Would you open your Bibles with
me to the book of Revelation? Revelation chapter one. Now what I want to do this morning,
I want to talk to you about the meaning of Revelation. And I
want to first begin by talking about the meaning of the word
itself. revelation. What is revelation in the scripture? And then I want to talk about
the meaning of the book of Revelation, specifically. And let's look
at Revelation 1 verse 1. Starts out, the revelation of
Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, the father giving this
to the son, that's what that's speaking of, to show unto his
servants things which must shortly come to pass, and he sent and
signified it by his angel unto his servant John." That's the
Apostle John, who was the human writer of the Gospel of John,
the human writer also of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John, and also this
book. Verse two, who bear record of
the Word of God. The Word of God is a record.
and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that
he saw, blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words
of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein,
for the time is at hand. Now, as I said, I wanna start
off by talking about the word revelation and what that word
means. And if you were to go to the original language in which
the New Testament was written, which is the Greek language,
you'd find there that the word that is translated here, revelation,
is actually the Greek word, as we transliterate it to the English,
is the word apocalypse. The apocalypse of Jesus Christ. And that can be misleading because
of people's thoughts. Because when you think of apocalypse,
what do you think of? You think of some great destruction,
don't you? Like an atom bomb or a hydrogen
bomb going off. Something like that. But that's
not what it means. Now, that's not to say when Christ
comes again, the second time, and incidentally He's only coming
one time again, And I'll get into that much later as we study. When he comes the second time,
there is going to be great destruction. If you look at 2 Peter chapter
3, for example, here it speaks of how the Lord is not slack
concerning his promise of coming, but he's longsuffering to usward,
meaning his elect, His chosen people, given Him before the
foundation of the world. This is 2 Peter 3, 9. Not willing
that any should perish, that's any of those whom God gave Him
before the foundation of the world, whose names were written
in the Lamb's Book of Life, not willing that any of them should
perish, but that all should come to repentance. And people ask,
well, why hasn't the Lord come again? Well, He's got some sheep
out there who are still lost. And he's going to bring them
by the power of the Spirit under the preaching of the gospel.
He's going to bring those sheep to faith in Christ and repentance
of dead works. That's what the Spirit does.
He comes in power, the gospel power, empowered by the Spirit. The gospel is the power of God
unto salvation. I read that in the opening. And
he comes in power. And He brings the sheep, the
lost sheep under the preaching of the gospel, the good news
of how God saves sinners by His grace through the blood and the
righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. And He gives them the
gift of faith, knowledge and faith, trust in Christ for all
salvation. If the Spirit's done His work
in you and in me, we trust nothing. But the Lord Jesus Christ in
the glory of His person and the power of His finished work to
save us, to keep us, and to bring us to glory. We don't trust ourselves. We don't trust each other for
salvation. And that's what the Spirit does.
And He brings us to repentance. Well, when that last sheep is
brought into the fold, That's when Christ will come again.
We don't know when that is. And we can't figure out when
that's going to be. And there are no signs given
of that, because it says he'll come as a thief in the night.
Look at verse 11 of 2nd, or verse 10 of 2nd Peter 3. But the day
of the Lord will come as a thief in the night. Now, when you least
expect it. Now, God's people Believers were
to live every day expecting that this might be the day. You understand what I'm saying?
We don't know when he's coming. People have tried to figure it
out. There was a old preacher out in California who set dates.
He wrote a whole book on it, setting the date. I think it
was sometime in 1988, I think. He was wrong. But the book was probably a bestseller. You know how people are. Well,
we don't know when he's coming. But I'm to live today as if he
might come today. I'm to live tomorrow as if he
might come tomorrow. But he's gonna come as a thief
in the night, into which the heavens shall pass away with
a great noise. This is no secret coming. You
know, people today, they believe he's coming in secret and people
are just gonna disappear off there. That's not scriptural,
folks. Understand me. He said, with a great noise,
the elements shall melt with a fervent heat, global warming. The earth also and the works
that are therein shall be burned up. That's a great catastrophe. And he says, seeing then that
all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought
you to be in all holy conversation in godliness, looking for and
hastening unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens
being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with
fervent heat. So what are we to be doing? Looking
unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Resting in him. The just, the justifier, Paul
wrote in Romans 170, shall live by faith, looking to Christ,
laying hold of Christ, living in and by his word, worshiping
God. That's what we're to be doing.
We're to take care of our families, we're to take care of ourselves,
we're to do the things that God has blessed us with on this earth
and be responsible citizens, but all in all, Our hope, our
faith is in the one who's coming. And we look to him and for him.
