For years, I assumed the New Testament book of Revelation was strictly a book about a series of events that would happen in the future (end times). I was taught to approach the book of revelation with a certain outcome or purpose in mind. Unfortunately, I missed the real point of the book altogether because I was looking for something different. As the saying goes, I missed the totality of the forest because I was looking for a specific tree. So what’s the point of the New Testament book of Revelation? That’s a great question. Thankfully, the book of Revelation begins by answering this essential question.
The book of Revelation is a revelation of Jesus Christ.
One of the main problems of the religious system is that it teaches us to approach the scriptures from an entirely wrong grid. Many times the scriptures are treated as if they are a manual to moral living, a guide to good marriages, a guide of child rearing techniques, an economic or political guide, etc… While those things can be seen in the scriptures, that’s not the point. The scriptures are nothing less than a exquisite revelation of the person of Jesus Christ. The book of Revelation is certainly no different. It’s astounding to me, however, that Christ gets lost in the very book that begins by stating its intent to reveal Him! There is more that I could say about this, but that is another article for another day.
Looking at the book of Revelation (as well as the rest of the scriptures) and seeing them as a revelation of Jesus Christ will change everything. The book of revelation gives us a ‘heavenly vision’ of Jesus Christ. It’s amazing what having a ‘heavenly vision’ of Christ will show us. Christ is the light of the world. When a ‘heavenly vision’ of Christ is revealed, the blinders are removed from our eyes. It is then that we can truly see what is happening all around us, as well as what is about to take place.
Interestingly, when the light of Christ is revealed, that which rivals the reality of Christ is also revealed. When light shines, the darkness can be contrasted. This is why the book of Revelation exposes the counterfeit economic & religious systems of mankind and calls the saints out of those systems (Revelation 18:1-4).
There is more that could be said about this, but in this article today, I’d like to highlight a passage of scripture that could be a ‘game changer’. To be completely honest, this passage of scripture (that I am going to share with you) seems very weird. I’ve read it numerous times and have never grasped the heart of it until recently. Before I share the passage with you, let me give you some context.
John, the now aged apostle, has been exiled to the island of Patmos. While on this island, the Lord gave him a panoramic revelation of the person of Jesus Christ that he had never seen before. This revelation of Jesus Christ would be a light to the churches. It would help them see who He is, and who He isn’t. This light (revelation) would illumine their path and help them see the ‘city’ (bride) that the Lord is assembling. This revelation would help them have peace with certain things which were taking place. When this vision was completed, the messenger (angel) of this vision gave John an important piece of advice. Here is what the angel said to John:
And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. Let the one who does wrong, still do wrong; and let the one who is filthy, still be filthy; and let the one who is righteous, still practice righteousness; and the one who is holy, still keep himself holy.” (Revelation 22:10-11, NASB)
Isn’t that crazy? In the past, this passage seemed to make no sense as it went completely against my evangelical mindset. After all, if the ‘time is near’, shouldn’t we try to stop those who are doing wrong from doing wrong? If the time is near, shouldn’t we try to make the ‘filthy’ people clean? Since the time is near, shouldn’t we try to focus on and try to figure out how to live like those who are ‘righteous & holy’?
According to this passage, the answer is clearly NO!
How can this be? It wasn’t until recently that I read this from John’s perspective. During Jesus’ three year earthly ministry before His crucifixion and resurrection, John had a special relationship with Jesus. They spent a lot of time together, and John described himself as being the disciple whom ‘Jesus loved’. I’m sure John’s vision of Jesus went back to those days from the past. I can also imagine that this brought him a lot of comfort in his old age. Then the revelation of Jesus Christ came and gave him a view of Christ that he never had before! He would now see Christ in a whole new light, so to speak.
This grand vision & revelation of Christ would now be his guiding light. This revelation of Christ would give the churches the direction they desperately needed. As a result of the overwhelming power of this grand revelation, Satan would be petrified. Satan’s power has been taken from him. The darkness that is in him is no match for the brilliant light that is Christ. Satan has only one scheme and strategy left…
A temptation to seal up the book (revelation)!
The ‘book’, is the heavenly revelation / vision of Jesus Christ that dwells within our hearts. Although this heavenly vision of Christ was given to John & the churches, Satan knew that if he could distract them from this stunning view of Christ, he could tempt them to ‘seal up the book’, so to speak. Knowing our propensity to fall into temptation, the angel gives John (and us) some insight into the tactics of Satan’s most effective weapon against the revelation of Jesus Christ.
