The Revelation of Jesus Christ: Volume 1

Copyright © 2013 ALFRED J. CHOMPFF, PASTOR.

Scripture taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

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ISBN: 978-1-4497-9252-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4497-9254-1 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4497-9253-4 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013907663

WestBow Press rev. date: 4/30/2013

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preface

Chapter 1 Rev 1:7 Behold, He Cometh

Chapter 2 Rev 1:17 Fear Not

Chapter 3 Gal 3:16 Why I Have Chosen The Kjv For This Study

Chapter 4 Rev 2:4 A Church In The Beginning Of Decline

Chapter 5 Rev 2:10 A Faithful Bride

Chapter 6 John 12:31 What Will Ye Do With Christ?

Chapter 7 Eph 1:20 The Working Of His Mighty Power

Chapter 8 Rev 2:14 A Church Lacking In Discipline

Chapter 9 Rev 2:20 A Church Overrun By Mysticism

Chapter 10 Rev 3:1 A Church That Is Almost Dead

Chapter 11 Rev 3:8 Behold, I Have Set Before Thee An Open Door

Chapter 12 Rev 3:16 I Will Vomit Thee Out Of My Mouth

Chapter 13 Rev 4:2 The Throne Of God

Chapter 14 Rev 4:6 Four Living Creatures

Chapter 15 Rev 5:9 Worthy Is The Lamb

Chapter 16 Rev 6:1 The Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse

Chapter 17 Jn 2:6 Six Stone Vessels

Chapter 18 Rev 6:8 The Four Horsemen Working Together

Chapter 19 Rev 6:9 The Witnesses That Were Slain

Chapter 20 Rev 6:15 The Mighty Men On The Earth

Chapter 21 Rev 7:4 Who Shall Be Able To Stand?

Chapter 22 Rev 7:15 A Great Multitude

Chapter 23 Rev 7:10 A Heavenly Song

Chapter 24 Ge 35:20 The Pillar On Rachel’s Grave

Chapter 25 Rev 8:3 The Prayers Of All The Saints

Chapter 26 Rev 8:13 The First Four Of The Seven Trumpets

Chapter 27 Rev 9:1 The Bottomless Pit

Chapter 28 Rev 9:4 Locusts Out Of The Bottomless Pit.

Chapter 29 Rev 9:16 Two Hundred Million Horsemen

Chapter 30 Eze 38:2 Gog, Of The Land Of Magog

Chapter 31 Rev 10:1 The Mighty Angel From Heaven

Chapter 32 Rev 10:9 John Must Eat The Little Book

Chapter 33 Daniel 9:24 Christ Died In The Fullness Of Time

Chapter 34 Dan 9:25 Victory In The Fullness Of Time

Chapter 35 Rev 11:1 Measuring The Temple Of God

Chapter 36 Rev 11:3 My Two Witnesses

Chapter 37 Rev 11:7 Life And Death Of The Two Witnesses

Chapter 38 Rev 11:11 Death And Resurrection Of The Two Witnesses

Chapter 39 Rev 11:12 The Rapture Of The Two Witnesses: A Historical Overview (Rev 11:3–14)

Chapter 40 Rev 11:7 Who Is The Antichrist?

Chapter 41 Rev 11:15 The Last Trumpet Sound

Chapter 42 Jn 13:15 The Underlying Principle

Chapter 43 Rev 12:1 Two Signs In Heaven

Chapter 44 Rev 12:7 The Great Prince

To my second mother, Ida M. W. Merline

And to my second daughter, Brenda R. Lewis

PREFACE

I would like to introduce you, the reader, to the man whom I know: the Lord Jesus Christ. I would like you to know Him as I know Him: the sovereign Lord God who not only knows the end from the beginning, but who causes the end from the beginning to come to pass according to His good pleasure (Isaiah 46:10-11). He, the sovereign Lord is also the most loving Lord in this universe, who created this universe for His own glory and for subjects to pour His love upon. The purpose of this book is to help readers develop a clear understanding of who the Lord Jesus Christ really is. This is the reason for the book’s title, The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which is actually the first five words in the epistle that was sent to the seven churches of Asia Minor. The purpose of this message to the seven churches was to show unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass (Revelation 1:1) and to give the present-day churches advance warning of the dreadful conditions that must be coming to the end-time church. It is a loving warning.

