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A Sneak Preview Of A Coming Attraction |
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When the movie The Passion of the Christ was soon to be released in theaters, during the weeks leading up to its showing in theaters, there was what is called trailers of the movie that were shown on TV. A trailer is a short description containing clips of the movie. It is what we sometimes call a sneak preview. As we come to Revelation 1:7-8 we are given a trailer of what lies ahead in the book. These two verses are a trailer of all the events that we will see transpiring over the next 22 chapters. In these two verses we are given a sneak preview of the eternal drama entitled The Revelation of the Christ.
A new father was changing his first diaper. It was not one those really bad ones. He looked at his wife and said, “This is not that bad.” “Honey,” his wife replied, “that is just a preview of coming attractions.”
As the events of the future are revealed in the Book of Revelation we see that are both glorious and grievous events. There are things that will occur that will thrill the saint and terrify the sinner. We are given a trailer or a sneak preview of all these events in our text.
As we saw in our first study, the Book of Revelation is “The Revelation of Jesus Christ” (1:1). The book is about more than prophecy. It is a book about a person – Jesus Christ. When we look at this Biblical and prophetic trailer we first see Jesus Christ as:
1. THE COMING ONE
Verse 7 begins with the word, “Behold.” The word describes someone calling out for the attention of another. It would be like someone hollering at another, “Hey, you!” The word is found 25 times in the Book of Revelation. It is a word calling for our attention. John says, “Hey everybody, here is something you need to listen to.” What is it that John wants us to know? He tells us, “Behold, He (Jesus Christ) cometh with clouds.”
In these words we are reminded of:
A) The Divine Promise of His Coming
Jesus said in John 14:2-3, “In My Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” Jesus promised that He would come again. John reminds us of the reality and reliability of that promise. Just as He promised, He will come again. The words, “Behold, He cometh” are in the present tense, which means, “He is coming.” He went away, but we can be sure He is on His way back.
As I mentioned in an earlier study, someone has brought out that both the Old and New Testaments are filled with promises of the Second Coming of Christ. There are 1,845 references to it in the Old Testament, and a total of seventeen Old Testament books give it prominence. Of the 260 chapters in the New Testament, there are 318 references to the Second Coming, or one out of 30 verses. Twenty-three of the 27 New Testament books refer to this great event. The four missing books include three which are single-chapter letters written to individual persons on a particular subject, and the fourth is Galatians which does imply Christ’s coming again. For every prophecy on the First Coming of Christ, there are 8 on Christ’s Second Coming.
I once heard a preacher say that he believed we were so near the return of Jesus Christ that he had quit looking for signs and started listening for the shout. I heard another say that he had quit looking for the undertaker and waiting for the upper-taker. Yes, Jesus Christ will come again just as He promised.
John describes a unique feature about the return of Jesus Christ. He says that “He cometh with clouds.” Clouds are often associated with the return of Jesus Christ. We read in Daniel 7:13, “I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.” Jesus, speaking of His return said in Matthew 24:30, “And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”
I love Ezekiel 30:3 that says, “For the day is near, even the day of the Lord is near, a cloudy day; it shall be the time of the heathen.” We often sing about an unclouded day. I am looking for a “cloudy day.” There will come a “cloudy day” when Jesus Christ will come again.
When Jesus went back to heaven after His death and resurrection, the Bible says in Acts 1:9, “And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.” The last earthly glimpse anyone got of Jesus, He was being taken up in a cloud. The next earthly glimpse anyone gets of Jesus is when He returns in the clouds. He went away in a cloud, He will return in a cloud. A cloud was associated with His ascent and a cloud will be associated with His advent.
The next time you look up at the clouds, you ought to ask, “I wonder if Jesus is coming on that one?” He will come again! As John said, He’s on His way.
Furthermore, John’s words remind us of:
B) The Different Phases of His Coming
John’s description of Jesus coming and every eye seeing him reminds us of the different phases of His coming. Sometimes when people speak of the return of Jesus Christ they often get certain events mixed up with each other. What I mean is that there are actually two future comings or returns by Jesus Christ. The Bible speaks of how Jesus will come to rapture out His saints, and also, how He will come to reign with His saints.
The Bible gives us two descriptions of the Lord’s coming. First, the Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 5:2, “For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.” Secondly, John says in Revelation 1:7 that “every eye shall see Him.” The description of His coming as a thief in the night suggests that there will be something secretive about His return. The description of His coming and every eye seeing Him suggests there will be something social about His return. One describes a private event and the other a public event.
The Bible is speaking of two separate returns of Jesus Christ. There is His return that we often call the rapture. The word rapture is not found in the Bible, but the truth of it is. The word means” to snatch away to be caught out.” The Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: [17] Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” The words “caught up” mean “to seize, catch away.” To say it another way, when Jesus comes again every believer will be raptured.
At this return, He will come only for those who are saved. Only the redeemed will see Him and hear His voice. You can be sure that in the hours that follows, the whole world will know that something of astronomical proportions has taken place around the world, but they will not see Him or hear Him when He returns. He will descend from heaven with a shout, and the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God. But only the saved will hear either or actually see the Lord Jesus.
