Progress of Redemption #12 — David Shirley

Revelation as the Consummation of Redemption

We come now to the seventh major time that God speaks, the revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave him. And as we've looked at the Christocentric themes in the Word of God, we've seen the foundation of Christ being laid in the law, the Pentateuch.

We looked at election in Genesis, the redemption that was in Exodus, the sanctification in Leviticus, the direction given in Numbers, and the instruction given in Deuteronomy. And then we looked at the history from Joshua to Esther as preparations were made for the Messiah to come.

Joshua took them into the land, and judges, they failed to possess it because of sin. Yet Saul stabilized it, and David expanded it. Solomon glorified it. But then there was division into a northern and southern kingdom because of pride and rebellion and not obeying God fully.

Then deterioration, and God sent the prophets until a deportation into Babylon. But still God is with his people. He protects them as he did Esther, and made a restoration and reconstructed the nation.

And we looked at the poetry, that aspiration for Christ. And then prophecy, the hope, the expectation of Christ from Isaiah to Malachi. And then the Messiah comes, the Word becomes flesh, and we see Christ manifested on earth in the four Gospels.

And then in the Acts, the New Testament history, we see the proclamation of Christ going out from Jerusalem to Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost places on the earth through the New Testament church. And so Christ is propagated.

And then in the epistles from Roman to Jude, we saw life in Christ, the explanation of Christ, what we have in Christ, and how to apply Christ in every situation in life. But now we come to the seventh and last major time God speaks, the consummation of all things in Christ Jesus, the prophecy of the New Testament, the book of the Revelation.

Revelation is a wonderful way to finish the story that began in Genesis. All that was begun in the book of beginnings, Genesis is consummated in Revelation. In Genesis we saw the heaven and the earth being created.

In Revelation, a new heaven and earth is created. In Genesis, the sun and the moon appear. In Revelation, there's no need of the sun or the moon, for Christ is the light of the new heaven. In Genesis, there's a garden, but in Revelation, there's the holy city.

In Genesis, there's the marriage of the first Adam. In Revelation, there's the marriage supper of the Lamb, the second Adam, Jesus Christ. In Genesis, we'll see the beginning of sin, but in Revelation, sin is done away.

So, we can go on in this drama. If we approach it as a drama, we see the appearance of the great adversary, Satan, and all the sorrow, and the pain, and the tears in Genesis, and the curse. But, the doom and destruction, the adversary, is in Revelation.

Things, even today in our world, are very dark. No one seems to know for certain what is going to happen in human events. There's perplexity everywhere we turn. But, things were black when John the Apostle, as an old man, exiled on the Isle of Patmos, was writing.

He'd been there for the testimony of Jesus Christ. And, while he was on this island, John being forced to labor in mines and quarries, no doubt. But, at that time, John's commander-in-chief appeared to him, and he delivered this ringing message of ultimate glory.

We find it here in the book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ. God had determined from the beginning that his son would be the ruler of the universe. And, Revelation is the greatest drama of all time.

The plot is tense. The final scene is glorious. Christ comes to receive his own unto himself. The hero is the Lord Jesus Christ himself. The villain's the devil. The actors are the seven churches. The characters unloosed by the seals of chapter 6 and 7 are introduced by the four horsemen.

And, then those summoned by the trumpets, in turn, leave the center of the scene of action. And, we see the Antichrist, the world ruler, the incarnation of the devil himself, determined to set up his own kingdom and to be worshipped by men.

But, Christ brings it all to nothing. He's broken. The Antichrist is broken without hand, and there's no one to help him. And, so, the Lord of hosts comes forth. He's been waited upon. He's been hoped for.

He's the desire of all nations. And, the King of kings and Lord of lords comes and drives his enemies right off the stage in complete defeat. And, after the struggle is over and ended, and the enemy is bound for a thousand years and then loosed and then completely wiped out, then we read in Revelation 21, Behold, I make all things new.

And, this brings the book to its climax, where the great story that began in Genesis, like all good stories should end, and they lived happily ever after. Now, you might ask yourself the question, take from the Bible the final vision of the Revelation and the new Jerusalem, and what will have been lost?

Well, the very climax and consummation of all God has planned in his drama of redemption. The epistles give us a virtual victory. We have the victory, but it is virtual in many ways. But, the Revelation brings the visible victory.

When you read the prelude to the apocalypse, which would be the last words of 2 Timothy, Paul's last words, the last words of 2 Peter, Peter's last words, the last words of St. John and Jude. And, as you read these last words, you sense a consummation in the epistles.