At the same time we need to have a clear understanding of who God is and who Jesus Christ really is, and we need to have a clear understanding of His compassion for His people. That is why I have introduced several chapters that at first do not seem to relate to end-time events. Since it is my goal to introduce you to the Lord Jesus Christ, I did not restrict myself to the epistle to the seven churches, but I included several chapters which give some clarification to passages that are somewhat obscure and difficult to understand. As a scientist I did not choose passages that are easy, but passages that cause difficulty in harmonizing everything in the Bible. Therefore, when we read the Bible we should often ask: WHY? It is not enough to learn all the facts in the Bible, but we should always ask: WHY? Albert Einstein was not a great scientist because he learned all the facts of physics, but he was the greatest scientist because he asked: WHY? This is a question which is not asked very often in Bible studies, neither is it a question which puzzles many preachers when they prepare for a sermon. And yet it is a question which we must ask often so that we can understand the unity and the harmony of the Scriptures, and so that we can be drawn closer to Christ. And so, on closer examination, you will see that these additional chapters give us a clearer understanding of who Jesus Christ is, of the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ, and of the end-time events.

We are approaching the end of time rapidly, and the love for Christ and for His church, and the people’s interest in knowing Christ and His church, are woefully lacking. I am not claiming that I have discovered the solutions to all these problems, for it is the work of God the Holy Spirit to do this. Nevertheless, I hope that this book will increase interest in the Bible.

We now have a book in which end-time events are approached from an unbiased Biblical perspective, written as lucidly as possible, without much theological baggage, absent from any theological philosophizing, free from premillennial and postmillennial theories, not shying away from scientific consequences, absent from any money matters, stripped of all sensationalism, stripped of any spectacular battles of armies throughout the world, stripped of all attempts to set a date of Christ’s return, and stripped of all attempts to create a one world order, one world government, one world banking system, or one world religion. These are things that the world would like to see in this book. But I have focused primarily on spiritual things which God would like to see in this book. In writing this book I have put my job on the line, because of the many toes that I have stepped upon. But I have written these chapters like the Reformers during the Reformation would have written them, not afraid to call a spade a spade, and not afraid to call an apostate church an accursed idolatry (Heidelberg Catechism, Lords Day XXX, Q/A 80) like the Reformers have done. I am writing this because today many churches have taken the position of being tolerant toward idolatries, calling them brothers in Christ. That is absolutely wrong. And that makes this book truly different from all other books written before about the revelation of Jesus Christ.

The eighty-two chapters in this book are eighty-two sermons that were preached at the Reformed Bible Church of Southern California in the years 2005 and 2006. Each chapter is a sermon of about fifty to fifty-five minutes in length, except the last chapter which is more than twice this length. Those who wish to use these chapters as sermons for their own church are free do so without fear of infringing on copyrights. We hold to the principle that the Lord Jesus recommended in Matthew 10:8, Freely ye have received, freely give.

The chapters in this book, as well as all the sermons in our church, are based on the King James Version of the Bible. This was not an easy choice as the choice between a Coke and a Pepsi. We diligently compared the King James Version and the New King James Version and various other versions with the literal translations from the Hebrew Masoretic Text and from the Greek Textus Receptus, which we believe are the only inspired texts that God has revealed to His servants, the prophets, and which have served the church for 300 years. Thousands of manuscripts agree with the Greek Textus Receptus, and therefore we should not be led astray by a few documents, which seem to manifest Gnostic doctrines. The Textus Receptus is the majority text, and the King James Bible is based on this majority text. The King James Version is not perfect, but it is the translation that comes closest to the literal word by word translation out of the Hebrew and out of the Greek. This is why all the scriptural references in this book are from the King James Version.

I am very grateful to Herman Hoeksema who taught me how to write this book, and who suggested many ideas for interpreting the Bible. I think of him as one of he greatest theologians of our time. And I admire him for daring to stand up against the ruling body of the denomination which he served. I am also very grateful to Rhonda Shoemaker for very diligently changing the sermons into chapters suitable for book format and for many secretarial matters. Her extreme diligence in laboring on these chapters is greatly appreciated. She spent many days as a volunteer. I also want to thank the members of the Reformed Bible Church of Southern California for all the assistance they have given me and for the support they have provided for preaching God’s Word locally and throughout the world.

May God use the foolishness of man’s preaching to show to the world the wisdom of God and the power of God to save them that believe; to God be the glory.

Alfred J. Chompff

CHAPTER 1

REV 1:7

BEHOLD, HE COMETH

A s you know, the meaning of the word revelation is the uncovering of something that was hidden. What did God uncover when He disclosed the prophecy that is frequently called The Revelation of John? God lifted the tip of the veil covering the mysteries of the kingdom of God.

In the prophecy called the Revelation of John, God disclosed a little more than He disclosed in all the previous parts of the Bible. This is the last epistle in the Bible. It was written between AD 90 and 100, and historically, it was addressed to the seven churches in Asia. The apostle John was the last of the apostles still alive, and this was the last of the direct communications from God to man. It is important to realize that this was the last message from God to mankind. The book begins with the words The Revelation of Jesus Christ. For that very reason, many Bibles do call this epistle the revelation of Jesus Christ.

