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Unveiling
the King Jesus Christ Preeminent in the Revelation. We have now
reached the last and in some respects the most difficult book in
the Bible in our study of the kingdom of God, the Book of the
Revelation. The word "Revelation" means unveiling or
uncovering. The Greek word for Revelation is Apokalupsis, from
which we derive the term Apocalypse. It is really the Unveiling
of Jesus Christ. It was written by the apostle John while he was
exiled on the lonely Island of Patmos.
The book of Revelation differs in some respects from most
books in the Bible, although its symbols closely resemble those
used in Daniel and Exekiel. It contains a prophetic history of
the Christian church written in symbolic language. The opening
verse tells us this fact in these words: "The Revelation of
Jesus Christ which God gave unto Him, to shew unto His servants
things which must shortly come to pass; and He sent and
signified it by his angel unto his servant John." Webster.
In the first chapter, a remarkable description of the glorified
resurrected Christ is found. It is the only description of the
personal appearance of Christ in the Bible. The gospel writers
only portrayed His moral excellence, but made no attempt to
describe his physical appearance.
History Foretold in Symbols. We also notice a striking
similarity in the terms used here compared with those we find
elsewhere in the Scriptures. For instance in Ch. 2:9 we read,
"I know thy works, and tribulation and poverty, (but thou
art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are
Jews and are not, but are of the synagogue of Satan." This
reminds us of Paul's description of the Jew in Rom. 2:17-29.
Both John and Paul defined the true Jew as a born-again person,
and the unredeemed even though of Jewish ancestry, belong to the
synagogue of Satan. Then too, we discover that John had the same
conception of the kingdom of God, in Ch. 1:9, as follows:
"I, John, who also am your brother and companion in
tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus
Christ." This shows the existence of the kingdom of God
then, and the fact that John was in it. Paul shows this also
when he says in Rom. 14:1`7, "For the kingdom of God is
righteous and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost."
For our present study we shall quote from Rev. 20: 1-6: And I
saw an angel come down from heaven having a great chain in his
hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is
the Devil and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and cast
him into the bottomless pit and shut him up, and set a seal upon
him, that he should deceive the nations no more till the
thousand years should be fulfilled; and after that he must be
loosed a little season. And I saw thrones and they sat upon
them, and judgment was given unto them; and I saw the souls of
them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the
word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his
image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in
their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand
years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the
thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection;
on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be
priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with him a thousand
years."
We must remember that John wrote this message when the fires
of persecution were already beginning to glow. John was the only
apostle left who had not sealed his testimony with his blood.
Thousands of Christians had become martyrs for their faith. What
became of these martyrs? Where did they go when they left this
earth? That is the question John answers in this passage when he
said he saw the "souls of them that had been
beheaded." As the drama of the history of the Church on
earth progressed toward its final culmination, John was allowed
to pull back the veil of the other world and there he beheld the
souls of the early martyrs. Living in the presence of Christ.
They are said to "live and reign" with Him for a
period of one thousand years. There is nothing to indicate that
this scene is on earth at all. It describes the existence of
those who died for Christ from the time of their leaving this
earth until the judgment day.
The Two Resurrections. The "first"
resurrection mentioned in verses 5 and 6 is puzzling to some. It
has reference to the new birth for that comes first in point of
time and is the only resurrection that can make us "blessed
and holy." A sinner is said to be dead in trespasses and
sins, but in being saved he is raised to newness of life. Thus
Paul describes the experience in Eph.2:1. "And you hath he
quickened (made alive) who were dead in trespasses and
sins." Again in 1 Tim. 5:6 it says, "She that liveth
in pleasure is dead while she liveth." It is stated in Rom.
6:23 "For the wages is death." Death is separation
from God and the penalty of death is passed on all who continue
in sin. There is a parallel in civil law in the case of a
murderer or anyone upon whom the death sentence is passed. Once
the sentence is decreed, the felon is counted as dead by the law
from the time the judgment is pronounced, even though the
execution may not take place until several months later.
Likewise the death penalty is the sentence of all sinners. Sin
brings death (condemnation) to the soul even now. Rom 7:9.
The same truth is expressed by Christ in John 5:24, 25, where
to "hear" the voice of Christ in the gospel is to be
made alive from the dead. Also in John 11:25, 26, where Jesus
says to Martha, "I am the resurrection, and the life; he
that liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou
this?" The teaching of Christ is that faith in Him brings
spiritual life. The "blessed" experience of being born
again makes one "holy" and fit for heaven; and it also
deprives sin of its power to exact the penalty of final death,
so that on such the second death hath no power. Just as
believing gives us the power to become sons of God (John1:12),
so, by the same believing relationship we are passed beyond the
"power of the second death." The second death has
reference to eternal punishment. In Rev. 2:11, it says, "He
that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death."
Only saved people can overcome. John refers to the "first
resurrection" in Revelation to differentiate between the
experience that makes men blessed and holy when they are raised
from sin to spiritual life, and the "general
resurrection" where all mankind is raised for judgment,
John 5:28, 29. He refers to that resurrection later in the
chapter. | ||||