And, you note how the epistles increase the warnings to contend for the faith that was once delivered. And, so as we go through the Revelation, we want to ask ourselves, first of all, what is the need?

The Need for Revelation and the Promise of Final Victory

Why is God speaking at this time, and what is he saying? He's told us that when Jesus was here, he would send the Spirit, he would show us all things, he would lead us into all truth, and he would show us things to come.

And, so he did in the epistles. He led us into all truth concerning Christ and explaining Christ. But, in the Revelation, he's shown us the things to come. The unveiling, the revealing of Jesus Christ.

And, the need has to do with all the evil that's in the world today. The evil that seems to go unchecked at times. And, the tremendous opposition to truth, to goodness, to love. The opposition to the Church of Jesus Christ.

And, Christians needed assurance that Jesus Christ and his people will eventually win the spiritual war. And, this book of the Revelation proclaims that victory. Something develops. It starts as a cry, and it develops in spite of all the seals, in spite of all the trumpets, in spite of all the judgments.

Throughout the book, it develops as a cry until you get to the end in chapter 22 and verse 20. And, it says, even so, come. Even so, come. And, this cry develops throughout the book. Because, we do have that hope and that assurance.

And, we know that we do win. So, blessed is everyone who reads. And, those who hear. And, particularly, as always, those who keep the things that are written in this book. The content is centered around the Lamb.

The person, Jesus Christ. He's glorified and he's powerful. And, the people of Christ in his church are seen in chapters 2 and 3. And then, the program of Christians from heaven's viewpoint is given, you might say, in chapters 4 and 5 because the church is in heaven there with Christ in chapters 4 and 5.

And then, chapters 6 through 18, we see the great tribulation that takes place in the world. And then, in 19, we see the return of Jesus Christ to reign because the prince of this world is judged. He returns in chapter 20.

We see the millennial reign, the victory, the failure of every earthly society to realize God's ideals and how every nation has fallen short of the glory of God and what he intended, as well as every individual person.

And so, the eternal state is finally revealed in chapters 21 and 22. There's a restoration of all things, a perfect humanity, and God is all and in all. And so, the content of the book has to do with the consummation, the cause of the consummation was because Jesus Christ offered himself first.

That's why he achieved the restoration of all things. It's the atoning death of Jesus the Lamb to him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood. So, Jesus Christ the Lamb and his offering of himself is the very cause of the consummation of all things so that he is the firstborn among many brethren.

And he is preeminent in every way. He has caused the consummation of all things and all creation, the new creation to be in existence. It's because of what Jesus Christ himself did on the cross. No wonder Paul continued to go back to know nothing except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

Because he's the very cause of the consummation of all things to him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood. The nature of history is seen throughout the book because that which is seen and that which is unseen, the earthly things and the heavenly things are fused into one drama.

There's a participation of the heavenlies in the earthly battlefield of the kingdoms of light and darkness. And so the giant forms of empires are all on their way to ruin. One by one they tower, they're gone.

Daniel’s Visions and the Union of Heaven and Earth

It's like in Daniel's visions in his book. He had five visions and in chapter 2 we see this vision from Nebuchadnezzar, the gold head, the Babylonian empire to the Medo-Persian empire to the Grecian to the Roman to the iron and clay to the very time of the end of the Antichrist.

But at the end of that vision there is a stone that's cut out without hands and it comes and it strikes this image of Gentile reign and dominion on its feet and crushes it, crumbles it and it's taken away in the dust as the wind blows it away.

And then the stone becomes a tremendous mountain and covers the earth. And it's speaking of the consummation, the coming of Jesus Christ to this earth, the second time, much of what really the book of the revelation of Jesus Christ is about.

And every vision Daniel has, when you go to chapter 7, it's still pretty much the same vision. It's portrayed through vicious and ferocious beat that are from no doubt God's viewpoint of man's rule. But at the end you have the same conclusion.

This one, this glorious one, Jesus Christ who's glorified comes and he wins the day. In chapter 8 of Daniel when he has his third vision it's the same thing. You have details added about the Gentile dominion but at the end Jesus Christ comes and sets up his kingdom.

In chapter 9, the wonderful details about the Messiah and when he's coming and just some really neat things in chapter 9 that are added. But still it ends the same way. He comes and he rules. And then in his last vision in chapters 10, 11 and 12 of Daniel, it's the same thing.