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: Who bare record of the word of God, 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. to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. (Revelation 1:1–8)

Clearly, you can see that the title of this epistle must be "The Revelation of Jesus Christ. Most people take it to mean the revelation that Jesus Christ gave, of which He is the author. In other words, they read it as if it is saying, The Revelation from Jesus Christ." But that is not what the Greek text says. When we compare this expression with many other verses where the same sentence construction in the Greek text occurs, we see that this expression must be understood in the objective sense, meaning that Jesus Christ is the object of this Scripture. This means that Jesus Christ is revealed to us in this last epistle in the Bible.

When we study it, we see that the revelation of Jesus Christ is the central and most important theme of this prophecy. Therefore, this prophecy does not just prophesy history but also presents history in the light of the revelation of Jesus Christ. From the historical viewpoint, this prophecy is rather gloomy and hopeless; one calamity follows another. But this is not how we should look at this epistle. We should, rather, see in it how all things lead to the final revelation of our Lord in glory. Then we see Jesus in all the events of this present time, and we shall not fail to see the blessing that is promised to those who read, hear, and keep the words of this prophecy.

When we endeavor to do a study of Revelation, we often hear the comment Why? Many well-known Bible expositors have even doubted if the epistle of Revelation really belongs in the Bible. So why do a study of something of doubtful value? Besides, it is so mysterious. The answer to this is that we would not dare to exclude this epistle from our studies of the Word of God. The book that we have before us, from Genesis to Revelation (excluding the Apocrypha), is absolutely God’s Word given to man, and it is a reflection of the almighty glory and wisdom of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is not simply what we believe; it is also an absolutely true statement.

When considering the Bible, many people believe that it is a book that was written by men. But let us be very clear on this point. If the Bible were a book that was written by men, then the concepts we gleaned from the Bible would come out of the imagination of men. But then the concept of God, as we know Him from the Bible, would not describe the true God, since this God of the Bible would have come from the minds of sinful men. If the only true God is absent from the Bible, and if He even allows sinful men to tamper with the concept of His deity and use their own imagination, then we must conclude that there is no God. If the Bible were a book that was written by sinful men, we could throw the Bible away, for it would not be the Word from God. But that is impossible. Therefore, it cannot be true that the Bible was written by men, for if that were so, then God might as well not exist.

We believe that God exists and that He has given mankind His views on how anyone might be saved. You see that without any doubt, the Bible is the Word from God and the Word of God. We read in 2 Peter 1:21, "For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." God spoke these words, and holy men of God recorded these words letter by letter and word by word. They wrote these words in Hebrew and in Greek. The inspired Word of God was written by the prophets in the original languages: Hebrew and Greek. If God exists, then He will have preserved His message to mankind. So we have delivered to us, preserved through the centuries, the Hebrew Masoretic Text and the Greek Textus Receptus as the truly inspired Word of God, carefully preserved, because God is in charge. The English King James Version (KJV) is not the inspired Word of God, just like the Greek Septuagint is not the Word of God. But since it is as close as possible a word-by-word translation from the Hebrew Masoretic Text and the Greek Textus Receptus, we use it as the Word of God, and we exclude all other modern versions of the Bible, since they all are less faithful to the Bible when we compare them with the original languages.

Moreover, since the Bible is one book, then all the documents contained therein should not be called books. The Old Testament Scriptures should properly be called scrolls or the prophecy of such-and-so. Moreover, none of the New Testament Scriptures are actually called books. Open your Bible and check this out. None of them are called books. They are named The Gospel of So-and-so or The Epistle to So-and-so. In the present book, exposing the revelation of Jesus Christ, I will carefully avoid naming any of the Scriptures as books, and I will only call the Bible the one book that God has given us. We find that this book speaks predominantly of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is through reading and studying this book with the help of God the Holy Spirit that we come to know Christ, and knowing Him is the hallmark of salvation. When we turn to the last epistle in the Bible, we find that the Lord Jesus Christ speaks in this epistle about things that must shortly come to pass. But He also mentioned this in the beginning, in Revelation 1:1.

1. 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 (Revelation 1:1).

God gave this revelation of Jesus Christ unto Christ, the Lord Jesus in His glorified humanity, to declare to John and also to us who are His servants. But what does To shew things which must shortly come to pass mean? Does it mean, To lift the veil that hides the future from our view? That would again turn us to a historical interpretation of this prophecy, and we would be able to trace the fulfillment of this prophecy step-by-step in the consecutive events of this present time. Then we would be able to determine what time it is on the world clock. Very soon, we would be able to predict the day and the hour of the Lord’s return.

