End Time Insights

Jesus is the one who unveils the Mysteries of God, and only he is qualified to reveal the nature of the “ unseen God .” In him, all the promises of God find their substance. He is the interpretive key that unlocks the Hebrew Scriptures and provides the correct understanding of Bible prophecy, and this is especially so in the  Book of Revelation  where the sacrificial “ Lamb ” reigns over all things.

The Book of Revelation assures the beleaguered congregations of Asia that Jesus reigns and has events firmly in hand despite appearances and the hostility of neighbors and even local magistrates. His sovereignty is based on his past death and resurrection, and therefore absolute, extending even over “ Death and Hades .” His resurrection from the dead marked the start of his reign from the Throne at the center of the Universe.

The sacrifice and exaltation of Jesus are prominent themes in the Book of Revelation . The plan of God to redeem humanity and His creation is unveiled in its visions and images. It is his death and resurrection, and his consequent enthronement that have put this plan into action. His sovereignty over the Cosmos is the result of his faithful testimony given in his sacrificial death. Jesus of Nazareth is the “ Lamb who is worthy ”!

When certain “ super-apostles ” began undermining his authority, the Apostle Paul warned the Assembly in Corinth not to heed anyone who “ proclaimed another Jesus, whom we did not preach, or a different spirit, or a different Gospel .” He pointed to the same Jesus that he first proclaimed, the “ Crucified Messiah ,” the Jesus who is the measuring rod against which all other messianic claimants must be evaluated.

Jesus is the sacrificial Lamb who redeems men, but both the Beast and the False Prophet mimic him to deceive humanity .  In  Revelation , several names are applied to Jesus, but by far the most frequent and important is the designation “ Lamb .” And in his war against him, the “ Dragon ” employs two entities that imitate the “ Lamb ,” namely, the beasts from the sea and the earth.

Language from Daniel’s vision of the “little horn” that waged war against the “saints” is applied in Revelation to the church – Daniel 7:21.  In the interpretation of the image of the “ little horn ,” this malevolent figure made “ war on the saints and prevail over them .” That same image is reapplied in the  book of Revelation  to the “ war ” of the “ Dragon ” and his vassals against the “ saints ,” those who “ follow the Lamb wherever he goes .” Similarly, descriptive language from this same vision was applied by the Apostle Paul to the coming “ man of lawlessness .”

The fifteenth chapter introduces the seven angels who empty the contents of the “ seven bowls of wrath .” But first, the “ overcoming ” saints are found standing on the “ sea of glass mingled with fire ” where they “ sing the song of Moses and the Lamb .” They have overcome the “ Beast, its image, mark, and number .”

In Chapter 5, John saw the “ Sealed Scroll ” held tightly in the right hand of the “ One Who Sits on the Throne .” A search was made of the entire creation for someone who was “ worthy ” to open the scroll. Alas, no one was found, and this caused John to begin to weep profusely. If the scroll remained sealed, its contents could not be implemented. However, one of the twenty-four “ elders ” tells John to cease weeping, for the “ lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David overcame .”

The Messiah “shepherds” the nations by the “word” that proceeds out of his mouth in preparation for the final battle  -  Revelation 19:11-16 .  The vision now anticipates the destruction of the “ beast ” and the “ False Prophet ” by introducing the warrior figure riding a “ white horse .” The groundwork for the coming “battle” was laid with the announcement of the victory of the “ Lamb ” over the “ beast ” and the “ kings of the earth ” in chapter 17.

John saw a vision of a female figure identified as “ Babylon, the Great Harlot .” She was carried by the “ Beast with Ten Horns and Seven Heads .” She deceived the “ Kings of the Earth ” along with its “ Inhabitants ” with her “ fornications ,” and she was “ drunk with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus .” She was (and remains) the “ Mother of the Harlots and of the Abominations of the Earth .” Her powers of seduction were so great that even John found himself momentarily “ marveling ” after her.

The central figure of the book is the freshly slain Lamb who alone has the authority to open the Sealed Scroll, beginning with its seven seals - Revelation 4:1-5:14.  The scene in chapters 4 and 5 is the theological center of the book of Revelation and sets the stage for all that follows. Through a paradoxical victory, the sacrificial Lamb is crowned sovereign over the Cosmos.  This next scene is connected to the preceding seven letters by verbal links.