RUSSELL SANDERS
8-5-2024
THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST
PART 1
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The last book of the bible is sometimes erroneously entitled “The Revelation of St. John the Divine” [KJV]. First of all, it is not a revelation of who John is, nor is it about John. John is not “The Divine” which would make him to be a god. John was only the person used by the Lord through which the fulness of Jesus was revealed.
The proper title for the book is found in the first verse of Revelation. It is “The Revelation of Jesus Christ.” This book is a revelation of the true identity of Jesus Christ [Jeshua] from before time began and into eternity. It prophetically describes his nature and his role far into the future. So, let us study this book about Jesus.
Revelation 1:5 says this directly, “And from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, 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.”
Jesus told the Apostle John in Rev. 1:8, “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.” He repeats this in verse 11 with, “I AM Alpha and Omega, the first and the last” and again in verse 17.
This is initially stated by the LORD in Isaiah 44:6 where it says, “Thus says the LORD [Jehovah], the king of Israel, and his redeemer, the LORD of hosts: I AM the first and I Am the last. Besides me there is no God [NKJV].”
The New Testament was written in Greek. The first letter of the Greek alphabet is the Alpha, and the last letter is Omega. The readers understand this. This affirms that Jesus is at the very beginning of everything and the creator of it all, and He will still be here at the end when everything else is gone.
This is a far greater revelation of who Jesus is than his disciples ever received when he walked among them on earth.
It is through John, “whom Jesus loved,” that this greater revelation was given. However, John had personally known this [at least in part] as was already evidenced in the gospel of John, chapter 1:1-5. But now, it is revealed to the entire church body.
Jesus is our King Eternal. We shall continue to study his kingly role into eternity.
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