The Religious System Of Mankind
Mankind’s religious system has two major strategies that distract us from a breathtaking revelation of Jesus Christ.
1. Cleaning ‘filthy’ people.
Without getting into a lot of detail about this, a major focus of the evangelical world is the identification of sinful behaviors and people, and the attempt to clean them up to live ‘holy’ lives. While there are many different facets of this in the evangelical world that take on many different forms using biblical terminology, the aim is the same. Cleaning filthy people. I must say that this is a very effective distraction away from a heavenly vision of Jesus Christ. This false pursuit has kept me distracted from a revelation of Christ for most of my adult ‘Christian’ life. The angel’s words to John have never been more true for us today: ”Let the one who is filthy, still be filthy…”
2. Emulating ‘holy’ people.
The emulation of certain ‘holy’ people has been a hallmark of institutional Christendom for a long time. While the focus & adoration of a select few ‘holy people’ (called saints) has its roots in Roman Catholicism, this distracting practice is alive and well in protestant Christendom with the rise of the ‘celebrity leader’ culture.
The theme behind most ‘leadership’ conferences is the idolization of specific ‘Godly’ leaders and Pastors. A lot of the attention is given to who these specific people are, and what they are doing to be ‘effective’ in regards to building the church. As a result, many focus on, idolize, and seek to be like these venerated religious celebrities.
I can tell you personally, this is is a monumental distraction away from a revelation of Jesus Christ. Thankfully, we can leave the religious celebrities be. We’re now free to behold someone much more breathtaking. Again, the angel’s words to John have never been more true for us: “…Let the one who is righteous, still practice righteousness:”
You Are Free!
Dear saints, you are hereby free from the job of ‘cleaning filthy people’. You are also free from the false focus & pursuit of ‘emulating’ celebrity religious figures. You are now free to ‘unseal’ the book, so to speak. You are free to allow yourself to be totally consumed and captivated by the blinding light of Jesus Christ.
This blinding revelation of Jesus Christ cleanses the world!
This blinding revelation of Jesus Christ has made us holy & righteous!
Dear saints, you are now free to rest in the blinding light of the revelation of Jesus Christ.
For the revelation of Jesus Christ,
Jamal Jivanjee
A Related Article To Consider: The $15 Billion Secret Of The Honey Bee & The Disappearance Of Evangelicals
Jamal
Every time I think of Revelation I think of Chapter 1 verse 3: “God blesses the one who reads the words of this prophecy to the church, and he blesses all who listen to its message and obey what it says, for the time is near.” So often the Church gets so caught up in the nonsense that they miss the blessing as you mention. Great post as usual in helping us all to focus in on what is truly important in following Christ and conforming to His image in our life and world. Thanks for the post bro.
Bond
Bees are into nectar, as we are into Christ, we are free to rest in Him, it is in Him that we move and have our being. Man regardless of the human based stature is still man, therefore we fix our eyes upon Christ, the person we live by and for. In His grace we are growing in His grace. Grace is much more than unmerited favor, it is the sustenance of our lives in Christ.
That which flows from us is not of us, we have this treasure in jars of clay, therefore our works are Christ expressing His life through each of us.
This is freedom! Freedom from our works, and human limitations, and reasoning. Freedom in Christ is what the whole of humanity is struggling to find is various human based forms, all of which are dry wells, empty cupboards, a wasteland of envy and strife.
We are free:
“You Are Free!
Dear saints, you are hereby free from the job of ‘cleaning filthy people’. You are also free from the false focus & pursuit of ‘emulating’ celebrity religious figures. You are now free to ‘unseal’ the book, so to speak. You are free to allow yourself to be totally consumed and captivated by the blinding light of Jesus Christ.
This blinding revelation of Jesus Christ cleanses the world!
This blinding revelation of Jesus Christ has made us holy & righteous!
Dear saints, you are now free to rest in the blinding light of the revelation of Jesus Christ.
For the revelation of Jesus Christ,”
Jamal Jivanjee
Beautifully stated.
