The
Glorious Appearing; Rev. 1:7,8
Revelation
1:7, “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also
which pierced him: and all tribes of the earth shall mourn because of him. Even
so, Amen.”
The
word “tribes” is the Greek word PHULOS [fuloj], but we need to look at how this phrase was used
in the Old Testament. It is normally translated “families of the earth,” and we
don’t look at the word “tribes” as just the word “families.” Sometimes a word
can have several different nuances but you have to look at how it is used and
phrased. The term “tribes of the earth” using the word PHULOS is a phrase that is taken
right out of the Greek Septuagint. It is a translation of the Hebrew word mishpachah
which is often translated “families” in the Old Testament. This phrase, as it
is used in the Old Testament talks about Gentiles, not Jews. So “tribes of the
earth” always refers to Gentiles. Therefore, this coming in Revelation 1:7 isn’t
a localized coming. That is important because the preterists claim that Jesus
returned in a local coming in 70 AD, a coming in judgment on Israel, and that
that is what this passage refers to as well as the passage in Matthew 24.
Revelation
1:7 is a summary description of what takes place at the second coming of Jesus
Christ. It foreshadows where the book of Revelation is headed. It closes with
the brief statement, “Even so, Amen.” This is the Greek word NAI [nai], which means “yes.” It has
the idea if “indeed” or “truly,” the idea of certainty. The last word is Amen,
which is a transliteration of a Hebrew word which means to believe. It was a
statement of certainty, that you validated something. “Certainly, yes, I
believe, it is so.” It came to be used as an idiom for agreeing with statement or
validating a statement. People in churches would use that. Today we have a lot
of Christians just over using the term, and once you start over using any word
it loses its semantic value and it just becomes a statement. There is nothing wrong
with using it but it must be used sparingly where it has meaning and
significance.
What
happens here is that there is a break. This is a stylistic break from what has
been going on in these first seven verses. Verses eight is going to shift the
focus to the glory of God and His control of history.
But
we must go back and finish what we began in the contrast between the Rapture
and the second coming.
9)
Christ
comes for His own at the Rapture. He comes for the church in the clouds. At the
second coming He comes with His own. He comes for His bride at the Rapture; He
comes with His bride at the second coming. Another reason the church can’t be
raptured at the Tribulation is because the marriage feast of the Lamb has to
take place. If He just picks us up on the way down there is no time for the
judgment seat of Christ or the marriage supper of the Lamb.
10)
When
the Rapture takes place Christ comes in the clouds; at the second coming
Christ comes with the clouds to the earth.
11)
At
the Rapture Christ claims His bride. He comes with His bride at the second
coming.
12)
At
the Rapture only His own (believers) will see Him; at the second coming every
eye shall see Him.
13)
After
the Rapture the Tribulation begins—not immediately, there is some lapse. The
Messianic kingdom begins after the second coming.
Revelation
1:8, KJV“I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, says
the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” This
verse is a statement. The better MSS demonstrate that “says the Lord” should be “says the Lord God.” The
phrase “the beginning and the end” wasn’t in the original. This is important
for understanding who is speaking here. We have to know what the text says
before we can know what the text means. If the phrase “the beginning and the
end” is included we would say it looks like the Lord Jesus Christ, but if we
take that out and we have the phrase “Lord God,” KURIOS HO THEOS [kurioj o( qeoj] that is a different
identification. So we have to look at who is doing the speaking. Is this God
the Father or is it God the Son? We conclude that this is God the Father. Remember
verse 1: “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God [the Father] gave him, to
show his servants.” This introduction covers the first eight verses.
1)
The
phrase that is translated “Lord God.” Who is speaking here? The phrase KURIOS HO THEOS is used ten times in the
New Testament, but only one of these is used outside of the book of Revelation.
The one time outside of the book of Revelation is in Luke 1:32 which is the
announcement of the birth of the Messiah, “He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest:
and the Lord God shall give to him the throne of his father David.” So who is
the Lord God? It has to be God the Father.
2)
In
other passages in Revelation it always refers to God the Father. For example,
Revelation 4:8 (look at the context), “And the four living creatures had each
of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest
not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was, and
is, and is to come.” This is God the Father. The problem that is going to come
up is that as John appears before the throne of God and sees the four living
creatures praising Him what happens is that they bring forth a scroll and no
one is found worthy to open the scrolls, until the Lamb shows up. The Lamb is
clearly different from the one who is sitting on the throne. So when we read
through chapters four and five we realize that there are two personages here:
the person who is on the throne being praised as the Lord God Almighty who was
and who is and who is to come, and a second personage, the Lamb. Then,
Revelation 11:17, “Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, who is,
and was, and is to come; because you have taken your great power, and reigned.”
Verse 15 reveals two personages here: “the kingdoms of our Lord and of his
Christ.” Verse 16, “And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on
their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God.” Who is God? They are
worshipping the Father here. This is a praise to God the Father. Revelation
15:3, “And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the
Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are your works, Lord God Almighty; just and
true are your ways, King of saints.” They are addressing God the Father. Revelation
16:7, “And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty,
true and righteous are your judgments.” Again, the context shows that they are
talking about God the Father, not the Lord Jesus Christ. Revelation 21:22, “And
I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple
of it.” Two personages again. All of this is to show that the Lord God Almighty
is distinguished from the Lamb in the context.
Revelation
1:8, “I am the Alpha and the Omega.” Isn’t that the Lord Jesus Christ? That
phrase is used three times in Revelation. The second time it is used it is
clearly referring to God the Father, and the last time it is used it refers to
Jesus Christ. Revelation 21:6, where it refers to God the Father, “I am Alpha
and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to him that is athirst of the
fountain of the water of life freely.” This is said by ‘Him who sat on the
throne,’ i.e. God the Father. In Revelation 22:13 it refers to the Son, “I am
Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.” Alpha and
Omega is an idiom for eternity. That applies to both the Father and the Son. Alpha
and Omega could be either the Father or the Son; Lord God Almighty clearly
refers to the Father. “Who is, and who was, and who is to come” clearly refers
to the Father and concludes with the statement “the Almighty.” Again, “the
Almighty” only applies to the Father in the book of Revelation.
Conclusion: Revelation 1:1-8 gives us the introduction. This is a revelation from God the Father. It is given to Jesus Christ who then reveals it by means of angels to His servant John. Both the Lord Jesus Christ and the angels are involved in the giving of this revelation.