As you know, this is the path that many have chosen in these days, but it is a path that is forbidden. The Lord Jesus Christ emphasized this when He said, No man knows the day or the hour (see Matthew 24:36; 25:13). We must condemn this method of interpretation. We must not see this epistle of Revelation as if God shows us only a series of future events. To shew things which must shortly come to pass really means to reveal them to us in a new light—in their real significance, as a part of God’s own program, as a revelation of the coming Lord. We must see Jesus even in the events of the present world. We must have sufficient light to hold fast that which we have, even in the midst of the confusion, darkness, and gloom of the history of the world, the church in the midst of the world, the breaking down of the family structure, and so on. In the midst of all these disasters, we must rejoice to see the signs that Jesus is coming again.

This, then, is the purpose of this prophecy: to enable us to see the events of this present time in the light of Christ’s coming, and therein find peace and rejoice. Remember the words that Jesus spoke in John 16:33: These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. Be of good cheer is not flimsy advice; it is a command: Be of good cheer.

And so, when we consider the things which must shortly come to pass, we realize that all things are but the unfolding of the eternal good pleasure of the Most High. They are indeed determined. All things are determined, large and small, what we call good and what we call evil. They do not happen by blind chance, but by the counsel of the all-wise Creator of all things. All things come to pass by the providence of God, and God’s providence carries out what God, in His wise counsel, has determined before the foundation of the world. And thus our hearts find rest and peace, because God knows what is best. And we are assured that all things come to pass because Christ is coming! Behold, He Cometh. All these things that we find in this prophecy called "The Revelation of Jesus Christ" must come to pass shortly. What does that mean? It means that these things began to take place immediately after the Lord Jesus gave this prophecy to the apostle John. And thus the history that unfolds in many of these chapters and passages refers to the entire New Testament period of time. God is not slack concerning His promise, and thus all these things have as their purpose that all of God’s elect must be gathered, that the measure of iniquity must be filled, and that Gog and Magog must play their own parts in the things that must come to pass. There will be no delay.

And therefore, the doctrine that God restrains the progress of sin is contrary to this scriptural teaching. That is a doctrine that falls in the category of common grace. There is no such thing as common grace. There is nothing common about grace. Did you hear what I said? There are many churches and Christian denominations that believe God the Holy Spirit restrains the progress of sin. That is not true. They underestimate the wickedness of man. Man’s sins are the cause for God to bring on the destruction of the world. And therefore, all things hasten unto the end.

But where did the elect suddenly come from? I did not pull them out of thin air. Election and reprobation are concepts that are well established in the Bible. The fact that most people do not like these doctrines does not mean that we should forget them. We are not pleasing men but we must be pleasing to God. Election is plainly stated in Ephesians chapter 1:3-5,

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will," (Ephesians 1:3-5).

This is what God decided before the foundation of the world, before he created the first speck of dust. This was the beginning of the history of mankind. Now we read in Revelation 1:1, "And He sent and signified it by His Angel unto His servant John. The angel here is not an angel, but a messenger. The Greek word translated as angel can just as well be translated messenger. From the following verses, we understand that the Lord Jesus Christ Himself was the messenger who gave this message to the apostle John. Briefly paraphrased, this part of verse 1 says, And God sent His Messenger, the Lord Jesus Christ, and God signified the message in the form of various signs and symbols, and God conveyed it through the Lord Jesus Christ to His servant the Apostle John. And what did John do with that message? We read in Revelation 1:2 that John bore record of the Word of God: Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw" (Rev 1:2).

Well that is no surprise, is it? What is every servant of the Lord Jesus Christ to do in this world? We bear record of the Word of God. Please turn to Ephesians 2:8.

We testify to those whom God sends to us, using the words of God recorded in the Bible; we testify where we see Jesus Christ and His crucifixion in the Bible, and we testify what principles we see in those words recorded for us.

We tell them what God has done for us, and we tell them that God did those things for us in the light of what He has done for Himself. This means that when we bring the Gospel to anyone, God will be glorified, regardless of what result our witnessing might bring about. It means we must give Him one hundred percent of all the credit for our salvation. Only then is God glorified. In other words, God is glorified if we tell them that we are saved by grace, through faith; and that not of ourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast (see Eph 2:8–9). You recognized that I paraphrased from Ephesians 2:8–9. We may use these words, or any other summation of the gospel, as long as we do not leave out the essentials, such as death and hell, for death and hell are integral parts of the gospel of salvation. We must not leave out the judgment of God, for that is the salt of the Gospel. If we would leave out the salt of the Gospel our message is good for nothing, but to be cast out and to be trodden under foot of men.

We bring the good news of salvation because this is what we were saved from: death and hell. God saved us by giving us faith. But that faith is not of ourselves; it is the gift of God. We did not conjure up a saving faith. Our faith is not in the fact that we decided to believe. Our trust is not in our faith. Our trust is in Christ! He gave us the faith to believe whatever He has written in the Bible. That is the faith, which has been given to us by grace.

