Well tonight we're in for, I trust, a great time. And in order to make the most of it, open your Bible to the book of Revelation. Tonight we have as our purpose a tour through this marvelous book.
While you're turning to Revelation chapter 1 verse 1, let me just say that no book in Scripture reveals the glory of God and Christ in any more splendor than does this book and yet no book has been more misunderstood and misinterpreted and neglected than this book. In chapter 22 of Revelation and verse 10 it says, "Seal not the words of the prophecy of this book for the time is at hand." If there's one thing God wants in regard to this book, it is that we know what it teaches. Seal it not. The book begins with a blessing. Chapter 1 verse 3, "Blessed is he that readeth." It ends with a blessing, chapter 22 verse 7, "Blessed is he that keepeth the words of the prophecy of this book." It is the only book in the Bible that begins and ends with a promise of blessing to the one who reads. And we are told that we are to understand it because the time is at hand, and what that basically means in chapter 22 verse 10 is that what is said here is the next event on God's Messianic timetable.
Now the key to the book is found in chapter 1 verse 1, and we're going to dive right in at that point and go from there. The Revelation of Jesus Christ, that's what the book is about. It is the apocalypse, the apokalupsis, the unveiling, the revealing of Jesus Christ, the uncovering of the truth about Christ heretofore not known. We're going to learn things about Jesus Christ in this book that we wouldn't know if it weren't for this book. And the revelation which God gave to him to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass. In other words, this is a glimpse of the future, the near future. And He sent and signified it by His angel unto his servant, John. God wanted to reveal Jesus Christ in full glory. That's a future reality.
And so He sent the message about this with an angel who delivered it to John. Verse 2 says John wrote it down. He bore witness of the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ and of all things that he saw. So in verse 1 God sets out to reveal. In verse 2 John takes the responsibility to write down that revelation and in verse 3 it says, "Blessed is the one who reads," can underline that, "who hears," underline that, "who keeps the things written in it." And then this important statement, "For the time is at hand." And that's not related necessarily to time itself but more to the sequence of events. This is the next on God's calendar of Messianic events.
It is then a revelation of Jesus Christ and it is Him revealed in full Second Coming glory which was previewed in His first coming on the Mount of Transfiguration when He showed them a glimpse of His Second Coming glory. ...
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