Well, we began last week looking in the book of the revelation of Jesus Christ. And it is with great fear and trembling that we come to look at this book, which I believe in great measure is one of the most wonderful books in all of the scripture. For it is as Brother Al pointed out this morning about a benediction, which is a declaration of blessing upon those things that have been said. That's why we say the word amen. That means so let it be. And that's a feeding amen here. The book of the Revelation is an amen to all the word of God because it is a declaration of the fulfillment of all things that have been prophesied, declared, magnified throughout the word of God. because even as this the title is the revelation of Jesus Christ that is the whole purpose for which the Bible is given to men is that Christ might be revealed that he might be seen and in all the things that transpired In the Old Testament, in the giving of the law and the sacrifices and all of those things, it was but a setting forth of Jesus Christ, even as the temple was built. It was brought in, the glory of God was seen in the temple. But it was to point to Christ. It wasn't an end in itself. Now that's the error that the Jews labor under and the darkness that they live in is that they have not seen and known the revelation of Christ yet, even though, and when I speak of that, I mean in a general sense. Because we do know that the early Christians were all Jews and so obviously it can't be said that to no Jews have been given this revelation of Christ because it was given to them and were brought to the Gentiles through them. even as Paul declares. But it is a true thing that all of these things of which should have been a clear testimony of Christ were to them, they were blinded. They could not see these things. And they worshiped even the very temple that was given to be a revelation of Christ, they worshiped the temple itself. And they trusted in all of these things. And we see the Lord upbraiding the Pharisees in those days in which he walked among them for this very thing. He said, search the scriptures. For in them ye think ye have eternal life. But they are they which testify of me. All of the scriptures were given to testify of Jesus Christ, but they couldn't see it. And that's the way, it's true, that's very much true even today among religious men, among all the religions of the world. Many religions revere the Bible, as being the word of God. Now, many of them have taken and kind of tweaked it and changed it around to fit their narrative and make some of the things that they say to be true. But nonetheless, even many of those who have gone astray from what the truth of the scriptures teach do revere the Bible as the word of God. They would say they believe that. Many people do. And many people hold on to their belief in the Bible. They say, well, I believe the Bible. Well, that's a good thing. But you can believe the Bible, you can know every word of it from the first to the last. If you don't see that the Bible is about Jesus Christ, then you have missed the whole thing. And that's what the Lord told Pharisees. He said, search the scriptures. He said, it's right there. He says, you think in the scriptures themselves that you have eternal life, but he said, I tell you what, they testify of me. And so it is that this is a fitting end or benediction to the whole word of God, that it is the revelation of Jesus Christ. You can't miss it, but you can miss it. And a lot of people do, because a lot of people look at this as a book of revelations, things that's gonna happen. But it's not revelations. It's the revelation of Jesus Christ. And so we must keep that ever firmly in our mind if we're going to have an understanding of what this book is about. we got to begin at the right place and with the right understanding of what the Lord has set forth here. Now it's an amazing thing to me. The very first verse of this book is overwhelming in many ways because listen to what he says. He says, the revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave unto him. The Lord gave this revelation to Jesus Christ. Now, can you fathom that? Can you think about that for a moment? The eternal God gave to the eternal God this revelation of Him. Now I can't explain that, you know. It overwhelms me to think of the glory of God, how that throughout his word he says, I am one, and yet he reveals himself as Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Not three people, not three persons, not three individuals, but one God. And it says here that God gave to Jesus Christ. Now is Jesus Christ God? According to what Scripture says, he said he was. He said, I and my Father are one. He said to Philip, Philip, if you've seen me, you've seen the Father. When Isaiah wrote the prophecy, or the Lord gave him the prophecy concerning the coming of Jesus Christ, he said, he shall be called the everlasting father. You know, it's pretty plain. It's set forth. Now, what happens is men say, well, we don't understand that. You're right. I don't understand that. I can't comprehend it. But then I can't, if you think you can comprehend God, then you've got too high of an opinion of your understanding, because you can't comprehend God. He is immortal, He's invisible. He inhabits eternity. You don't inhabit eternity. You know, we inhabit time. We are creatures of a span. We've been given life. And we've been brought to life, and the Lord holds our life in his hands, and he's the God of