When The Lamb Stands SeriesThe Revelation, Chapter 1 (continuation)"Outline of the Book" by Sharon L. Clemens

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    At this point in our series "When The Lamb Stands," you may be wondering if we are ever going to complete chapter one of The Revelation. Yes, this study will be extensive because after thirty years of studying the Second Coming of Christ, I know of no other way to do it. The last book of the Bible, The Revelation, is the container into which our Lord organizes all previous prophetic scripture on the subject. It is, therefore, packed with information. Because the culmination of history is the return of Christ, it is also essential that all remaining prophecy regarding it be completely understood. Christ's return restores all things to God's original intention and purpose. If His people seek to operate within His will, we must understand His plan. He enables us to do just that through a detailed table of contents of this book, in chapter one. Last week, we looked at the dedication, the timing, the delivery system, the theme, and the author and date.

    In order to clearly set forward the fulfillment of prophecy, the Lord also includes in chapter one the outline of this book. We are not left to our own devices to discern the book's construction. Even more significant is the fact that the outline defines those portions of scripture that are yet FUTURE. For those who contend that the events of Christ's second coming have already been fulfilled, in part or in whole, take note: according to God's own construction of The Revelation, everything beyond chapter four is yet future. If the text is interpreted in its plain, literal meaning, the chronological reading of the book reveals a clear sequence of events by which we come logically to this conclusion.

CHRIST'S SECOND COMING IS FUTURE:

    In order to provide the reader with a starting point, The Church Age is defined and outlined through seven letters that chart time from the beginning of the church, up to the beginning of the future section of the book. Until the seven ages of the church are fulfilled and the church age ends in the Rapture/Resurrection of the church, the future portion cannot be fulfilled. In our study of the seven letters to the churches, we will see that the final church age, Laodicea, strongly resembles the sad state of the church today--rampant apostacy. All evidence points to the fact that we are nearing the end of the church age. It is, indeed, timely to unseal the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand [Revelation 22:10].

OUTLINE OF THE REVELATION:

    The Lord Himself outlines The Revelation in 1:19-- Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this."

1.   WRITE THE THINGS WHICH YOU HAVE SEEN: That part of the vision that is already PAST. This comprises the vision of the Glorified Christ in 1:1-20.

2.   WRITE THE THINGS WHICH ARE: Those things which exist AT PRESENT [John's present day]. This comprises the letters to the seven Churches of Asia Minor or modern, Turkey, which were literal churches existing in John's day. This section comprises Revelation chapters 2 and 3.

We will see when we study chapters 2 and 3 that the seven letters to the churches also represent a panoramic view of the entire church age--from John's day to the Rapture of the church.

3.   WRITE THE THINGS WHICH WILL TAKE PLACE AFTER THIS: Those things which will occur IN THE FUTURE. This comprises the majority of the book, from chapter 4:1 to the end, 22:21. Therefore, the book consists primarily of un-fulfilled prophecy.

THE TESTIMONY OF PROPHECY:

    Why does prophecy, especially those portions of the Bible still considered unfulfilled, cause so much controversy? It is because the "testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." [Revelation 19:10] John MacArthur states: "The central theme of both OT prophecy and NT preaching is the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ." [MacArthur, The MacArthur Study Bible, p. 2019] Prophecy is ALL ABOUT CHRIST, and prophecy culminates in The Revelation--the book revealing the only remaining event on God's time table, The Second Coming of Christ Jesus.

    Satan especially seeks to confuse and cause controversy over The Revelation because it reveals Jesus Christ. In 1 Thessalonians 5:4-5, Paul tells true believers, "But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day [the Day of the Lord] should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness." Prophecy is the Lord's preview of the future, so that believers are not in the dark. We are to be prepared for His return.

    Satan does not want us to be prepared--he seeks to deceive and cause man to "believe the lie"--the propaganda of Satan instead of the prophecy of Christ. In 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10, Satan's propaganda techniques are described as "power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved." The lost are duped by Satan's deception. Verse 11 says, "And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth..." [2 Thessalonians 2:11-12]

    Dear friends, the literal interpretation of un-fulfilled prophecy is so controversial today because Satan seeks to deceive about the truth of Christ Jesus and uses lies to do it. Our Lord uses Satan's deception in order to separate the wheat from the tares and the saved from the lost. Prophecy is DIVISIVE because it is truth. Luke 12:49-51--"I [Christ Jesus] came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!...Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division." Truth by its very nature DIVIDES because it separates truth from lies...

