Can't you see a frustrated father at 2 AM on Christmas morning struggling to put a bicycle together? When all else fails, read the directions. Rather than laugh at this man, maybe we should ask if we have read the directions God has given us about living in the end times. The beginning of Revelation declares that this revelation is what God gave to show His servants what was going to happen shortly. God wants His servants to know what is going to happen, so much so that He promises a blessing on those who read and those who hear the message of this book.
We see the heart of God is to prepare His people so we don't fail. Jesus also shows this heart in what He did for His disciples, recorded in John 16:1-4, preparing them with a reasonable picture of what was going to happen so they wouldn't stumble and fall. Scripture tells us that John, who is known as the beloved of God, bore witness to the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. It needs to be repeated, this book is a revelation of Jesus Christ and a testimony of Him. We can trust John to record accurately and lovingly the message the angel revealed, so that in grasping the message we also may receive the grace and peace God promises to His church (Rev. 1:4) who heed these instructions.
In general, God is the master at understating His qualities. When the Word states He is love, the description reveals little about how much He embodies love in which one lays His life down for another. It doesn't describe all the beating, torment, and pain He endured, even to the point of where "His visage was marred more than any man" (Isaiah 52:14) and yet for the joy set before Him (seeing you and I saved and able to share eternal glory) He willingly suffered and died. So likewise, it takes the Holy Spirit to open up the meaning of the phrases and words Revelation declares about Jesus to begin to grasp His magnificent nature.
In the first three chapters of Revelation there are some 31 references to qualities and descriptions of Jesus. Take for example, "who was, and is, and is to come" as a reminder of His eternal nature, past and future. Life on earth is such a drop of water in the ocean of time, compared to His eternal past and the eternal future plan to share God's glory, the salvation that He purchased for us. It also presents absolute certainty that He will return to bring justice to the earth, including rewards for serving Jesus as Lord and consequences for rejecting His love. Likewise, consider the description, "the faithful witness." Jesus is the exact image of the Father and every word spoken and every thing He did reflects perfectly the heart of God. He gives us a true picture of what God is like.
Clearly we could analyze each descriptive phrase, but for brevity sake, lets look at two more. The first born from the dead reveals His leadership as a man opening the way to life eternal, a quality of life beyond human imagination. It also assures us of our being raised from the dead in and through Him.
The next one might be a summary of much of the rest of the book of Revelation, "the ruler over the kings of the earth." Even though Satan and the Anti-Christ may have seduced and taken over the earth, in one broad stroke Jesus will overcome all the governments of the world in one day! What a glorious takeover and complete destruction of evil, so His kingdom of love can reign in the earth forever! This is not only the battle plan, but the powerful assurance of total victory for the saints, causing them to experience His glory and holiness forever. Every tear will be wiped away, and we will joyfully join the angels, elders, and living creatures crying, "Holy, Holy, Holy" forever.
We need to read this book and let the Holy Spirit reveal Jesus to us, beyond what our natural mind can fathom, so we can live in peace and joy with a true perspective on His power and glory. This Word will help us understand life's purpose and cause us to look forward to what God promised in Jeremiah 29, that we would have "a future and a hope."
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