Unveiling of the Word and Work of Jesus Christ
Rayford Strange
Preface
There can be NO proper interpretation of the Revelation until…
It is thoroughly understood and unshakably founded in the divine knowledge of GOD, and…..
1. TO WHOM was the Revelation written, exclusively.
2. FOR WHOM was the Revelation written, exclusively.
3. CONCERNING WHOMwas the Revelation written, exclusively.
The Finished Mystery of God From Revelation will glorify our Lord as to His Person, His Word and His Work in a spiritual perspective unlike any other of the 65 books before it. Is there any wonder the enemy of our Lord, Savior and Redeemer would go to the greatest extent possible to blind the eyes of seekers and obscure the Revelation of Jesus Christ to the fullest extent possible?
By approaching this task of writing on the matter of the Revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, no deeper sense of sobriety can take hold than that of approaching this subject cautioned by the warnings spoken by John. (Rev. 22:19). Therefore, with trembling and a deep sense of humility and reverence will I advance with care to unfold truths that have been either lost, forgotten or hindered by traditions and theories of many well meaning men that otherwise wished to write about them while lacking the Spirit of Truth to unfold these truths revealing Jesus in His church.
Many Doctors and Lawyers of religion have put pen to paper in an attempt to elucidate their ideas from these divine words, but in vain have fallen grievously short after having written many volumes. I do not propose that I will do any better but I have not failed to realize that these truths are locked up to the proud intellectuals and the religious academics of this world but are revealed to babes:
Matt 11:25, “At that time Jesus answered and said, 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.”
Traditions handed down from one doctor of religion mentoring yet another doctor of religion surely has the tendency of obscuring spiritual truths which, given enough time, become orthodoxy. Neither do I claim any degree of infallibility here, but if truth is written, it is my prayer that the Spirit of Truth will seize upon these words as written as truths giving witness within you to embrace them and to hold them dear.
While John was on the Isle of Patmos in the Aegean sea banished there for the testimony of Jesus Christ, God gave him the Revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ to show unto His servants. I wish now to draw upon the Words of this Revelation while striving to lean upon the Spirit of Truth for help to unveil Jesus Christ from the text.
It is my earnest desire and prayer that the readers will approach this writing as humbly and sincerely as the author in submitting to the task of writing. It is my earnest prayer that the Holy Spirit will guide my thinking that will translate into the written word here.
God’s Highest Ambition From the Beginning
The highest ambition, the ultimate goal of our creator is to facilitate the restoration of intimate fellowship with man whom he created for that end. May I submit that this restoration will be finally finished by the Last Man, Adam together with His bride through obedience to the Truth which was lost by the First man Adam and his bride by means of the lie and disobedience. That final restoration is seen in these words from
Rev 21:3, “And I heard a great voice out ofheaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God[is] with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and Godhimself shall be with them, [and be] their God.”
It has been properly said that we cannot understand Revelation without having some knowledge of Genesis. Someone said that if you were to pull a thread in Genesis, the book of beginnings, you will find a pucker in Revelation, the conclusion of God’s whole plan. Certainly, the book of Beginnings is not too much of a mystery to bible readers but somewhere between there and the Revelation, there seems to have been a disconnect somehow by which a mystery developed which at last, shall be finished to no longer be the mystery.
Rev 10:7, “But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished,as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.”
Delusional men have, from time to time unashamedly thought of themselves as this seventh angel spoken of here but would have been ashamed of themselves if by the Spirit of Truth they could have fully understood that this is not speaking of any man. Nevertheless, there will be a spiritual sound that will fulfill, bring to an end, accomplish or finish the intent of the mystery that has been hidden since before the world was created. This great hidden mystery is the wisdom of God ordained unto our glory and exaltation into a state of holiness by this wisdom, that in the end, face to face fellowship, broken by the lie and disobedience will be finally and fully restored even above that which was in the garden in the beginning when God walked, talked and fellow-shipped with His creation, the first church, in the cool of the evening.
1Cr 2:7, “But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, [even] the hidden[wisdom], which God ordained before the world unto our glory…”
Having said that, may I further propose that the mystery here under consideration, is none but Christ? Therefore, both the finished mystery and the wisdom of God is surely the Revelation, the unveiling of our Lord Jesus Christ and that of His body, the church, He being the Head.
This is properly revealed in the first three chapters of the Revelation which are the INTRODUCTORY chapters to this revelation.