And what is grace? Grace is the unmerited favor of God that leads us to salvation. And since it is unmerited favor, don’t let anyone turn it around and claim that it was merited by accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior. That is a gross adulteration of the English language, and it is an abomination in the sight of God. If it is by grace, then is it no more of works, otherwise grace is no more grace. This is what God says in Romans 11:6. Therefore, if salvation is the free gift from God, given entirely by grace, not merited by us in any way by our good behavior or by any other qualifications within us, it means that God must decide whom to give this salvation to.

And since God is all wise, knowing the end from the beginning, God must have made such decisions from before the foundation of the world, and thus God did not make such decisions at some point in time when God learned what we have decided, or what we have done, for then God would not be all wise. Therefore God chose His elect before the foundation of the world, as we clearly read in Ephesians 1:4, and all those elect shall come to believe God’s words in the Bible. This is what we testify to those whom God sends to us.

And what response do we then hear? You mean to say that we are robots? What should your answer be? You are indeed robots, and I will prove it to you. You are Satan’s robots. Satan has programmed you to disbelieve the plain Word of God. When you read something in the Bible that does not agree with what Satan has programmed within you, like in Ephesians 1:4, you will reject it, and you will declare God a liar at this point in the Bible. And then you should have them turn in their Bible to Ephesians 1:4, where they will read, According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him. See if they are willing to discuss it any further. This is what it means to bear record of the Word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and this is what we must do with all things that we see in the Bible. Let us now return to Revelation 1:3.

2. 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 (Re 1:3).

The scene that is depicted here in verse 3 is that one person reads the Word of God out loud and in the audience there are several, or many, who are listening. But do they hear? The Lord Jesus said in Matthew 13:13, Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.

You see, in the condition in which we come into this world, we are not able to hear any message of the gospel, because Satan has blinded our minds so that we are not willing to hear what Christ has to say. Therefore Jesus said to His disciples in Matthew 13:16, "But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear." This means that only the elect of God can hear spiritual messages from God, because God the Holy Spirit makes those messages clear to the elect.

And what is the blessing spoken of here in this verse? It is the inheritance of the glory of the eternal kingdom in the day of Jesus Christ, an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you [the elect] … the salvation ready to be revealed in the last time (1Pe 1:4–5). It is the blessedness of the New Jerusalem and of the new heaven and new earth, where only righteousness dwells, and where the dwelling place of God will be with men forever, with all that it entails. This is the ultimate state of blessedness that the entire epistle of Revelation looks forward to. Is there also a present blessing in these words? Absolutely! God says, Blessed are they that keep those things which are written therein (Rev 1:3). What does it mean to keep those things which are written herein? Almost all of it is future prophecy. How can anyone keep this? The answer is that only those who have been saved will hear with spiritual ears, and only they are the ones who keep the words of this prophecy in their heart. They are the only ones who will meditate on it, and they will make it their own. They will look forward to the end with great anticipation, and they will have an earnest desire to do those things that are pleasing in God’s sight.

And so, when Christ speaks the two commands in Revelation 22:18–19, those who are saved will search out how they can remain obedient to this set of commandments. The blessing is in knowing that we are doers of the Word and not hearers only, because Christ has made us doers of the Word. The blessing is to know that we will be faithful unto death because the grace of God keeps us faithful. The blessing is that we indeed can hold fast to that which we have and that no one can take our crown. And if we do suffer, we firmly believe the words of Philippians 1:29: For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake. Therefore, to suffer for His sake is not a burden but a privilege, because we look forward to Christ’s coming again. That is the blessing for them that keep those things which are written herein. Let us move on to Revelation 1:4.

• Grace and Peace (Rev 1:4, Ro 5:1, 8:28, Luke 21:16)

Rev 1:4: "John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne."

This epistle was addressed to seven churches in a province that was called Asia, which was actually a small part of what is now called Turkey. Why only those seven? By that time the gospel had spread to almost all the parts of the Roman Empire. I believe God singled out these seven churches because they had all the elements of the church throughout the New Testament period of time. Here God addresses these seven churches with, Grace unto you and peace. I talked already about grace. It is the unmerited favor of God unto salvation. Therefore, paraphrased, this greeting says, May God, through the work of Christ, by the Holy Spirit, operate with His grace in our hearts unto salvation, so that we may have peace with God. Peace is always peace with God. Apart from peace with God, there is no peace. This is the first fruit of God’s grace. It is the first fruit of having been justified. God says in Romans 5:1, Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Before we were saved, we were at war with God. We were enemies of God, hating God. But when we became saved, we were reconciled to God through the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ. By His grace we became the adopted sons of God, as the Bride of Christ. Therefore God assures us that we are always in His care. God says in Romans 8:28, "We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." God’s providence makes all things work for our benefit, even all things that we call evil. Let me suggest a few examples.

