The Great Revelation
The word "revelation" (apokalupsis ) means to unveil; to pull back a covering that is concealing something; to reveal something that a person could not find out for himself. It is a revelation of truth that man could never discover for himself. That, is the book of The Revelation of Jesus Christ, an unveiling to His followers.
Jesus is the author of the this Revelation, but we need to take note that all which Jesus reveals in His revelation to the apostle John was given to Him by God the Father. Remember that when Jesus was on earth what he said about His return and the end of the age: “… of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time is” (Mark 13:32, 33).
However, when Jesus Christ ascended into heaven, God the Father revealed these things to Him. This is important, it signifies that the things we are about to learn did not come from man, but from God Himself. The Revelation concerns those things that God Himself wants us to know; He considered this so important that He gave them to His Son Jesus and His Son has now revealed these things to us.
It has been two thousand years plus since Jesus gave this revelation to man, and yet He has not returned to earth. Was John wrong in saying that the events were going to happen shortly? No! God the Father measures time differently than man. Peter wrote his second letter to the believers because they were facing persecution and were waiting for Jesus to return then. Peter reminded them what they were taught about His return and that God is not on our timetable, He is not slow, but patient, waiting for more sinners to repent. He used as an example that one day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like one day (2 Peter 3:8).
God is eternal. Think of thousands of years heaped upon thousands of years. Multiply ten thousand years times ten thousand and then multiply that by thousands of years again and keep on multiplying, never quitting. That is eternity. What then is two thousand years? Time is relative; it has no span to God. We as true believers should not be discouraged because Jesus has not returned. We are not to question when He is returning, but to watch and be ready in case He returns before we depart this life and go to Him.
God cares about us; He loves us and cares so much for us that He has revealed a whole book of events to us. What are these events? They are events or truths that are still out in the future, that concern the end of this age, the return of Jesus to establish and rule His kingdom and of the final judgment of this world and the establishing of the new heavens and new earth.
Can anyone understand what is in the book of Revelation? Can anyone understand what is in the sixty-six books that make up the Bible? Yes! It was given for all believers, for all people to believe. In Deuteronomy the Word of God says that “… the secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever…” (Deut. 29:29). No one has seen nor heard nor is able to conceive what God has prepared for those who love Him (Isa 64:4), but the Spirit of God will reveal it to the believers. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. In the way that no one knows the thoughts of man except by the spirit of man, so in the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. The believer does not receive the spirit of the world; he receives the Spirit who is from God, who is God, so that he can understand what God has freely given to him (1Cor. 2:9ff).
How does a person, any person, receive the Spirit from God? That person must be born again. Jesus said that He came so that all who believe in Him may have eternal life, (Jn. 3:14-16), for this, one has to be born again. A Pharisee named Nicodemas asked Him how this was possible, Jesus answered him by saying that one has to be born again by God. That what is born of flesh is flesh but what is born of the Spirit is spirit. In other words, the person´s spirit has to be born again that is, re-created.
Can you have eternal life? Yes absolutely! Because the Word of God says, that God the Father does not want any individual to perish but to have eternal life with Him. How do you obtain salvation, eternal life? Simple, believe and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, that He died on the cross for your sins and that He rose from the dead fulfilling the promise of the Father. At that moment, you have eternal life and the Holy Spirit comes in and dwells within you. You become the temple of God (1 Cor. 3:16-17; 2 Cor. 6: 10-18 emphasis on vs. 16).
The choice is yours, eternal life with God, or eternal death (separation) without God. Here God is pro-choice; He prefers that you chose life. As for my house and me, we have chosen eternal life with God.
The word "revelation" (apokalupsis ) means to unveil; to pull back a covering that is concealing something; to reveal something that a person could not find out for himself. It is a revelation of truth that man could never discover for himself. That, is the book of The Revelation of Jesus Christ, an unveiling to His followers.
Jesus is the author of the this Revelation, but we need to take note that all which Jesus reveals in His revelation to the apostle John was given to Him by God the Father. Remember that when Jesus was on earth what he said about His return and the end of the age: “… of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time is” (Mark 13:32, 33).
However, when Jesus Christ ascended into heaven, God the Father revealed these things to Him. This is important, it signifies that the things we are about to learn did not come from man, but from God Himself. The Revelation concerns those things that God Himself wants us to know; He considered this so important that He gave them to His Son Jesus and His Son has now revealed these things to us.
It has been two thousand years plus since Jesus gave this revelation to man, and yet He has not returned to earth. Was John wrong in saying that the events were going to happen shortly? No! God the Father measures time differently than man. Peter wrote his second letter to the believers because they were facing persecution and were waiting for Jesus to return then. Peter reminded them what they were taught about His return and that God is not on our timetable, He is not slow, but patient, waiting for more sinners to repent. He used as an example that one day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like one day (2 Peter 3:8).
God is eternal. Think of thousands of years heaped upon thousands of years. Multiply ten thousand years times ten thousand and then multiply that by thousands of years again and keep on multiplying, never quitting. That is eternity. What then is two thousand years? Time is relative; it has no span to God. We as true believers should not be discouraged because Jesus has not returned. We are not to question when He is returning, but to watch and be ready in case He returns before we depart this life and go to Him.
God cares about us; He loves us and cares so much for us that He has revealed a whole book of events to us. What are these events? They are events or truths that are still out in the future, that concern the end of this age, the return of Jesus to establish and rule His kingdom and of the final judgment of this world and the establishing of the new heavens and new earth.
Can anyone understand what is in the book of Revelation? Can anyone understand what is in the sixty-six books that make up the Bible? Yes! It was given for all believers, for all people to believe. In Deuteronomy the Word of God says that “… the secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever…” (Deut. 29:29). No one has seen nor heard nor is able to conceive what God has prepared for those who love Him (Isa 64:4), but the Spirit of God will reveal it to the believers. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. In the way that no one knows the thoughts of man except by the spirit of man, so in the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. The believer does not receive the spirit of the world; he receives the Spirit who is from God, who is God, so that he can understand what God has freely given to him (1Cor. 2:9ff).
How does a person, any person, receive the Spirit from God? That person must be born again. Jesus said that He came so that all who believe in Him may have eternal life, (Jn. 3:14-16), for this, one has to be born again. A Pharisee named Nicodemas asked Him how this was possible, Jesus answered him by saying that one has to be born again by God. That what is born of flesh is flesh but what is born of the Spirit is spirit. In other words, the person´s spirit has to be born again that is, re-created.
Can you have eternal life? Yes absolutely! Because the Word of God says, that God the Father does not want any individual to perish but to have eternal life with Him. How do you obtain salvation, eternal life? Simple, believe and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, that He died on the cross for your sins and that He rose from the dead fulfilling the promise of the Father. At that moment, you have eternal life and the Holy Spirit comes in and dwells within you. You become the temple of God (1 Cor. 3:16-17; 2 Cor. 6: 10-18 emphasis on vs. 16).
The choice is yours, eternal life with God, or eternal death (separation) without God. Here God is pro-choice; He prefers that you chose life. As for my house and me, we have chosen eternal life with God.
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