The book of Revelation foretells the culmination of the Christian race in regaining lost innocence of the human race in the beginning. Like the Gospels, Revelation is divided into four sections genetically related to each other in the spiritual sense. First, the seven golden candlesticks, representing the seven churches, with the Son of Man walking in the midst; second, the opening of the seven seals, third, the sounding of the seven trumpets and fourth the pouring of the seven vials of wrath of God upon the earth, from which there emerges the vision of the Holy City, New Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven. (Rev. 21)
The whole picture describes how the Holy Spirit, (the seven spirits of God in chapter 4) is at work today throughout the world through the progressive opening of the Word, bringing into the light the evils within and without, and operating unfalteringly to separate that which is “unjust and filthy from that which is righteous and holy.” This is involved in the number seven – the sacred day of rest after labor.
The Word opens with man in the garden of Eden “naked and unashamed,” and closes with “the Lamb that was slain” on the throne of heaven, and all the angels acclaiming Him worthy “to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength and honor, and glory, and blessings, for ever and ever.”
The Tree of Life, also is in the center of the garden of yore, at last appears in the center of the Holy City in full fruitage. The leaves of the tree – most blessed promise – are for the healing of the nations as the fruit is for food.
Hence, the book of Revelation is not only the revelation of Him who is the author and finisher of our faith but is also the revelation fromHim also.
First Chapter:
The revelation of Jesus Christ is wholly about the unveiling of himself as to his person…who he is as seen here (Rev. 1:8) where he is (vs 13 and 20). It further reveals how heaven works without ceasing to prepare a holy people, his Church, purified and made ready for his appearing and the restoration of all things through her.
Jesus identifies himself as God Almighty in his church predicting judgment that is to come. He is seen by John banished to the isle of Patmos for the testimony of Jesus Christ. He is seen walking among his seven churches, represented by the seven golden candlesticks and the stars which he holds in his hand, the whole of all His churches in the complex. John is commanded to write in a book the things which are and shall be hereafter. He is told to send what he is told to write to the seven churches which are in Asia.
The message to those seven churches were not just for that particular seven but to the seven churches of all time which shall be hereafter. Regardless of what church you may attend or may walk in today, you are attending or walking into one of those seven churches or a spiritual combination of them, which are presently among us today. The message given to the seven in Asia are as much relevant to the churches today as it was to them of ancient time. The Revelation of Jesus Christ is available to all who will hear today as much as it was to those churches of that age. The Word of God is timeless.
Second and Third Chapters:
There are two classes of churches all of whom Jesus says, “I know thy works,” and concludes each message to each of the seven by saying “he that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.” One group of churches are told to repent lest their candlestick be removed from their midst. Another group of churches are not charged to repent; Jesus knows their works also. Thus, two classes of churches. One class of churches are under Divine mandate to repent. The other class is commended.
His warning to each church that except that they repent, their candlestick will be removed from them. Like the rising and sinking sunlight, light comes and goes by progressive degrees. The sun is the brightest when it is at its zenith, so is the light in the churches. The light comes and goes according to their ability to hear and do those things commanded of them. The rising of the sun or the going down is never by a sudden degree but always by progressive degree. Sometimes those progressive degrees takes generations.
But will they repent of whom is charged with the indictment of their respective error? From this point on until the end of the book both classes are dealt with in their progress from first until last and the various spiritual principles that are involved to their end. The book is written in spiritual language so as to hide it from the proud, the wise and sophisticates. whether they be religious or the academic intellectuals of this world.
Fourth and Fifth Chapters:
Judgment is prepared. ONE sits on the throne for that purpose. Will those churches charged with error of falsities and of works, repent, or will they not? Will the churches not charged to repent go into error or will they maintain their robes of white un-spotted from evils of false doctrine and evils of life until the end?
Sixth Chapter:
The White Horse Rider: Describes the progression of the church from their beginning to their end. They begin with the pure light of Truth in their understanding whereby they make war against the evils of falsities and the evils of life with the power of Divine Truth in their understanding. Their war horse of understanding is white with the glory of God and vigorous in purity of divine truths by which they go forth conquering and overcoming by means of Truth. They are an overcoming church at the first.
The Red Horse Rider: Depicts violence upon the Word of God. Heresies arise among them when violence is inflicted on the Word of God. The multitude of heresies abound until such violence is inflicted on the Word until at last a strange Trinity God is accepted, both adored in their hearts and at last dominates their minds and thoughts. A false Jesus is erected in the Holy Place, the church. The grand abomination of desolation that will desolate the church is now in the visible church, represented in the Tabernacle as the Holy Place where the seven golden candlesticksare positioned as are theTable of shewbread and the golden altar of incense is found.
