Study of End Times - Week 5

Jesus holds the Keys January 5, 2022

It has been just over a month since we have been in our study of end times, and I pray that God has moved in your life during our time of prayer and fasting.

I considered and prayed about continuing it, and if God leads you to continue praying and fasting, please be obedient to that, but I also believe we need to study God’s Word.

With that said, I am praying that you will learn from this study and will grow spiritually from this study. This would be week 5, as we have been through 4 weeks prior to our prayer and fasting time.

Week 1 was an introduction to the study, week 2 we looked at what must soon take place and looked at the first three verses of chapter 1 of Revelation, week 3 we looked at symbols, signs and numbers and what they all meant in Revelations and end times, then in week 4 we looked at triumph of the Lamb, looking at Revelation 1:7-8 and also Ten Things John saw about the Lord who is to come.

Now tonight in week 5 of the study we will be looking at Jesus who holds the keys and we are going to start off, by looking at the title, target, group, subject, author, publisher, and dedication of the book of Revelation.

This may sound odd, but almost every book has these things, and when we examine these things, it opens us up to information that helps us to see the big picture of Revelation and end times.

Jesus Holds the Keys:

First is the title:

in verse one it states The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which literally means the unveiling or unfolding of Jesus Christ.

Second is the target group:

again Revelation 1:1 – The revelation of Jesus Christ that God gave him to show his servants (slaves) what must soon take place.

The target group then is God’s servants (slaves). In the Greek this word servant is doulo, which is given as servant here, but is more accurately translated as slaves or bondslaves.

In Bible times a bondslave was not always subdued against his will; sometimes he willingly submitted himself to another person.

Just like we willing submit to Jesus as Lord of our Life.

John 15:15 CSB

15 I do not call you servants anymore, because a servant doesn’t know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have heard from my Father.

Servants have a way of becoming friends.

Amos 3:7 CSB

7 Indeed, the Lord God does nothing without revealing his counsel to his servants the prophets.

Servants know secrets.

When you become a servant of the Lord Jesus, you will experience intimacy with the Lord Jesus.

Revelation is a book written to Christ’s servants. The only way you will understand this book or any book of the Bible is to submit yourself to Christ.

Third is the Subject:

Revelation 1:1 again, what must soon take place.

The subject is about things that will happen in the future.

People may say, well I do not understand what it means by things must soon take place.

How can that be? That was two thousand years ago! Well we need to understand the word soon or shortly.

It is the Greek word tachei from which we get a few English words, such as tachometer, a gadget that registers speed revolutions per time unit. Also the word taxi, is another word. We all know what a taxi is and does. It gets us somewhere quickly.

The Greek word Tachei means quickly. It means the events described will come suddenly. The idea is not that these things will happen immediately but that they will burst upon the world rapidly when they do come.

We must understand that in the end times, history picks up speed. Have you noticed the acceleration of technology in the last fifty years?

If you pick up your Bible with one hand and a newspaper in the other, you can tell that we are living in the closing shadows of the end of time.

Fourth is the Author:

Revelation 1:4 reveals the author - John: to the seven churches.

John was the author but he got the outline from God. Where do most authors get the theme, the idea of their book, the outline from the publisher.

Fifth is the Publisher:

Revelation 1:4-5 reveals the publisher if you will, we could name it the Trinity Publishing Company.

“From the one who is, who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead and the ruler of the kings of the earth.”

Sixth is the Dedication:

Revelation 1:5-6 tells us who the Book of Revelation is dedicated too.

“To him who loves us and has set us free from our sins by his blood, and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father - to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Most people who write a book, will dedicate it to someone at the beginning of the book.

John makes the dedication to only one - the hero of the Word of God, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now we are going to look at four things about the Lord Jesus Christ: His grace, glory, gentleness, and government.

The Grace of Our Risen Lord

Because of His grace, he has loved us, washed us, and made us kings and priests.

Revelation 1:4–5 CSB

4 John: To the seven churches in Asia. Grace and peace to you from the one who is, who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has set us free from our sins by his blood,

He Loves Us: Unto Him that Loved Us

When did Jesus start loving you?

He never did - He has always loved you. He loved you before time began. He loved you before He swung this planet into space.

You were in the heart and mind of God before the foundation of the world.

Jesus doesn’t love you because you are valuable; you are valuable because He loves you.

Why does He love you? Because of grace! And nothing can separate you from that grace.

Romans 8:38–39 CSB

38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

God doesn’t change us so He can love us: He loves us so He can change us. The love comes before the washing.

He Liberates Us: Washed Us from Our Sins

The second thing we learn about the grace of our risen Lord is that He cleanses us from our sin.

The end of verse 5, tells us this, To him who loves us and has set us free from our sins by his blood.

The Greek word for cleanses is lusanti, which means to loose. It has the idea of using keys to set someone free or the idea of removing pollution.

Jesus’ blood has set us free! Only through the blood of Jesus are we set free from the eternal prison of sin and death.

John 8:36 CSB

36 So if the Son sets you free, you really will be free.

Romans 6:5–7 CSB

5 For if we have been united with him in the likeness of his death, we will certainly also be in the likeness of his resurrection. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be rendered powerless so that we may no longer be enslaved to sin, 7 since a person who has died is freed from sin.

Have you ever thought carefully about the blood of Jesus? There is no other blood like that. His blood is unique. His blood is sinless and uncontaminated.

Jesus had the Holy blood of God running through His veins.