life and death. And the same life which he's given, he can take away. And he gives to his people, according to what scripture says, eternal life. All men don't have eternal life. Only those who are in Christ. We've been given eternal life. You can't attain it. You can't earn it. It has to be given to you. That's what the Lord said to Nicodemus, was it not? He said to Nicodemus, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. It's impossible. He can't have any understanding of it. He can't grasp it. He can't desire it. Now, we don't have a complete understanding in the sense that we know all things about the kingdom of God, but what we have been given by the grace of God is a desire to know about it, to inhabit it. I mean, we want to be a part of the kingdom of God. I mean, the saddest thought I could have would be that I would be left out of the kingdom of God. And all of those who hunger and thirst after righteousness give evidence of the fact that the Spirit of God has given them that which he speaks about as eternal life. Whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. What a glorious thing. That's an amazing thing. But, and how'd I get off on that? The revelation of Christ which God gave to him. We were talking about the glory of God, how that God who is. Often when the scripture speaks of God, it's speaking of God as the Father. He is the Father. He's the Father God. But Jesus Christ, as we've pointed out in numerous places in the scripture, is also spoken of as the Father. He's the everlasting Father. This babe in a manger is the everlasting Father. How can that be? I don't know. Don't claim to be able to write a book and tell you how it is. I mean, you can expend all the knowledge you've got and you'll never grasp this in its totality. But we just fall down and worship him because he is inexplainable. But he's God. That's what he said to, do you think Moses had any understanding of what he meant? When he said, well, who am I gonna tell sent me? He said, you just go tell them I am sent you. I'm sure Moses thought, wow, I am. See, he is. And that's all we can, how do we understand that? He is, because you see, in that context, we're not. He is, but we're not. Because all of our being is in him. What a glorious thing. that he has revealed these things to us but he has revealed these things to Jesus Christ who is not only God but is man born into this world in a body of flesh and blood now how can these things be? I don't know and how can it be that God can give to Him who is God a revelation of Himself. That's what it says. The revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave to Jesus Christ. Now, you know, the Lord said when He was walking with his disciples, he says, but of that time and that hour, speaking about the time when he would come again, knoweth no man except the Father. Said the Lord hadn't even told him. Now that's what he said, in essence. He said, I don't know. Now how can it be, dear brethren, that he who knows all things could not know Those things. Can you explain that? I can't. But I know that's what he said, and I believe him. And I believe this, that he knows all things, and yet if he says, I don't know, he was not telling the story to his disciples. As he walked among men as a man, because I believe that he would indicate that it's impossible for men to know some things. You can't as a man. It's impossible to know that. And he walked among men as a man. He didn't walk among men as God. Now he was God. Plainly said that he was. I and my Father are one. But he walked among men as a man. And he tasted death. Just like a man. Because he was a man. And he died. And so whenever the scripture says here the revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave unto him, it's as if he had to wait to get this revelation. The revelation God gave to him. Now when did he give it to him? I believe he gave it to him in eternity. Now he didn't give it to men in eternity, did he? Because we wasn't around in eternity. See God alone inhabits eternity, you'll never inhabit eternity. Now you've got eternal life, but you have eternal life because he gave it to you and you have your life in him. And so it's not something you have outside of him, you have it in him because he's given it to you. And we live forever because he lives forever. Oh, what a glorious thing, dear brethren. See, not even our ability to live forever has no dependence on us. It's all dependent on Him. And if we believe He's eternal, dear brethren, if He has caused us to be in Him, then we are eternal in Him because we have eternal life. But see, we don't have the comprehension of that. And so, the Lord gave this unto him as a man. That he might do what? That he might show it unto us. See, everything that Jesus Christ did when he came into the world was for our benefit. He didn't need to come into the world. In other words, he wasn't helped out by coming into the world, but he gave himself for our sake. We didn't add anything to him. He didn't need us. Now that's not something that a lot of people like to hear. God doesn't need them. We're just like the chaff which the wind drives away apart from the mercy of God. See, the only thing that makes us not be blown away is His mercy and kindness to us, keeps us. But the Lord revealed All of this, the revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to him, the Lord gave to the Lord Jesus Christ, a revelation of himself, because the Lord said, or the Jesus Christ said, I