REVELATION

THE KEYS
REVELATION 1:18–MATTHEW 16:19

WHO IS JESUS CHRIST TO YOU?

REVELATION 1:1-8

Introduction:

A few months ago I preached a message of a similar title, but this message has a different message. I hope you will listen with your heart open to receive this message from the Lord.

God has blessed us with so much, the least of which is our freedom to preach and hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I am afraid that our freedom has become a license to sin by not giving the Lord His due in our lives.

I. HE IS THE FAITHFUL WITNESS, v. 5.

A. He spoke with authority, Matt. 7:29, “For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.”

B. He is the faithful witness, Rev. 1:5, “And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness.”

C. He is my example.

1. Of faithfulness, Heb. 3:1-2, “Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus; 2Who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house.”

2. Of authority and power, Matt. 28:18, “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” The word “POWER” can be translated “authority” as well. It come from two Greek words, “??” – “from” – and “????”- “I AM” MEANING: FROM THE I AM.

3. Of loyalty,

a. Loyalty is faithfulness, 1 Thess. 5:24, “Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.”

b. Loyalty is fear of God, 2 Cor.7:1, “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”

c. Loyalty is humility, 1 Pe. 5:5, “Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.”

4. Of a good ministry, Acts 6:4, “But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.” 1 Cor. 16:15, “I beseech you, brethren, (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints,)”

II. HE IS THE FIRST BEGOTTEN OF THE DEAD, v. 5.

A. He was raised from the dead, 1 Cor. 15:4, “And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:”

B. He lives today and we shall live also, 1 Cor. 15:22-23, “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 23But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.”

III. HE IS THE ONE WHO LOVED US, v. 5.

A. He gave Himself a Propitiation for our sins, Rom. 3:25, “Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;”

B. He washed us from our sins, v. 5, “Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,”

C. He made us sons of God, 1 Jo. 3:1, “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.”

D. He made us priests and kings, v. 6, “And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.”

IV. HE IS OUR HOPE.

A. He is the author of our faith, Heb. 12:2, “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

B. He is our hope for the future, Jo. 14:3, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”

CONCLUSION:

Who is Jesus Christ to you? Is he your Savior? Is He who you live for?

If the answer to these questions is not “YES” then you have something wrong in your life. Jesus has done everything for you and He desires to be the one that sets on the throne of your life.

THE URGENCY OF KNOWING THE TRUTH

REVELATION 1:3

Introduction:

Jesus came to His home town and entered the synagogue and open God’s Word and began to read, Luke 4:16, “And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.”

This is the place where He was not readily accepted, yet He knew the need of these people hearing and knowing the Word of God. This was an URGENT NEED and the Lord treated it as such.

Today the need is even more urgent than at any time in history. Paul wrote in Romans 13:11, “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.” The NEED TO KNOW IS MORE URGENT NOW than at any time since God created this world.

I. THE BLESSEDNESS OF BEING INFORMED

A. Blessed is he that reads the words of this prophecy, Luke 4:16, “And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.”

1. Moses read the Word of God before the people, Exodus 24:7, “And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient.”

2. Joshua faithfully read the Word of God, Joshua 8:34, “And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessings and cursings, according to all that is written in the book of the law. 35 There was not a word of all that Moses commanded, which Joshua read not before all the congregation of Israel, with the women, and the little ones, and the strangers that were conversant among them.”

3. The effect of reading the Word of God, 2 Corinthians 3:2, “Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men:”

a. Lives were blessed, 2 Chronicles 31:10, “And Azariah the chief priest of the house of Zadok answered him, and said, Since the people began to bring the offerings into the house of the LORD, we have had enough to eat, and have left plenty: for the LORD hath blessed his people; and that which is left is this great store.”

b. Men are blessed who keep the sayings of the Word of God, Revelation 22:7, “Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.”

B. Blessed is he that hears the words of this prophecy, Luke 11:28, “But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.”

1. Not everyone who claims to be a Believer will hear God, Matthew 7:21, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.”

2. Blessed are those that hear and seek the Lord with their whole heart, Psalms 119:2, “Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.”

a. Faith is seen in the doers of the Word, James 1:22, “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”

b. Those who not ONLY HEAR, but also KEEP those things, Romans 2:13, “(For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.”

II. THINGS WHICH MUST SHORTLY BE DONE

A. To show His SERVANTS, Revelation 22:6, “And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.”

B. To PREACH the SAYINGS of this prophecy, Revelation 22:10, “And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.”

1. Jesus sent His disciples to preach, Matthew 10:7, “And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

2. Jesus Himself preached, Matthew 4:17, “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

3. Jesus sent His Church to preach, Acts 1:8, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”

4. Paul admonished Timothy to preach in season and out of season, 2 Timothy 4:2, “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.”

a. WARNING every man, Colossians 1:28, “Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:”

b. NOT JUST at home, but to every tongue and people, Revelation 14:6, “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,”

C. Another Gospel is being preached by Satan’s emissaries, Galatians 1:9, “As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.”

