Unfolding God's Secrets: The Revelation of Jesus Christ

By Rev. Joseph C. Earls

This book captures in detail virtually all events written by John the Revelator on the Bible's last book of Revelation. Intimidating most would say but in careful succinct detail analysis and interpretations of the scripture is laid out for all readers with simplicity and understanding. You will not be disappointed when you decide to partake and indulge yourself into those seeming uninterpretable creatures and events as the apostle John's words are literally unfolded into easy to understand concepts within the reading. Fascinating at length and you will not be able to put it down until you complete it. Accept this as my challenge to you and see if it's true? Enjoyable all the way through. Thanks and may God Bless you with his speed through and through on your way to his assignment. Be on the lookout for my next book, "Unfolding the Mystery of the Kingdom of God." All the best!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Jan 6, 2020
• ISBN: 9781098011840

Book preview

The Book of Revelation

The book begins with these words: The Revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave unto him to show unto his servant John.

The servant is John, who sixty-six years before had suffered for Christ during the time of the writing, which is called tribulation.

We know this is not speaking of the seventieth week of Daniel—the tribulation which is termed Jacob’s trouble in Jeremiah 30:6–7. However, it is of the church age which is the affliction of Christ (Col. 1:24), it is better translated as the Tribulation of the Christ, the Church. Verse 3 of chapter 1 offers promised blessings to those who read, to those who hear and to those who obey, or keep the saying of this prophecy. Praise be unto God (Rev. 1:4–8).

He called the witness, Jesus. He is our coming King, the Savior who washed us from our sins by his precious blood.

He is said to be the Coming One, Our Great Redeemer. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the ending, the Almighty, the El-Shaddai.

Notice how John describes our Savior and reveals Jesus Christ as the faithful witness, meaning we can fully trust him in every respect and the first begotten of the dead, meaning that Jesus Christ is the first to be raised from the dead to die no more. Praise God as he clearly states in (Rev. 1:18). I am he that liveth and was dead and behold I am alive for evermore. Amen; and have the keys of hell and death.

Praise God, we have a living savior who has paid the price in every respect to be and is Lord of all. Who will believe and obey him? Not only that; Jesus has made us a kingdom of priest. All believers can go directly to the Father in prayers, in faith through the sacrifice of Jesus’s life. Thank God for his mercy and marvelous grace, he has bestowed upon us. Sitting at the right hand of the Father God. Jesus intercedes for each of us as we come in faith to the throne of grace (Heb. 11:16). For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus (1 Tim. 2:5).

The benediction speaks of grace that elevates. Unto him that…hath made us kings and priest unto God and our father is the future response of the redeemed. He has bestowed upon us all the majesty of a prince and all the ministry of a priest. He has given us power with men and power with God. What more could we ask than that? That’s the grace that occurs to us. The benediction speaks also, of the glory that occurs to him; it is personal, positional, perpetual glory. To him the glory and dominion forever and ever.

Revelation 1:7 speaks of his return or his second coming. John makes it clear that his coming will be visible. Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him. What a time that will be! One of these days the world will look up and see the Son of God coming; not only will his coming be visible, but it will be victorious. John said, And all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him." What will we be doing when Jesus returns? As it was in the days Noah so shall it be the coming of the son of man.

I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending. Alpha is the first letter in the Greek alphabet. Omega is the last letter in the Greek alphabet. Our Lord has no beginning and no ending. He has always been God, and he will always be both man and God.

Revelation 1:5, 8, and 11, reviews the wonders of the Godhead/Trinity: (1) Father God stands outside of time, history and controls it. (2) The number seven is the number of perfection, completion; this is the fullness of the Spirit. The seven-fold Spirit identified in (Isa. 11:2). Jesus Christ has the seven fold Spirit operating within him which is symbolized by seven lamps.

(3) The Son Christ is presented in his three-fold nature as prophet (faithful witness), priest (first begotten of the dead), and king (prince of the kings of the earth). The Holy Spirit Jesus sent after he ascended to the right hand of the father is the actual Spirit of Jesus that dwelt within him, sent on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:4) while he lived here on earth that we all can accept and have in our lives to be and do like him if you can believe!

Then John praised God for the threefold work that Christ accomplished on the cross. He loves us, washed us from our sins, and made us a kingdom of priests: Regaining dominion we lost from the first Adam, John was exiled on an island called Patmos, located about seventy miles from Ephesus, where John pastored the Asian churches. The word John preached resulted in him being exiled there. John mentioned the sea over twenty times. John was not only on the isle, but he was also in the Spirit too. He was not only witnessing, he was worshiping. He says, I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day.