First: When we see in our secular society the next generation, and we see that they are more wicked than the previous generation, we can have peace with that because it points to the fact that this world is on a speeding train headed toward Judgment Day. And what is in Judgment Day for us? Jesus Christ is coming again to take us to be with Him, and in this we should rejoice. But what about all those people who remain unsaved? They go to hell. Should we beseech God to give them more time to repent? Does God need more time in order to save a few? No! God’s timetable is perfect. And if it is God’s plan to bring on the last day very soon, I would not want to bemoan His decision.

Second: When we see that fornication in our society is on the increase, and homosexuality is on the increase, we can have peace in the midst of all this misplaced emphasis on love and sexual love. People say they have a relationship with someone, but in fact they are cohabitating with one another as they commit fornication continuously. I do not understand how they can be so dumb to think that if they change the label from fornication to a relationship that it will be all right. But we can have peace with that, because Jesus compared the last days with the story of Lot and his two daughters, who fled from Sodom. And thus it means that Jesus is coming soon, and in this we can rejoice.

Third: We can look at the local churches around us, and what do we see?

1. We see pastors and elders who have been divorced and remarried, even though God said that they must be the husband of one wife.

2. We see pulpits populated by women preachers, even though this is explicitly forbidden in the New Testament.

3. We see their Bibles, which are mostly Gnostic bibles based on two scrolls found in the Mediterranean, which was the center of the Gnostic movement, and in the Vatican.

4. We see their study materials, which scream the free will gospel from their pages, even though Ephesians 1 and 2 explicitly forbids it.

5. We see their hocus-pocus with healing miracles and other signs and wonders, even though all the Scriptures concerning signs and wonders near the end of time ascribe such signs to Satanic activity.

6. We hear of their beliefs that God is still speaking today in dreams and visions, in angel visitations, and in tongues, even though Revelation 22:18 explicitly forbids this practice.

7. We hear that they are cozying up to the Roman Catholic Church, which is a church embracing a works gospel and embracing the doctrine that God is still bringing messages today.

It is pointless for me to give Scripture references; the list is just endless. We can have peace with this also, because it means that Christ is coming soon.

Fourth: When you are personally plagued by someone in the family who wants to live out his or her ego trip, do not let this wear you down. Do not give in to this great pressure. And most importantly, do not feel sorry for yourself. It will drive you insane, and you will end up in the hands of psychiatrists who will prescribe pills that you will have to take for the rest of your life. And after many years, you will end up in a wheelchair because of their side effects. Instead, go in the other direction; have peace with it and rejoice, for Jesus is coming again. Did He not say in Luke 21:16, "And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolk, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death. Just think of it that almighty God, the Creator of the universe who is greater than this universe, will stoop down to our level and take us up to be with Him forever. Behold, He Cometh." How awesome! Let us now turn to Revelation 1:5.

3. The First Begotten of the Dead (Rev 1:5, Col 1:15–18, Ro 6:14)

"And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood …" (Rev. 1:5).

Please turn to Colossians 1:15. Many people stumble over the expression, the first begotten of the dead, since it seems to imply that Christ had a beginning. Of course we should not look at this from a historical perspective, because Moses was also restored from the dead, and that was about fourteen hundred years before the Lord Jesus rose from the dead. Also, there were two children who were raised from the dead by God through the prophets Elijah and Elisha. So even though the word first is in this expression, do not interpret it historically. But God gave us the Scriptures to interpret this expression perfectly. God says in Colossians 1:15–18, "Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence."

This passage emphasizes that Christ is not a created being in any sense. He is before all things. Oh yes, Jesus was born in Bethlehem, but His conception in the womb of Mary only marks the beginning of His incarnation as a human. But because all things were created by Him and for Him, God considers Him the Firstborn of every creature, the One who is entitled to inherit all things from God. Please turn back to Revelation 1:5 and note that He is referred to there as the firstborn from the dead. Today on this earth we walk in the midst of death. How can we have peace? He was here. He knows this world. He was in the womb of death. But His voice that speaks now of grace and peace is not of this world. He rose from the grave. His voice is the resurrection voice. He that speaks to us stands at the other side of death and the grave as the Risen One. And when He passed through death and hell, He left the way open for us. And the Firstborn is He that opened the womb and prepared the way for all His brethren. Thus Christ was in the womb of death, was born from death, and opened the womb of death for all those whom the Father gave Him. And He calls to us: Grace and peace to you!

And then we read, Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood.

He did not just shed His blood for us, but He also applies its atoning power to us. This means that we are not only liberated from the guilt of our sins but also freed from the dominion and the corruption of sin. We have been freed from being enslaved to sin. God says in Romans 6:14, For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. And so we see that the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made us free from the law of sin and death. In this way Christ made us kings and priests.

• And He Hath Made Us Kings and Priests

(Rev 1:6, 1Co 15:28, Dan 7:14)

"And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen" (Rev 1:6).