THE PROOF OF PROPHECY:

    Much of the Bible was prophetic when it was first written but has now been fulfilled. We call it fulfilled prophecy. Fulfilled prophecy is proof that Bible prophecy is truth. Look, for example, at the visions of Daniel. He saw, in visions of the future, all five remaining world empires that would come upon the earth, beginning with the Babylonian empire in which he served. All but the last empire have been perfectly fulfilled since the time of Daniel; the last remaining to be fulfilled is referred to as the revived Roman empire. It will be the one-world empire of Antichrist that arises on the foundations of the old Roman empire. Just as the first four empires were perfectly fulfilled [Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome], so the prophesies of a revived Roman empire will be fulfilled in the future. The hundreds of prophecies in the Old Testament of Christ's first coming were completely fulfilled; so, the three hundred prophecies in the New Testament of Christ's second coming will also be perfectly and completely fulfilled. And, there are more prophesies of Christ second coming in the Old Testament than of His first coming. Fulfilled prophecy proves the supernatural inerrancy of the Bible.

    When Christ Jesus appeared in His first coming, it led Peter to proclaim, "And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. [2 Peter 1:19-21] Peter rightly saw that prophecy is something we dare not ignore.

PROPHECY CAN BE DIVIDED INTO:
1.   Fulfilled Prophecy
and
2.   Un-fulfilled Prophecy

    All that remains of un-fulfilled prophecy in the Bible are the events that constitute the Second Coming of Christ:

1.   THE RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH [1 Thess. 4:13-18; 1 Cor. 15:50-58; John 14:1-3]

2.   THE TRIBULATION [7 years, Daniel 9], culminating in the physical return of Christ

3.   THE MILLENNIAL KINGDOM [1,000 years--The earthly kingdom of Christ, Rev. 20:4]

4.   THE NEW HEAVENS AND NEW EARTH [ eternity, Rev. 21:1; 2 Peter 3:13]

All 4 events, above, constitute the Second Coming of Christ.

    The next event on the prophetic timetable is The Rapture of the Church. When the Church is taken out, then the events of the Tribulation can begin because the preserving "salt" and illuminating "light" have been removed from the earth. [2 Thessalonians 2:7-8] "For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he [the Holy Spirit] is taken out of the way. And THEN the lawless one [Antichrist] will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming."

    This book is cleverly divided into past, present, and future. What better format to reveal the Christ, who is eternal God. He is described as the past, present, and future God in Revelation 1:4--"who is and who was and who is to come..." Also, in Revelation 1:8, Christ proclaims "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End..." Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet; our Lord is the A to Z--the beginning and end of all things.

THE BLESSING:

    The Revelation is also unique because it contains a special blessing in 1:3--for the one who reads it, for the one who hears it, and for the one who does it [he who keeps it]. The Revelation is meant to be an INTERACTIVE book. Those who desire the blessing must do more than let it go in one ear--and out the other. The book is meant to instruct us in the Lord's true nature and to prepare us for His return. It is a serious blessing, made even more significant in that a curse or warning is given at the end of the book to those who misrepresent it [Revelation 22:18]. Therefore, those who open this book are promised either a great blessing or a great curse. Such stature is appropriate for a book that uses WRATH as a vehicle for God's GRACE and as the last word of God to man.

    In total, the book contains seven promises of blessing, also called The Seven Beatitudes of Revelation. Any believer of any age who reads this book can find blessing in its pages: 1:3; 14:13; 16:14; 19:9; 20:6; 22:7; 22:14. We will discuss each blessing in its context.

THE ADDRESS:

    Who did our Lord chose to send His last letter to? He chose seven churches in what is today modern Turkey [Asia Minor, 1:4]. John includes in the address who the letter is from, or the origins of the message. It is from God Himself--but God in His full deity as Triune God. Martin Luther called Him the Great Three-In-One. Revelation is unique again in that it is the only book in the Bible specifying communication by the Trinity:
   * FATHER: "Grace and peace to you from Him who is, and who was, and who is to come..." A reference to God in His person as eternal everlasting Father.
   * HOLY SPIRIT: "and from the seven spirits before His throne..." A description of the Holy Spirit. Seven represents completeness. Isaiah describes the 7-fold ministry of the Holy Spirit in Isaiah 11:2.
   * SON, JESUS CHRIST: "and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn [greatest] from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth." Christ, the third person of the Trinity, not in importance, only in order of their appearance here, is described in words that identify His three main offices.

