PATTER'S WEEKLY NEWSPAPER ARTICLE
THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST
BY PAT GULLEY
Rev 1:1
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: (KJV)
There is a Divine Revelation of Jesus Christ that God intends for the Church of Jesus Christ to understand. This Revelation was given to the Apostle John when he was under great persecution for preaching and teaching the Gospel of God's Son. He had been imprisoned on the Isle of Patmos and was treated like a slave. John was a very aged man as this message was given to him in about 96 AD, 63 years after Calvary.
Let's read again the testimony John gave us in his Gospel. John 21:1-25. After the death of Jesus, the Disciples had returned to work as fishermen and spent all night on the Sea of Tiberias and caught nothing. Jesus appeared to them in the morning and told them to let down their nets on the right side of their boat and they caught so many fish the net almost broke. Jesus then told them to come and dine with Him and of course they did. As Jesus ate and drank with them He told Peter to feed the sheep and the lambs. When Peter asked what John would be doing, Jesus told him that was none of his business.
Looks to me like John had stayed pretty busy over those next 63 years. We can read about him in the book of Acts as he ministered in the Church in Jerusalem; but Luke, the writer of Acts, stopped recording church history in 62 AD. The Temple in Jerusalem was not yet destroyed and the Jews were still bringing in animal sacrifices. John wrote three letters to the Churches during this time. In 96 AD the Temple in Jerusalem had been destroyed and the Jews and the Christians were under heavy persecution.
The Lord sent the Revelation of Jesus Christ to the Churches for their comfort and encouragement (Rev 1-3) He wanted them to see Him in His Resurrection Power and Glory and did not want them to lose heart. I believe that Christians were the ones this Book was sent to, and yet the world has taken it and tried to explain it in ways that are not scripturally correct. God did not leave His people to the wiles and whims of the world. And God is not waiting with anger and malice to destroy the unbelievers. God's desire is for all to be saved and to come to the knowledge of truth. (2 Pet 3:9)
The plan of the Lord is still on schedule. It is up to us to read His Word and to pray for knowledge and understanding. It is up to us to believe and to obey His teachings and to heed His warnings. As Pastors and Teachers we are expected to feed the sheep and the lambs and to help them grow up in the fullness of Christ Jesus. (Eph 4:13) We are also expected to nourish one another and to pray for and to love and comfort one another. That means we are to eat and to drink from His fountain of living waters and to remain true and faithful to His Word in this world of tension, strife, and persecution. The days are short, and He who is coming will come. I pray we will be found waiting as a Bride who is waiting for her Bridegroom to arrive. But I also pray for more laborers into the Harvest.
BY PAT GULLEY
Rev 1:1
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: (KJV)
There is a Divine Revelation of Jesus Christ that God intends for the Church of Jesus Christ to understand. This Revelation was given to the Apostle John when he was under great persecution for preaching and teaching the Gospel of God's Son. He had been imprisoned on the Isle of Patmos and was treated like a slave. John was a very aged man as this message was given to him in about 96 AD, 63 years after Calvary.
Let's read again the testimony John gave us in his Gospel. John 21:1-25. After the death of Jesus, the Disciples had returned to work as fishermen and spent all night on the Sea of Tiberias and caught nothing. Jesus appeared to them in the morning and told them to let down their nets on the right side of their boat and they caught so many fish the net almost broke. Jesus then told them to come and dine with Him and of course they did. As Jesus ate and drank with them He told Peter to feed the sheep and the lambs. When Peter asked what John would be doing, Jesus told him that was none of his business.
Looks to me like John had stayed pretty busy over those next 63 years. We can read about him in the book of Acts as he ministered in the Church in Jerusalem; but Luke, the writer of Acts, stopped recording church history in 62 AD. The Temple in Jerusalem was not yet destroyed and the Jews were still bringing in animal sacrifices. John wrote three letters to the Churches during this time. In 96 AD the Temple in Jerusalem had been destroyed and the Jews and the Christians were under heavy persecution.
The Lord sent the Revelation of Jesus Christ to the Churches for their comfort and encouragement (Rev 1-3) He wanted them to see Him in His Resurrection Power and Glory and did not want them to lose heart. I believe that Christians were the ones this Book was sent to, and yet the world has taken it and tried to explain it in ways that are not scripturally correct. God did not leave His people to the wiles and whims of the world. And God is not waiting with anger and malice to destroy the unbelievers. God's desire is for all to be saved and to come to the knowledge of truth. (2 Pet 3:9)
The plan of the Lord is still on schedule. It is up to us to read His Word and to pray for knowledge and understanding. It is up to us to believe and to obey His teachings and to heed His warnings. As Pastors and Teachers we are expected to feed the sheep and the lambs and to help them grow up in the fullness of Christ Jesus. (Eph 4:13) We are also expected to nourish one another and to pray for and to love and comfort one another. That means we are to eat and to drink from His fountain of living waters and to remain true and faithful to His Word in this world of tension, strife, and persecution. The days are short, and He who is coming will come. I pray we will be found waiting as a Bride who is waiting for her Bridegroom to arrive. But I also pray for more laborers into the Harvest.
posted by Metamora Patter at 5/11/2005 01:28:00 PM
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