t you and we as a church need that? Well, John promises it will more certainly come to all who are partners in the suffering the kingdom, endure patient work of overcoming. Only 15% of Christina in that day could read, and maybe only 15% of Christian today in this world were video has killed the radio star, where people watch but no longer read more than scanning a screen it is much the same. Maybe here only 15% read through Rev cover to cover rather than scanning and watching what someone else says about it. But John says there is promised blessing for all who hear this read - LISTEN, READ in way really get who Christ is now and what He ‘s about - going to be blown away at the revelation not of the end times about of who Jesus Christ is now in these last days, exalted and reigning and battling from heaven. But those new blessings and that instruction on overcoming only comes as you keep - the word came to mean obey… but literally the word for - how a solder entrusted with prisoner, or a shepherdess entrusted with her sheep - tend, watch, and guard - follow through with what God is calling you through Christ to do in these last days.
The Final Revelation God is Giving You is:
The Final Revelation God is Giving You is:
i. Apocalyptic
i. Apocalyptic
Its in the very first word of the book this is an Apocalypse. The word doesn’t mean cataclysmic last battle at the end of the world. It means Revelation, an unveiling it actually means an appearance. This is not the unveiling though of a calendar or even a road map of the end times first of all, but a Appearing or Revelation of what? Actually whom?
Rev 1:1a
The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,
God → Jesus → angel → John → servants
This is the last appearance of Jesus Christ before he returns, his last revelation of who he is that is so essential not for our salvation - that’s his first appearing that his revelation through the apostles of the way of Christ. But this is the last revelation of Jesus before He comes again for our comfort and our instruction to overcome in the tribulations of the lasts days and the last and final day. It is the vital last information that you and I need - and it says God gave this vital information to Jesus - in order that Jesus the Son of God, and mediator between us His people and God , so that our mediator could show not just John, but to whom - not just a few really spiritual knowledgeable people - but you and I all who are called in these “last days” not just to survive but to be the servants of the Lord on earth - and we are going to nee this revelation.
This book isn’t written as a bit of a travelogue to the end s days that are distant - and it can be a coffee table book just pick up as map to distant land. The time is near, and so all of this persevering, all of this don’t grow lackadaisical to the King and His kingdom, Don’t compromise with the world, don’t entangle yourself with all the pleasures and luxuries and riches and past times of Babylon - as if got all the time in the world. No, the time is short, just around the corner, there is an Imminent Return, that no one know s the day or hour, can be date setters, but must respond immediately to this revelation of Jesus and instruction
Now this is where you need to know what not only revelation, appearance, is but what an apocalyptic is. This is like Daniel - not a gospel, not a historical narrative of single events told in chronological order. You know this from the juiciest parts of this book and of Daniel. Jesus isn’t going to dictate word for word this revelation to John, nor to us Christ’s bond servants.
Jesus gives this revelation, these apocalyptic vision and then he sends his angel to MAKE IT KNOWN - better to signify - Word not only used by Jesus in noun from about parables - paint a picture of deeper spiritual significance, but used with all of these words from Rev 1:1 in Daniel 2:45 . In vv. 28-30 God reveals a mystery, He shows it- its is about things to come to pass. And then lastly - GOD SIGNIFIES IT/Makes it Known.
just as you saw that a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. A great God has made known to the king what shall be after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.”
This is how God gives a vision with symbols of spiritual realities that explain what’s going on in this world - the coming of Christ the battle with Satan , the final victory over the whole earth. That make known signify, is the same word Jesus uses that of his miracles they are signs of this kingdom. And now Rev 1:1b
The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,
Look he is going to show them . Did you notice that in Rev 1:2
who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw.
