Day 1: ‘The Revelation of Jesus Christ’

‘Revelation’ and ‘apocalypse’ both mean unveiling. What was hidden is in the process of becoming visible. Jesus Christ is unveiled and becomes visible to everyone. That is what the last book in the Bible is about. It is about the return of Jesus Christ as Saviour, Judge and King. It is about the close of world history. It is about the disasters and the judgments that will mark the last days of this period of world history. It is a glance into the present, the past and the future.

This book was written not just to satisfy our curiosity but to show us that the future lies in His hands. God reveals what is hidden. There is a God in Heaven who reveals secrets.1 Jesus Christ will soon appear in great power and majesty. When will that happen? No one knows – not even the angels, nor the Son; only the Father knows.2 But it will happen. Who knows how soon?

This revealing, unveiling, making visible, becoming perceptible, is unique. No other religion presents the phenomenon of prophecy the way the Bible does. The God of Israel does nothing without first revealing His secret counsel to His servants, the prophets.3 God says, ‘Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, surely I will do it.’4 The Son, Jesus Christ, is God’s first and last Word. The Scriptures testify of Him5, and now the last and final things about Him and by Him may be revealed. It is like unveiling a statue. When its covering is taken away, one can clearly see its beauty.

How wonderful to have the privilege of knowing that this world will not be left to its own fate. God is in control. It does not get out of His hands. The final destiny of the world is not beyond His control, and neither are our own personal lives out of His reach. We can depend upon that today and all the days of our life. Until the tremendously glorious future finally dawns. Therefore, we can entrust our personal lives to Him, every day of our life. He is the Lord of our life. What a comforting thought!

• The book of Revelation does not contain the revelation or revelations of It is the revelation of Jesus Christ to John, the revelation of His glory as it was made known to John.
• The expression ‘the revelation of Jesus Christ’ can also be found in 1 Peter 1:7 and 13. See also 1 Peter 4:13, 2 Thessalonians 1:7; Ephesians 1:17 and 3:3; Galatians 1:12; 2 Corinthians 12:1 and 7; 1 Corinthians 1:7 and Romans 16:25, where the Greek word apokalypsis (= revelation) is used in each

Bible References

1.Daniel 2:28 2.Matthew 24:36 3.Amos 3:7 4.Isaiah 46:11 5.John 5:39