1 Peter 1:18–19 CSB

18 For you know that you were redeemed from your empty way of life inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of an unblemished and spotless lamb.

He Lifts Us: Kings and Priests

Revelation 1:6 CSB

6 and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father—to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Have you ever seen a queen or king? Do you want to see one? Go look in the mirror and you will! Jesus has made us kings and priests unto God.

Romans 8:15–17 CSB

15 For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear. Instead, you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father!” 16 The Spirit himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children, 17 and if children, also heirs—heirs of God and coheirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.

If you are redeemed, you are a royal blue blood. You are next of kin to the Holy Trinity. You are royalty in the family of God.

More importantly than your royalty is your position in Christ. You are a priest. You don’t need an intermediary; you can go directly to God.

Praise God for the grace of our risen Lord.

The Glory of Our Risen Lord

He is Coming with the Clouds

Revelation 1:7 (CSB)

7 Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him,

even those who pierced him. And all the tribes of the earth

will mourn over him. So it is to be. Amen.

When John said that Jesus would be coming with the clouds, he was not referring to cumulus or cirrus clouds.

Instead, he was referring to the radiant splendor of God’s glory in which Jesus will be robed - what we call the Shekinah Glory of God.

The Shekinah Glory led the children of Israel through the wilderness and draped itself over the mercy seat of the ark of the covenant.

Every Eye Will See Him, Including those Who Pierced Him

What does it mean that every eye will see Jesus? Just that - every eye. Even those who nailed Him to the cross and pierced His side will see Him.

When they see Him again, He will be resplendent in the royal robes, not just of a king but of the King of kings!

The last time they saw Jesus, His hair was matted with crimson blood. When they see him again, His hair will be whiter than snow.

When they saw him the last time, His eyes were filled with tears of liquid love. When He comes again in glory, His eyes will be like flames of fire that will see right through them.

The last time they saw Him, they drove a huge spike through His feet. When he comes again, He feet will be like molten bronze going forth in judgment.

The last time they saw him, they put a spear in His side, and out came water and blood. When he comes again in glory, He will have a sharp two-edged sword in His mouth with which he will strike the nations.

When they crucified him, His face was so battered and bruised that people couldn’t tell whether they were seeing the face of a man or of an animal. When He come again in glory. His face will be brighter than the glory of the noonday sun.

Humanity has a date with Jesus. And that humanity will wail when they see Him.

Romans 14:11 CSB

11 For it is written, As I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow to me, and every tongue will give praise to God.

Jesus Christ is coming again.

The Gentleness of Our Risen Lord

Revelation 1:17 (CSB)

17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet like a dead man.

John was so overwhelmed by the glory, majesty, magnitude, and awesomeness of the glorified, risen, and ascended Lord that he collapsed.

If that was all that verse said, we might be afraid to approach Jesus today. We might even say: Whoever You are, I’m afraid of You.

I don’t know whether i want to have fellowship with you because you are so awesome. All i can do is shrink back from you.

But the verse does not end there. Jesus responds to John in the second part of that verse.

Revelation 1:17–18 (CSB)

17 He laid his right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid. I am the First and the Last, 18 and the Living One. I was dead, but look—I am alive forever and ever,

Jesus touched John and said, Get up, son - don’t be afraid. Even though Christ’s outward appearance had changed since John first saw him, his heart remained the same.

Notice which hand Jesus laid upon John: the right hand. This was the hand that symbolized power and authority.

Bill Gaither wrote a song that puts this into perspective that I just absolutely love.

The Government of our Risen Lord

Isaiah 9:6 CSB

6 For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on his shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

Before Jesus was born, Isaiah prophesied that the government would be upon His shoulders. And John explained what that meant.

Revelation 1:18 CSB

18 and the Living One. I was dead, but look—I am alive forever and ever, and I hold the keys of death and Hades.

What does it mean that Jesus has the keys of death and hades?

Keys stand for authority, possession, and privilege. The one who has the keys is the one who is in control.

What do keys do? They open things. They lock and unlock things. They liberate and imprison.

What are these keys to?

Death and Hades - the two great enemies of man. The New Testament Greek word is hades; the Old Testament Hebrew word is Sheol. Both words literally means the realm of the unseen, spirit world.

When a person dies, death gets the body, but Hades gets the spirit and the soul.

Jesus is the keeper of the keys to both death and Hades. Have you wondered how Jesus got those Keys?

By His resurrection. When Jesus died, that cruel monarch of terrorists called death clapped his bony hands and laughed his hoarse laugh and said, We have got Him.

But they didn’t have Him. Jesus was taken captive by death that He might set the captive free.

Jesus rose from the dead in complete confidence and calmness. As a matter of fact,

John 20:7 CSB

7 The wrapping that had been on his head was not lying with the linen cloths but was folded up in a separate place by itself.

This tells us something about how He neatly disposed of His grave clothes.

Jesus did not leave His garments on the floor in a resurrection rush! He was in complete control of this situation.

We have so much to be thankful for because our risen, living victorious Savior owns the keys of death and hell!

I can imagine that death shrieked in terror when Jesus rose from the grave. Jesus put His heel on the throat of death, pulled death from his throne, threw him to the dungeon floor, pulled out the sting of death, and in its place ignited a star of hope in the tomb.

Death no longer rules over Him. For in light of the fact that He died, He died to sin once for all; but in light of the fact that He lives, He lives to God.

So, you too consider yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.