It is true that so many miss the point of the Revelation even though they attempt to dissect it with meticulous care. Since the time is near let us pay all the more attention to Christ. He is the one we are waiting for and he is the one who is at work in us to fulfill his purpose.
Peace.
Thx for reading Bob:)
I like your analogy of the ‘game changer,’ though I would like to add how this analogy appears in my sight. Why is the Revelation of Jesus Christ read and proclaimed to be some happening that is all about the human world? The unrenewed mind of humankind exists in the illusion of the sleeping mind. And this mind game is merely an imaginative reality, where we strive to obtain the Reality that we already are in Christ. Christ Jesus, who is our freedom, is unseen as He Is to the eyes of the unrenewed mind. And this imaginary prison is a cage built within mind. And is where the eyes of the heart cannot see because the mind cannot wake up, thus many continue within this numb stupor of the world, the unreality. About or Christ, that is the question.
The entirety of all the Scriptures are the Revelation of Jesus Christ ─ the expressive revealing of Christ Jesus. Did you think that you read about something, about an it, about a thing, about an event, about anything else? If we are seeing something other than Christ Himself, then we are not seeing Reality. The game is over folks. May there be no more games for us, no more pretending, no more being guided by our minds.
The mystery in the expressions of all creation, of all the universe, of all that is invisible and all that is visible, all the heavens of heavens and all that is in them, and all the earth and all that is upon it and in it, in all the ages of the ages, and all that is in the expanse of time is now revealed in this mystery, this secret that is in creation’s every expression, is a Person, Christ Himself; it has always been Him. It’s time for us to wake-up. Wake-up, and live in Reality ─ our shared Life, Jesus Christ. The Love Light of Life shines into the Night, interrupting those dreams and nightmares, to awaken the sleeping children to the Light of Day, to awaken them to Actuality, to awaken them to Reality Himself ─ Jesus Christ. Do you have a revelation? Or, do you have the Revelation? Jesus Christ is Revelation. Have ever wondered why the expression, “wake up sleeping head,” is very popular and somehow sounds just right, like Love?
Kat,
Powerful comment sister, thank you! This statement you made summed up the entire article:
“The entirety of all the Scriptures are the Revelation of Jesus Christ ─ the expressive revealing of Christ Jesus. Did you think that you read about something, about an it, about a thing, about an event, about anything else? If we are seeing something other than Christ Himself, then we are not seeing Reality. The game is over folks. May there be no more games for us, no more pretending, no more being guided by our minds.”
Thx for sharing your insight Kat, much appreciated.
I am always blessed by your posts, and this one is very timely for me, since I just began reading Revelation again. It also makes me think of the people who waste so much time and effort trying to “decipher” the book of Revelation, when the purpose and focus of the book is so clearly stated: It is a revelation of our glorious Lord, Christ Jesus!
Thx Catherine. That’s encouraging to hear:) Blessings to you sister.
I went to a seminary where the rapture was referred to as the Christian’s “Great Hope.” One chapel speaker was talking about a differing biblical viewpoint, one that considered the book of Revelation as events that have already happened – therefore disagreeing that there will be a rapture.
The speaker railed against this view and said, “I mean, what kind of hope could we possibly have!?”
The mindset was – “If we can’t be taken out of the world soon, how can we live with hope?”
While I understand that question and that mindset, what you’ve just written describes perfectly why I was uncomfortable calling the rapture our “Great Hope.” Christ is now, here, and everywhere at all times! Hope is Him!
Even as impressionable as I was in seminary, I had a hard time considering something other than Christ our “Great Hope.” I thought, “Wherever he is, and whatever he’s doing, isn’t He our great hope? Rapture or not?
Either way – “The Revelation of Jesus Christ” is not a book “about events.” It’s a book about a person. But the events get all the play. What would happen in the kingdom of Christ if believers stopped majoring on the events and issues and started being obsessed with Christ?!
Michael,
Great comment bro. I love this question that you asked:
“What would happen in the kingdom of Christ if believers stopped majoring on the events and issues and started being obsessed with Christ?”
I think three things could happen:
1. These believers would become dissatisfied with the evangelical religious system.
2. These believers would become ‘disdained’ by the system. They would eventually find themselves outside of that system.
3. They would find themselves eventually being built together in community with others who are obsessed by a revelation of Jesus Christ.
May this obsession with Christ increase!
It is a great question and your added comment fits with where I am at:
Point 1 has occurred.
