The Revelation of Jesus Christ

By Alex (Lazaro) Figueroa

This book, The Revelation of Jesus Christ, has been written on each chapter of the book of Revelation. Each chapter is written in plain English, giving the reader understanding of the symbols in the chapter and the book of Revelation. Each symbol in the book of Revelation can be found throughout the Scriptures, thus giving us the meaning and understanding of each one. If the wrong meaning or understanding of each symbol is given, then the entire book of Revelation is misunderstood. Within the pages of this book, we find the battles and victories of God's church down through the ages of time. Therefore, we can see God's people and the spiritual battles that were won by conquering the enemy of their time. These same battles are taking place in many places today, but we will be able to understand that God has a people and has always had a people who will stand for truth and right. The book of Revelation is a misunderstood book and one often feared by many. But read with understanding, it can be blessing to God's people everywhere. This book, Revelation of Jesus Christ, was originally written and printed in Spanish. Because of the large demand, it has been translated into English.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Sep 29, 2020
• ISBN: 9781098035013

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The Revelation of Jesus Christ

Alex (Lazaro) Figueroa

Copyright © 2020 by Alex (Lazaro) Figueroa

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

First Edition Spanish, 1997

First Edition English, 2019

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

To the congregation of the Church of God in Miami, Florida, which I pastored with the grace of God for over forty-four years.

I also dedicate it to so many friends and brethren in the faith that, through the years, have held up my faith, who have held up my hands to be able to do the work of the ministry.

Miami, Florida

The United States of America

2019

Translator’s Notes

Brother Alex Figueroa is pastor and minister of the Church of God in Miami, Florida. This note is dedicated to him with much love, respect, and admiration for having devoted a lifetime to the ministry of preaching, teaching, and spreading the truth to all that have ears to hear.

I humbly dedicate the translation of this practical Bible study book on Revelation to a brother, friend, pastor and minister who, as a devoted servant of God, has dedicated a lifetime to exalt the name of Jesus through his preaching, teaching, and writings.

I’d like to first express my sincere gratitude to the Giver of life, wisdom, and understanding. As Paul says, For in Him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28; 2 Cor. 5:15).

I give due recognition to Yasmany Machado and my nephew Marcos Céspedes Cook, technicians, for giving of their time and patience and working on the Bible quotes and references for easy use as a book and on PCs.

I am indebted to the Acebo brothers, my friends, for offering, without any objection, their expertise and time in designing and shaping this material into the book it is.

Last but not least, my heartfelt thanks to my loving wife and daughter who constantly helped and encouraged me to keep going when my spirit tended to give way in trying times.

Nehemiah B. Cook

Editor’s note: I also appreciate the valuable translation of Sister Timberly Kelly of Paradise, Montana, for her excellent work in perfecting the translation of this book.

Preface

There are many books written about the book of Revelation that circulate among different groups of Christians. It is the opinion of the author, after examining not a few, that almost all, with very few exceptions, present a literal interpretation of the visions manifested to the Apostle John.

It is our desire to propose this work and submit it to the reader’s consideration. We don’t have any lucrative intentions in publishing this book. Our motivation is the desire to present a work that shows the other side of the interpretation of the apocalyptic prophecy.

This interpretation isn’t an end in itself but can provide much assistance toward the strengthening of the church in the fight of this last battle.

Though much interpretation has been literal, we know that spiritual interpretation of the book of Revelation isn’t new in the circle of biblical study; however, what we do hope will be helpful and of interest is the practical teaching contained in the spiritual visions given to the beloved disciple.

Our goal with the present work has been to condense our thoughts and to present them as an overview so it could be printed in a usable form.

In some ways, we believe that this book is somewhat conclusive in each interpretation presented, but we think that the reader, as a student or teacher of this prophesy, can dig deeper in the symbolic messages here studied.

Although many of the positions presented in the book correspond to a historical background, we have tried to condense these events, not wishing to tire the reader with much historical information. We reiterate that our main objective is to explore the spiritual meaning and apply the message of these texts.

It is the hope of the author that the reading of this work will serve as a study guide to motivate and satisfy readers in the desire to delve more deeply into these apocalyptic themes.