Among biblical scholars and theologians, there has been much confusion as to what he meant here by the Lord’s Day. Some claim that the first day of the week, others that John meant the day of the Lord. The day of the Lord is spoken of in both the Old and New Testaments. For instance, Isaiah 2:12, Joel 1:15, 2:1, Ezekiel 13:5, Acts 2:20, 2 Corinthians 1:14, and others, which refer to the day of the Lord’s return not the rapture of the church; we know the rapture will be secret; but, at the Revelation, including tribulation and millennium. What better understanding of the Lord’s day can we have than that which John has projected by the Holy Spirit across the centuries into the day of the Lord and the Holy Spirit enabling him to visualize things of the past, present, and future and the things that shall come to pass in that day. The great day when God will take over and settle accounts with this earth. The day of the Lord is the coming day in which man will be abased and the Lord exalted.

John heard a voice as of a trumpet saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.

I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks. Now, John paid close attention to what he heard and saw, for he knew he had to write in detail all he saw. Note the stages through which he passed in receiving this particular vision. I heard, I turned, and I saw, I fell at his feet. Notice John said the voice of Christ sounded as a trumpet.

The trumpet called John up to heaven, a picture of the rapture in the Old Testament. In Jewish culture during biblical times, trumpets were used to gather assemblies, to announce war, or the announcement of special calendar days. God’s trumpet will call the Church home (1 Thess. 4:14–18).

There were more than seven churches in this area, but Christ chose these churches to picture the spiritual need of his people and to outline the spiritual history of the churches in the days to come.

John could no longer recognize Christ after the flesh (2 Cor. 5:16). Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh yet now henceforth know we him no more. John said, The Glorified Christ standing in the midst of the seven lamp-stands, which symbolized the seven churches (Rev. 1:20). Jesus said we are the light of the world (John 5:14).

The Church (we believers) does not create the light, but it holds it and lets it shine. John saw in the midst (middle) of the seven golden candlesticks one like unto the son of man, clothed with a garment down to his feet. His garment is that of a King-Priest. His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow. His hair spoke of eternity.

John’s vision of Jesus, the Glorified Son of God, was in agreement with Daniel’s vision (Dan. 7:9–10:6). His eyes see all and they judge according to what they see. His feet like unto fine brass as if they were burned in a furnace, the feet of brass speaks of judgment he will judge all sin. This is a book of Judgment; much will be said in this great book of his judgment.

Man will have to pay for every sin and evil deed done in the body that is not covered by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. He will judge without mercy. How careful attention we ought to give to every word of this book; moreover, we should live in obedience to every word God helps us to endure. He had in his hand seven stars and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword and in his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. The seven stars we believed to be the seven messengers of angels of the seven churches. Notice where they are in the hand of Jesus. Praise God. I rather be in his hands than any hands I know. The sharp two-edged sword was the Word of God. His Word are words of life or of destruction. Life to those who will obey, and judgment to those who reject it. Also speaks of the power of his Words. John said, When I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. His face shining as the sun speaks of his glory (Rev. 22:16). He is the bright and morning star and he will appear for his church when the hour is darkest. During the earthly ministry of the Lord Jesus, John was close enough to Jesus to lay upon his breast. Hear in Revelation 1:18, he is at the feet of Jesus. That is the rightful place for believers, at Jesus’s feet, realizing that he is the first and the last, we should never forget that he is first and deserves to be respected as first. Does he have first place in your life? Do you put him first? God help us to let him have his rightful place in our lives. He deserves all honor and praises for he is worthy. He has the keys of (Hades) hell and death. What a Savior we have.

Do you ask before you do any and everything to ensure your actions are in the will of God? His plans for life versus your own? Father God, help us all to allow God access to us that he might have rightful place in our lives! The Godhead deserves all honor and praise for He truly is worthy of all our praise. Jesus has the keys to death, hell, and the grave. What a savior and true friend we have in him.

In verse 19, he commands John to write the things which he hath seen, speaks of the past things he had just seen. The things which are the present, and the things which shall be hereafter.

There are definite times in the revealing of the divine purpose, which only God can unfold. This passage is suggested by God to write these things, which thou has seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter are. This seems to imply that these are times only known to God now to be revealed to John. These are certain truths to be unfolded in the divine purpose of God that only he can reveal. In verse 20, he speaks about the mystery of the seven stars which are the angels ministers of the seven churches and the seven candlesticks;