An Apocalypse is something a heavenly being shows in visions and dream with wild unearthly even mythic symbols and figures, with deeply representative numbers. Perhaps you know that not only in Scripture in Daniel and Zechariah do we have apocalyptic, but especially outside of Scripture in the Jewish writings when tribulation came upon them in exile by Babylon - those 400 y BC all these Apocalypses written, start with angel giving visions, with mythic characters . They had no hope of overcoming Babylon, or later Persia, Greece or Rome, so they wrote how outside of history God, in the very end would come out of no where, and supernaturally from above work everything out in the End. And that’s why all these Jewish Apocalypses always ended by saying, seal up these words. Can’t be understood in history, and with your action and calling now , only God actin gin the end bring it about.
Well, John signals that God is giving him a vision something like that, but its going to be about Jesus now from heaven acting and working and comforting and strengthening and bringing victory, not only in the end, but now to his servants who endure. And this God’s revelation to Jesus - isn’t sealed up like Daniel or the Jewish Apocalypse. How does the book end? Not with vision and symbols, but like the beginning, before all the battle and symbol and last day events, it ends like it begins, a letter with promise and instruction… these words are trustworthy and true, sent by the Lord the God of the spirits of the prophets, who sent his angels to show all this. Notice God’s last apocalypse not just like those other Apocalypses, but it is the same as the rest of Scripture - prophecy with promise & warning & instruction of Jesus for our time. And then we have these words: Rev 22:10
And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near.
This is not a hidden mysterious sealed book of only God acting at the very end from supernatural. But a book unsealed the key to history opened. Christ broke the seal, open book for all his servants, to get comfort and instruction for right now out of. John says the time is near here. He says these are things soon to take place, He says he’s already a partner in the tribulation. What is he talking about? It’s true a thousand year, like a day, so Revelation only spoken two days ago - and things imminently about to take place for last day. But also true that John says those Christians he was writing too, going to experience last days persecution, that Kingdom of God grows, so does Satan rage against it. Rome put him in this concentration camp, Rome killed most apostle violently. John says to those at Pergamum in Asia Minor by Epehsus in Rev 2:13b
“ ‘I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.
He is talking about under Nero probably 20 years before, periodic persecution, and one of the first matryrs of the Gentile church by Rome. And in the next generation, after John, going to become state wide and prolonged systemic persecution. This is the letter written to them to help them, to help us, and to help those who be alive in the very last day. And if we don’t get this, we’ve missed the point of God’s final revelation and the instruction we need for the last days. And that brings us the content of this Apocalypse. John doesn’t just call this Apocalyptic, he also says:
ii. WITNESS & TESTIMONY to Jesus Christ
ii. WITNESS & TESTIMONY to Jesus Christ
Look at Rev 1:2 again
who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw.
A martyr isn’t first of all someone who dies for their faith. Greek word for a witness like in court. Or like someone giving a testimonial on Amazon. You experience this and give words to make it known, make it popular. Pretty simple book in that respect, yes all this fear, uncertainty suffering struggle in this world, but above it all - here is Jesus. I don’t doubt that you know Jesus of the gospels walked the earth, in form of a servant, suffered, was the first Paraclete. And I don’t doubt that you know and hold dear His ministry through the Spirit applying grace the epistles. But do have you had the clouds of this earth pulled back to peer into heaven to see Jesus Christ exalted reigning coming with victory in His hand, arm not shortened. God gives John vision and this angels gives John tour of supernatural world going behind our present realities - and what captures John's attention more than anything else is the beauty, power and love off this reigning Jesus - and after showing it withthese symbols and vision, John commits that vision to these very words of testimony.
iii. Biblical PROPHESY to be heeded
iii. Biblical PROPHESY to be heeded
But then lastly - when a prophet, OT or NT prophet gets the word of the Mediator - the Son of God like that - those words, whether poetry , or law, or historical narrative or wisdom, or Apocalyptic those words, written and inscripturated perfectly preserved for all humanity - they become what John calls these words in Rev 1:3
Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.