Each work of this type requires the effort of many people. I would like to especially acknowledge the assistance of my wife, Carol Figueroa, who, with her originality and support, in many ways, has made the presentation of this work possible. Also I appreciate the help of the brothers Antonio Lopez, Maria Valdez, Julio Perez, and Carlos Daniel Masó who have dedicated their time to the revision and improvement of the original notes.

It is our prayer that through this book, souls would be saved and others come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim. 2:4). Amen.

Introduction

The book of Revelation is the last prophetic declaration of God. The word revelation, or apocalypse, means to make known or to reveal (Rev 1:1a).¹ It is the prophesy given by the Lord Jesus to the Apostle John in the Isle of Patmos, a small island near the Asia Minor Coast. This unimportant mountainous island, six miles wide and ten miles long, became historical only through the Christian era. In those days, it was the custom of the Roman Empire to exile those who were deemed undesirable to desolate places, and such was the lot of the beloved disciple John.

This was his punishment for being a herald of the Christian faith (Rev. 1:9).

There, separated from the church and in hard and trying circumstances, the beloved disciple received the greatest prophetic revelation ever given to a human being. That’s how God wanted it. It was necessary for John to be placed in a solitary location. While the Roman authorities thought that they were severely punishing the servant of God, it was the same God who prepared the earth for the prophetic seed to germinate and finally bring forth fruit.

John was already an old man, very advanced in age, and it was after his return from Patmos that he wrote the three epistles that carry his name (1 John, 2 John, and 3 John).

The visions experienced by John must have been a spiritual and emotional buffer for his life. A banishment such as Patmos was designed to upset any life, but John was not a common person. This was a man with a mission and an experience that burned in his being—so that God changed the cup of gall into a honeycomb.

There is no doubt that many of the visions were at first not understood by the apostle. It’s not until we come to chapter 10, verses 3–4, that he hears the meaning of the visions seen thus far. He was about to write them but was ordered not to do so as he heard a voice from heaven say, "Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not" (Rev. 10:4–9).² The day would come in which the seals, which had hidden the meaning, would be removed.

The heavenly voice told him that in the days of the sounding of the seventh trumpet, the mystery would be finished (v. 7). These days have already arrived! We are living times of prophetic revelation indeed. It is not necessary to attend a Bible school to obtain the revelation of God. I am the first to recognize the good that can be accomplished in a Bible school that is taught with the holy doctrine, but I want to state that the symbols and the mysteries of the Revelation are hidden in the pages of the same Holy Scriptures. In other words, it is not necessary to have a deep and wide knowledge of history to understand the Revelation.

Just remember the words of the Master:

I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. (Matt. 11:25)³

Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. (Matt. 13:11)⁴

It is the Revelation of Jesus Christ. (Rev. 1:1)⁵

God has been faithful and consistent in leaving us a symbolic pattern in the Holy Scriptures. The book of Revelation follows the same pattern God established when He spoke to the prophets in the Old Testament. The conscientious student will find the same expressions in the writings of Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel to name a few. In the study of hermeneutics (which has to do with the symbolic language of the Bible), we can see divine consistency which leaves us a faithful key to open the coffers of the riches of the mysteries of God.

Symbolism is part of God’s divine archive. God spoke in symbols to teach us spiritual truths. Christ spoke in parables to teach us invaluable lessons about the divine and the eternal. He made use of certain qualities or traits in animals to teach us about the nature of mankind. He spoke about sheep, goats, pigs, and foxes. He referred to springs, rivers, mountains, valleys, land, grains, yoke, and houses to reveal spiritual truths.

It’s in that same way the visions are presented or shown to John. The old apostle sees mountains, fire (steams), mist, angels, horses, beasts, trees, and cities as he also sees the heavens and the earth, the stars, the sun, and the moon—and all of these are symbolic. These are symbols of truths concerning the church of God—her battles, her enemies, her glory, her triumphs, her problems, apostasies, and also her final victory.

Without being unnecessarily redundant, Revelation is a book of symbolic visions. Not literal. The literal things that John saw symbolize spiritual things. Before we begin this study, two things should also be highlighted: The first is that Revelation does not reveal what will happen after the Second Coming of the Lord. What we read in the twenty-two chapters of this book are not literal things that will take place after Jesus comes for his bride, the church. They are events that have been taking place since Christ established his church at his first coming up to this said day and those days still to come. Revelation has been happening and is happening right before our very eyes.

