My OperaThe wrath of Revelation
Sunday, October 21, 2007 8:14:21 PM
Since beginning to receive at least some knowledge of Jesus and who He is and what He did, in July of 1978, one book of the Bible that was always fascinating and captured my interest was the book of Revelation. I read it many times and either listened to audio or bought a fair amount of books to try and get an understanding of this mysterious book.
It did not take long for me to see that there were dozens and dozens of different interpretations as to what the seals meant, the immensely huge New Jerusalem coming down to earth, etc. I remember wondering how such a great city was going to fit on the earth as its dimensions were 1500 miles square!!!! After a while I just stopped buying those types of books and also stopped listening to any teaching on that particular book and I also stopped reading from it as it became quite obvious none knew what they were talking about and it just got me more confused than anything else.
Today I have started reading the book of Revelation and I think I can see what this book is about. I no longer see it as a mysterious book that is difficult to understand. The whole gist of the book of course is judgment and wrath. Terrible calamities are listed over and over again in this book as something to be feared should it come upon the inhabitants of the earth. Obviously the wrath of God was something to be feared for us mere human beings. I mean who do you suppose could stand all these things that would come upon the earth? I know a lot say we would escape it through the rapture but that is another hilarious fabricated event that I won’t go into at this time.
Since coming into a limited knowledge of the gospel of grace, I now believe that judgment and wrath that were due to come upon the human race were not delayed or stopped but they did come to earth as prophesied by the Old Testament prophets. If you read the OT you will see they did prophesy that judgment and wrath was coming upon this evil world. There is no mistaking the fact it was prophesied throughout the OT and that it would surely come.
However, they also prophesied that a Redeemer was coming to take all this wrath and judgment upon Himself on our behalf. I really believe that when God’s wrath was being poured upon the earth, it was at the exact same time Jesus was being lifted up on the cross. At that time He drew all of mankind into Himself and He took the total and full wrath and judgment of His Father as He poured it out upon His Son. He tasted death for every man. I do not have to worry about the book of Revelation and what it says. I truly believe it is a symbolic picture that John had while he was at the crucifixion of our Lord.
John saw all these things coming upon Jesus and I don’t know if he also knew the entire human race had been drawn into the Savior or not, but he knew these things had fallen upon the Son of God when He hung on that cross. John wrote what he saw while on the Isle of Patmos but it is clear he saw these things on the “the day of the Lord” (Rev 1:10) and I believe that day was the day of the cross. He wrote it at a later date but he was only writing what he saw being poured out upon Jesus Christ as the wrath and judgment of God was poured out.
This may be a different take on this than what we are used to hearing or reading, but I am convinced in my heart that this is how it is. I am convinced there will not be any more wrath or judgment poured out upon the human race as many falsely prophesy. I have been hearing their prophesies each and every time there is some disaster somewhere and of course they wait for events to be past before they say they saw this coming!!! Go figure!!! You never hear any of them say what they prophesy ahead of time and didn’t come to pass, that they were in error. No, they say they prayed and changed God’s mind. Go figure on that one too!!!
I am going to continue reading the book of Revelation prayerfully and look at it as past events and not something future we have to fear. In verse 3 of chapter 1 it says “blessed is everyone that reads the words of this prophesy”. If I read it thinking these things are future and still to come upon the human race, how can that be a blessing? However, if I read it as something that was poured out upon Jesus when He was on the cross and He took it on behalf of the human race, then it is a blessing indeed to read this book.
It did not take long for me to see that there were dozens and dozens of different interpretations as to what the seals meant, the immensely huge New Jerusalem coming down to earth, etc. I remember wondering how such a great city was going to fit on the earth as its dimensions were 1500 miles square!!!! After a while I just stopped buying those types of books and also stopped listening to any teaching on that particular book and I also stopped reading from it as it became quite obvious none knew what they were talking about and it just got me more confused than anything else.
Today I have started reading the book of Revelation and I think I can see what this book is about. I no longer see it as a mysterious book that is difficult to understand. The whole gist of the book of course is judgment and wrath. Terrible calamities are listed over and over again in this book as something to be feared should it come upon the inhabitants of the earth. Obviously the wrath of God was something to be feared for us mere human beings. I mean who do you suppose could stand all these things that would come upon the earth? I know a lot say we would escape it through the rapture but that is another hilarious fabricated event that I won’t go into at this time.
Since coming into a limited knowledge of the gospel of grace, I now believe that judgment and wrath that were due to come upon the human race were not delayed or stopped but they did come to earth as prophesied by the Old Testament prophets. If you read the OT you will see they did prophesy that judgment and wrath was coming upon this evil world. There is no mistaking the fact it was prophesied throughout the OT and that it would surely come.
However, they also prophesied that a Redeemer was coming to take all this wrath and judgment upon Himself on our behalf. I really believe that when God’s wrath was being poured upon the earth, it was at the exact same time Jesus was being lifted up on the cross. At that time He drew all of mankind into Himself and He took the total and full wrath and judgment of His Father as He poured it out upon His Son. He tasted death for every man. I do not have to worry about the book of Revelation and what it says. I truly believe it is a symbolic picture that John had while he was at the crucifixion of our Lord.
John saw all these things coming upon Jesus and I don’t know if he also knew the entire human race had been drawn into the Savior or not, but he knew these things had fallen upon the Son of God when He hung on that cross. John wrote what he saw while on the Isle of Patmos but it is clear he saw these things on the “the day of the Lord” (Rev 1:10) and I believe that day was the day of the cross. He wrote it at a later date but he was only writing what he saw being poured out upon Jesus Christ as the wrath and judgment of God was poured out.
This may be a different take on this than what we are used to hearing or reading, but I am convinced in my heart that this is how it is. I am convinced there will not be any more wrath or judgment poured out upon the human race as many falsely prophesy. I have been hearing their prophesies each and every time there is some disaster somewhere and of course they wait for events to be past before they say they saw this coming!!! Go figure!!! You never hear any of them say what they prophesy ahead of time and didn’t come to pass, that they were in error. No, they say they prayed and changed God’s mind. Go figure on that one too!!!
I am going to continue reading the book of Revelation prayerfully and look at it as past events and not something future we have to fear. In verse 3 of chapter 1 it says “blessed is everyone that reads the words of this prophesy”. If I read it thinking these things are future and still to come upon the human race, how can that be a blessing? However, if I read it as something that was poured out upon Jesus when He was on the cross and He took it on behalf of the human race, then it is a blessing indeed to read this book.