Through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, by His indwelling Spirit, we are actually delivered and translated out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of the marvelous light of God and formed into a kingdom of priests. You see, God’s people are a kingdom, not just a collection of kings. They are a unity, an organism, a kingdom over which Christ rules as the chief servant of Jehovah, the high priest according to the order of Melchisedec. He has a name above all names, and in which His brethren reign with Him, each in his own position and all serving the purpose of the whole, in order that all may be to the glory of the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. The church is already such a Kingdom now, but incomplete, for not everyone in the church is a saved individual, and not everyone who is saved is in the church. By faith we already partake of the royal dominion of our Lord Jesus Christ.

But only when all the elect have been brought into the Kingdom, and when our earthly bodies shall be transformed into glorious bodies made like unto His most glorious body, and when all things shall be made new in the new heaven and new earth, and when the dwelling place of God shall be with men, only then shall this kingdom of priests be fully realized. And Christ’s reign over it shall be forever and ever.

Please turn now to the First Epistle to the Corinthians, First Corinthians, chapter 15. This chapter of First Corinthians is all about the resurrection of the body. The resurrection of the soul is not in question, but the resurrection of the body is. Many people teach that Christ’s reign will end when all things have been subdued under Him. In other words, Christ’s reign will end when we have arrived in the new heaven and the new earth. They derive that from 1 Corinthians 15:25 and 28, which read as follows: For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet … 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.

These verses do not teach that Christ shall ever cease to reign. He will reign until He has put all enemies under His feet. That is true. And that means that this complete subjection of all enemies under His feet is the purpose of His reign. It is the end that must be attained. And when this end has been attained, and all things have been subdued under Him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him does not mean He will reign no more. Instead it means that He will reign as the Servant of God forever, but reign under Him. All things shall forever be subject to Christ. With all things, Christ shall be subject to the Father, and thus God will be all in all.

Moreover, all the Scriptures teach that Christ’s dominion shall never cease, that He will reign forever, that His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away, and that His kingdom is that which shall not be destroyed. (Daniel 7:14).

4. Behold, He Cometh (Rev 1:7–8, Heb 12:1, 1Th 4:13–18, Ro 11:36)

Please turn again to Revelation 1:7–8. Can you imagine this awesome event?

Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. (Rev 1:7-8)

Always the church must have her eyes of hope fixed upon that final event. She must always stand in the attitude of the bride, eagerly looking for the coming of her Bridegroom with the prayer on her lips, Come, Lord Jesus!

And then, Even so, Amen. The word Amen is a Hebrew word. It means So be it or It shall surely be! The Lord shall surely come; we may not doubt it. The suffering of the waiting church may be severe, and it may sometimes seem as if the Lord is slack concerning His promise, but He is surely coming.

This promise is sealed with a double oath: Even so, Amen! His literal and personal and visible return will mark the end of all history and will usher in an eternal state of heavenly glory in the new heaven and new earth.

And look at the words, Behold, He cometh with clouds. Is this referring to the Lord Jesus coming on the clouds of heaven? No, not literal clouds. The verse does not say that Christ comes on the clouds, but He comes with clouds. What clouds is God referring to? We read in Hebrews 12:1, "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us."

This great cloud of witnesses refers to the saints who have died and whose souls are in heaven, waiting for the day of the rapture of their bodies. When Christ comes again, He will bring the souls of all those saints with Him, and when their bodies have been raised with new glorified bodies, then their souls and their bodies shall be reunited, so that they will again be whole personalities. Therefore, since we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us join those witnesses and let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily besets us. And that is true. Sin so easily besets us if not for the grace of God that withholds us from falling into sin again.

The history of this world will end with a final catastrophe, a final wonder, when every eye shall see the Lord Jesus Christ return in glory, and this earth shall be destroyed with enormous fireworks. It will be an awesome spectacle. It will be the last glorious scene all the unsaved shall see before they are cast into the lake of fire. But for the elect it will be just the beginning of an infinite series of awesome spectacles. And all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him, and that includes those who pierced Him. Why do they wail? Where are the saints? The saints shall already be with Christ when Christ comes to judge those on the earth. This is what 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 teaches us.

All the unsaved shall still be on the earth, and they shall all have received their new body, making them suitable for hell. The Bible tells us that in our new glorified body we will be immensely glorious. The apostle John saw one of these saints in his glorified body, and he fell down to worship him, so glorious was his appearance. But the Bible does not disclose what bodies the unsaved will receive at the same time that the saints receive their glorified bodies. We can just imagine that they will not be glorious at all, because they are an abomination to God. But does this prospect give them a healthy fear of God? No! They go on living as if God does not exist and judgment day is far off. There is no fear of God before their eyes.

