Revelation Chapter 1 verse 19 tells us all something interesting. Most people have been told and think the Revelation of Jesus Christ was written for a day in the future, i.e. the rapture, the great tribulation, and the coming of Jesus Christ. This verse shows us most of the Book of Revelation has already taken place.
REVELATION CHAPTER 1 VERSE 19
(KJV) Revelation 1:19 Write the things which thou hast SEEN, and the things which ARE, and the things which shall be HEREAFTER;
(NIV) Revelation 1:19 “Write, therefore, what you have SEEN, what is NOW and what will take place LATER.
Question: John was instructed to write. Then John was told what to write. What exactly was John instructed by the Son of Man to write? So what is the Book of Revelation about?
The Book of Revelation is about things which John has seen, and the things happening at that time when John was alive 2000 years ago, and the things which will take place later.
What did we just learn?
I want to make sure we see the Book of Revelation is not about some future catastrophe. It’s about what John had already seen, i.e. the Son of Man; had happened at the time of John then, and what will happen.
Most people only think of the Revelation of Jesus Christ as things in the distant future when at least two-thirds of the Revelation are about what John already saw and things happening in John’s present. John’s present was two-thousand years ago.
You should underline, circle, and highlight Revelation 1:19 in your Bible so when someone or a preacher tells you the Book of Revelation says this will happen and that will happen, you can point out this verse and tell them, “No. Most of what the Book of Revelation talks about already happened.
This also helps us to lay out the book.
The things which John has seen are chapters one through three. John saw the Son of Man and the seven churches.
The things which are would be chapters four through nineteen. These are events of the great tribulation. And, the things which shall be would be chapters twenty through twenty-two.
There are events in the Revelation which have not fully taken place. For example, the great white throne judgment, the resurrection, and lake of fire clearly have not taken place.
However, remember the primary concern of the Revelation are the things to “soon take place” (1:1) and must “come quickly” (22:12, 20).
Revelation 1:1 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,
Revelation 22:12 “Behold, I AM COMING SOON! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.
Revelation 22:20 He who testifies to these things says, “YES, I AM COMING SOON.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
In fact, some things must happen soon enough so “they also which pierced him” will be alive to experience (1:7). Remember that verse?
Revelation 1:7 Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, EVEN THOSE WHO PIERCED HIM; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen.
Those who pierced Him would be, of course the Roman Empire, but only because the Jewish leaders left Pilate no way out. Pilate “washed his hands” of the matter (Mat 27:34). Both those “who pierced Him” have long gone. So who saw Jesus coming with the clouds?
The Revelation cannot be a book only for a generation millenniums away. It is about events John has seen, events happening when John was alive, and things hereafter.
Revelation Chapter 1 verse 19
Revelation Chapter 1 verse 19
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Do we know when Revelation was written?
Traditionally the thought is in the 90’s A.D. but this would put a 95 year old John working in the copper mines on the isle of Patmos. John said to those he wrote he was their companion in tribulation (Rev 1:9) and the Lord said those who pierced Him would see the Lord’s coming (Rev 1:7). This would put the date of the writing in the mid to late 60’s A.D. When John would be in his early to mid 50’s.
Thank you
Jesus/ Son of man came in the clouds and every eye saw Him….What did that look like? There are no records of the event but those who pierced Him saw Him coming. What did the Jews see when the Lord came in the clouds?
Hi Fred – I think we’ve gone over this several times. What did they see? They saw what Jesus told His disciples they would see in Matthew 24. It was the great tribulation (Mat 24:21). They saw Jerusalem surrounded with armies. They saw people fleeing to the mountains. They saw Jerusalem destroyed and the temple taken apart stone by stone. They saw the end of the age of Moses and the beginning of the age of Jesus Christ. They saw the end of animal sacrifice.
At His trial Jesus said the high priest:
Matthew 26:64 “Yes, it is as you say,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: In the future YOU WILL SEE the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN.”
The high priest saw the coming. Remember the cloud speaks of the Lord’s protection (children of Israel in the wilderness) or the Lord’s judgment. Coming in the clouds speaks of judgment. After Jesus said this to the high priest the Scriptures say:
Matthew 26:65-66 Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?” “HE IS WORTHY OF DEATH,” they answered.
It was the Son of Man statement by Jesus that gave sufficient reason to crucify Christ.
You said there are no records of the event but those who pierced Him saw Him coming. All history books tell of the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. Josephus gives in depth detail of the war. It’s called The War of the Jews.
I hope this answered your questions.
Thank you, Delbert. I do still want to continue our study. This might be a great way to do that!
You are welcome. We will see if it works.
Thanks Delbert. I apologize. I have a strong tendency for the literal and I struggle with literature that has implied meanings or allusions. Even though we did talk about it, when I read again that they (Jews) would “see” Him coming, it made me wonder what they saw or how they experienced and interpreted what they saw.
I understand. We can’t forget the literal, but as we run references through the Scriptures we should be able to determine if it is literal or if it’s figurative. As we’ve seen, coming on/with the clouds was not literal in that the Lord in person rode on a cloud. It meant His presence came in some form to judge. With the Jews in A.D. 70, it was the Roman armies.
Thanks for the Comment,
Delbert
Im glad we are continuing this study.
Hi Kathy, we will give it a look and see how it goes. It will definitely be more convenient for people, but not nearly as personable. I enjoyed catching up a little every Thursday and then looking into the Word. However, this way I can focus on an individual’s question if it’s not clear in the post.
Thanks for the comment,
Delbert