The other truth, with which I would like to conclude this brief introduction, is the truth hidden in the number 7. The visions revealed to John were given in a series of seven: seven letters, seven lamps, seven horns, seven eyes, seven seals, seven trumpets, seven thunders, seven plagues, seven angels. The revelation of Jesus to John follows a series of seven. There are seven ages or time periods, some involving longer periods of time than others.

Each period describes a situation or condition of the church. Each church age not only describes a spiritual condition but also important happenings related to the church that Jesus built and the world in which it had to open up the way. Many of these happenings were interwoven with governmental affairs that are part of the history of humanity which changed the course of the then-known world.

It is impossible to read and understand Revelation without the series of seven. This number 7 is always used in the Scriptures to denote something that is complete. Therefore, Revelation is the complete history of the church on earth. The events seen through the visions of the revelator have to be studied within the sequence given to John by the angel. To study the apocalyptic events separately will surely lead us to erroneous and harmful conclusions.

Let us keep in mind the fact that this part of the Bible is saturated with symbolic visions. Symbolism is spiritual. It is a message to the church. It is for that reason, again and again, the exhortation is given, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

If the Revelation describes a succession of literal earthly events, it would not have been necessary to have ears to hear what God truly wants to say.

Lastly it should be pointed out that all extremes are harmful. While I do emphasize that Revelation is a message hidden in symbols, not everything is solely symbolical.

May the Spirit of God guide the reader and the student from this text to the discovery of a blessing and to spiritual edification, not only for your personal benefit but also to benefit in the service of the kingdom of God and that the words of the Apostle Paul may be accomplished in your life. A workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15).⁶

Alex Figueroa

Pastor

Miami, Florida, United States of America

1997

Chapter 1

The Apocalyptic Vision

The Source of the Revelation

The revelation of Jesus Christ (Rev. 1:1a).

The Apostle John is sometimes referred to as the revelator, but the apostle is not the revelator. It is Jesus Christ!

The Purpose of the Revelation

To show his servants things which must shortly come to pass (v. 1b).

It is a revelation for those who serve the King of kings. These things aren’t going to happen at the end of time but would begin to take place soon.

God does not want his church to be in darkness. He wants us to be as the sons of Issachar: Men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do. (1 Chron. 12:32).⁷

The book of Revelation sets us rightly in the prophetic camp. It shows us what we should do in the present time, in our current circumstances.

The church was helped, in the past, to understand her circumstances and be able to survive as she faced her many enemies and dangers.

The Means of the Revelation

By his angel unto his servant John (v. 1c).

The angel constantly appears through Revelation. It’s in chapter 22, verse 9, that we finally know his identity, I am thy fellow servant and of thy brethren the prophets and of them which keep the sayings of this book. The angel represents the servants of God, his messengers. The Greek definition of the word angel that appears in the book of Revelation is different than the word angel that appears in the Gospels. Angel in the book of Revelation means messenger. That clarification will help us as we progress through this book. The actions of these angels describe the actions of the messengers and servants of God.

The Blessing of the Revelation

"Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand" (v. 3).

There is a blessing for those who: (1) read the revelation; (2) hear it preached; and (3) obey it.

To be exposed to the teaching of Revelation brings with it a blessing. There are many who are afraid to read this book of the Holy Scriptures. Why should we fear a blessing from God?

The Objective of the Revelation

To the seven churches which are in Asia (v. 4a).

This scripture refers to seven congregations of the church of God located in Asia Minor:

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. (v. 11b)

We will see, in the following chapter, the significance of these churches as well as the message that Jesus Christ sent to them.

The Revelator of the Revelation

And I turned to see the voice that spake with me…one like unto the Son of man (vs. 12a, 13a).

And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last (v. 17b).

There is no doubt that we are looking at a glorious and unique description of the Son of God. This is the way He presented Himself to His servant. This is also the way He wants us to know and remember Him, not in His fleshly form but in His glorified state. Yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more (2 Cor. 5:16b).⁸

The Description of the Son of Man

Clothed with a garment down to the foot and girt about the paps with a golden girdle (v. 13b).

