Book of Revelation - Ch. 1, Vs. 1-3 (01/28/2018)

Revelation as an Unveiling of Jesus Christ

We're ready to go? A little bit more? OK. Thank you, sir. It always is. Yeah, it'll probably cool off in a minute. Well, good morning, everyone. Um, OK. Thank you, Brother David. So I looked out this morning.

The first thing I saw was a visitor. And I said, I'm going to be really good today. And I'm going to memorize his name. And when we get ready to talk, I will introduce him. And then another one showed up, and another one, and another one.

And now there's so many, I don't know who you are. So I want to say this. We, as a church, welcome each and every one of them. We're always delighted to have you. And the fact that I can't remember your name is my shortfalling.

It is not the problem with the church. Again, we love having visitors. And we love, especially, having visitors that come interested in learning about the Lord's Word. And that's what we're trying to focus on this morning and this after lunch.

Not after lunch, before lunch, the regular service. We have begun a study of Revelation. And Revelation is an interesting book in many ways. One of the most interesting things about it are all of the pitfalls and all of the minds that I believe Satan lays in our paths on purpose to keep us from studying the book.

Because after all, this is a book that gives a special blessing to everybody that reads it. We'll get to that verse today. In fact, that's how we'll end today's class. In fact, I want to read the first three verses of Revelation.

And then we'll begin. The revelation, this is Revelation 1 .1. The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him to show his servants. That was Mrs. Mitchell telling me it's church time. Pardon me.

The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him to show his servants things which must shortly come to pass. And he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John, who bear record of the word of God and of the testimony of Jesus Christ and of all the 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. Let us pray. Most gracious Heavenly Father, thank you for your word, your word that you have preserved through the ages so that it'll be available to us this morning.

Thank you for giving us a desire to come together to study that word. Thank you for sending us the Holy Spirit to guide us as we undertake that study. And most of all, thank you for sending your son into the world as a man so that we might receive eternal life.

This morning, I ask you to lead us to the scriptures you wish us to explore. Shake them into the message you wish to be delivered and give them to those you wish to hear. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we pray.

Amen. Now, we have been two weeks introducing the book of Revelation. And we didn't get through with verse one yesterday or last Sunday. We have two questions left over from last Sunday. One that we will, Mark, go into in depth in about a year.

Because it's in chapter 22. And the other one, we're gonna finish up today. And the question that we ask, and we got a lot of different responses to this. Before I begin, let me say one more thing. There is a verse in Acts, Acts 17, 11, that talks about the Bereans and the nature of the Bereans.

And he said, these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word readily and checked the scriptures daily whether those things be so. So all I ask you to do is check the scriptures to see if what we're discussing is true.

And if they're not true, if you're one of us and you want to correct us, you certainly do that. If you're not one of us and you want to correct us, you do that anyhow. Because we are open to the fact that we don't have all the answers.

The book does, the scripture has all the answers, and that's where we have to go. So when we get too far afield, or when I get too far afield, reel me back in. It does not hurt me at all to be corrected.

The Day and Hour of Christ's Return

The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him. That was a strange verse, part of a verse to me. The revelation is the unveiling, the apocalypse. And what it's saying is the unveiling of Jesus to Jesus by God.

Does that mean that something was made known to Jesus that Jesus did not already know? That's what it says. Let's look at it again. The revelation, the unveiling of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto who?

Unto him. Unto Jesus Christ. There were several things that were unveiled this time, not the least of which was the hour and the day that Jesus will return. We're gonna begin by recapping what we did last week, and I'll do it a lot faster.

Go to Mark 13, 32. Jesus is sitting with his disciples on the front of the temple, and they made a comment, one of them did, about the wonder of the building. And he said, there'll come a time when not one stone will be left upon the other.

And one of them asked him, and when will this be? And Jesus responds this way. But at that day and that hour knoweth no man. No, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. Take heed, watch and pray, for you know not when the time is.

So the question that was asked then, last time was, does Jesus know that day and that hour? Well, it says clearly, no, he doesn't. He doesn't know that day and that hour, at least not yet. Then there was another passage we read.

Acts 11, starting with verse six. Acts, did I say 11? Acts 1, starting with verse six. I think I had Acts 1, 1 last time. But this, we're gonna jump on down to the, closer to the end. And when they therefore will come together, they ask of him, saying, Lord, will thou at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?

And he said unto them, it is not for you to know the times nor the seasons which the Father hath put in his own power. Now you notice, he didn't say it was not for him to know. He only said that it was not for you to know.