As we move through the Book of Revelation we will see that approximately seven years later, Jesus Christ will come back again. This time every eye will see Him. The Bible describes this return in Revelation 19. We read in verses 11-14, “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.”
Revelation 19 describes how at this return He will war with the kings and nations of the earth. It will be at this return that the whole world will see Him. The first time He comes back, He will come for the saints. The second time He comes back, He will come with the saints. The first time He comes back it will be to rapture out His saints. The next coming will be to reign with His saints. It is important to keep these two comings separated when you study Bible prophecy and as we make our way through the Book of Revelation.
In either case, we are assured that, “Behold, He cometh.”
Secondly, we not only see Jesus Christ as the coming One, but also as:
2. THE CONQUERING ONE
In verse 7 John not tells us that Jesus will come again and that every eye shall see him, he also says, “and they also which pierced Him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him.” As I said a moment ago, the coming in which every eye shall see Him, He is seen returning as a victorious Commander to conquer and rule and reign upon the earth.
In verse 8 Jesus is called “the Almighty.” The name means that He is the omnipotent One, One who is unlimited and universal in His authority. It literally means that Jesus Christ is the “all-ruling” One. As we look closer at our text we see His rule and reign proclaimed. Let’s notice this event even closer by considering John’s words. First, we see:
A) The Revelation of the Christ
At the event when every eye shall see Him, He returns to the earth where He was crucified. However, this time He does not come to hang on a tree. He comes to sit upon a throne. The first time He came as Saviour. This time He is coming as Sovereign. At this event, when every eye shall see Him, as we saw in Revelation 19, He is revealed from heaven as the King of kings and Lord of lords. There will be no doubt as to Who He is. The first time He came as child born in a lowly manger. However, when He comes this time, He will come in all His splendor and glory.
When I read the words “every eye shall see Him,” I imagine that the events that are transpiring in the Middle East will be focus of the world and the main story on every news channel around the world. Reporters and TV stations from around the world will be gathered in one place. Then there will come that glorious moment when Christ will come riding out of heaven upon His white horse. The images will be instantly flashed into millions of homes. In moment indeed, every eye shall see Him.
It will not only be the hour of the revelation of the Christ, but it will also be an hour when there will be:
B) The Recognition of the Christ
John tells us that not only shall every eye see Him, but he adds “and they also which pierced Him.” We read in Zechariah 12:10, “And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.”
Hundreds of years before Jesus was crucified, it was prophesied that that Jesus would be pierced. The account is given in John 19:34-37, “But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe. For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken. And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced.”
The piercing of the side of the Lord Jesus is but one of many expressions of the unbelief and rejection of Christ as the promised Messiah. John said in John 1:11, “He came unto his own, and his own received him not.” The prophet Isaiah said that He was despised and rejected of men. The crucifixion was the ultimate example of that rejection.
However, at His revelation those who pierced him, rejected Him as the Messiah, we see that He is indeed the Messiah. The prophesy was given in Isaiah 45:23, “I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.” The Bible says in Romans 14:11, “For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.”
On that day, every Christ-rejecter, Christ-hater, and Christ-denier will bow the knee and proclaim Jesus as Lord. Every Jew, as well as every Muslim shall bow the knee and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. All the nations of earth will acknowledge that Jesus is the Christ! In verse 7 John speaks of “all kindreds of the earth.” The words speak of all races of the earth. Everyone; every tribe, every clan, every race will recognize and acknowledge Jesus as the Christ.
In John’s words we see a further fact of His return. There is not only the revelation and the recognition of the Christ, but also:
C) The Retribution of the Christ
John says in verse 7, “and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him.” The word “wail” literally means “to beat the breast with grief.” Understand that this event will not only be an hour of revelation and recognition for the Lord Jesus, but it will also be an hour of retribution, for this will be an hour in which His wrath will be poured out upon the nations and peoples of the world that have despised and rejected Him.
We read in Revelation 19:17-21, “And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.”
Not one shot will be fired or one missile launched by Christ or His armies. Simply by His word—the sword that goeth out of His mouth—men and nations will be slain. It will be a terrible day of wrath for those who have rejected Jesus as the Christ. The blood that will flow freely and the carcasses that litter the battlefield will all be a testimony that Jesus is the conquering One.
Lastly, notice not only how John speaks of Christ as the coming and conquering One, but that He is also:
3. THE CONTROLLING ONE
I pointed out a moment ago that the name “the Almighty” means that Jesus is the “all-ruling” One. He is in charge and He is in control. The name is used 9 times in Revelation:
Revelation 4:8, “And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.”
Revelation 11:17, “Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.”
Revelation 15:3, “And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.”
Revelation 16:7, “And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.”
Revelation 16:14, “For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.”
Revelation 19:15, “And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.”
Revelation 21:22, “And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.”
Jesus Christ is the Almighty! It may not appear that He is in control when you look at the things going on in this world, but the truth of the matter is, He is orchestrating world affairs leading to events we will study throughout the Book of Revelation.
