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The Revelation of Jesus Christ

There is no greater excitement than to finally see what lies behind the curtain. When we talk about “The revelation of Jesus Christ” we are referring to the book we know as Revelation, which was written by John around 95 A. D.

The word ‘revelation’ comes from the Greek word ‘apocalypse.’ When we hear that a movie or a book is about ‘the apocalypse,’ we tend to think it will be about the end of the world. Even though in some sense that is what the book is about, what ‘apocalypse’ really means is this: An unveiling. It is not the Greek word for ‘confusion,’ nor a word we make up for things we don’t understand. It is actually the unveiling God gave Jesus Christ for us.

Most scholars believe it was written by John the Apostle, who by then was an old man. He had also written the Gospel of John and the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Letters of John.

In the first verses of the book of Revelation, John identifies himself as a brother and as a partner in the affliction of all who are in Jesus. This means that John was in, or had been through, a time of trial. 

Tertullian, one of the early Church fathers, in his writings about John says: “He was boiled in oil, yet he survived and then they banished him to the Island of Patmos.” Surely, his body would have been covered by scars.

Patmos is a beautiful island in the Aegean Sea. It is off the coast of the region formed by Greece and Italy. It is gorgeous. But John’s punishment was not lighter just because he was in a beautiful place, as he was sentenced to be in utter isolation. He was banished there to be alone. 

Why was he taken there? Because he had been preaching the Word of God. He had been giving testimony of who Jesus Christ is.

On this particular Sunday, John is about to see a vision in which he will be commanded to write and declare all the things God revealed to Jesus about what will happen in the end times. 

Beloved, there is a future and a hope. God has a plan for us. This was written specially for us, for our comfort and to give us strength amidst any troubling times. Our Lord God is indeed glorious!