REVELATION - A PERSONAL LETTER FROM JESUS CHRIST

April 26, 1998 pm
MF Blume



Reve 1:1-11
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. 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; 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. 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. 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

By the time the last book of the Bible was written, the book of Revelation, the church was under severe persecution.

John grabbed a pen and paper and began writing. And an angel said do not cry, BEHOLD THE LION WHO HAS PREVAILED. In the vision Jon saw 24 elders fall down. And John as writing all of this as he watched this miracle of a vision in that cave in Patmos.
He then saw christians slain under an altar. John was thinking of the church he belonged to and the fellow christians who were right then probably suffering trouble and tribulation.
You see, God gave pictures that SIGNIFIED (to make known by SIGNS - to "betoken" and to have symbolic meaning) things.

Reve 1:1-2 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.

The Christian would read about the Lamb redeeming them with his blood, and remember, "Hey! I know what this means."

Exod 6:6 Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I [am] the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments:

Exod 13:13 And every firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb; and if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break his neck: and all the firstborn of man among thy children shalt thou redeem.

Exod 13:15 And it came to pass, when Pharaoh would hardly let us go, that the LORD slew all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man, and the firstborn of beast: therefore I sacrifice to the LORD all that openeth the matrix, being males; but all the firstborn of my children I redeem.

Exod 15:9-10 The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my lust shall be satisfied upon them; I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them. Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them: they sank as lead in the mighty waters.

FROM THE SONG OF MOSES.

You see THE SANCTUARY.

Is not JESUS said to be the RIGHT HAND OF GOD?
He told PHARAOH, "If you do not let my firstborn son go, my PEOPLE are my firstborn son, then I will slay your firstborn son." HE IS LOOKING OUT FOR YOU, CHURCH!!!

REVELATION should bless your soul through your daily trials.

And it all wraps up in Revelation 7....
So, the same thing that happened in Revelation 5 as it did when God led Israel out of Egypt to go to the Sanctuary. When we read of the Sanctuary in Revelation 5, it IS EMPTY, and Chapter 7 it is FULL .
Revelation. A personal letter of encouragement from Jesus Christ.