John sees Jesus in his august majesty. The surprise of the vision was overwhelming for John. He fell at his feet as dead. The impact was too much for him. Mortality had come face-to-face with immortality itself. The earthly facing the heavenly, the transient facing the eternal, the carnal facing the divine.

John sees Christ as the high priest of our heavenly calling (Heb. 3:1).⁹ Gold is symbolic of what is divine. Jesus has a divine priesthood. He is the only one who can bring us to God (John 14:6).¹⁰ The only one who can mediate between God and man (1 Tim. 2:5;¹¹ Heb. 9:15,¹² 12:24).¹³

His head and His hairs were white like wool, as white as snow (vs. 14a).

This manifestation of His white hair symbolizes that He is eternal and holy. He is the ancient of days. Thus also, the prophet Daniel saw Him. I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool(Dan. 7:9,¹⁴ 13,¹⁵ 22¹⁶).

An ancient of days implies many, many, days. How many? Throughout eternity. He is eternal. He was, is, and will always be. The whiteness of His garments symbolizes his holiness. There is no stain in Him. Jesus Christ is perfect in His person and nature and also in His priestly work.

It is finished, he proclaimed from the cross.

His eyes were as a flame of fire (v. 14b).

The Son of Man appears passionate and full of indignation. This is the wrath of the Lamb. He is angry with his enemies. Revelation 6:16 ¹⁷ shows how the religious tried to hide from His wrath.

This is the wrath of God that is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness. (Rom. 1:18)¹⁸

The eyes of Christ also symbolize the Spirit of God. (Rev. 5:6)¹⁹

His piercing gaze was to burn everything that is false that stands in his way. God is a consuming fire. (Heb. 12:29)²⁰

And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace (v. 15a).

The fearful apostle saw him walking in the midst of the seven candlesticks (the seven churches v. 20), his feet were like a furnace. God has His spiritual furnace in Zion that represents the divine church (Isa. 31:9).²¹ He is going to put us through the furnace of affliction (Isa. 48:10)²². He wants to try us as gold. Mal. 4:1²³ prophesizes about that day, that there would be a burning as a furnace. Everything and everyone will pass through the furnace of God. He wants us to be victorious over the flames. Our work will be tried by fire (1 Cor. 3:13).²⁴

His voice as the sound of many waters (v. 15b).

He is telling us that there is going to be an abundance of truths preached, many waters. Water is a type of the Word (John 15:3;²⁵ Eph. 5:26;²⁶ Isa. 55:10–11²⁷).

This apocalyptic revelation is many waters that will sweep away the refuge of religious lies and false doctrines (Isa. 28:17).²⁸ Also we have here a promise of an abundance of refreshing water and consolation for a needy church, a church that is a little tired from such a great fight and conflict against the enemy.

He had seven stars in his right hand (v. 16a).²⁹

The stars symbolize the pastors of the seven churches (v. 20).³⁰

God’s servants are in the hand of Jesus Christ. They are not in the hand of directors nor of religious councils or even in the hands of a congregation. They are in the hand of the One who has called, anointed, and sent with a holy mission. We aren’t against directors. In some circumstances, they fill a need. But it’s necessary to understand that the heart of a true servant of God will be moved in the same way that God would lead a directive board that works in the pattern of the evangelism of Jesus Christ and His holy apostles.

This vision confirmed to John that no matter what happens, the messengers of God are in the hand from whom no one can take them away.

Out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword (v. 16b).

That sword is the Word of God (Heb. 4:12;³¹ Eph. 6:17³²) with which Christ would fight against all that is false opposing His church.

His countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength (v. 16c).

Jesus does not want His church to forget that in spite of the clouds and tempests, the sun will continue to shine. Nothing will be able to change that reality. Christ is the sun of righteousness (Mal. 4:2)³³ and the day star (2 Pet. 1:19).³⁴ His light shines through the darkness. He is the light that shines on every man (John 1:9).³⁵ The church would pass through darkness and great tempests of apostasy, but this would not diminish the brightness of the sun. Christ always will shine and His church receives from Him that which she needs to triumph in the light.

The Words of the Son of Man

After the vision, the Son of Man, Jesus Christ, gives direction to John. His words are encouraging and full of promises of comfort and victory (vs. 17–20).³⁶

He tells him that He is the first and the last; that He is He that liveth and was dead. He continues telling him that He has the keys of death and of hell.