Now we had a long discussion about this passage last time, and Dave Huber, the elder, who is not here this morning, but usually sits back on the back row with Brother David, if I recall properly, suggested that maybe this is just Jesus' way of telling his disciples to worry about those things that it was given for them to know.

And Jesus does go on to tell them that there is something for them to know. So maybe Dave is correct. Acts 1 .8, but ye shall receive power. After that, the Holy Ghost is come upon you, and ye shall be witnesses unto me, both in Jerusalem and in Judea and in Samaria and unto the uttermost parts of the earth.

Now they needed to know that. Is that all they needed to know, John? But that's all they got told. What happened, you know what happened next? Look ahead. And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up, and a cloud received him out of their sight.

Now Jesus knew all he needed to know to tell them at this point what they needed to know. Whether he, and the Holy Ghost is gonna come down and take his place, revealing things to them. Revealing things to them where?

Let me ask that question differently. Maybe I... Yeah, that's what I'm gonna try to do. I'm gonna do a better job with that. To a lot of people, the prophets of old, Jesus, or God, reveals things to them in dreams and in visions.

Is the Holy Spirit going to reveal things to us today in dreams and in visions? Where is he going to go, or where he's gonna lead you to go in order that he reveal things to you? Into the word of God.

The things of God are revealed to the people of God in the Bible with the help of the Holy Spirit for guidance. And so this was right before he ascended into the heavens. Now, if I'm wrong and Brother Huber was correct, and he very well may be, then certainly Jesus knew by the time of Revelation 1 .1.

And when we were going over this, Brother David suggested that maybe this was the time. Maybe the unveiling and revelation. Now, this would have happened about 40 years later than the ascension, when John was in exile in Patmos.

He was an old man then. About 40 years later, the revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, the unveiling of Jesus, given by God, the Father, to Jesus, the Son. God reveals things to Jesus that Jesus had chosen not to know.

Not that he wasn't able to know it. When Satan tempted Jesus and said, if you're hungry, turn these stones to bread, could Jesus have done it? But did he do it? He chose not to do it. I think he chose not to know some things.

And one of the things he chose not to know is the time and the hour of his second coming. I think by now it's been revealed to him that won't even be revealed to us for a lot longer than now. Anybody tell you they know the time and the coming?

Oh, let me tell you something I just found out on the news like a week ago. I go slow. This is like a special January the 31st. January the 31st is a full moon. It is the second full moon in January. So it's a blue moon.

It is also a blue moon upon which there is going to be a total lunar eclipse. And associated with the total lunar eclipse is what is called the blood moon. Because the moon turned red like blood. Not only that, but the moon and the earth are closest in their orbit.

Maybe not as close as they'll ever be, but it's a very close approach to the moon and the earth. It's as close as they come together. So it looks big. So it is blue and it's red. And it's close and it's big.

And it is a total eclipse. And when it's in its totality state, you can still see it. When it's totally eclipsed, you can still see it. But you get the reflection of the light back. Back through and it gives you that red hue.

There are people that say, that's the marker. That's the sign that tells us the beginning of the tribulation period. Now, do I believe that? No, I don't believe it. And we'll know for certain in about three or four weeks.

Because if it's the beginning, the Antichrist will be revealed. And we'll know. And we'll know for sure in about three and a half years. And we'll know for double sure in about seven years. But I suspect it's not this week.

That was a side venture. I apologize for that. The day and the hour that Jesus will return is not the only thing that will be revealed to him. And again, what I want you to understand is it is not so much things that he doesn't know, it is things that he chose not to know.

And there's a difference. I have students like that all the time. I have some students that don't know and I have some students that choose not to know. And there's a difference between them. That begs the second question.

Christ's Self-Emptying and the Question of Omniscience

We did not get here last week, so this is a new ground for everybody. Is God all-knowing? Now, that question kind of came up last week, John. Is God omniscient? Well, certainly God the Father is. God the Father, the God out of time and space, is all-knowing.

But what about Jesus? The question is, is omniscience one of the things that the Son gave up when he became the God-man? You know, he gave up a lot of stuff. In Philippians 2 .5, it says this, Philippians 2 .5, let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal to God.

What does that mean? He's equal, he knows what's going on, he causes what's going on. There is no difference between God the Father and Jesus. And God the Son. Now, who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation, and took on him the form of the servant, and was made in the likeness of man.

He is no longer like God. Kind of like God, kind of like God in the same sense that Adam was created in the likeness of God, he still has that likeness of God, he's even got more likeness of God than that, because Adam never came close to the likeness of God that Jesus had.

