See the Missed Insights About Revelation series here
See the Missed Insights series here
There are innumerable, deeply strategic insights we miss across the pages and ages of The Bible. The absolute largest number of missed insights may well be in The Book of Revelation. One clear reason is our typical proclivity to AVOID this highly mystical book, full of incomprehensible symbolisms and images that blow our minds. In this series, I share an easy 2-step approach to understand this mysterious book.
For you who may have bristled at my tip in Part 1 about reading Revelation FIRST and often, consider this: have or would you ever consider assembling a large puzzle without first and often thereafter …studying the picture of the completed puzzle?? If not, why deny your brain and spirit the same benefits when reading and studying possibly the most complex book ever written, by the most complex Mind that exists, The Mind of Christ?!
Step 2: Sharply/Sustainably Perceive its 7-Key Revelations
The word, revelation, is a noun. The related verb is to reveal. So the key objective of The Book of Revelation is to reveal some climactic (and climatic!) insights to us, that Jesus wants us all, especially His saints, to know, believe and understand. This fact may be quickly forgotten as our minds are blown trying to comprehend that book! Ergo, it would be helpful to bring and keep into sharp focus 7-key revelations in Revelation. Why 7? Spiritually, 7 is widely regarded as the number of perfection and completion. As I perceive/intuit them, here are the 7-key points Jesus, The Lord God, intends to reveal to humanity, especially to His saints, in this book. My list is based on thematic points accentuated across the other 65 books of The Bible.
1. WHO JESUS IS
The book principally reveals Jesus. It’s ‘The Revelation of Jesus Christ’. But since most of the book is not directly about Him, per se, I understand it is a combination of revelations of, about, and from Him – key insights He passionately desires us all, especially His saints, to know, believe and understand. 1
The phrase, ‘…know I am The Lord’, reverberates across the pages of The Bible. A total of 48-times, in The Book of Ezekiel, The Lord predicted of evil kings and their sinful nations, ‘…THEN they will/shall know I AM The Lord!!!’ (emphasis added) That was the climax of His pronounced severe judgments on these peoples. In light of this, it is safe to conclude the #1 revelation in The Book of Revelation is …Jesus as/is The Lord God Almighty!
Revelation gives us the ultimate, written-word-picture of Jesus as an immortal man, Who has always existed, and is appointed and anointed by Father God (Who is Spirit) with FULL God-head responsibility for ALL things related to creation, both in/across Heaven and the physical universe. This includes:
a. Establishment of His required set of standards, He calls,
‘righteousness’;
b. Deviations from these standards, He calls sinfulness; and
c. Both temporary and eternal rewards and judgments He
apportioned to His sets of standards and deviations.
In 65 books of The Bible, major aspects of His nature and character are revealed from an earth-centric perspective, by His proclamations, predictions, and performances (works). Revelation ‘pans the camera’ to give us His Throne Room-centric perspective. wOw!! From there, He:
(i) orchestrates transitions to, and the endings of the final 4 ages of
human history on this current version of Earth He created, and then
(ii) reveals/uncloaks the new, eternal Earth He promised Isaiah He
would create. 2
My, my, my! What other so-called deity has done or can do such things?! NONE!!!
2. His visceral hatred of sinfulness – The Lord hates sin, not sinners, but as our Ultimate Judge, He must and will judge both sin and unrepentant sinners. He knows the full measures of the temporary and eternal consequences of sin. Across human history, and our world today, we have seen, and are currently experiencing the temporary consequences of our sinful lifestyles. Revelation 20:11-15 bring into sharp focus, His determined, eternal consequences of unrepented, unconfessed, unforgiven sin. Reading and understand this, brings into sharp focus His prescribed Way to receive His forgiveness: experiential, Godly repentance that results in sustained lifestyle changes on His righteous pathway. Every book of The Bible accentuates this point, in various ways, and emphatically demonstrates both the rewards and punishments therefrom.
You might wonder, ‘Since He hates sin so viscerally, why even allow it to exist?’ The clear answer is He also loves the freedom of choice, apparently given to ALL living beings He created.
3. His angels who obey His commands – I find it strange that some people don’t believe in angels at all; and some who do, don’t believe in Jesus, The Lord God and Heaven’s General over all angels. Revelation is The Lord’s clear answer to such errant beliefs. Ponder this: Invisible angels will launch The Lord’s worst ever visible judgments on Earth – the apocalypse at the end of the 4th age of history, the tribulation age. 3
4. His adversary’s invisible earthly kingdom - I find it strange that some people believe angels exist, but don’t believe devils/fallen angels exist. And, as noted above, others don’t believe in Jesus, The Lord God and Heaven’s General over all angels – holy and fallen, alike. Revelation is The Lord’s clear answer to such devilish deceptions. The works of invisible devils have been apparent in human history since The Garden of Eden. Knowing their time is short, The Bible reveals they significantly ramp-up their deceptions against humans, toward the close of each of age of history, except The Millennial Reign age during which they will all be locked away in a bottomless pit. The Bible also hints they will all become visible, immortal beings to be cast into the brimstone-lit, eternal lake of fire on the new, eternal Earth, as judgment for their wickedness against The Lord and humanity! 4
You might wonder, ‘Since devils are His adversaries, why even allow them to exist?’ Again, the clear answer is He loves the freedom of choice. The Bible reveals satan abused his choice by leading a third of all holy angels to rebel against The Lord before the creation of humans. They became devils/demons, still hierarchically organized as all angels are; were excommunicated from Heaven; fell to Earth; and most of them remain here to give us the same choice all angels have – to live righteously or sinfully, and reap The Lord’s declared rewards or judgments thereof. 5
Please meditate on these insights
and be sure to see Part 3 of this series.
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1 See: Why It Matters that We Call the Final Book of the Bible Revelation, not Revelations.
2 See: Isaiah 65:17 and 66:22.
3 See: Human History Ages (Series). In many respects, the apocalypse will be much worse than the global flood. One example: in the flood, every person and land animal who was not in the ark, died quickly.
4 See: The Lake of Fire: Is THIS the Man?! (Poem).
5 To understand why I say, ‘most of them’, see Humans’ DNA Hacked (Poem).
