The Revelation of Jesus Christ (part 2)

As I wrote earlier, “I planned to read the Book of Revelation for my vacation study. At the last minute I refined it – I decided to see how Revelation describes Jesus Christ.” My plan was to glide through the book looking for the names and titles ascribed to Jesus. This brought an extra blessing, rather than being absorbed in the details, I was able to see the big picture.

I used to say about the book of Revelation, “This is not a catalog of end time events, it's a revelation of Jesus Christ.” Doesn’t that sound good? I based my opinion on the first verse of chapter one, The Revelation of Jesus Christ… I had to change my mind a little. What did I see in my week of reading?

1. The book opens up with this statement, The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to him to show unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass. While the book is not simply a catalog of end time events, it was given to show us things which must come to pass. It is not my intention to interpret the events described in the book, I’m simply pointing out that the book does describe events which must shortly come to pass.

2. As I said, I used to declare that the book was a revelation of Jesus Christ. And that's how I approached my reading of it my week of vacation. But my reading revealed something I guess I hadn't noticed before. Jesus is an important figure in the book, and plays a key role in the end time events described herein, but Jesus is not the central or dominant character. God is. This book reveals to us that God is in control, that God has a plan, and that God will see to it that his plan is carried out. I think this explains why there are a few chapters (4,8,9,10,18) that do not mention Jesus at all, while no chapter goes without mentioning God. Before any events happen on earth, we have a vision of heaven. And there is the encouragement for us, God is on the throne, God is in control.

3. And this is one of the main purposes of the book, to offer encouragement. No matter what is going on around us, God is on the throne. If our lives now can look and feel like things are out of control, just imagine the days of the end: there are seals opened, trumpets blasting, vials poured out, Antichrist, wars, persecutions - it certainly looks and feels like things are totally out of control. But be of good courage: God is on the throne! This is why worship is mentioned so often throughout the book. And oh how rich is this worship!

4. Flowing out of this encouragement is the exhortation to keep the faith. This book describes a time when the beast will make war on the saints and overcome them. Tribulation, persecution, and martyrdom are recurring themes. But the saints, despite being persecuted, harried, and martyred, overcome the devil and the beast and the world by their faith. They are described as those who keep the faith, have the testimony of Jesus and hold the faith of Jesus. The world thinks that if you die you lose. But this book tells us, that if you die and keep your faith, you win. You win big! So I suppose we could sum it up this way, “Don't you dare quit. You…keep...holding on.”

5. So if God is the main character of the book, where does Jesus fit into this? And who is this Jesus? He's the one who rose from the dead - I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. He is the Lamb: he has redeemed us from our sins by his blood; he has made us kings and priests unto God; he has restored us to God and made us the people of God. He is also the Prince of the kings of the earth; the King of kings and Lord of lords. Jesus is the one who brings to pass God's purpose: by his sacrifice he saves us and with his return he establishes God's kingdom on the earth. Amen. He also describes himself with some of the same words used by God. God is described as the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. Jesus calls himself, the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. This is why Jesus is also worshiped throughout this book. Ah, this book is a revelation of Jesus: he is the Lamb; he is the one who rose from the dead; he is the root and offspring of David; he is the Alpha and the Omega; he is the King of kings and Lord of Lords. He is to be worshiped!

So, don’t get lost in the trumpets and seals, the two witnesses and the beast, and Babylon the great. See God on the throne, and Jesus, the Lion and the Lamb. Keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. And worship him who sits on the throne, and the Lamb that was slain!

And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.

It is what it is

I was texting a friend the other day and he mentioned that he wasn’t feeling good. I said, “Sorry to hear you’re not feeling good. May tonight and tomorrow be better.” He replied, “It is what it is.”

It is what it is. That ranks up there in my Top Ten Least Favorite Sayings.

I Googled “it is what it is” and this is what came back: “A phrase that seems to simply state the obvious but actually implies helplessness.”

And that’s why I don’t like the phrase. Helpless. Can’t do anything about it. Can’t change a thing. Whatcha gonna do?

Is this true? Are we stuck in our situation? Are we just to sit back and endure our circumstances, with no hope of deliverance or change?

No.

No!

NO!

I knew a man who used to come by the store on his break. We talked about the Lord and his church. A few months went by and I didn’t see him. One night he dropped in and we caught up. Sadly, his spiritual life had spiraled down since I last saw him. As we talked about it he said, “Oh, it is what it is.” I grew bold and said, “Not so. What if John the Baptist had preached, ‘Repent, the kingdom of heaven is at hand and you’re not ready’ and the Jews had responded, ‘Hey man, it is what it is.’ No, it is not. They were to repent, turn to God and change the way they were. There was hope.”

God has made promises to us. There is power. There is hope. Deliverance. Salvation. Grace. Mercy. Rescue. Amen!

“Wait. Hold on. We’re just talking about a cold.” Perhaps, but should we not trust the Lord for healing? Should we not expect to get better? hope to get better?

Or some other minor inconvenience. Like the time we headed to Ohio and I discovered I had forgotten my shoes. That’s right, I was headed to Ohio for a week and had no shoes. It is what it is, right? No, we stopped and bought some flip flops. I wasn’t willing to settle for what it was, I changed it.

What if I am powerless to change my circumstances? Do I then take refuge in, “It is what it is”? Hopeless, helpless, powerless.