CHRIST'S JOB DESCRIPTION and RESUME:

1.   PROPHET--the faithful witness, fulfilled in His first coming. Ref. John 8:14.
2.   PRIEST--the firstborn from the dead, our high priest offered Himself as a sacrifice for our sins. Fulfilled in His first coming. Ref. Hebrews 9:11-18.
3.   KING--the ruler of the kings of the earth. He will return as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Rev. 19:16, Psalm 2; 110; Daniel 2:44. He will ascend His throne at His Second Coming.

THE DEDICATION:

    In Revelation 1:6, the book is dedicated "to Him who loved us..." It is dedicated to the Son by the Father, but John cannot help but add his own adoration to the dedication. John erupts into praise, glorifying our Lord for His worthiness to receive such authority, specifically for His gift of redemption. Unable to contain his praise, he launches into a preview of the Lord's physical return to the earth, the Second Coming. John exalts in seeing the "redemption" he spoke of fully manifested and complete. The atonement is finished, but the Lord will return to redeem the earth, making redemption complete. John has the privilege of seeing this future fulfillment:

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

    * The clouds may refer to the cloud of witnesses that will return with Him, 1 Thess. 3:13; or Jude 14. Clouds may also refer to literal clouds in the atmosphere through which He returns, Rev. 19:11-12. This future event cannot refer to the Rapture or the first coming. Only at the Second Coming, at the end of the Tribulation, will every eye see Him because He will command global attention. [Rev. 19:11-16; Zechariah 14:2-3] Few were aware of His birth at His first coming, and Christ will be visible only to believers at the Rapture.

"...even those who pierced him."

    * This phrase has special significance to Israel. The effect on the Jews, when He returns through the clouds bearing the marks of crucifixion, will be devastating. Zechariah 12:10 expands on this electric moment: "And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son." According to Dr. Dave Breeze, Christ's return will be especially poignant for the believing remnant of Israel. When they see their Messiah return and realize He is pierced, they also realize he is Jesus of Nazareth and their people are responsible for His crucifixion. They mourn passionately that they missed their opportunity to receive Messiah for over 2,000 years.

"...and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him."

    * Believing Israel will mourn because they had a hand in the death of their deliverer, but they repent and receive Him as King at His return. The peoples of the earth who have taken the Mark of the Beast will mourn when they see Christ return in victory because their leaders are defeated and their destruction is imminent. They wail because He comes in judgment, and they refuse to repent. [Rev. 16:21; 9:21]

"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End," says the Lord, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty." Rev. 1:8

    * The Father speaks on behalf of the Trinity, repeating His title as first and last, the eternal God. He ends His statement of authority by naming Himself the Almighty. Who better to speak on His own behalf. This name is the same for the Father in Isaiah 41:4, 44:6, and 48:12. THE ALMIGHTY is the key name used in the Revelation for God: Rev. 1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7; 16:14; 19:6, 15; 21:22.

THE ALMIGHTY:

    The Hebrew word for the Almighty, "Shadday," means figuratively "the powerful one." One of the names of God in the Old Testament was El Shaddai, the all-sufficient one. In the Greek, the common language of the New Testament, "Almighty" [pantokrator] means "the all-ruling God; absolute and universal sovereign." He is the Almighty, Omnipotent [all-powerful] God--the absolute and universal sovereign over all the earth.

IN THE REVELATION, GOD DISPLAYS HIS ABSOLUTE POWER AND SOVEREIGN AUTHORITY OVER THE EARTH THROUGH JESUS CHRIST [5:7-14].
IN THE REVELATION, THE ALMIGHTY KING IS RECOGNIZED AT THE LEVEL OF HONOR HE DESERVES.
The King is coming!

In Him We Wait, Work, and Watch,
[Luke 12:35-59]
Sharon

[Prophecy Chat is a weekly commentary of current events in light of Bible prophecy. Sharon L. Clemens is an evangelical, premillennial, dispensational teacher of eschatology. She can be reached for comment or questions by e-mail at farmgrove@frontier.com]