came not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. He was sent by his father. And his father gave him a revelation. And we see part of that revelation begins, I believe, because now think about this. The book of the revelation is not a chronology. You can't start at the beginning and say this is gonna happen, this is gonna happen, that's gonna happen, that's gonna happen, because that's not what it is. It's a revelation of Christ, and the Lord reveals different things at different times according to his good pleasure to his people. But we have this revelation that the Lord gave through, that he sent to John. And John saw this. He says, and I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. Now what was that book? That book is the purpose of God. And Jesus Christ is the one who came to reveal that purpose unto men. And it was given to him. Now here John said, I looked, I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, who is worthy to open this book and to loose the seals thereof? And no man in heaven nor in earth, neither under the earth was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. There was none among men That is, finite men, the creation of men, there was none that could even begin to comprehend the purpose of God, or to unleash his purpose in the earth. It couldn't be done. And no man could do it, neither even to look thereon. And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and read the book, neither to look thereon. And so what John's saying here, he saw that this purpose of God was sitting here. There was a book, it says, written within and on the backside. In other words, it was complete. Wasn't anything to be added to it. You know, if you got a book that's written on the inside and the outside, where else is it gonna be, you gonna find anything? It's gotta be there. It's written complete. It's totally done. And so John, as a man seeing this, he understands, boy, we're in a world of trouble. Because what in the world can we, how can we have any understanding of what it is that God has purpose to do in the earth? And what are we gonna do about our sin? And what are we gonna do about the situation that we find ourselves in as men? And I wept much because no man was found worthy to open this book. There was none among the sons of men that could do this. Neither found worthy to open and read the book, neither to look thereon. Didn't even have the right, didn't have the understanding or even the ability to understand the purpose of God. And one of the elders said to me, weep not. Oh, you see, that's what the gospel is, is it not? Weep not. Isn't that what the angel said to those men on that hillside when they appeared to him? He said, glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace and goodwill toward men. Oh, what a glorious message that was. Behold, go, I tell you, is born this day a Savior. See, that's exactly what it is that is coming into the awareness here of John. As he's weeping, and one of the elders comes and says, wait a minute, don't weep, don't cry, because here's the reason why. Weep not, behold the lion of the tribe of Judah. Now remember, Judah wasn't a very good guy, was he? Really, when you look through the annals of time and all the people that's recorded in the scripture, you won't find one that's really worth much. I mean, y'all should have been cast away. Why'd the Lord choose Judah to be the one through whom he would send his only begotten son, born of a virgin? Weep not, behold the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, hath prevailed to open the book. and to loose the seven seals thereof. And I beheld, and lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elder stood a lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns, seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God, sent forth into all the earth. And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne." Jesus Christ. the line of the tribe of Judah. He alone could open the book. And so this is what's being spoken about here when it says the revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave to him. He put the book in his hand and he said, open the book. Loose the seven seals thereof and manifest to the world the redemption that is brought through you. Oh, what a glorious message. See, that's what the book, the revelation is about. The revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave to him. What did he give to him? He gave to him the calling and purpose to come into the world as a redeemer. To pay for the price, pay the price for the sins of his people. To purchase their redemption. He was a lamb, the scripture says, slain from the foundation of the world. He was already appointed to this. This was his purpose. This was that which God called him to do. And so, when it speaks about the revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to him, it's not necessarily meaning, in the strictest sense of the word, that he did not know what this was, but that simply God put this into his hand to do. He didn't manifest himself as our Redeemer through his spirit. He manifested himself through the only begotten Son of God. The man, Christ Jesus. You can't see a spirit, can you? You can't see the Father. He's invisible. But he showed us himself. in the man, Christ Jesus. And this is the revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave unto him, the purpose for which he came. He said, I came not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And