As the controlling One, Jesus declares in verse 8, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending…which is, and Which was, and Which is to come, the Almighty.” In these words we see:
A) The Exclamation of Christ’s Control
Jesus said, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending.” Four times in the Book of Revelation Jesus makes this assertion with slight variation. In Revelation 1:11 He says, “I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last.” In Revelation 21:6 He says, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.” Then in Revelation 22:13 He combines them all together and says, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.”
Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet and Omega is the last letter. What Jesus said would be the same as we saying “I am A through Z.” When we speak of Jesus as being the Alpha and Omega we understand Him to be the subject of the Word. He is the first and last of the Bible.
In Genesis He is the promised Seed. In Exodus He is the Passover Lamb. In Leviticus He is the High Priest. In Numbers He is the Cloud by day and the Fire by night. In Deuteronomy He is the Prophet like unto Moses. In Joshua He is the Captain of our Salvation. In Judges He is our Law-giver. In Ruth He is our Kinsman Redeemer. In 1 & 2 Samuel He is our Trusted Prophet. In Kings and Chronicles He is our King of Kings. In Ezra He is the Restorer of the Temple. In Nehemiah He is the Rebuilder of the broken walls. In Esther He is the Saviour of the Jews. In Job He is the Ever-living Redeemer. In Psalms He is our Shepherd and our Song. In Proverbs He is our Wisdom. In Ecclesiastes He is the great Preacher. In the Song of Solomon He is the great lover and Bridegroom. In Isaiah He is the Prince of Peace. In Jeremiah He is the Righteous Branch. In Lamentations He is our Weeping Prophet. In Ezekiel He is God exalted upon a throne. In Daniel He is the fourth Man in the fiery furnace. In Hosea He is the Faithful Husband. In Joel He is the Baptizer in the Holy Ghost. In Amos He is our Burden-Bearer. In Obadiah He is the One Mighty to save. In Jonah He is the compassionate Forgiver. In Micah He is the Messenger. In Nahum He is the Avenger of God’s people. In Habakkuk He is God’s evangelist. In Zephaniah He is our Saviour. In Haggai He is the Restorer of the Heritage. In Zechariah He is the Fountain. In Malachi He is the Sun of Righteousness rising with healing in His wings. In Matthew He is the Messiah. In Mark He is the Miracle Worker. In Luke He is the Son of Man. In John He is the Son of God. In Acts He is the Spirit of God. In Romans He is the Justifier. In Corinthians He is the Sanctifier. In Galatians He is our Redeemer from the curse. In Ephesians He is the Unsearchable Riches. In Philippians He is the Supplier of all needs. In Colossians He is the Fullness of the Godhead bodily. In Thessalonians He is the soon coming King. In Timothy He is the Mediator between God and man. In Titus He is the Faithful Pastor. In Philemon He is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. In Hebrews He is the Blood of the Everlasting Covenant. In James He is the Great Physician. In Peter He our Chief Shepherd. In the Epistles of John He is Love. In Jude He is the Lord coming with Ten Thousands of His Saints. In Revelation He is gloriously declared to be the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end!
As Alpha and Omega He is not only the subject of the word, but He is also the sovereign of the world. As the Alpha is the One by whom all things commenced. As the Omega, He is the One by whom all things concludes. He got it all started and He is the One who will bring it all to a close. He is in control!
As the first and last I think of the first and last book of the Bible:
In Genesis we see the first man, Adam reigning on the earth. In Revelation we see the last man, Christ ruling over the earth.
In Genesis the darkness and the seas are created. In Revelation there is no more darkness or sea.
In Genesis, a bride, Eve, is presented to her husband. In Revelation we see the Church, the redeemed bride, presented to her Husband, Jesus Christ.
In Genesis we see the tree of life in the midst of the Garden of Eden. In Revelation we the fruit-bearing tree in God’s new creation.
In Genesis we see the beginning of sin and how it brings death and a curse. In Revelation we sin completely removed and there is no more curse or dying.
In Genesis we see Satan appearing for the first time. In Revelation He appears for the last time.
In Genesis we man driven from the presence of God. In Revelation we man brought into God presence, never to be separated again.
In Genesis we see men looking for a city by faith. In Revelation we see redeemed sinners dwelling in that city for all eternity.
In Genesis we see paradise lost. In Revelation we see paradise regained.
He set things in motion in Genesis and in Revelation we see Him bringing all things to fulfillment. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. He is in control!
We not only see the exclamation of His control, but also:
B) The Extent of Christ’s Control
The extent of His control is seen in the words, “which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” First, He was in the control in the past. Secondly, He is in control of all things right now. Thirdly, He is in control of the things that have even happened yet, but will happen in the future. From eternity past to eternity future, He is in control.
Someone might read the Book of Revelation and wonder if such things could and will really happen. The answer is yes! He will make them happen. He is steering the affairs of this world in the direction so that everything He said would happen, will happen.
Therefore, as we move through the book and we read of things that are predicted will happen in the future, we know that they will happen. How can we know this for sure? He is Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, which was, is, and shall evermore be. That’s the reason we can be so certain. |
