________________________________________________________________________________________________
- Programming Note: I come to a place in our text where I ask–What is John going to see when he turns? And then I say something like … Not this … I am referring to an 8 1/2 X 11 printout I have of Warner Sallman’s “Head of Christ.” This is the very popular depiction that you have probably seen many times. I compare “that Jesus” … which was conceived in the mind of Warner Sallman in 1924 to our Lord “who is and who was and who is to come.” 🙂
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Two questions to begin: What? And how?
First question … What?
- What is the big idea of the book of Revelation?
- We can pour over historical background and word usage and charts and diagrams and dig into the customs and culture of the times, but what is it that we absolutely, without a doubt, must come away with in our study to understand what God would have us to understand?
- What is it that we must know? Simple. But not really. We must know who Jesus Christ is, and I would be speaking of Jesus Christ as revealed in his holy word, the Bible.
- It can almost seem at times that everyone has his or her idea of who Jesus is or should be, a Jesus that fits our individual expectations, and we build from that concept the product we have imagined, while ignoring the only valid source of revelation, the word of God. And too often we don’t know because we simply don’t want to know, as knowing might get in the way of our plans.
- What is our expression? It is easier to ask forgiveness than to ask permission? But you must understand that the person who constructs their own Jesus has it all wrong. They’re thinking, “Jesus understands. He will forgive. And I will live my life as I think I should and make do and things will be okay in the end. I’ll make a deal when the time comes.”
- But here is the irony of that reasoning. A Book, a Holy Book, has been written that covers the entire subject matter, a Book that takes the guesswork out of the equation, and … this person could actually read about “how things go down in the end.” And if said person chose to do this, then he or she would be much more likely to see Jesus opening one of the seal judgments of God’s great wrath rather than winking at their sinful defiance.
- You see, in the Book, the Holy Book, there is only one Jesus Christ who lasts for the entire story. And … spoiler alert … he is not the Jesus of your imagination. The Jesus in the Holy Book is going to finish his plans and fulfill his Father’s purpose, not our plans and not our purpose.
- This Jesus will judge all those who do not know him. No substitutes allowed. In fact one day, those who believed in the personal Jesus of their imagination, the construct of their mind, will hear these words from the Jesus Christ of Scripture:
- (Matthew 7:23 GW) Then I will tell them publicly, ‘I’ve never known you. Get away from me, you evil people.’
Second question … How?
- How is this going to happen? Three things here. 1) God is going to send us a message. 2) God is going to authenticate the message. 3) God is going to commission the method.