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JOURNEY THROUGH THE BIBLE REVELATION Day 1 Revelation 1 Revelation 1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: 2 Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. 3 Blessed is he who reads, and they who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand. 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; 5 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 who loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, 6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. 7 Behold, he comes 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. 8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, says the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. 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. 10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, 11 Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou see, 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. 12 And I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; 13 And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. 14 His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; 15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. 16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shines in his strength. 17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: 18 I am he who lives, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. 19 Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter; 20 The mystery of the seven stars which thou saw in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou saw are the seven churches. Today I begin an in-depth study of the book of Revelation. Revelation is a prophecy given to the apostle John while in exile by the emperor Domitian for preaching the gospel, by Jesus Christ. Make no mistake whose revelation this is as Jesus came to John and told him to write what He would show him. Many people doubt the book of Revelation as anything more than vague writings too difficult to understand. Yet, Jesus gave the interpretation of what He told John to write so there is no room for misinterpretation. Before John began, he gave the benediction and told the churches he would send this prophecy to them and they would be blessed as they read the words of this prophecy. You cannot receive a blessing if you don’t understand what you read. Therefore, Revelation, like the rest of Scripture, is not difficult if you apply your heart to wisdom and seek understanding from the Holy Spirit and pay attention to what Revelation reveals about the end times. John stated where he was, and the day when Jesus appeared to him and told him to write about what would take place in the end times. He was on the Isle of Patmos on the Lord’s day, or the Sabbath. John gave a full description of Jesus Christ. He described His hair, His clothes, His eyes, His feet, His voice, what He held in His hands, and what came from His mouth. Other descriptions of Jesus can be found in the books of Ezekiel and Daniel. Jesus told John who He was—Alpha and Omega—the beginning and the end. He is the One who was dead and is alive. Jesus also told him what he saw—the seven candlesticks—churches, and the seven stars—the angels of the churches, or the ministers of the churches to whom he would send the letters. Jesus alone holds the keys of hell and death. Jesus told John this prophecy would soon take place. Many people doubt this prophecy because they believe it should have taken place before now. When you tell someone you will come soon, you arrive in a short period of time to visit with them. However, soon in the Bible has a different meaning. Both David and Peter describe a day in God’s sight as a thousand years. When God told Adam and Eve, He would send a Savior, they expected it would be soon, one of their children born to them. However, God sent Jesus 4000 years after He told them to expect a Savior to deliver them from their sin. In the meantime, He sent prophets who prophesied about His coming, and when the fullness of time came, God sent His Son, born of a virgin, to redeem the world to Himself. If you consider a thousand years as a day, as Peter and David showed, then God sent His Son, four days after He gave the promise. It is 2000 years since Jesus’ birth, death, resurrection, and return to heaven to intercede for us. Two days by their reckoning. Jesus told John, He would come shortly, soon, and expect His return according to the prophecies given by Jesus as to when it would occur. Matthew 24:4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. 5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. 6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows. 9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. 10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. 11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. 12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. 13 But he who shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. No time in history have those signs been seen or fulfilled as they are today. You can see everything is ready for Jesus’ return. We wait only for one thing. Matthew 24:15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso reads, let him understand:) The abomination hasn’t been erected in the temple yet because the temple hasn’t been rebuilt, but I understand the plans and materials are in place to do so and have been for a long time. However, God’s time isn’t yet. God’s sole purpose for mankind is salvation. 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (KJV) God waits for you to accept Him as Savior and Lord. He is patient and will do all He can to bring you to salvation, unwilling for you to perish, go to hell. Therefore, let us move forward and study this prophecy Jesus gave John on the Isle of Patmos for your understanding and wisdom. Let’s pray: Father, open the eyes of my understanding as I study this prophecy You gave John. Let it bless me as I read it. Send Your Holy Spirit to teach me. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. Copyright © 29 June 2019 by Valerie Routhieaux Image courtesy of Pixabay