So that's all gonna happen. But now this word revelation,
this word apocalypse, what does it mean? Here's what it means. It means the unveiling of God's
truth to his people. It means the truth unveiled. to uncover that which is hidden. It's an opening up of light to
disclose, to make manifest, to make visible. That's what apocalypse
means. Here is a truth of God's Word,
and it's revealed in the Bible, and yet it's revealed by the
Spirit. The Bible teaches that there are two types of revelation.
Some man said one time that the Bible is one book with two volumes
in that sense. But there's two types of revelation.
First of all, there's a natural, general revelation given to all
people in nature and in conscience. And Brother Jim just read about
that general revelation back in Psalm 19. Listen to what it
says, Psalm 19. The heavens declare the glory
of God. The firmament showeth his handiwork.
What are you talking about the heavens? Talking about the sky.
Talking about beyond the sky, the stars, the sun, all of that. Verse two, day unto day uttereth
speech and night unto night showeth knowledge. It's like God speaking
to every person about his glory in creation. And there's enough
revelation of God in that creation by which God holds everybody
accountable. When you look at that revelation
in nature, what do you see? And then the revelation of conscience.
God creates everyone with a conscience, a natural conscience. And so
there is a natural, general revelation given to all people in nature
and in conscience. But secondly, The other type
of revelation is this, there's a special saving revelation given
to some people, and it's necessary for salvation. Listen to the words of our Lord
in John 17. This is his high priestly prayer. John 17 one,
listen to this. It says, these words spoke Jesus
and lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, father, the hours come.
Glorify thy son that thy son also may glorify thee. Now he's
talking about the hour of his death. Verse two, as thou hast
given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life
to as many as thou hast given him. Now he's speaking of God's
elect there. His sheep. Back in John 6, 37,
he said, all that the Father giveth me shall come to me. And
him that cometh me I will no wise cast out. But look at verse
three of John 17. This is life eternal, that they
might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou
hast sent. Eternal life is to know God. Now somebody might say, well,
everybody knows God. Well, I'm sorry to say everybody
doesn't. Now there is that general revelation in nature. Many people
know the God of creation, but they don't know the God of salvation. That's the problem. Turn with
me to Matthew chapter 11. Now the Lord said that this is
eternal life. that they might know thee the
only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. Think about
it. Look at Matthew chapter 11 verse
25. Eternal life is to know God.
It's to know God both as a just judge, a righteous judge, as
well as a loving, merciful savior. The question that is answered
in the revelation of the gospel is how can God be both? How can
he be both a just judge and deal with me, a sinner, in justice,
which is death? And how can he be both a just
and righteous judge towards me and yet save me in mercy and
grace and love without denying himself? He cannot save me in
a way that denies his justice. The gospel is the answer to that.
And it's, of course, by his grace through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
But look at Matthew 11, verse 25. It says, at that time, Jesus
answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and
earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and
the prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Now, who is
the wise and the prudent? That's us by nature. wise in
our own eyes. Think we know more than we know. But he's revealed it unto babes. What is a babe? It's one who
is totally dependent upon the mother and the father for their
life. And that's what he brings his people to be. He brings us
to understand that when it comes to salvation and a right relationship
with God, We are like babies totally, totally dependent upon
Christ for our life, our spiritual life, our salvation, our well-being. And he says in verse 26, even
so father for so it seemed good in thy sight. Now look at verse
27 of Matthew 11. All things are delivered unto me of my father,
and no man knoweth the son but the father, neither knoweth any
man the father save the son, and he to whomsoever the son
will what? Reveal him. That's the same word,
a different form of the same word apocalypse, the revelation. Now remember what I said. Look
at 1 Corinthians chapter 2. There are two kinds of revelation. Remember this. There's that natural
revelation of God in creation and conscience given to everybody.
But if that's all the revelation you have, if that's all you have,
you're of all people most miserable. There's no salvation in that.
That's why in Psalm 19, he went on and said, he said, the word
of the Lord, the law of the Lord, the doctrine of God is what that
means, is able to convert the soul. In other words, for salvation,
we need more than to know the God of creation revealed in nature. We need to know the God of the
Bible, the God of the word, who reveals himself as both a just
God and a savior. And he says right here, we need that special revelation
that comes by the Holy Spirit in the preaching of the gospel.
The gospel is the power of God. Now, why is that special revelation
necessary for my salvation? For your salvation? Well, look
at 1 Corinthians chapter 2 verse 9. Listen to this. But as it
is written, I have not seen nor ear heard, neither have entered
into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them
that love him. What's he saying to us there?