that's what he says right here. And he, to show, what did he give it to him for? To show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass. And he sent and signified it by his angel to his servant John. John was given this that the people of God might know these things. Of things which must shortly come to pass. Now when we read about this, that they must shortly come to pass. That's why a lot of people read this book, and they say, oh, see there, it's the things that must shortly come to pass. Well, what's shortly? Well, the scripture says, a short work must come to pass. or that which must come to pass shortly, does not necessarily mean something that's in the future, but it means something that is done. It means something that's sudden, because the scripture says the Lord will make a short work in the earth, which he has. Now that's a work that has took place over a period of time, but it is nonetheless that which is done shortly. That is, it is done quickly. It is done completely. It's not something that we're waiting to see happen. Now, I know that a lot of people look at the book of the Revelation and they think of it as all these things are transpiring in the future. And I'm not saying that there are not some things that will transpire in the future insofar as our understanding and concern is. For surely, we believe that the finality which is spoken of over there in the last few chapters of the book, when it's speaking about that death and hell are cast into the lake of fire, that is surely something, as far as our understanding is concerned, that is a future work. So I'm not saying that there's nothing in this book that is not spoken of in the future, but I believe the vast majority of the book is a revelation of what Christ has done. Now what we think of, when we think about time, I mean, we're creatures of time. The only way you can think of things is in a chronological fashion. This happens, that happens, and that other happens. The scripture says, however, that's not how things actually are insofar as God is concerned. The scripture says that we live our lives as a tale that is told. Now that means, as I understand what it means, that everything that happens in our life has already been determined and it's just a story that's being played out according to the purpose of God. Now as God looks at the unfolding of time, there's no such thing. Because a day as with the Lord is a thousand years and a thousand years as a day. Well what does that mean? Is that a chronological measurement? No, it's telling us that time doesn't matter to God. There's no such thing as time. What you may think's a thousand years is nothing to God, because He looks at the whole situation. When the Lord looks at the book of the Revelation, He's not looking at something that He's gonna make happen out here. He's looking at something that He has already caused to happen. even as Jesus Christ, a lamb slain from the foundation of the world, because he's the appointed one to be that savior. And it's as if he was, insofar as we're concerned, what he's done's already done. I mean, before he ever came and died, he was the lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Now that didn't mean that he did not come to die, or that he didn't need to die. But it was like the appointed way of God. He was a lamb slain from the foundation of the world in the purpose of Almighty God. Now we can't comprehend that completely, and I'm sure that would cause puzzlement to you if you think of it. for a long time, you know. But you don't need to think up for a long time because the Lord is able to take care of the things that he's determined to do. And he hadn't said you need to know all the things he's determined to do. The only thing that he's called you to do is to do what he's called you to do. And that is to believe. in the Lord Jesus Christ. See, that's the commandment. You remember a few months back, we were looking in the book of 1 John, and it says, and this is His commandment, that ye believe on His Son. See, that's His commandment. That's what the Lord's commanded every one of His children to do, to believe on Him. He didn't say you gotta know all the ins and outs of the book of the Revelation, but He did say, Blessed is he that readeth and they that hear the words of this prophecy. Notice this is a blessing given to us as we see Jesus Christ manifested in his glory and in his power as God has sent him into the world to do his will as a man. See, he has accomplished as a man everything God sent him into the world to do. That was his purpose to come and he has done it. As John has been given a blessing to see these things. He's given them by his angel unto his servant John and he is bare record of the word of God and of the testimony of Jesus Christ and of all the things that he saw. Now, He saw some things that I'm sure puzzled him. See, he didn't say he understood everything that he saw. But he's just telling you what he did see. And may the Lord give us eyes to see what he saw. Because I believe what he saw was the glory of God revealed in Jesus Christ as a redeemer of sinners. and the one who will save his people to the uttermost. That's what I believe he gave John to see. And that's what I believe as he unfolds the book of the Revelation that we'll see if he gives us eyes to see and ears to hear what the Lord has said. Because I believe if we come away seeing anything else, we've missed it. May the Lord give us such an understanding.