I’m just going to write down a few things that have
stuck out…no fancy writing on my part…just the Word which stands for itself.
First of all, “Revelation” means “to take the cover
off.” In Greek, it is “apokalupsis”
which is the uncovering. God gave John
these words so that believers wouldn’t be left in the dark about the days ahead
in the end times. God wanted to uncover
the glory of Christ, which is primarily what this book is about.
There are different views regarding how to read the
book of Revelation, but I stand by the Futuristic view, which says that the
words predict a time period that hasn’t occurred yet, especially regarding
chapters 4-22.
One of the words that is imperative to understanding
this book is the Greek word “en tachei.”
In chapter 1, it says that these things must happen soon or shortly come
to pass. This means that they will
happen with speed, swiftness, and quickness once they begin. We sometimes wonder where God is in all of
the worldly sin and mess. One day, He
will intervene quite suddenly as He interjects Himself into the affairs of man. Don’t think for a second that He is
overlooking abortion and other atrocities.
One day, He will show up and we will be quickly reminded that He is not
only merciful, but just Judge.
The letters to the seven churches are so
interesting! It is suggested that each
is a representative of a certain age in church history. The amazing thing is that the “church” that
looks most like us today is the last one mentioned, Laodicea. This means that we are probably almost
finished with the church age, the age of grace.
It probably won’t be much
longer until God raptures His church and turns His attention solely to Israel.
The Laodicea church is definitely worth taking a look
at! One commentary says that it portrays
the apostate church of the last days.
Laodicea was a very affluent and wealthy society. They had a bank and a medical school. The word Laodicea means “rule of the people”
and their mentality was that they had all they needed. They thought they were content and
comfortable, but God described them as wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and
naked. He tells them they are lukewarm
and that He is going to vomit them out of His mouth. This would have been a very good metaphor
because this city received their water via an aqueduct that came from miles
away. No doubt, by the time the
Laodiceans got their water, it was lukewarm.
“His indictment against the church is that they are
half-hearted in their relation to him.
They do not have the fervor and warmth and zeal of a true lover of
Christ; nor are they outright unbelievers who flatly reject the Jesus and make
no pretense of faith. They are halfway
in between.” Piper
A half-hearted, comfortable church would definitely
describe the church as a whole today. God instructs them to repent and anoint
their eyes with eyesalve (again fitting, because they were famous for this
product!) The beautiful thing about this
church is that God still loves them. He
says that His love is found in the rebuke and the discipline.
An interesting thing happens after Revelation chapter
3: the church is never mentioned
again. Many scholars will tell you that
this is proof (one of many) for a pre-tribulation rapture. At the start of Chapter 4, John is told to
“Come up hither,” in which he is transported to the heavenly realm. I’ve studied and studied various rapture
theories and the pre-tribulation one seems to make the most sense as well as
the only one that brings me peace.
A lot of commentaries say “The Day of the Lord” starts
in Chapter 6. It is the day that God’s
specific seven year period of judgment on the earth starts. Most say it starts the same day as the
rapture. The believers are taken away
into safety and then His judgment is released.
(Just like it was in the days of Noah…)
One of the most important things to understand in the
book of Revelation is the forming of the unholy trinity. With the true Trinity, we have the Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit. Since Satan cannot
create anything, he has to twist or copy what God has done. He mocks the pure trinity by forming his
own. Satan’s alliance will include
himself (anti-God/anti-Father,) Antichrist also called Son of Perdition
(anti-Jesus,) and False Prophet (anti-Spirit.)
Satan will be the dragon that gives power to the Antichrist as he rules
in the political realm. The False
Prophet (described as a lamb with two horns) will mock the Holy Spirit whose
chief goal is to get people to worship Jesus.
The False Prophet’s goal is to get everyone to worship the Antichrist.
Great and incredible discernment will be needed in
order to not follow this unholy alliance.
They will come across as peaceful, charismatic, and wise. Their agenda might even promote love. Flee if the names of Yahweh (One True God)
and Yeshua (Jesus) aren’t on their lips.
I think we are entering a time period where the study
of Revelation is extremely wise. God says we are blessed if we read it! We never know how much time we have left and
we refuse to set dates. Still, there are
so many things lining up in today’s headlines that could point to some end
times prophecies that have yet to be fulfilled (like the God Magog war found in
Ezekiel 38-39.) As believers, first, we
need to search our hearts and repent of any sins we are harboring. Second, we need to stay saturated in the Word
of God so we aren’t deceived by lies or even half-lies in these strange
days. And third, we must pray for our
unbelieving friends and family members like never before.
Invite Him in, He longs to take the cover off and
reveal His glory to you personally.
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