Lesson 9

LET’S STUDY

The last book of the Bible is the revelation of Christ as the ultimate Redeemer, victorious against the kidnapper. The book is introduced as the unveiling of Jesus: “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John” (Rev. 1:1). In this book, the kidnapper is exposed. “And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceived the whole world” (Rev. 12:9). Remember the serpent that deceived the children of God back in Genesis 3? We know exactly who the kidnapper is, and that he is about to be no more.

This revelation (Greek: apokalupsis, “unveiling” or “disclosure”) of Jesus is the last word of the Bible. It is written in apocalyptic style: a genre that utilizes visualizations and symbols to convey the history of the plan of salvation from a “cosmic” perspective. It relates things from the past, things from the present, and things from the future (see Rev. 1:19). This genre was common when the New Testament was written. In many ways, this book is a summary of the Bible. In its English versions, it contains a little more than 400 verses; but it has more than 500 allusions to the Old Testament.

The author used the main themes of salvation history; for example, the plagues in Egypt and the Exodus, the Exile, and Babylon, and so forth to demonstrate and announce the ultimate victory of our Redeemer over evil. This book was written to encourage the faithful under difficult circumstances. John announces to his readers that the final showdown between our Redeemer and the kidnapper is imminent. But if they hang on until the end, believing in the Lamb who was slain, they will spend eternity with God. This is a book about worship. Sixteen major worship scenes are portrayed in this unveiling narrative, where heaven and earth erupt in songs of exaltation, praising Him who has won the victory through His blood.

Most of the book of Revelation is about waiting for the exciting moment when our Go’el comes back to take us to be with Him. Can you imagine waiting for a long time to see your children again? Our Go’el came to this world the first time in order to pay our ransom. Christ’s birth, life, and death are narrated in the Gospels. The cross represents the moment we were set free. His perfect life, death, and resurrection assured eternal life for all who accept the Go’el‘s payment on their behalf. Now, the Redeemer is coming back as a triumphant victor to take us home.

The description of the event is breathtaking: “And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God (Rev. 19:11–13).

What a triumphant view of our Redeemer! He hardly resembles here the suffering Jesus, the One who was humiliated and mocked! But in the midst of such a spectacular portrayal of His second coming, one reminder remains of the costly ransom He paid: He wears a robe dipped in blood. His blood was the price He paid, and we will remember it forever.

LET’S UNDERSTAND

THE BOOK OF REVELATION: The last book of the Bible is the Revelation of Jesus Christ (see Rev. 1:1) from beginning to end. The author leads us to the very conclusion of the great controversy between God and evil. It shows Jesus as the Victor, who, in spite of the fall, was able to redeem the human race. Yes, God wins! What follows is one of my favorite worship scenes in the whole Bible, where the entire universe sings a new song to the Lamb who was slain:

“And I saw between the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders a Lamb standing, as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth. And He came and took the book out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. When He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying, ‘Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth’“ (Rev. 5:6-10).

“What a magnificent musical worship scene! Everybody singing about the achievements of Christ! I want to join in!

“In the first chapter of the Revelation God identifies himself with the sentence, ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega’ (Rev. 1:8). In the final vision this is expanded to “I am the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end” (Rev. 22:13). Alpha is the first letter in the Greek alphabet; Omega is the last. Alpha and Omega include between them all the letters. Anything written must use the letters of the alphabet. God is all the letters of the alphabet… . First and last are before us. The revelation is complete. The last word of Scripture has the effect, then, of all well-made conclusions: it gives clarity and sense to the beginning and middle. What was unknown at the beginning, and unfinished in the middle, is now known and clear.

“The Revelation has 404 verses. In those 404 verses, there are 518 references to earlier scripture. If we are not familiar with the preceding writings, quite obviously we are not going to understand the Revelation. St. John has his favorite books of scripture: Ezekiel, Daniel, Zephaniah, Zechariah, Isaiah, Exodus. But there is probably not a single canonical Old Testament book to which he doesn’t make at least some allusion… . St. John did not make up his visions of dragons, beasts, harlots, plagues, and horsemen out of his own imagination; the Spirit gave him the images out of the scriptures that he knew so well; then he saw their significance in a fresh way. Every line of the Revelation is mined out of rich strata of scripture laid down in the earlier ages” (Peterson, Reversed Thunder, pp. 22, 23).

The Second Coming: The second coming of Jesus is the great hope of the Christian faith. Having died during His first advent/coming to pay the ransom for humanity, Christ comes a second time to take us to be with Him forever. It means to receive the hug of our Creator we have been waiting for. It means the end of pain and death. It means to be with our Beloved, once again, as in the beginning. The description of Jesus’ triumphant return is breathtaking, and I am sure that the prophet had a hard time finding adequate words to describe what he was shown.

Commenting on Revelation 19:11-13, Ranko Stefanovic helps us grasp the magnitude of the scene: “Once again John sees heaven opened as he did in Revelation 4:1. This time the door in heaven is not open for John to enter, but for Christ to come down to the earth. The warrior Christ is seen here as a Roman general riding on a white horse celebrating his triumph and victory. The warrior Christ’s eyes were like a flame of fire. This is reminiscent of his description in Revelation 1:14. The imagery signifies Christ’s ability to judge; nothing can remain hidden from his penetrating insight. He wears on his head many crowns. These are royal crowns, signifying his royal power and authority to exercise judgment. The many crowns on his head stand in contrast to the crowns of the dragon in Revelation 12:3. In Revelation 5, Christ has been given authority to rule, but his rule was limited due to Satan’s rebellious claim to dominion on the earth (cf. Luke 4:6) … Now, the downfall of end-time Babylon open the door for Christ’s definite right to rule. He is coming now as ‘king of kings and Lord of lords’ (Rev. 19:16) to destroy ‘all rule and all authority and power’ (1 Cor. 15:24) and become the King and Lord of all the kingdoms of the earth” (Stefanovic, Revelation of Jesus Christ, pp. 551, 552).

