Truth Matters Weekend 22: Revelation

On today's broadcast, Dr. Davis continues her teaching in the Book of Revelation and the seven churches. Hello, I'm Dr. Cheryl Davis, and thank you for joining me again as we continue our study in the Book of Revelation. In the past few episodes, we did an overview of prophecy in general and then an overview of the Book of Revelation. But we'll begin in chapter 1, chapter 1, verses 1 through 3. The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants, things which much shortly take place, and he sent and signified it by his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw.

Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it, for the time is near. In verse 1, revelation comes from the Greek word apokalypsis, or apocalypse. Apocalypse means an uncovering or an unveiling, setting forth or a manifestation of. Revelation is the uncovering of Jesus Christ. As we have said before, it is a messianic book.

Jesus is the Messiah. It is an uncovering of Jesus Christ. The primary focus of the Book of Revelation is to unveil the Lord Jesus Christ and his role as coming king over all the earth.

I'm going to say that one more time as this is an important point. The primary focus of the Book of Revelation is to unveil the Lord Jesus Christ and his role as coming king over all the earth. In verse 1 it says to show his servants things which must shortly take place.

Shortly comes from the word takos, which we get our word tachometer, something that will happen quickly as in a succession of events once they begin to unfold. Moving on to verse 2, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw. This was sent from God to John via his angel.

John his beloved bore witness to the word of God, the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things he saw. So in verse 1 it tells us this is a prophetic book. In verse 2 it tells us this is a pictorial book.

Because John is writing of all the things he saw, which reinforces that this is a pictorial book. Moving on to verse 3, blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy and keep those things which are written in it for the time is near. Blessed is he who tells us that Revelation is a profitable book, meaning that those that read it or that hear it or that keep the things that are written in it or for the time is near, that they will be blessed. So let's get into these blessings. So number 1, blessed is he who reads is the only book in all the Bible that has its own special blessings promised for reading and obeying the book of Revelation. Blessed is he who hears. Blessed is he who is hearing. A previous practice of reading the scriptures in the early church that, you know, there may not have been the scriptures that were translated in other languages at that time, but they stood up and read the scriptures in the early church. So blessed is those who hear the word of God. Blessed is he who keeps those things which are written in it.

So this is a practical admonition. It is a book not only to be read or to be heard, but it is also to be obeyed for the time is near. This is the prophetic anticipation of Revelation. When John wrote this book, it was later than it ever had been.

And I want to spend just a minute here. It is later than it ever has been. The coming of Jesus Christ is closer than it ever has been. At the time that John wrote this book, he fully anticipated the return of Christ, and John thought it was late.

Here we are 2,000 plus years later. It is now later than it was even in John's time. And as each day goes by, it gets later and later. It is later now than it ever has been. The coming of Jesus Christ is closer than it ever has been.

I want to say that one more time to allow it to sink in. It is later now than it ever has been. The coming of Jesus Christ is closer than it ever has been.

The time is near. Let's move on to verses four through six. And I really titled this section Greetings to the Seven Churches. John to the seven churches which are in Asia. Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come and from the seven spirits who are before his throne and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness the firstborn from the dead and the ruler over the kings of the earth to him who loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood and has made us kings and priest to his God and father to him be glory and dominion forever and ever.

Amen. He who is and who was and who is to come is God the Father. Notice the seven spirits who are before his throne are mentioned. This is God the Holy Spirit. And we find the seven spirits of the Holy Spirit in Isaiah chapter 11 verses one through two.

Let's read that. There shall come forth a rod from the stem of Jesse and a branch shall grow out of his roots. The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him. The spirit of wisdom and understanding. The spirit of counsel and might. The spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. These are the seven characteristics of the Spirit of God that are listed.

As we know, seven stands for fullness and completion. But this is the fullness and completion of the Holy Spirit. So we know that the eternal one who is and who was and who is to come is represented by God the Father.

The seven spirits before the throne are represented as the Holy Spirit. And then from Jesus Christ, God the Son, who is labeled the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead and the ruler of the kings of the earth. And if you look at verses five through six, this is really the dedication of the book. Now, as John is writing, as someone would normally write a book, there's often a preface in the first one to eight verses, which is what this is.

And there's a dedication to someone. And here John dedicates the book to Jesus Christ who loved us, who loosed us by washing away our sins and who lifted us, who made us kings and priests to his God. Let's read verses seven through eight. Behold, he is coming with clouds and every eye will see him, even though or even they who pierced him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of him.