What Christ is saying to his beloved disciple is that He is in control. For mankind, death is something impossible to conquer, but Christ has the key for the thing the human beings fear the most.

He will fulfill that last promise that He made while He was here on earth to the group that saw Him ascend into heaven (Matt. 28:20).³⁷

Finally He gives the order John to write what he had seen and what was to take place thereafter (v. 19). This was for our benefit and for the benefit of those who would be the church of the future. Thank God for not hiding from us such glorious truths!

What a privilege! God thought about us! He also loves us. Glory to His name!

Chapter 2

The Seven Churches of Asia

As we said before, not every detail in Revelation is necessarily symbolic. These seven churches in Revelation, although they do represent different prophetic ages, also were seven actual congregations that existed in the region of Asia.

We can say that the conditions that existed in these congregations are also the conditions that the church of God would experience. The Lord, in His divine wisdom, used those local conditions to reveal the spiritual reality of the future course of the church. This course, through history, is divided into seven parts or time periods.

The seven churches are called seven candlesticks. Jesus exhorts us to be the light of the world. And in the same way that the light is placed in a candlestick, so must the church shine in this world (Matt. 5:14–16).³⁸

These seven candlesticks are shown according to the light that they had. Some of these congregations enjoyed more light than others. According to the teachings of the New Testament, that is possible. Reading the Epistles that the writers of the New Testament wrote to the different congregations, it is possible to arrive at that conclusion.

For this reason, we find admonitions like the one the Apostle Paul gave to the church in Ephesus, Till we all come in the unity of the faith(doctrine) (Eph. 4:13).³⁹

Now symbolically speaking, the church went through different seasons where the light shone more clearly than in others. Circumstances, as well as other factors that we will later explain, were responsible for this.

In these letters, there is something very peculiar, and it is that Christ presents himself to each church in the way that they need him.

We remember that in old times, the signature of a letter was at its beginning. We see that same thing in all the New Testament Epistles. Jesus signs each letter in the way that the church needs Him. Every signature is different. Each signature reveals one of the glories that John saw in the appearing of the person of the Son of Man.

The letters are addressed to the pastors of the churches. Thus each letter begins, Unto the angel of the church of.

Let us then look into the letters to the seven churches of Asia.

Ephesus (2:1–7)

The word Ephesus means desired. It was the second city in importance in Asia Minor. As it had a very strategic port, it was considered the commercial center of Asia.

Ephesus was also a religious center; its religious activity was of great proportion. There, one could find the foundation of the religious cult to the goddess Dianna, known by all as Dianna of the Ephesians (Acts 19:28).⁴⁰

The Apostle Paul visited this city on his second missionary journey (Acts 18:19)⁴¹ and was there for the space of two years (Acts 19:10).⁴²

The Qualities

The congregation in this city had become large, prosperous spiritually, patient in suffering, and even with a high degree of spiritual discernment. They worked arduously for love of the name of their Savior (Rev. 2:2–3).⁴³

Such was the beginning of the church that Christ built. Reading the first chapters of the book of Acts reveals to us the consecration of those first believers (Acts 2:42–47;⁴⁴ 4:32–35⁴⁵).

In the first part of the first century of Christianity, Christ was the center of everything in the life of the church. The work, the missionary spirit, the patience in persecution and tribulation, the love to Jesus Christ and His kingdom characterized those saints of old.

Peter said, Lo, we have left all, and followed thee (Luke 18:28).⁴⁶

We can say that the disciples and those who followed them later served him with singleness of heart (Acts 2:46b).⁴⁷ This word, singleness, refers to one single thing, a single goal. They found themselves in Christ. They lived the words of the Apostle Paul, For me to live is Christ (Phil. 1:21).⁴⁸

The Reproach

Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love (v. 4).

The first love is Jesus. The first love is the initial form when we opened our heart to Jesus. The effervescence of our passion and love for the things of God. It is possible to be absorbed in much activity without the true love of God. Religious activity is not always a sign of love for God.

When Christ is not the center or the why of all that we do, nothing has any worth, though we say we were doing it in His name. It is necessary to focus not on salvation