Man by nature doesn't know God. Doesn't know the God of salvation.
Doesn't know the God of saving love. Doesn't know the God who
saves sinners by his grace. He says in verse 10, but God
hath revealed them unto us, that's believers, by His Spirit. This is how God reveals it. For
the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
For what man knoweth the things of man, save the Spirit of man
which is in him. Now, what about the Spirit of
man? Man is spiritually dead, the Bible teaches. Man's spirit
is fallen. Even so the things of God knoweth
no man, but the Spirit of God. Verse 12. Now we have received
not the Spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God,
that we might know the things that are freely given to us of
God. That's what the Spirit reveals. The salvation that is freely,
unconditionally given to God's people through Christ. But look
down at verse 14 of this chapter. 1 Corinthians 2.14, But the natural
man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they
are foolishness unto him, neither can he know them, because they
are spiritually discerned. General revelation or the revelation
of God in nature is addressed to man as man, but man does not
have the spiritual capacity for fully understanding it. That's
why Christ said we must be born again. Look over at Romans chapter
1 with me. Romans chapter 1. Look at verse
18. This is right after he speaks
of the revelation of Christ in the gospel. You see the gospel
is the revelation of God in Christ for salvation. And so he said,
for in it is the righteousness of God revealed. What does he
reveal? He reveals how God justifies, saves, forgives, declares righteous,
centers by His grace through the righteousness of Christ,
freely imputed, charged, accounted, and received by God-given faith.
But look at verse 18 of Romans 1. where the wrath of God is
revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness
of men who hold the truth in unrighteousness? Because that
which may be known of God is manifest in them, for God hath
showed it unto them." Now how has God showed it unto them?
In the natural revelation, nature, conscience. For the invisible
things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen.
the sun, the moon, the stars, the earth, tells us that there's
a creator, an intelligent being. Not everybody believes that,
do they? He says, being understood by the things that are made,
even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.
In verse 21, because that when they knew God, and is in their
minds, that natural revelation. They glorified Him not as God,
neither were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations, and
their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise,
they became fools, changed the glory of God, that glory that's
revealed in creation. the glory of the uncorruptible
God into an image made like to corruptible men and to birds,
four-footed beasts, creeping things, wherefore God also gave
them up to the uncleanness through the lust of their own hearts
to dishonor their own bodies between themselves. Working down
into the sinfulness that we see so much. Verse 25, who changed
the truth of God, that truth revealed in creation, into a
lie and worshiped and served the creature more than the creator
who is blessed forever. What do men by nature do with
that natural revelation? Do they worship the true and
living God? No, they worship themselves. They worship the
sun. They worship the moon. They worship
the earth. That's especially prevalent today. Anything but God. Well, that's why Christ said
we must be born again. Well, we can't see the Kingdom
of God. It's not revealed. So what is
the nature of special saving revelation? Well, as we read
over in Romans chapter 1, it's the gospel revelation. The uncovering
manifestation of the truth that God reveals of himself, and that
God reveals of us, and that God reveals of how he saves sinners
by his grace through the Lord Jesus Christ. Remember what he
said, I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, the good news,
for it is the power of God under salvation. It, the gospel, in the power
of the Spirit, it's the power of God unto salvation, to everyone
that what? Believeth. That means they've
been given the gift of faith by God to everyone that believeth,
to the Jew first, the Greek, or the Gentile also. There's no physical hindrances
here. Doesn't matter who you are, What
color you are? Listen, we're all sinners. We
all need salvation by grace. We all need the forgiveness of
our sins on a just ground. The Gospel tells us the only
just ground, the blood of Jesus Christ. That's a revelation. But it's only a revelation to
me and to you if we believe it. And that believing is the gift
of God. It's not in us by nature, the
natural man receiveth not that revelation. It's foolishness
to him. We need to understand that we
are in need of a righteousness, a perfection of righteousness
that we can't produce. But that God has already accomplished
through His Son on the cross. By His obedience unto death,
Christ. produced a perfect righteousness
whereby God is just to save and to justify sinners like me and
you. And that's what he says in verse
17, for therein is the righteousness of God revealed. What is the
righteousness of God? It's the perfection of law and
justice that can only be found in Christ who is God manifest
in the flesh. For therein is the righteousness
of God revealed, uncovered, made manifest, opened up. And he says, for the justified,
it's written that the justified, who are the justified? Those
who stand before God forgiven of all their sins based on that
one ground, the blood of Jesus Christ. Those who stand before
God righteous, declared so by God, not by men, but by God in
the imputed righteousness of Christ. That's the just ground. The justified shall live by faith. The gospel revelation is addressed
to people as sinners. It's only by God's revelation
that we know our sinfulness. Oh, everybody will admit that
we're sinners and that we've done some things wrong, but here's
what the gospel revelation says in the power of the Spirit. That
without Christ, without His blood, without His righteousness, I
am nothing but sin in the eyes of God. And that applies to the
best of us as well as to the worst of us. Even my efforts
to save myself, if aimed at saving myself, my friend, it's sin. That's what it reveals. It reveals
it's a powerful revelation that gives us spiritual life and calls
us irresistibly to faith in Christ and repentance of dead works.