LET’S REFLECT

Elizabeth, age 14, was abducted from her own bedroom in Salt Lake City, in June 5, 2002. Ed Smart, her father, went on television that same morning, pleading and begging the kidnapper to return his daughter. She was found nine months later on March 12, 2003, 18 miles from her home. During the nine-month ordeal, everyone was praying and hoping until that day when someone recognized the kidnapper, Brian Mitchell, from a sketch of the suspected kidnapper.

I was grateful and relieved when she was found on March 12, 2003. The signs placed all over town celebrating her homecoming touched me deeply. Businesses did not advertise their products on their commercial spaces; you only read, “Elizabeth, Welcome Home.” I felt something special when I read those signs, perhaps because that is also my name. Many times my mind looked ahead to the day I will be reunited with my Creator and Redeemer. I imagined many signs in heaven with the same inscription: “Welcome home, Elizabeth.”

At the time of Elizabeth Smart’s recovery, I was deeply touched by her father’s emotions and the statements he made. One of them was in response to a reporter who asked him to describe the moment when he knew that Elizabeth was alive. How can you describe such a scene? He said that he was in the police car with Elizabeth in his arms. He called his wife: “You’re not going to believe this [he was sobbing as he related the dialogue]! Elizabeth is alive! And she’s here in my arms!”

When the interview was over, I imagined God talking about us. I imagined His excitement about us being rescued and reunited with Him forever. I had tears in my eyes when, imagining Jesus calling the Father, saying, “You’re not going to believe this [sobbing], Elizabeth is alive! And she is here in my arms!” Yes! We are going home!

 

 

Why is it of utter importance to understand that all Scripture points to the redemption achieved through Jesus, and that God revealed His plans in a developmental/progressive manner from Genesis to Revelation (see Heb. 3:1-3)?

 

 

What difference does it make for you to know that the cross is essential for understanding the Bible and God’s covenant with us? Review Revelation 5:9, 10; 7:13-17.

 

 

We Christians understand “two dimensions” to God’s Kingdom on earth: “already” and “not yet.” Jesus has already conquered death, but this reality is not fully realized on earth. How do Christians manage to live in this “in-between time,” between Jesus’ conquering of death and His return to take us to our home with no more death or pain (see Rev. 21:1-14)?

 

 

LET’S COMPREHEND JESUS IN SCRIPTURE

Jesus spoke often about His second coming. He told several parables about it: the parable of the slaves left in charge (Mat. 24:45-51), the parable of the virgins waiting for the bridegroom (Matt. 25:1-13), the parable of the slaves entrusted with talents (Matt. 25:14-30), etc. He wanted us to keep looking and not get discouraged, even though we don’t know the time of His return.

The fact that no one knows the time is repeated several times: “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone” (Matt. 24:36; see 24:42; 25:13). Jesus mentioned many signs of His coming, so that we may know that the day is near. The final sign, right before the Second Coming, is that the gospel will be preached in the whole world: “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come” (Matt. 24:14).

The signs of the coming of Christ were never meant to frighten us, but to encourage us. I remember a small group in which we were discussing how the signs of His coming are like a map that reveals the nearness of our destination. A wonderfully positive woman shared an insight I will never forget. She said that when her children were young, they loved to visit their grandparents. They had learned different landmarks along the way, to know that they were getting closer. As they recognized these signs, they grew more and more excited, knowing that their much-awaited encounter with their beloved grandparents was at hand. Then she concluded: “This is the role of the signs of the Second Coming of Jesus. They are there so that we may recognize His closeness and get more and more excited!” I believe this with all my heart!

Even for the first generation of Christians, who saw Jesus taken to heaven before their eyes almost 2,000 years ago, the news of Jesus’ Second Coming was a source of hope and joy: “And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. They also said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven’“ (Acts 1:9-11). This promise of the return of Jesus became known as the parousia, and it set the Christian community afire.

One of the most noticeable characteristics of those waiting for Jesus will be their rejoicing with the Bridegroom. Exploring the parable of the 10 virgins, Ellen White ends her comments with a description of the amazing, indescribable rejoicing of that encounter: “To His faithful followers Christ has been a daily companion and familiar friend. They have lived in close contact, in constant communion with God. Upon them the glory of the Lord has risen. In them the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ has been reflected. Now they rejoice in the undimmed rays of the brightness and glory of the King in His majesty. They are prepared for the communion of heaven; for they have heaven in their hearts. With uplifted heads, with the bright beams of the Sun of Righteousness shining upon them, with rejoicing that their redemption draweth nigh, they go forth to meet the Bridegroom, saying, ‘Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us.’ Isa.25:9. ‘And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia; for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to Him; for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready … And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb.’ ‘He is Lord of lords, and King of kings; and they that are with Him are called, and chosen, and faithful’ Rev. 19:6-9; 17:14.” (White, Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 421).

LET’S RESPOND TO GOD’S AMAZING REUNION

When the disciples became anxious about some of the things Jesus said, He gave them the cure for a troubled heart: to remember His promise that He is coming back to take us home. These words are meant for us as well. Fill in the blank with your name:

The great hope of the Second Coming signifies an amazing and surprising reunion with our Creator and Redeemer. I can’t wait. The last “red letters” in the Bible (direct words of Jesus) are recorded in Revelation 22:20 when the risen Christ speaks for the last time: “Yes, I am coming quickly.”

“Amen, Come, Lord Jesus” (verse 20).