God could have given us a n exact road map to the end times, could have given us a time table, but to receive this book like that, is not to receive as biblical prophesy. Their is future predictive prophesy both in OT and NT - but that’s not what makes it biblical prophesy. What is the essence of prophesy is not foretelling what happens, but forth-telling - the promise and warning of the gospel - forth telling the way of life the gospel empowers us to live. The Word of the Lord happens to a prophet - and they are sent to a people to pull that peoples lives into the program and protective covering and comfort and direction of the LORD. This prophesy of Revelation is that call to every generation to get in line with the program of overcoming, while also describing a spiritual perspective on these last days and the very last day!
But there is a last way that John instructs you to receive this last written revelation inspired by the Holy Spirit for you His church:
iv. Revelation is a Letter
iv. Revelation is a Letter
Have you ever received a phone call or letter from someone in prison. Maybe a relative, friend, prison ministry, as pastor I have. Letters from someone in prison are often really focused perspective on life and what’s important. Well all of us have from some one not just in prison, but from a concentration camp. And the beginning and end of this book make it so clear has to be read like a letter. In one sense, you have to read it for what is meant to whom is it written: Rev 1:4a
John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne,
Some of what John is going to write directly happened in their lifetime in Asia Minor. Some remains to be fulfilled on the very last day before and in Christ’s return. But that’s the wonder of how Apocalyptic worked not so much symbols focused on just explaining the earthly plitical and life situation around us. Symbols most from OT - John uses to get at spiritual realities behind yes todays situation, but heavenly perspective on what eyes just trained on earthly can’t see. And this very verse, seven number of completeness fulness see again. Last book of the bible written about the last times, but stated already years before with Antipas martyred in Pergamum, do you get it, these visions and prophseises proclaiming for not just seven churches in the roman province of Asia, actually more churches than 7 than in John’s day. But seven Representative churches really written to them, but they represent the fulness of the church, a letter written to us. Got mail from God to Jesus deliver by angels in vision to John, written by John to all the church until Christ comes again.
And we’ll see next week what the guiding vision the book must be for us and spoiler alert its not the Dragon or the Beast or Satan, but the overpowering beatury and love and sovereignty of the Lion who is the Lamb. And again if read the whole book not just snippets - receive it as written, surprised that the guiding vision isn’t just for the very last day, but the Christ in the last days, when Christ has put Satan in check mate, but that Defeat Serpent still plays on and we have to serve God in the midst of his rage, trial , sly tempting, and suffering. Like a pair of glasses - everything happening around you in this world, overwhelmed and confused by suffeirng and evil and your struggle, pp on these glasses just becomes like background noise - as see Christ standing in the middle of it all - I’ve got this, here’s my plan for you in it, here is my blessing my provision - if read recevie this revelation, but also keep it!
Conclusion:
This was a WORD first seen, then witnessed to for all ages = vision, appearing of Jesus, revelation given From God to Jesus to give to His church in final age = unlike other apocalyptic - not anonymous, not hopeless where you can sit back and do nothing, until God’s final intervention. No, poeople of God, the church, servant sof the Lord, church in this age, Christ is Victorious and Sovereign no matter what evil allowed, Christ with those who follow him, refusing to compromse, we will conquer through suffering… got a plan…
Kind of like Lord of Rings: The marvelous land of Middle Earth, threatened by the power of a vile overlord, can only be saved by the daring deeds of a few noble hobbits. If you do not know what hobbits are, you are missing out on the most delightful fictional creatures in all literature. Unknown to the hobbits, they are helped on their quest by the true king of Middle Earth working undercover. The hobbits think of him as Strider, the humble Ranger, who roves the land homeless and seemingly friendless.
In the great climactic battle at the end of the age, good is engulfed by evil until the last hair-raising moment. Frodo the hobbit performs a heroic deed. Darkness turns to light. Finally, Aragon the King is revealed in all his splendor. This excerpt suggests that Tolkien knew the true King of kings. He knew that human history is all about a real battle between good and evil. He knew that the true King has not yet been revealed in his splendor, but will one day. John presents in reality. Only when we understand the message of the Book of Revelation do the earlier parts of the New Testament—which emphasize the King incognito—fit into proper perspective.