The Black Horse Rider: Soon enough, famine, not of bread and water but of hearing spiritually the Holy Word of God. Famine and hunger is ever present and only grows progressively severe. The church is malnourished from the lack of the pure, unadulterated Word, the divine Bread send down from heaven. (St. Jn 6) When iniquity of the Priesthood leads into error so does the diminished law of Divine Love grows cold. Spiritual condition goes from bad to worse as error gives birth to more error until the end of that church is seen after which death and hell is final.
The Pale Horse Rider: What was formerly a beautiful healthy green tree in its beauty itsglory fades in a dark, cold climate in a church. This pale color of the leaf of a tree portends death by means of leaf chlorosis condition. Sometimes called “green sickness.” The portend of death is seen in the pale green color. Death and eternal destruction of that church is inevitable of which hell follows closely behind.
Seventh Chapter to the end:
With the use of spiritual language the explanation as to how the two classes of churches, the repentant and the unrepentant, come to their final and everlasting state.
There are only TWO spirits in the earth, to wit, the Spirit of Truth and the spirit of error. Those two spirits are working in all seven churches, the whole of all church in the complex, from Genesis to this day. At the time of judgment in the end, there are only two churches represented by two different women; the harlot church represented by a harlot woman. The other woman is the bride of Christ that becomes the Lamb’s wife. The virgin bride of Christ will refuse to fornicate with the spirit of error of the Word. The fornicating harlot church receives the seed of error into her womb and becomes the mother of many harlot daughters all of whom are possessed of the serpent’s seed of error. Error begets error. On the other hand Truth also begets Truth when the Lamb’s wife has made herself ready to receive her heavenly lover. Divine Truth is always progressive leading on into glory from glory to glory until she stands bright and radiant in the glory of God.
From the beginning unto the ending of Revelation Jesus Christ is revealed in lofty spiritual language the progression, the metamorphosis of each church, the repentant and the unrepentant and the path that each took to arrive at their final spiritual state. This lofty spiritual language is not given to the Doctors of Theology or the Phd of the scholastic class. The spiritual language is altogether hidden from them, the proud and arrogant. To them, the seven sealed book is forever and eternally sealed.
We see two spirits and two women. Truth and error manifest both the virgin and the (adulteress) harlot woman. One obeyed the command to repent, the other did not repent. The glorious end of the repentant church is seen in the final two chapters of the book as a pearly white city of Truth, the New Jerusalem. The destruction of the whorish church of Babylon (city of lies and confusion) is also manifested.
DISCLAIMER: This book is not about the latest changing news headlines by which false teachers titillate the minds fanciful imaginations of their students. The spirit of error sell books and make the teachers rich and famous but error is error nonetheless. The book of Revelation is not about empires and kingdoms of the earth. It is not about marching armies and dried up rivers. It is not about a computer chip, nor is it about communism or an Antichrist to rule the whole world. It is not about the spread of ISIS, Islam or heads of State. It is not about Russia, the Chinese or even the USA. It is not about Nazis, American Presidents, the dollar or anything else that will titillate the adrenaline from sensationalism which inflames the imaginations with error.
From up out of the letter of the Word, there are two spirits presented to each and everyone of us. The Letter alone killeth but the Spirit of Truth in its bosom will give light, life and clarity of understanding. God will send us either the Spirit of Truth by which power we may overcome the world to finally see Jesus in all His splendor and glory or he will send us the spirit of error that we might believe a lie and damn not only our souls but individually contribute to the destruction of the church too. Both spirits emerge up out of the LETTER, the water of the Word of God according to our own willful and voluntary perception according to our love of Truth or our love of vain traditions. Our choice will dictate our direction from one spiritual state to another. It’s is difficult for many to believe that God will send us a lie to knock on our door to determine if we will open up our hearts and minds to hear the hiss of the Serpent, the father of lies. (Read my article entitled “Divine Entrapment.”)
What we believe is our own choice. We have lying prophets, not a few coming to us by the bus loads with books, magazines and CDs to sell. We need to close our ears to the lie and open them to the Spirit of Truth while refusing the distraction from the spirit of error that find it ever so easy to lead us astray.
Sadly, too few of us are truly hungry for the pure Word of God that reveals Jesus in his church by revealing both the Word and Work of God. They much more rather hold on to their error because they like it and they will not forsake all or sell all to follow Jesus in his Word. They will not do it. It’s much too comfortable to remain where they are. They would much rather eat the husk of the letter of the Word rather than the hidden grain itself. They will not sell error in exchange for (Truth) Jesus, the Word of God. They will crucify him afresh again by the spirit of rejection in favor of Barabbas, the thief.
Isa 44:20, “He feedeth on ashes: a deceived heart hath turned him aside, that he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, IS THERE NOT A LIE IN MY RIGHT HAND.”
Pay any price but, by all means, Buy the Truth and sell it not.
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