The Revelations of John
The Lord Jesus Christ
& the Seven Messages to The Church
1 The revelation given by Jesus Christ, which God granted Him, that He might make known to His servants certain events which must shortly come to pass: and He sent His angel and communicated it to His servant John.
2 This is the John who taught the truth concerning the Word of God and the truth told us by Jesus Christ— a faithful account of what he had seen.
3 Blessed is he who reads and blessed are those who listen to the words of this prophecy and lay to heart what is written in it; for the time for its fulfillment is now close at hand. REVELATIONS 1:1-3
THE BOOK OF REVELATION probably is less read and understood than any book in the entire Bible. To the average person, the last book of the Bible is a deep mystery consisting of strange, fantastic predictions which can¬not be understood, and queer symbols that confuse. As a result, most Bible readers know little about either the book's content or its meaning.
In Revelations we read of a sublime series of pictures of God's dealings with man and with this earth from the beginning to the consummation of all things. The symbols used are largely those of Old Testament scriptures. Christ, the Word--the Revealer, is described as "Him which is, and which was, and which is to come," and "the Prince (Ruler) of the kings of the earth." At the same time, Jesus is represented as the sacrificial Lamb, the faithful witness, the first begotten of the dead, and Jesus the Christ, the coming Ruler.
Throughout the first four chapters Jesus Christ receives praise and worship, and titles such as Alpha and Omega—the Lord God—the Almighty. However, as the time of judgement arrives in chapter five, He is ‘‘the Lamb that was slain—worthy,’’ to open the judgement scroll and bringing down the ‘‘wrath of God’’.
