Daily Bread - Feb 02 07

Revelation 1:19: "Write therefore what you have seen and the things that are and the things that are about to take place after these things."

The Gospel of John is organized as a chronology giving us the necessary information that allows us to understand the length of the ministry of Jesus. Without the gospel of John we would not have the evidence to support that Jesus' ministry was any more than a year and a half in length. The book of Revelation is also organized in a logical chronology of events. The first indication of the chronology of the book of Revelation is given in this verse which is also the key to understanding the way that this book of prophecy is organized.

The book of Revelation is organized into three sections:
First: "What you have seen," which was the vision of the Son of Man and is recorded in chapter 1.
Second: "The things which are," concerning the church recorded in chapters 2-3.
Third: "The things that are about to take place after these things," which begins in chapter 4.

One obvious fact that underscores these three divisions is that, in chapters 2 through 3, the word church occurs seven times. However, from Revelation 4:1 to 22:21, the word church totally disappears. The chronological order of the book of Revelation is further served by the fact that there are seven seals, seven trumpets, and the seven vials that are dealt with sequentially through the events of this book.

Other than a few obvious parenthetical statements, the chronological sequence is uninterrupted. The Greek phrase "meta tauta" - which means "after these things" and marks the final section of the book of Revelation - appears in chapter 4 verse 1 where it opens and closes with these words "meta tauta" (after these things) underscoring the transition that has been outlined here in verse 19.

Blessings,

Pastor Mark Spitsbergen
abidingplace.org