1. Our enemy works hard, 1 Peter 5:8, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:”

2. The Devil is aware of the time, Matthew 8:29, “And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?”

CONCLUSION:

The TIME is SHORT and the HARVEST IS PLENTEOUS, Matthew 9:37-38, “Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; 38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.” Are we praying and preaching?

THE SECOND DEATH
REVELATION 20: 13-14

“And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.”

Introduction:

There are three things in these verses that I would like to note: 1) The word “death;” 2) The word “hell; 3) The phrase “the second death.” Let us examine these three words and phrases and when I terminate, I hope that you all will understand the danger that exist today.

I. Death, What Is It?

A. Death is the cessation of life in the human body.

1. God put the breath of life into man, Genesis 2:7, “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”

2. Man disobeyed God and suffered the penalty, Genesis 2:17; Romans 5:12, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.”

B. Capital Punishment, the death penalty, Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

II. Hell, Does It Exist or Not?

A. What is it?

1. A place prepared for the Devil and his angels, Matthew 25:41, “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.”

2. It is also a place for those who reject Jesus as Savior, those who have no faith in Christ. Religion is not enough (“And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Matthew 7:22-23).

B. Does hell really exist? YES!!! Luke 16:22-25.

1. It is a place of torment, v. 23.

2. It is a place of flames, without water, v. 24.

3. It is a place where sinners can see the saints of God in the paradise of God adding to the agony of their disbelief, vs. 23, 25.

C. He who is not born twice (John 3:3, 5-6) will suffer the second death in hell.

III. THE SECOND DEATH

Revelations 20:14, “And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.”

A. Who will suffer this second death? Revelations 20:15, “and whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

B. Look at the examples in the Word of God,

2 Peter 2:4-8:

1. The fallen angels, v. 4.

2. The world in Noah’s time and the flood.

3. The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah – only the believers were saved.

Judas 6-7, “ And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.

7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.”

CONCLUSION:

Those that have faith em Jesus Christ as Savior have no danger of hell, neither the second death, but the unbeliever is in grave danger.

THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST

REVELATION 1:1-9

Introduction:

This book does not contain “revelations,” but is ONE GREAT REVELATION. Its name is “The Revelation of Jesus Christ.”

The word “revelation” means “unveiling” or “uncovering.” Thus this book reveals God’s plans for the future of mankind and especially for those who have received His Son, Jesus Christ, as their personal Savior.

John was on “the isle that is called Patmos”

I. THINGS WHICH MUST SHORTLY COME TO PASS

A. God gave the Revelation to His Son, v. 1; Amos 3:7, “Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.”

1. God has raised up a PROPHET like unto Moses, Deuteronomy 18:18, “I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.”

a. The very SON of God, THE MEDIATOR between man and God, 1 Timothy 2:5, “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;”

b. This Revelation is of A BETTER COVENANT, Hebrews 12:24, “And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.”

2. The PROPHET SENT by God TO ISRAEL was NOT WELL RECEIVED, Mark 6:4, “But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.”

a. Jesus was REJECTED by His people, John 1:11, “He came unto his own, and his own received him not.”

b. However, Jesus was FAITHFUL to FULFILL the WILL of His Father, John 17:4, “I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.”

c. Jesus FINISHED the WORK of REDEMPTION, John 19:30, “When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.”

B. The Son of God gave the Revelation TO HIS SERVANT, John, v.1; Revelation 22:6, “And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.”

C. John gave the Revelation TO THE CHURCHES, v. 11, “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; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.”

D. The churches gave the Revelation TO THE WORLD, Mark 16:15, “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”

II. JOHN BEAR RECORD…

A. Of the WORD of God, John 1:1, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

1. Jesus is the Word of God INCARNATE, John 1:14, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,)full of grace and truth.”

2. John KNEW the “WORD OF LIFE,” the Lord Jesus, PERSONALLY, 1 John 1:1-2, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; 2 (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)”

B. Of the TESTIMONY of Jesus Christ, John 19:35, “And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe.”

1. John was a WITNESS of the MINISTRY of Christ, 1 John 1:3, “That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.”

2. This IS the VERY SON of God, John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

C. Of ALL THE THINGS he saw, v. 2; v. 19, “Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;”

1. John made a FAIR and FAITHFUL RECORD of what he saw, John 21:24, “This is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote these things: and we know that his testimony is true.”

2. The PURPOSE of John’s record was “THAT YE MIGHT BELIEVE,” John 19:35, “And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe.”

a. John VERIFIED that the Father HAD SENT His Son to be the SAVIOR of the world, 1 John 4:14, “And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.”

b. He VERIFIED the TESTIMONY of the Son of God, Acts 4:20, “For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”

CONCLUSION:

John was a faithful witness and a faithful writer of what the Lord had revealed to him. “The Revelation of Jesus Christ” is most important document ever given to mankind.

It is THE MESSAGE OF LIFE. The Lord Himself declared in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”