We have additional information. The antichrist comes and sets up but then he's broken without hand and there's no one to help him. The history that's going on we see in the book of the Revelation is this battle between earth and heaven and between things that are seen and unseen.

These principalities and spiritual things going on. Earth and heaven are fused into one drama. We see in chapter 12 that Satan is cast out when Michael stands up and he's cast to the earth for a short time.

The nature of history that's portrayed in Revelation is a fusing of earth and heaven seen and unseen things together. You can't separate what's going on in the natural realm with what's going on in the spiritual realm.

But ultimately it's a doctrine of the power and the perusia of our Lord Jesus Christ because the keynote is behold, look up and see he comes with clouds and every eye shall see him. All hopes wait on one hope and that is the return of Jesus Christ.

He's the only answer for this world and his coming will be a tremendous victory in every way. The promises made to him that overcometh even as I overcame. If you went through your Bibles and you would go through the Revelation and read and take these four words and every time you see these four words underline them.

The word overcome. Underline it. The word prevail. The word conquer. And the word victory. Because all are the same Greek word. Nikonian or Nikon. And if you were to go through and read it you would see how prevalent the victory is.

When you read overcome, prevail, conquer and victory all is the same word, Nikonian. Tremendous picture of the victory that is in Jesus Christ and how we're going to conquer as he conquered. But we can't forget that it's also a doctrine of judgment because all kindreds of the earth are going to wail because of him.

The prince of this world is judged and it affects the nations of men. Judgment will fall because things don't just quietly melt into the peace of the kingdom. It's not like butter melting on a hot potato just smoothing out.

But it's going to be a time of the wrath of God. A time for the lake of fire. And so it will be a story of judgment as well. But ultimately the restoration of all things. The point where the whole teaching of scripture will culminate and we see a new heaven and we see a new earth.

The New Jerusalem and Perseverance in Hope

And so redemption reaches its end and the redeemer finds his joy because he has prepared for them a city. That is those who like Hebrews 11 .10 tells us were looking for a city. And I hope that you are looking for that city of God.

The holy city. The new Jerusalem. And the desires of men and the plan of God ends in the holy city, the new Jerusalem. And so it's a tremendous book. We see the need for it, the content, what it's generally about and the method that God chose was that it was directed, the book, by Jesus Christ through angelic messengers to the apostle John.

So the natural man will not receive the things that are here because they're spiritually discerned. And they're also very symbolic. However, the message is not symbolic. The message is literal and it's to be received as an encouragement and the response that God wants from it is simply this.

Persevere in total commitment to Jesus Christ until He comes. Endure. And as you see Jesus Christ, may you have hope. John saw Him clothed in a robe reaching to the feet and girded across His breast with a golden girdle.

His head and His hair were white like wool, like snow. And His eyes were like a flame of fire. His feet were like burnished bronze when it's been caused to glow in a furnace. And His voice was like the sound of many waters.

And in His right hand He held seven stars and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword. And His face was like the sun shining in His strength. When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as a dead man and He laid His right hand upon me saying, Do not be afraid.

I am the first and the last and the living one. I was dead and behold, I am alive forevermore and I have the keys of death and of Hades. And so we have tremendous hope as we look at the Lord Jesus Christ and know that He is the victor.

But how could your view of Him ever cause your hope to be deferred in any way? Because He is the victor. And the Bible says, Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord and whose hope the Lord is. When you read the book of the Revelation, Jesus Christ Himself becomes your help.

He is He whose hope the Lord is. And we need to recall Him to mind for as we do, we're going to have hope. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord. And that's the response that the Lord expects as we read the book of the Revelation.

Now, there were those whose hope was against hope and yet they believed in hope. Tremendous faith they've had. But if you read the book of the Revelation, you don't have to hope against hope. You see the glorious Son of Man who has in His hands the keys of death and Hades and He's the Living One.

He's abolished death and brought life and immortality to life through the Gospel and the sharp two-edged sword coming out of His mouth. You know He's going to slay all of His enemies. It's not even going to be a problem.

Who's going to make war with Him? It's going to be tremendous. And so we wait in patience and those experiences that we go through patiently build hope within us. And so we're rejoicing in hope today because we know that through patience and comfort of the Scriptures, we have hope because the Scriptures reveal to us the Lord Jesus Christ.

