The Time is at Hand

v 1 Give us very important details:

The Title: The Revelation

Meaning there is no secret hidden in this book, or else it would be called The Concealed.

2 Peter 1:20 “knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.”

The Author: Jesus Christ

Notice by way of introduction that this is not the Revelation of John the Divine (as many Bibles title the book) but rather the Revelation of Jesus Christ!

This Revelation was given to Him by God the Father!

John 14:10 “Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you, I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.”

This follows the Scriptural teaching of

1 Timothy 2:5 “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;”

The Gift: Kingdom, Church, and Glory

God gave this revelation to Jesus but in this same phrase we see what the context of the book is all about: Everything given to Christ by the Father.

Psalm 2:8 “Ask of me, And I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, And the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.”

Isaiah 53:11-12 “He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; For he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, And he shall divide the spoil with the strong; Because he hath poured out his soul unto death: And he was numbered with the transgressors; And he bare the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors.”

The Order of Revelation

God

Jesus

Servants

2 Peter 1:21 “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”

This order is solidified also at the end of the book.

Revelation 22:6-8 “And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done. Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book. And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things.”

The term “shew” includes mental apprehension (Matthew 16:21 and visual revelation Matthew 8:4 methods both of which are used in giving John the material he was to record. —James Knox, “The Book of Revelation”

The Reader: His Servants

This book will be understood not by saints but by servants. Not every believer is a servant.

Believers are saints, but servants are obedient followers.

Ephesians 6:5-6 “Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;”

Colossians 3:22 “Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God:”

The Fourfold Division

From Patmos

He views the church age Revelation 1:9-3:22

From Heaven

He views the Tribulation Revelation 4:1-17:2

From the Wilderness

He views the destruction of the world powers and the end of all that offends Revelation 17:3-21:9

From a Mountain

He views Eternity Revelation 21:10-22:21