And Christ says, I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending. He is the Lord which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. His counsel shall stand, and He will do all His good pleasure. In Him all things have their purpose. Just like all things are out of Him, so all things are through Him and all things are unto Him (see Romans 11:36). From the beginning, He made all things with a view to the end. And that end is that all the saints will be gathered to be the bride of Christ and be with Him forever, and they will really know Him as He is. Then we will know the perfect revelation of Jesus Christ, the One in whom all things in heaven and on earth are to be united forever and ever.

Amen.

CHAPTER 2

REV 1:17

FEAR NOT

P lease open your Bible to the revelation of Jesus Christ, chapter 1. We have here in this chapter a description of Christ’s appearance to the apostle John. This was more than sixty years after the Lord Jesus bodily ascended into heaven. As you know, the Lord Jesus received His glorified body when He returned to heaven. But did He appear to John in His glorified body? Absolutely not! Christ brought a message to John, and His appearance was adjusted to convey this message. For example, there are no people in heaven walking around with a two-edged sword protruding out of their mouth. Nevertheless, His appearance to John was so awesome, and so frightening, that John fell at His feet as dead. That is why the title of this chapter is Fear Not. The Lord Jesus comforted John with the words Fear not. But before we get to that point, let us hear what the Lord had to say about alpha and omega.

1. Alpha and Omega (Rev 1:8–9, 2Th 1:8, 2Co 6:18)

As you know, alpha and omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty (rev 1:8).

At this point the Lord Jesus Christ is speaking directly to us, and He identifies Himself in three ways.

First he identifies himself as Alpha and Omega, which means He is the beginning and the ending of everything that was created. Everything was created by Him, and it was created for Him, meaning for His good pleasure. Unmistakably, the Lord Jesus Christ identifies Himself as God.

Secondly, Jesus identifies Himself as the One which is, and which was, and which is to come, which means that He existed from eternity past, He presently reigns as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and He will come as the Judge of all the earth in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ (2Thessalonians 1:8).

Thirdly, Jesus identifies Himself as the Almighty. This is a name for God that is used many times in the Old Testament, and also in 2 Corinthians 6:18, where God says these comforting words to us: And I will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters.

In Revelation 1:8, the Lord Jesus identified Himself as almighty God three times. Why are there people who claim that Jesus never said that He was God? He is the Lord God Almighty. While we still are in our mortal bodies, His appearance to us is so awesome that we will fall at His feet as dead, whether we are saved or not. Jesus Christ is not our buddy. He is the Lord God Almighty, and we will fully know it when He comes again. Then we read in Revelation 1:9, I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.

The apostle John was exiled to the lonely island of Patmos. It was a forsaken little island, a rock from which no escape was possible, uninhabited except for a few prisoners who had been exiled there. John was not exiled for criminal behavior; John was exiled as a martyr for the sake of the Word of God, which he had preached, and for the testimony of Jesus, which he bore. And I am sure that Emperor Domitian, who exiled John to this place, thought to give him a more humane treatment because of his old age, and instead of having John executed, he banished him to Patmos.

The Devil and his earthly helpers are thought to have silenced John. But the Lord, who is King over the rulers of the earth and who causes even their counsels to work together for the good of His saints, had His own purpose in mind with the banishment of His servant John. And though the worldly power, under the influence of the Prince of the Power of the Air, had exiled the aged apostle in order to forever silence his faithful testimony, the Lord transformed this lonely and secluded island into a spot that served as a fabulous stage for the revelation of one of the most beautiful and most important parts of the holy Scriptures.

Here John was separated from the tumult and business of the world, to be alone with his Lord. Here he could witness the terrible symbolism of the restless sea, where he was reminded that the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt (Isaiah 57:20).

On the island, John could hear the roar of the powerful waves crashing on the rocky shores of his dwelling place, and he learned that the Lord was his rock, and his fortress, and his deliverer—his God, his strength, his high tower in whom he could trust (see Psalm 19:14).

From the island, John had an unobstructed view of the heavens all the way to the four corners of the earth, so that they formed the stage for the visions the Lord was going to give him. And so this forsaken dwelling place was undoubtedly the most naturally adapted place to be the scene for this apostle’s visions and revelations. God is gracious. Here, then, John tells us he was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day.

• I Was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day

(Rev 1:10–11, Mt 24:31, Ro 11:33–36)

I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,

Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea. (Rev 1:10–11)

The timing was not on the Lord’s day. The Greek word there is not the word for on, but in. The Greek text is the inspired Word of God, and we should pay attention to what the Greek text says. In the Bible, Sunday is not called the Lord’s Day. It is called the first day of the week, or more correctly and literally, the first of the Sabbaths. The Lord’s Day is the last day, or judgment day. John was literally in the Spirit in the Lord’s Day. Two times the same word, in, is used. What, then, does it mean that John was in the Spirit in the Lord’s Day?

It means that John was in a state of prophetic spiritual ecstasy, separated from the world of