And it shows us that in the eyes of Almighty
God, who requires a perfection of righteousness that we don't
have, that without Christ, we're doomed. We have no hope. Paul, when he was talking to
the Galatian church, talking about this gospel, this gospel
revelation, He said in Galatians 1, 11, and 12, He said, I certify
you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached to me is not
after man. Man didn't come up with this.
He said, for I neither received it of man, neither was I taught
it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ. Who is Jesus Christ? God, manifest in the flesh. You want to know God? He's only
revealed in the person and work of Christ. Paul went on in Galatians
1.15, he said, but when it pleased God who separated me from my
mother's womb and called me by His grace to reveal His Son in
me, that I might preach Him among the heathen. Now there are other revelations
from God to His people. In the Old Testament, He revealed
Himself to His holy prophets. He even did it back then in dreams
and visions, audible words, the revelation of the scriptures.
Paul had a revelation that no other apostle had, and that had
to do with the preaching of the gospel to the Gentiles. He spoke
of that in Ephesians chapter three. But here's my point, and
with that in mind, go back to Revelation 1. All saving revelations of God
to His people find their foundation, find their purpose and meaning
in Jesus Christ crucified and risen from the dead. All of God's saving revelations
find their foundation, their purpose, their meaning, and even
their goal in the glory of God revealed in the face of Jesus
Christ. And that brings us to this book of Revelation. Look
at it. The Revelation of Jesus Christ. That's what this is.
This is an uncovering. This is an open manifestation
that was given to Jesus Christ, the Son of God by the Father,
to give through a messenger to the Apostle John to give to the
people. So it's a revelation of Christ,
the Word of God, revealed by Jesus Christ to His church through
the Apostle John. But now listen to me. From here
on to the end of this Bible, and from here on back to Genesis,
it's a revelation about Jesus Christ. It's a revelation of
Christ given from Him to His people, but it's a revelation
about Him. That's what the book of Revelation
is about. You might think it's about all
kinds of other things, and there are other things here, but it
all finds its foundation, its purpose, and its meaning, and
its goal in the glory of who Jesus Christ is. The glory of
His person. And John begins to describe the
vision that the angel gave him of Christ in the glory of His
person. God manifest in the flesh. That's the only one who can save
a sinner. He must be God and He must be
man without sin. The Word made flesh dwelling
among us. God manifest in the flesh. The power and success of His
finished work, His righteousness. The gospel is the revelation
of the righteousness of God. What is that? That's the merit,
the value of what Christ, as God manifests in the flesh, accomplished
in His obedience unto death for His people to save us. To ensure
the salvation of His sheep. And so he said, this is the will
of the Father which is sent me, that of all which he hath given
me, I should lose nothing, but raise it up again the last day.
And then in this book of Revelation, we see the trials, the persecutions
that his church in the last days will go through. And what are
those last days? Well, they began when Christ
died on that cross, rose again, and ascended to the Father. Do
you know those were the last days? And they continue on up until
His second coming. Do you know what we're living
in the last days? And in this book of Revelation,
He shows our trials as a church, as individual brethren, persecutions,
but listen to me, He also shows And thank God for this, he also
shows forth the security of his church in the last days. When Christ told his disciples,
he said he's the builder of his church, he said the gates of
hell will not prevail against us. You're going to see how that
plays out in the book of Revelation. This is the last days. This is
the new covenant days we're living in. And the only hope that we
have, folks, is the revelation of Jesus Christ. That's it. We have no salvation, we have
no security, and there'll be no glory except in this person. based upon this work of righteousness
that he accomplished for us. And that's what the book of Revelation
is about. And if you lose sight of that,
you'll always miss the truth that's revealed there. Keep that
in mind. All right. Let's turn in our
hymnals to hymn number 158, Come Holy Spirit, Heavenly Dove. Let's
stand and we'll close our service with this.