This is exactly why I don’t like this expression. I am a Christian. I am not hopeless, helpless, powerless. Jesus is working in my life. “Call unto me and I will answer thee.” What if you are not a Christian? Not a believer in Jesus? “Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” There is hope. There is help.

It is what it is. Well, that’s partly true. But, does what it is have to stay what it is? Nope. And I encourage everyone who is reading this and uses this phrase to lift your eyes to the Lord. Don’t settle for what is, trust the Lord for deliverance, salvation, rescue, transformation. Get rid of hopelessness and helplessness, there is hope in the Lord!

Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, 

that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

The Revelation of Jesus Christ

I planned to read the Book of Revelation for my vacation study. At the last minute I refined it – I decided to see how Revelation describes Jesus Christ. This was interesting.

First, the different names and titles ascribed to Jesus and the number of times each one is used. If no number follows, it occurs only once.

Jesus Christ 3x
the faithful witness
the first begotten of the dead
the Prince of the kings of the earth
Alpha and Omega 2x
the first and the last 3x
the Lion of the tribe of Juda
the Root of David
Lamb 28x
Lord 2x
Christ 4x
Man child
Son of man 2x
Jesus 5x
Lord of lords and King of kings
King of kings and Lord of lords
faithful and true
the Word of God
the beginning and the end
the root and offspring of David
the bright and morning star
Lord Jesus
Lord Jesus Christ

Quite an impressive list! I noticed:
- Lamb is used nearly as many times as all the other titles combined
- the book opens with “Jesus Christ” and closes with “our Lord Jesus Christ”
- Jesus is not mentioned at all in chapters 4, 8, 9, 10, 18


Second, in addition to the descriptions of Jesus as a Lamb (as it had been slain), there are two extended descriptions of the Lord Jesus:

Revelation 1:12-16 Jesus’ appearance to John at the beginning of the book
And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.

The elements of this vision are used in the letters to the seven churches (2-3).

Revelation 19:11-16 the second advent
And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

Amen!

All I really did was skim through the book, but it was encouraging, edifying, and enlightening. I was reminded: Jesus is a central figure in the Book of Revelation, and I can’t capture this in a brief blog post. I hope (and plan) to write about a couple of other things I noticed while reading through the book, things I hope will remove some of the fear that often accompanies the reading of The Revelation of Jesus Christ.

And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.

The difference between religion and salvation

We always encourage and exhort you to do righteousness, live in holiness, walk in love. We are right to do so but I confess, it can be wearying – “Oh man, I have so much to do already, work, and bills, and yard work and family and and and … now I have to worry about righteousness and holiness and love.” If we are not careful then it can sound like our message is: Do. Do more. Do it better. This is religion.

We have a picket fence in our back yard. It is an unfinished wood fence. By the time we bought the house, it was dried and weathered, and some of the wood was bowing. A few years ago I painted it. This year I’m repainting it. It looks better – all white and bright, but underneath it’s the same old fence. Everyone who knew it before knows that.

That’s what religion is, sprucing up the outside but not changing the inside.

He also will hear their cry, and will save them. (v 19) Jesus promises salvation. It’s true, God calls us to do righteousness, live in holiness, walk in love, BUT, he has made great promises. He promises to work in us what he wants us to work out in our lives. He will righteoufy you so righteousness will flow from you. He will holify you so you can live holy. And he will pour out his love in your heart so you can walk in love. This is salvation. Cry out to him and he will save you!


~from my message on Psalm 145, Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.

My journey as a pastor – Fellowship

I can still clearly remember listening to Chuck Smith on the radio one day commenting on Acts 2:42, And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. He said fellowship was a vital part of church life and went on to share some of the things they did at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa to promote fellowship.

I had teaching (doctrine) and prayer (prayer meeting) down, but fellowship…

I went to work on fellowship.

My earliest efforts were sincere but almost comical. Fellowship is a participation in something, and in our case, that is Jesus and the life in him. When the brethren got together, most of our conversation was sports and work and vacation etc. So I set out to change that. Once a month we had a “fellowship” in the Sunday School hour.

I bought a cook timer and announced that until it dinged we could only talk about spiritual things. I set it for 2 minutes, then 3 minutes, then 5 minutes.

I was trying…

Then I determined that just hanging out together was the important first step, so that’s what we did. Lots of it.

5th Wednesday Fellowship – We had Wednesday night Prayer/Youth/Children’s Meetings and every month that had five Wednesdays we had a fellowship. It was usually a supper and the Deaconesses would plan what we did that night. Sometimes it would be ice cream. Just getting together.

Christmas Feast – This was a big deal. This was probably the closest thing we had to a “dressed up” gathering. This was always a wonderful night.

New Year’s Eve Family Night – I knew that New Year’s Eve services were traditionally “watchnight services” but we got together for a family night of food, games, and fellowship. And bonfires. Shortly before midnight we would count down to the new year, then rejoice together.

End of Summer - Usually at the end of summer a family in the church with a pool would host the church and we would have another big gathering. Actually, as often as they would host us we would go over there and hang out! They graciously hosted all kind of meetings: baptisms, missions conference, as well as fellowships.

We also did something a little more intimate called Dinner 8. Four couples would agree to meet in each other’s homes over the next four months.

I know there were a lot of things I didn’t get right as pastor, but by the grace of God we had a good fellowship. A sweet fellowship. And I am persuaded that it was the fruit of these intentional efforts to promote fellowship among the brethren.