Season 6 Podcast 39 Book of Revelation “Opening of the Seven Seals, Chapter 22:11-21 “Come Unto Christ.”

Season 6 Podcast 39 Book of Revelation “Opening of the Seven Seals, Chapter 22:11-21 “Come Unto Christ.”

In the Book of Revelation, John refers to two periods of time. For example, Notice the phrases:

Revelation 1:1

1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:

Revelation 1:19

19 Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;

Naturally we would prefer specific times such as March 13, 2025, but that is not the way of prophecy. Phrases such as “shortly come to pass” and “things which shall be hereafter” are as close as we are going to get as a general rule. However, Hebraic parallelism does not let us down. The phrase “shortly come to pass” refers to the Second Coming of Christ. The phrase, “which shall be hereafter” refers to the Third coming of Christ or the end of the world.

Notice, for example the second time we hear the phrase, “things which must be hereafter.” Let’s turn to Revelation 4:1.

1 After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.

Now consider the subject matter of the above.

Revelation 4:2-6

2 And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.

3 And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.

4 And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.

5 And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.

6 And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.. 

John is speaking of the earth after it melts with fervent heat, after it is moved out of its orbit, after it is celestialized, and after it becomes the home of The Father and the Son. In other words, he is speaking of the New Jerusalem.  The theme of the New Jerusalem is expounded in detail in Revelations 21 and 22. It should be noted that the Seven Promises of the Seven Churches spoken of in Revelations 1-3 apply only to those who are allowed to enter the Gates of the Holy City. 

Now, we first saw the phrase, “things which must shortly come to pass” in Revelation 1. The next time we see the phrase is in Revelation 22, the final chapter. It is the nature of parallelism in the Hebrew Bible to connect concepts over time. Therefore, Let’s compare the two.

Revelation 1:1

1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:

Revelation 22:6

And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done. 

In both instances he is speaking of the Second Coming of Christ. Verse 6 of revelation 22 is followed with a blessing to those who keep the prophecies in the Book of Revelation.

Revelation 22:7

7 Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.