And I pray that the God of hope would just fill you with all joy and peace as you continue to believe that you can abound in hope through the power of the Holy Spirit as He does His job, which is to explain Christ and to reveal Christ and to show Christ and to realize the hope of His calling and how we're all called in this one hope that Christ would be magnified, that Christ in you right now is the hope of glory.

Ah, keep this helmet on. Keep this helmet of salvation, this helmet of deliverance and final restoration of all things. Keep it on. The hope of salvation is your helmet. And if anyone asks you a reason for why you have such hope, you'll be able to tell him.

And your witness will be pure because that hope you have in Christ returning will purify you even as He is pure. So blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord and whose hope the Lord is. And as we see Jesus Christ in the Revelation, our hope is great.

The Victory of Christ over Satan

In Revelation 12, we read that there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon, and the dragon and his angels waged war and they were not strong enough. And there was no longer a place found for them in heaven.

And the great dragon was thrown down. The serpent of old, who's called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world, he was thrown down to the earth. And his angels were thrown down with him. And I heard a loud voice in heaven saying, Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come.

For the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, who accuses them before our God day and night. And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb, because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even to the death.

God expects, as we read the book of the Revelation, that we be encouraged in terms of perseverance. Jesus said in Matthew 24, He that shall endure until the end, the same shall be saved. And the Lord said to Simon Peter, He said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has desired to have you.

They may sift you as wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith fail not. And so also Christ is interceding for you today that your faith fails not, that you continue to abide in Him. Jesus said, All that the Father gives me shall come to me, and him that comes to me I will in no wise cast out.

And this is the Father's will which has sent me that of all which He's given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. This is the will of Him that sent me that everyone which seeth the Son and believeth on Him may have everlasting life, and I will raise him up at the last day.

I'll give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father which gave them me is greater than all, and no man shall be able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.

And so we continue to persevere. The Lord is on our side. We read about in the book of Acts in chapter 11, verse 23, who when he came and had seen the grace of God was glad and exhorted them all that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord, that they would just keep in touch with the Lord.

And you remember in Acts 14 that when they had preached the gospel to that city and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra and Nicodemus and Antioch confirming the souls of the disciples and exhorting them to continue in the faith and that we must, through much tribulation, enter into the kingdom of God.

But that's not a problem because even in the midst of tremendous tribulations and trials and testings, who's going to separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation? No. Or anything else, distress or persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, sword, all these things prove that we're more than conquerors through him that loved us.

And so Paul's able to say I'm persuaded, during this time of perseverance, through these things, I'm persuaded that neither death or life or angels or principalities or powers or things present or things to come or height or depth or any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Jesus Christ our Lord.

I hope that we might have that same persuasion that we might persevere in. Reading the book of the revelation of Jesus Christ and seeing his victory certainly builds that persuasion in you. In Ephesians 6, verse 13, Paul says, Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand, that you can withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand, praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.

And that cry that develops throughout the book of the revelation, even so come Lord Jesus, certainly is part of our prayers. And we're praying always and in the spirit and we're watching unto with all perseverance and supplication for the saints, knowing that the Lord is on our side.

And just continue in prayer and don't give up in prayer. So much so that you can say, as Paul encouraged Timothy in 2 Timothy 1 .12, I know whom I have believed. I am persuaded. He's able to keep that which I've committed unto him against that day.

So Paul tells Timothy, My son, be strong in the grace that's in Christ Jesus. Endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. If we suffer, we shall also reign with him. If we deny him, he also will deny us.

But Paul could end in 2 Timothy 4 .18 with the confidence that the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom. And he will you too. Now, in Hebrews 10 .23, we read, Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering, for he is faithful that promised.

Cast not away, therefore, your confidence, which has great recompense and reward for you of need of patience. But after you've done the will of God, you might receive the promise. So God intends on us being patient and persevering.

And James tells us to take my brethren the prophets as an example who have spoken in the name of the Lord for an example of suffering, affliction and of patience. Behold, we count them happy which endure.

You've heard of the patience of Job and you've seen the end of the Lord and you've heard that the Lord is very merciful, pitiful and of tender mercy. The Lord will certainly reward you for your endurance, for your patience, for your suffering, afflictions and you may prove to be quite an example for others.

Know that, as Peter said, there's an inheritance. It's incorruptible. There's an inheritance that's undefiled, one that fadeth not away. It's reserved in heaven for you, you who are being kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time.

Wherein you greatly rejoice, but now for a season, if need be, you might be in heaviness through many temptations. The trial of your faith is much more precious than of gold that perishes, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ, which may be very soon.