Jesus is as close to the likeness of God as any mortal human being could ever be. He is the only one that ever could achieve the likeness of God as a man. That's one of the things that we'll discover as we go through Revelation.

We'll talk about the elders wept because there was no man worthy of opening the scroll. And the angels, don't worry, there's one. So he is, but he is not exactly God anymore. He is a little different from God, and he's got to be different than God, because if he was not different than God, then he couldn't have taken the sins of the world upon himself and paid the price for us.

That was a great thing that he did for us. It was a great thing that God, Jesus, the Son of God, did for us, is to be formed in the fashion as a man. And he humbled himself and became obedient, even unto death.

Even to death on the cross, the most humiliating of all deaths, and probably one, if not the most painful form of death. Wherefore, God hath highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, things of earth, things in heaven, and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

Let me ask you a question. It says every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Is that really true? You think that's true? You think every man that exists or ever did exist will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord?

No doubt, absolutely, no question? I agree with you. Every tongue shall confess. Will that be enough to save them? It'll only be enough to save those that are saved. It'll be enough to convict those that are not.

Because they will say, oh yes, you were right and I was wrong, but you are God and now I know it. That would include angels. Not just things in earth, things in heaven. Not just things in heaven and earth, things under the earth, every tongue, the tongue of angels, the tongues of demons, the tongues of men, shall all confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

And I would like to go on by pointing out something. We have absolutely no conception of all that Jesus gave up to become a man. We don't know what it's like to be God. We don't know all of the things that God gave up, that Jesus gave up to become a man so that he could stand in our place.

And if we knew even a thousand of the things that Jesus gave up to become a man, we would be awestruck. And he gave it up for all eternity. I do have a little caveat to that that I may get to today. But I think we can introduce it now.

My next question was, now we arrive at the question, does Jesus continue to learn, the things continue to be made known to Jesus that he didn't already know even to today? Will his learning ever be complete?

Another way to say that is, will Jesus ever reach a point in time where he will have learned, or he will now be aware of all the things that he needs to be aware of? Let's say it that way. Is, will Jesus ever reach a point in time where he will have become aware of all of the things that he needs to become aware of?

Or is he still having new things revealed to him? You think he already has everything revealed to him. Okay, I can live with that. He was. We know that he changed. You think after his resurrection, after his glorified body, after his ascension to heaven, that he now knows all the things he knew when he was in the condition before.

He did. He revealed a lot more than we know now. Okay. What about other opinions? You believe in you all the time. That is a very bold statement, and I agree with you that anything that he wants to do, he can do.

Anything that he wanted to do all through his life on the earth, he could have done. He could have followed Satan's lead and said, I'll turn the stones into bread. I will jump off the tower and not be killed.

I can't remember what the other one was. He could have done all these things. He knew a lot of things. He knew things that no one else could have possibly known. But he chose not to know some things. He chose not to know the day and the time of his return.

It says clearly that he does. That may have been it.

I don't know the motives of God. He's much more above the angels to prove to them that, and where it says he didn't know the day and time, not even the angel of heaven, means that when he got up there, in his changed state, that he knows now.

Well, I'll tell you, my sister-in-law, who is a much more literate Bible scholar than I am, she believes he recovered all of his knowledge at the resurrection, and had it with him when he ascended. There is, though, something that we probably do need to deal with.

The Resurrection, the Kingdom, and the End of Time

Oh, I told you I wouldn't get, this is the one I wanted to get to. Let's just read it. First Corinthians 15, 20. 15, beginning with verse 20. First Corinthians 15, beginning with verse 20. I want to get a little bit of context here.

This is clearly after the resurrection, and it's talking about Jesus in the condition after the resurrection. Maybe not necessarily before the ascension, but here's what it says. But now Christ is risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.

For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order. Christ the firstfruits. Afterward, they that are Christ at his coming.

Then come at the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdoms to God, even the Father, when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power, for he must reign till he hath put all enemies under his feet.

The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. For he hath put all things under his feet, and when he hath said all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is accepted, which did put all things under him.

Now, we're not gonna get to the question that we're dealing with quite yet, but we need to clean up some details. Who is the he that's accepted? The thing that is not under the feet of Jesus. The one who put all things under Jesus' feet, God the Father.

It's God the Father that's accepted. Now, when is this going to happen? After death, the last enemy has been destroyed. Is that at the rapture? Is that during the thousand-year kingdom? It's sometime either at the end or after the end of the millennial kingdom.