Point 2 has happened to some degree.
Point 3 is also in process.
I have to admit that I do enjoy peeking at the details and gaining insight into our Lord’s plan of the ages, and the anticipation that it builds for His return and full manifestation of His kingdom, more accurate view of what He’s doing now and how He’s going about doing it; but these peeks are only detrimental when they cause us to emphasize their importance/glory over that of the Lord himself. Like when Peter lost focus while walking on the wind/waves, or when a child begins to run-amuck at home, forgetting his relationship with his father and all that that means.
I recently read the book of Revelation and got the revelation about Jesus I had not seen before in this book. I usually saw how terrible things upon this earth would destroy and annihilate the earth and the people and everything.
This time I saw the heart of Jesus for the lost and how throughout the whole book He kept calling the people of the earth to come to Him, repent, and give their lives to Him. He kept calling everyone throughout the whole book and I began to see this is His heart in this book and not just a warning but a love call to all the inhabitants of the earth. I felt His geat compassion for us, and His unconditional love call to us as His coming approached. It was all meant for us to see His 100% total acceptance of each of us as our Bridesgroom coming for us as He helps us to ready ourselves for His coming. I was blessed to see this in the book of Revelations and now have this love cry in my heart for the world in which I live and the people who God sends to me or me to them.
Succinct! I couldn’t add more if I tried. Some things just can’t be put into words…
Great post Jamal Jivanjee. “Cleaning filthy people. I must say that this is a very effective distraction away from a heavenly vision of Jesus Christ.” This has been a plank in the eye of many evangelicals.
Great commentary on those verses, bro. Very much appreciated. The “Left Behind” view of Revelation needs to be left behind in favor of a glorious unveiling of Jesus Christ as the Lamb that conquered death and sin and now sits on the throne in victory. I used to be very ingrained with the rapture view of Revelation, so much that I had a hard time not seeing it as literal events. I read a book by Richard Bauckham titled The Theology of the Book of Revelation which really helped me reboot my view to see Christ in His glory in this book.
As a wise friend of mine says, “The thing is not THE THING.”
Too often we (I) get blinded by the circumstances (distractions) of life on earth. Too often we worry about the “dirt” of others, ourselves, and just fleshly life.
I’m seeing, as Christ reveals more of himself to me, just how astounding it is that our minds are consistently renewed in deeper understanding of the immensity of our restoration to God and what that really means for our lives here on earth. How prosperous and full of rest our lives were (are) meant to be in HIM in ALL ways. Even in the revealing of Christ and “evangelizing.”
Praise God for the renewing of our minds and the shedding of the masks of false propriety and lackluster holiness.
Amen Bri, well said!
Jamal, these are some incredible insights. And like you said, definitely a game-changer for much of the Church. The whole idea and attempt to clean up “filthy” people has been a hot topic in my mind for a while. I’ve always connected it with simply the way the New Testament church lived but it’s awesome to have this passage from Revelation attached to it too.
We see it in all the political issues of the day. Christians try to change laws so that we can be a moral a country. But God did not call us to this. He did not call us to create some Christian Utopia. He called us to be separate from the world, not make it look like us. Laws and rules don’t change hearts, only Christ does that. Morality apart from Christ is worthless. My prayer is that we would stop trying to change the way people live, stop trying to “clean them up” and simply live in Christ and love people.
You’re blessing bro.
well said brother.
David Wilkerson had a teaching about this passage some time back, 5-10 years? I remember very little of it actually, but I do recall that he used the anti-abortion movement as an example where the church had spent a lot of time and effort in trying to get the wicked to become righteous. One could argue, as did Operation Rescue, that the principle was, and is, the protection of the unborn from the unrighteous,and that may be a valid and separate point. Might be worth digging up that post at his website.
It seems to me that there has always been a tension between those who felt it their, and by extension, the Church’s call, to call the world out in regard to certain sins. Yet Paul implores, at least one church, to endeavor to lead quiet lives, at peace with everyone, so far as it depends on you. John would temper that with, “just don’t get too friendly with the world.” I think what the former group often misses is that,for those Old Testament prophets,they would model themselves on, it was first, and foremost, a matter of their specific calling and anointing for that task, and it should be no different for us today.
Chris,
Welcome to the blog brother:) I appreciate your comment.