And so we see, as in the revelation when it closes out in chapter 22 and verse 11, he that is righteous, let him be righteous still. And he that is holy, let him be holy still. Let's persevere and continue in our walk faithfully because we know who we believe and we know he is victorious.

Christ’s Return and the Judgment of His Enemies

There's no doubt whatsoever. In chapter 19 of the revelation of Jesus Christ, John says,. And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat upon it is called faithful and true. And in righteousness he judges and wages war.

His eyes are a flame of fire, and upon his head are many diadems. He has a name written upon him, which no one knows except himself. He's clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and his name is called the Word of God.

The angels, the armies, which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following him on white horses. And from his mouth comes a sharp sword so that with it he may smite the nations and he will rule them with a rod of iron.

He treads the winepress of the fierce wrath of God the Almighty. And on his robe and on his thigh, he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords. And I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice saying to all the birds which fly in midheaven, Come, assemble for the great supper of God in order that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them and the flesh of all men, both free men and slaves and small and the great.

And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against him who sat upon the horse and against his army. No doubt this is where Psalm 2 would come in where it says God laughs at them.

And the beast was seized and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshipped his image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone.

The rest of the dead were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of him who sat upon the horse and all the birds were filled with their flesh. Now, if you feel a little bit tired and maybe your hope is low and your strength, your perseverance is weak and you don't know if you can endure, picture the Lord Jesus Christ there and the tremendous and glorious victory that is found in him.

The evil of this world, the opposition to you and to the church is going to be over. We will win and see the victory. And so, wherefore, as Hebrews 12, verse 1 says, seeing that we're compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let's lay aside every weight, lay aside any sin that would easily set you back and let's run with patience the race that's set before us looking unto Jesus, seeing him, the author and the finisher of our faith.

He's the Alpha, he's the Omega, the beginning and the end. When we see him for the joy that was set before him endured the cross. He endured the cross for me and for you, despising the shame and he is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest you be wearied and faint in your minds. You have not resisted unto blood striving against sin. So let's not forget the exhortations that come to children.

Chastening, Holiness, and Spiritual Endurance

My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when you're rebuked of him. For whom the Lord loves, he chastens and he scourges every son he receives. So if you endure chastening, God's just dealing with you as sons.

For what son is he in whom a father would not chasten? But if you without chastisement where all sons are partakers of that and if you're without it then you're really bastards and not sons. We know it from our fathers that we've had in the flesh.

They corrected us. We respected them for it. They weren't always perfect in it, but the father of spirits is perfect. And if we'll submit to him and place ourselves patiently, enduring, subjecting ourselves under his mighty hand, we'll live.

They might, our fathers on earth, have chastened us as they saw best. He always chastens us for our profit so that we can be partakers of his holiness. Now I know chastening for the present time seems to be joyous.

It does seem grievous. Nevertheless, afterward, if you'll endure in it, if you'll persevere in it, then it'll yield the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them that are exercised by it. So lift up hands that are hanging down.

Strengthen the feeble knees. Make a straight path for your feet. Get right about it. Be restored. Be healed. He says, look diligently lest any man fail at the grace of God. You have the tremendous spirit that raised Jesus Christ from the dead dwells and lives in you.

How can you fall short and fail of such available grace to endure? He that overcometh will be so much a joy and a pleasure to Jesus Christ, the God who says, without faith to hope, without faith to believe, without faith to trust, without faith to persevere, without faith to endure, then without faith you just can't please God.

But if we continue on believing, then we will please Him. And this is largely what God is expecting as we read the book of the revelation of Jesus Christ and see that we have the victory. Let faith grow.

Just get your eyes on the eternal city of God. And know that we see through a glass darkly, but then we're going to see face to face. We're going to enter into a fellowship with Him that we can hardly imagine.

The Bible says, Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when He shall appear, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. Jesus promised us.

He said, I will come again, and I'll receive you unto myself, that where I am, there you may be also. We will see His face. Revelation 22 and verse 4 tells us that we shall see His face, and His name shall be on our foreheads.

There's going to be a tremendous fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Snail mail is great. It's good to get a letter every now and then, isn't it? Email was another form. It's wonderful. You can actually type back and forth now, and you can even talk.

You can talk on the phone. They've got it where you can see yourself on video. But then it's going to be face to face with the living God, deep calling to deep spirit to spirit. We'll know even as we're known.