Even so, amen. 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. In verse seven, we see the presentation of the king. Is coming comes from the word perugia, which we get the word advent. Coming is not just showing up, but it changes the situation into which the coming is made.

Coming is not just showing up to an event, but when the coming happens or when the person shows up, it changes the situation. So Jesus is coming will make all the affairs in the world in order. He will bring order. He will bring victory. He will bring reconciliation.

Jesus is coming will make all the difference in the affairs of the world. Behold, he is coming with clouds. Whenever God speaks from within a cloud or uses clouds to accompany his purpose, it is always to make a statement or bring judgment into the situation. We see these type of events in the Bible in multiple places, and let's go through a couple of them.

So if you turn to Exodus chapter 19, verse 16, Then it came to pass on the third day in the morning that there were thunderings and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain, and the sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled. Turn to Matthew chapter seven, verse five. While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved son of who I am well pleased.

Hear him. This is God appearing at the transfiguration and speaking on behalf of Jesus. And the last example, we turn to Acts chapter one, verse nine.

Now, when he had spake these things while they watched, he was taken up, and a cloud received him out of their sight. So here we see that God is making a statement multiple times in the Old Testament as well as the New Testament, using clouds to accompany his purpose, making a statement, or to bring judgment into a situation. Moving on to verse eight, 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.

This is the program of the kingdom. The Alpha and the Omega refers to his eternity, but also to his power, authority, and dominion. Let's move on to verses nine through 11. I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.

I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice as of a trumpet saying, I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last. And what you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia, to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea. We notice in verse nine that John identifies himself as a brother companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ. He's writing these words under the same condition that many Bible scholars wrote, suffering.

Paul wrote many of his letters while in chains or in prison, but here John was in exile, and he's writing this letter to the seven churches of Asia Minor under intense suffering. In verse 10 we see there is broad scope of the day of the Lord. All those things that transpire when God brings human history to a climax, culminating with the second coming of Christ, is known as the day of the Lord. But in the Spirit is the only way that we can see such an expanse of human history, that it take the Holy Spirit to reveal this vision to John. But in verse 11 he tells him to write it in a book and send it to the seven churches, which is how we have the book of Revelation. Let's get into verses 12 through 13 where we see symbolism start to begin. In verse 12, Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me, and having turned, I saw seven golden lampstands. And in the midst of the seven lampstands, one like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet, and girded about the chest with a golden band. So these are the first symbols that we see, seven golden lampstands and in the midst of the seven lampstands.

Seven golden lampstands stand for seven churches, but the lampstands are the first symbol. Lampstands are a symbol of light and are used to illuminate the darkness. Really, lampstands are useless during the day, but in nighttime is when they become essential.

We know that because in our area whenever we have thunderstorms or hurricanes, the first thing that goes out is our electricity, which I think happens more often at my house, but I'm not going to go down that road. But either way, we're constantly looking for candles, for flashlights. Lampstands serve the same purpose before the days of modern electricity.

They are useless during the day, but are very essential at night in the darkness. In John 9 verse 4, I must work the works of him who sent me while it is day. The night is coming when no man can work. Jesus being rejected by the world was the beginning of the darkness covering the world. In the absence of his presence, his church is to be the light of the world, declaring his presence in the midst of darkness. And in verse 13, we see in the midst of the seven lampstands, one like the Son of Man. And we know that in Matthew chapter 18 verse 20, For where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am in the midst of them. Jesus Christ is in the midst of the lampstands. He's in the midst of our modern day church today.

But for sure we know he was in the midst of the seven churches of Asia Minor in which this book was written. John gets into a very deep description of what Christ appeared to be in 13 through 16. And in the midst of the seven lampstands, one like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes like a flame of fire. His feet were like fine brass, as it is refined in a furnace, and his voice as the sound of many waters.

He had in his right hand seven stars out of his mouth when a sharp two-edged sword, and his countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. Dr. Davis will continue her Revelation series on our next broadcast. Please join us for this compelling study of promises and prophecies. Please visit Truth Matters with Dr. Cheryl Davis online at ProjectTruthMatters.com or on Facebook at Truth Matters with Dr. Cheryl Davis. Or you can write to her at The Truth Project, PO Box 159, St. Paul's, North Carolina 28384. Truth Matters with Dr. Cheryl Davis is a ministry of The Truth Project.