Revelation 1:19-20 - "Write the Things..."

Today, Thursday February 03 “Write the Things…” Revelation 1:19-20 “Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this. The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches.” As we finish our study on chapter 1, we need to remember the main theme of the book is the Lord Jesus Christ and His coming again to the earth, to first judge it and then to set up His kingdom and restore all things! And it all begins with John having an experience of seeing the glorified and majestic Christ as both High Priest, King and Judge! Now in these last two verses of chapter 1, John is specifically told by Jesus exactly what to write about. And to the best of my knowledge, the Book of Revelation is the only book in the Bible that contains an inspired outline of the contents. First John is told to write “the things which thou hast seen”. What did John see? In chapter 1 John tells us that he saw the glorified Christ as the King-Priest and Judge who is in the midst of His churches!  He is holding seven stars in His right hand which are the angels, or messengers of the seven churches. These messengers could actually be the pastors of the seven churches. Isn’t it great to know that Jesus is in control of His church even today! As a pastor, what a wonderful place to be, “in the right hand” of the Lord Jesus Christ! And by the way, if you are a believer you are there too! “And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand.” (John 10:28-29) Next John is told to write “the things which are”.  Chapters 2&3 then gives us the letters that John was inspired to write to seven specific churches in Asia. What John writes reveals the conditions of each church. Almost every church heard these same words, “I know your works….”. The Lord knows what is still going on in His church today! For the next couple of weeks we will look at these letters to the churches of Asia. In the third section of the book, John is told to write “the things which will take place after this.”  Chapters 4 through 22 will cover those events that John shares from his visions and the revelation that he receives from the Lord and His angels. Those chapters break down this way: In Chapters 4&5, we see that John is caught up into heaven where he sees a worship scene as the Lamb of God takes His throne! In Chapters 6-19, which is the largest section of the Book of Revelation, we see the Tribulation on earth that takes place over a period of seven years. The first half of the Tribulation is described in chapters 6-9. The middle of Tribulation is pictured in chapters 10-14. And then what happens in the last half of the Tribulation is found in chapters 15-19. Jesus Himself called this the “Great Tribulation”.  “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.” (Matthew 24:21) In Chapter 20, we learn about the Millennial Kingdom of Christ as Satan is bound in the bottomless pit for one-thousand years and we rule and reign with Christ on earth! And finally in Chapters 21-22, the book concludes with the revelation of a new heavens and earth and we enter eternity! Praise the Lord, we are always “overcomers” in Jesus Christ and as we study this final book of the Bible we are assured, that in the end, we win! God bless!