I actually think it's after the end of the millennial kingdom and I think it's after by sometime.

John McArthur, yes, when I said sometime, I really meant a lot of time.

I just wanted to be as gentle as I could a lot of time later. And you'll see that when we continue reading. But I'm gonna back off a little bit and I'm gonna read something from John McArthur. Most of you know John McArthur.

Here's what he said. Christ will continue to rule because his rule is eternal. And then he quotes why we know his rule is eternal. Revelation 11, 15, it said, and the seventh angel sounded and there were great voices in heaven saying, the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ and he shall reign forever and ever.

So the reign of Christ will be forever. But he went on to say, McArthur did, but he will reign in his former full and glorious place within the Trinity. Subject to God in the way eternally designed for him in full Trinitarian glory.

So that was John McArthur's comment on that part of this passage in Corinthians. Now to continue. For he hath put all things under his feet. I'm rereading the very last verse. For he hath put all things under his feet.

But when he saith, all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is accepted which did put all things under him. And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.

Now my question is this. Is this the time, I'm gonna read it this way. So is this the point in time where Jesus is restored to all of his former glory? I'm gonna try that again because I messed it up so bad.

So is this the point in time where Jesus is restored to all of his former glory? Don't answer that. Or is it simply the point at which time ceases to be? A question is does time still exist in the millennial kingdom?

A second question, does time still exist in heaven after the millennial kingdom? Now if time exists and Jesus is in time and Jesus is acquiring, things are being revealed to God in the time that Jesus needs them, all the things that he needs, they can be continually revealed to him.

There'll come a time when everything is subject to him, that God is all in all. I believe that time no longer exists now. And I think that's what brother was, David was talking about when he was talking about the ages and ages.

Brother David, that was what you were referring to when you were talking about the ages and ages, this end of all the ages and now time no longer exists. I don't know that that's biblical. I don't know that that's what the Bible says, but I have inferred that.

Any other comments on that? Or have I complicated things enough? So my question, yes sir.

Okay, John 17 verse four.

It seems like it's right now, but I don't know either. I also don't know whether or not time ever ceases to be. Now we've read, brother David, do you remember the passage that talks about ages and ages?

We were in Corinthians 15, I think, verse 27. We're in a glorified state. We're different than we were. We know there's no question about that. There's no question about the things that we know. The question is, the question about things we don't know.

Okay, I see what you're saying. I think God would view that as God was the son and the son was God. Yeah. Okay, I think you're right. And you said it way better than I could say it. That's why I always like for you guys to say it instead of me.

That's right. Yes, sir. That's because we're Western. We're not Eastern. The Eastern mindset is a lot of different ways the Western mindset is either or. And we think either or. And so I go with that totally 100%.

That may be an issue. Here's another thing that I want to get to today, though. What about us? What about us? What about us after we are glorified? After we ascend, after we're in heaven, what about us?

Do we continue to learn? We're in heaven. We're glorified. Not with the same glory that Jesus had, but we're glorified more than we were. Here's what Paul said in 1 Corinthians two chapters earlier. He's talking about us, not Jesus, us.

Did I tell you the verse? 1 Corinthians 13, nine. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. This is Paul speaking. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.

When I was a child, I spake as a child. I understood as a child. I thought as a child. But when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now, we see through a glass darkly. But then, face to face, now I know in part, but then I shall know even as I am known.

Now this is after, this is after the glorification. This is after he becomes a new man. This is after he is no longer a child. He is no longer speaking of childish things, understanding childish thoughts.

We are understanding as a child. Our understanding is the understanding of a child. It will become, there will come a time when our understanding will be better, yes sir. Yes, I was ready to tie it up anyhow, yes.

Then, face to face, now I know in part, but then I shall know even as I am known. And as time goes on in the heavenlies, we will become more and more aware of things that we know because God will reveal those things that we need to know to us.

The Blessing for Reading, Hearing, and Keeping Revelation

Let us pray. Most gracious heavenly father, thank you for this day and thank you for all the many blessings. Thank you for giving us this scripture that we might take it and mold it and read it and keep it.

Keep it in the state that it's in. Don't allow it or don't allow us to try to make it say things that we want it to say. Make us understand what it is that it's saying. And that's our prayer. That you make the scripture come alive to us so that we understand what it says and make us dead to our own selves so we no longer try to make the scripture say what we want it to say.

It is then that we'll receive the blessings promised by the book of Revelation. In Jesus' name we pray.