The book of Revelation is a wonderful and all-inclusive book. It is the consummation of all the Bible. Nearly all the points and subjects in the Bible are consummated in this book. Without it, there is no consummation. At the beginning of Revelation, we see the local churches with Christ walking in their midst. Then at the end of this book, there is the holy city, New Jerusalem, God’s habitation for eternity. In the beginning there are the churches, and at the end there is the New Jerusalem. The local churches and the New Jerusalem are two aspects of one thing. The local churches will eventually issue in the New Jerusalem. The New Jerusalem is the ultimate consummation of the local churches. We all must see this.
Between the local churches and the New Jerusalem there are many things. The things we are interested in depend upon what kind of Christian we are. When I was young, I was with a group of Christians who were often in this book. They always talked about the beasts, the ten horns, the seven eyes, or sometimes the seven seals, the seven trumpets, and the seven vials. Many times they taught me concerning the three and a half years, forty-two months, and twelve hundred and sixty days. Their mathematics in this book were exact. As a young man I had the desire to know all these things, and they did not disappoint me. However, after I had learned these things, I became dead. It took the Lord much grace to make me alive.
Some may wonder why these things would deaden me. Are these not things that are in the book of Revelation? Are these not scriptural matters? Yes they are. But when you eat peanuts, what part do you eat? Do you pick up the peanut, break it, drop the kernel, and eat the shell? Never. But do not the shells belong to the peanut? Without the shells, the kernel could never grow. Yet no one would be so foolish as to drop the kernel and eat the shell. However, among all Christians, everyone seems to be so foolish when coming to the Bible. We neglect the kernel, and choose the shell. We even use many ways to grind the shell into powder and make bread with the shell powder. But even then it is not tasteful. I was forced to feed on these shells for over seven years, and thus became so dead.
Praise the Lord that in these last forty years, when I come to the book of Revelation, I forget about the beast, the ten horns, and the seven heads! I was with that poor beast long enough. In these past years I have begun to see the Christ in this book. In chapter one, He is the wonderful Son of Man. His head is white, His eyes are flaming, and His face is shining. His robe covers His whole being, and His golden girdle is on His breast. He is caring so much for all the churches. This is what we must see in this book. This wonderful One is so much more precious than the ugly beast. His seven eyes are more marvelous than the seven heads.
In these days I do not like to study the seven trumpets and the seven vials. I would much rather deal with the seven lampstands, the seven Spirits, the seven stars, and the seven churches. Many have chosen the wrong set of sevens. They only know the seven trumpets, the seven vials, and the seven heads. Praise the Lord for another set of sevens! Seven lampstands, seven Spirits, seven stars, and seven churches! I would never trade this set of sevens for the other. There are too many wonderful things in the book of Revelation for us to pay so much attention to the shell.
In Revelation 12 we see a wonderful woman. She is clothed with the sun, and under her feet is the moon. Upon her head is a crown of twelve stars. Is not this much better than the beast? We need the shell for the sake of the kernel, but we should always realize which is the most important. Undoubtedly, this wonderful woman is part of the kernel, and the ugly beast is but a part of the empty shell.
Then in Revelation 14 we read of 144,000 followers of the Lamb. “And I looked, and lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Zion, and with Him an hundred forty and four thousand, having His Father’s name written in their foreheads....These are they which were not defiled with woman; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb” (Rev. 14:1, 4). Eventually these followers of the Lamb will be the firstfruits. Who are they? They are not a special kind of people. They are just like you and me. They are the redeemed of this earth. They are not angels. They will be the firstfruits unto God and unto the Lamb. At this time the Lamb is not on earth, but on mount Zion. This is the heavenly mountain where God is.
In typology, the firstfruits were brought into the temple to present to the Lord. God Himself enjoyed the freshness of the firstfruits. When the harvest time comes, the harvest will not be brought into the temple, but to the air, which is between the heavenly temple and the earth (Rev. 14:14-16). In any type of farming, there is the farm, the barn, and the farmer’s home. The barn is always between the farm and the home. It is halfway. The farmer does not take the firstfruits into the barn, but into the home for his own enjoyment. Then, later, the harvest is brought into the barn. Our Father’s home is the temple on the heavenly mount Zion. Therefore, the firstfruits of His farm will not be brought into the “barn” in the air, but to the temple which is on mount Zion in the heavens. Then the harvest will be brought into the “barn.” This is really wonderful.
I love to study the wonderful Son of Man. I love to study the seven local churches, the seven lampstands, the seven stars, and the seven Spirits. I also love this wonderful woman and this wonderful crop with the firstfruits and the harvest. But as we read on we come to a horrible scene. It is the great Babylon, the great harlot, the mother of harlots. She is in Revelation 17 and 18. We do not need to spend much time here. We only need to know that she is fallen, and the Lord calls all His people to come out of her (Rev. 18:2, 4).