Blessing on those who read this prophecy
The book of Revelation reveals its title in the first verse. It is revelation that God gave to His servants through Jesus Christ concerning events that were to start in John’s near future.
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Revelation 1:1-3 (KJV) |
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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:2 Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.3Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand. |
There is a correctly presumed blessing that is bestowed upon everyone who reads any passage of Scripture in good faith. Revelation, but Revelation is the only book of Scripture that explicitly pronounces a blessing upon those who read the book. Why is there an explicitly pronounced special blessing? It is because the message relates to things to things about to happen. Revelation is about the communication of the next phase of God’s program.
Revelation Covers events between the First and Final Great Awakenings.
The prologue in Revelation explicitly instructs us that it is revelation about what must “shortly come to pass.” This book is set in the closing days of the very first Great Awakening that birthed the Church. The servants of God began to realize that the Church Age may last longer than initially believed, and people needed to know what was next.
The Promised Revival in Acts also included a Final Chapter
The Joel 2:28-32 prophecy, which predicted the revival in Acts, prophesies of a future revival upon God’s people. The Holy Spirit would be poured out upon all kinds of people. The prophetic ministry would abound. This prophecy was fulfilled and referenced in Acts 2:17-21
Something interesting happens in this passage. Acts 2:17-21 quotes Joel 2:28-32. The prophecy in its entirety was not fulfilled in the first century revival. The supernatural spiritual gift were fulfilled in the first century, but there were no blood moons and dark sun signs or other cosmic signs during the first century. Furthermore, the prophecy in Joel continues through chapter 3:3. Joel 3:1-3, which is not in the reference in Acts 2, is a reference to the battle of Armageddon, indicating that the end of the fulfillment of this prophecy is in the end time just before the Lord Jesus Christ return to this earth.
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Acts 2:17-19 |
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And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:18And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:20The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come:21And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.19 |
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Joel 3:1-3 |
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Joel 3:1For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem,2I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land… |
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Joel 3:1-3 |
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…3And they have cast lots for my people; and have given a boy for an harlot, and sold a girl for wine, that they might drink. – alsoActs 2:17-21; Joel 2:28-3:3 |
I have colored maroon the parts of the passage that were fulfilled in the first century and in green the parts that will be fulfilled just before Christ’s return. The timing of the fulfillments indicates a two part fulfillment. One days Jesus read Isaiah 61 in the synagogue. Christ stopped after the first verse. Jesus stopped where it prophesied that He was “To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord” and says of the passage “today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” Why did Christ stop at this part of Isaiah when the text continues to the end of the chapter? If you understand that there are two spiritual rainy seasons, then you know why Christ did not read about proclaiming the day of God’s vengeance. It is because that day was not yet at hand. If Christ fulfilled part of it in one day, then a second day will come where Christ will indeed proclaim the year of God’s vengeance. It is the topic of this second day that the book of Revelation was written to prepare us.
Final Great Awakening Preparing Israel for Repentance and Restoration
One issue that required two revivals is that Israel rejected Christ the first time. The Final Great Awakening includes, among other things, the restoration of Israel. Isaiah 61 includes prophecy of two fulfillments where the latter, complete fulfillment is the Final Great Awakening that involves the repentance and restoration of Israel.
Below are several tables to illustrate the twofold nature of the prophecy in Isaiah 61. The normal font weight text is the portion of the prophecy that was fulfilled in Christ’s first coming. The bold text is the portion that will be fulfilled in the future.
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Isaiah 61 |
Luke 4:16-21 |
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61The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
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16And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.17And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, 18The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor;he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, |
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Isaiah 61 |
Luke 4:16-21 |
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2To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;3To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified. 4 And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations. 5 And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers.
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19To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. 20And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.21And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.
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Isaiah 61:2-11 |
Luke 4:19 |
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6 But ye shall be named the Priests of the LORD:men shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves. 7For your shame ye shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them.8For I the Lord love judgment, I hate robbery for burnt offering; and I will direct their work in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.9And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the Lord hath blessed.10I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. 11For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations. |
TO PROCLAIM THE ACCEPTABLE YEAR OF THE LORD.” |
Hosea contains a prophecy that anticipates a two phase process of revival that would occur in two distinct seasons. The beginning season would occur in close proximity to Christ’s first coming and end in close proximity to His second coming.
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Hosea 6:1-4 KJV |
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14For I will be unto Ephraim as a lion, and as a young lion to the house of Judah: I, even I, will tear and go away; I will take away, and none shall rescue him.15I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early.6:1Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up.2After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.3Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.4O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, what shall I do unto thee? for your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew it goeth away. |
Hosea is describing how, when Christ came the first time he took a remnant away from Israel. This remnant was the first Jewish believers who started the church. The Lord left Judah until ”they acknowledge their offence, and seek my facein their affliction they will seek me early.” These words echo the words of Jesus when He said ”38Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.39For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.” Jesus quotes from Psalm 118, which is about Israel finally seeking God in the endtimes, when she is surrounded by the armies of all of the nations of the world.
Revelation covers Events From Patmos to the Final Great Awakening and Beyond
Hosea is describing a process that begins in the days of the first coming of Christ and ends during the days of His second coming. In verse 3, we see the key to understanding the times and seasons of God’s plan for the church. If we seek God, we shall know that the Lord’s “his going forth is prepared as the morning .” This phrase simply means that there are times and seasons to God’s activities. Just as the morning arrives in precise timing due to the rotation of the earth, God’s action are precise. The second half of verse three tells us that the Lord “shall come unto us as the rain, as thelatter andformer rain unto the earth.” This rain is not the earthly rain of water; it is the presence of God. The Lord comes to us as this rain. This is speaking of two phases of revival. The former rain occurs at the beginning of a planting season, and the latter rain occur near the end of the planting season just before harvest. Hosea 10:12 tells to prepare the soil of our hearts until the Lord “rains righteousness.”
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Hosea 10:12 KJV |
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12Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness upon you. |
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We are always to prepare the soil of our hearts to seek God. Both Hosea 5:14-6:4 and 10:12 admonish us to prepare to seek God, so that God’s reviving work can yield maximum benefit. This is why Revelation was written, so that God’s people can prepare for the latter rain.
Revelation as a Roadmap to the Final Great Awakening and Beyond.
As the events of Revelation were to begin shortly after it was written, subsequent chapters lay out a road map for events dating from the AD 85-90 dating of its writing to eternity.
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Rev 1:1-3 Prologue |
Rev 1:Royal Priesthood And the Church |
Diagnostic for the Seven Churches |
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The Royal worship Service in Heaven |
The Seals – Patterns of history |
Interlude – power of prayer and remnant |
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Trumpets |
Great Interlude- Spiritual warfare, beast system, harvest of righteous and wicked |
Vials of God’s wrath, detailed judgment of Mystery Babylon |
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Return of Christ |
Millennium |
Eternal State |