"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;" Romans 1:18
"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;" Romans 1:18
Although, the Bible has remained the same, word for word, since its completion approximately 1,930 years ago when God gave unto John the last book of the Bible: The Revelation, much of what has been understood from Scripture, by God’s mercy, has occurred over these last 50 years. This is because God has opened from His Word, The Bible, that which was previously sealed until this appointed time in history. He has given understanding according to His timetable in revealing truth. He has revealed His Word to common, simple people, who search and prayerfully read and study the Word every day, mulling over it, comparing scripture with scripture with all humility and dependability on God to reveal His truth on His timetable rather than ours. This is spoken of as progressive revelation.
God has not brought out this understanding by means of dreams, visions, tongues, voices, feelings or other books, neither through theological academia. He has removed the veil on His Word completely apart from the capability of the corporate churches, the local congregations, and the clergy that have authority over them to recognize. God has “opened the book and loosed the seals,” of His Word to those who read, study, and prayerfully consider all of the Bible outside of the corporate churches and congregations and the clergy that have authority over them.
Examples of progressive revelation include: “And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.” Mark 8:3.
Christ clearly taught the disciples that He would be killed and rise again in this passage, yet the disciples were completely oblivious to Christ’s statement. “For he taught his disciples, and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day. But they understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask him.” (Mark 9:31) The disciples did not understand these simple statements made by Christ until after He rose again. “He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. And they remembered his words,” (Luke 24:6-8). Christ had revealed to the disciples that He would be killed, however, it was not until after He rose again did He give them understanding of what He said. Therefore, God hides truth in seemingly simple statements. “How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:” (Ephesians 3:3-6). Here God reveals the “mystery” unto Paul and other believers, that the Gentiles would be part of God’s Kingdom, even though this truth was written in the Bible approximately 500 years before the book of the Ephesians. “And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.” (Isaiah 11:10). “All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name.” (Psalm 86:9). These verses were in the Old Testament, of which Paul was very familiar being a Pharisee, yet not until God applied the gift of the washing of regeneration unto salvation to Paul, and in God’s timeline for revealing truth to Paul, did he understand that God’s elect would be made up of people from all over the world.
A pattern developing through this section on progressive revelation is:
A powerful example of the God’s timetable for the revealing of truth, and to the elect, is in the book of Daniel. “And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what [shall be] the end of these [things]?And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words [are] closed up and sealed till the time of the end. Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.” (Daniel 12:8-10).
The timeline for the revealing is at the end, which we will clearly recognize as the time we reside in now existing within the Biblical Timeline of history, and the information is given to the “wise” which is the elect of God. “And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.” (Daniel 12:3) The revealing of complex language is given according to God’s timetable. “For the vision [is] yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.” (Habakkuk 2:3) “Thou hast heard, see all this; and will not ye declare [it]? I have shewed thee new things from this time, even hidden things, and thou didst not know them.”(Isaiah 48:6)
The fact that God reveals truth on His timeline from the Bible unto His elect is clearly demonstrated in Proverbs 25:2. “[It is] the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings [is] to search out a matter.” God purposely conceals the truth from scripture according to his time and the “kings” which are the elect in this context, search by studying the Bible, comparing spiritual with spiritual (scripture with scripture). Kings represent the elect in the following verses. “And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him [be] glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen”(Revelation 1:6) “[It is he] that giveth salvation unto kings: who delivereth David his servant from the hurtful sword.”(Psalm 144:10)
A revealing verse often overlooked, is found in Amos 3:7, “Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.” The prophets can be shown to be the elect of God. All believers are empowered by the Holy Spirit to proclaim the Word of God and to prophecy means to speak the Word of God. All the elect can proclaim the Gospel. The revealing of the secret, which is contained in the scriptures is given entirely by God. “Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,”(Luke 24:45) “Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things.” (II Timothy 2:7) But [there is] a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding.” (Job 32:8)
It becomes clear that God has revealed the meaning of certain context in the Bible according to His timeline plan and that He reveals the meaning of certain passages to His elect, His Kings, His prophets, His elect, all the same. Now we will see that through His revealing and unto His elect, He has given the understanding from the Bible, what the Great Tribulation was and how close we are indeed to the very end of this world.
The Book of Revelation in chapters 5 through 10 speaks of the removal of the seals and the subsequence outcome from their opening. The seals identify with the Bible, and only Christ can open them. That is, only Christ can reveal the information and truths of the Bible. “And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.”(Revelation 5:1-5)
“A book written within and on the backside” refers to the fact that the book,(The Bible) is a complete package of information. The book being “sealed” has to do with spiritual truth being hidden. When we are not given spiritual eyes to see and spiritual ears to hear, we cannot understand the hidden truths in the Bible that God reveals to His elect. “For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered. And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which [men] deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it [is] sealed:” (Isaiah 29:10-11)
We will see that this verse speaks to those who remain in the churches and congregations and the fact that the truths God is revealing to His elect outside of the churches was sealed to those still in them. Through Revelation 5 through 10, the seven seals are opened and the book that was sealed is opened. “And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and [his] left [foot] on the earth,” (Revelation 10:2) “And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go [and] take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth.”(Revelation 10:8)
The opening of the seals identifies with the opening of the book, the Bible. That is the revealing of truth coming from the open Bible that Christ illuminates. The seals do not represent chronological events; however we have a clear understanding of their meanings which have been hidden for almost 2000 years. The phrase, “Come and See” in Revelation 6:1,3,5,7, indicates to us that we can now “see” that is understand, what these passages are teaching. God has opened our spiritual eyes. “And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all [these] things are done in parables: That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and [their] sins should be forgiven them.”(Mark 4:11-12)
God, in fact, was able to hide the meanings of the events in Revelation for centuries because the consensus of theologians and pastors wanted to understand these verses chronologically. An example of God opening up understanding is seen in Ezekiel 2:9-10, “And when I looked, behold, an hand [was] sent unto me; and, lo, a roll of a book [was] therein; And he spread it before me; and it [was] written within and without: and [there was] written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe.”
The roll of the book is the Bible. “Take thee a roll of a book, and write therein all the words that I have spoken unto thee against Israel, and against Judah, and against all the nations, from the day I spake unto thee, from the days of Josiah, even unto this day.” (Jeremiah 36:2) Ezekiel 2:10 teaches that God opened the roll of the book which relates perfectly with Revelation 5. God reveals the truths from the Bible according to His timetable and He reveals the simple and complicated truths from the Bible exclusively for His elect.