Taking the Book of Revelation Literally

Bible critics love to hate the Book of Revelation. Yet, those who hate this book are not as dangerous as those who deny the literalness of this masterpiece of prophecy. A literal study of Revelation will reveal that this great book of the Bible canon takes the entire prophecy picture from all other sixty-five books and places each truth in a chronological order. It is GodÂ’s finished picture, His authorized outline, and His undefeatable plan for completed redemption.

When I study the Book of Revelation, I can sense that our omniscient God knew of the future wrangling over prophetic truths and settled the whole matter with this finished prophetic work. This book is first a Revelation of Jesus Christ. He is the Redeemer and He stands at the center focus from chapter one to chapter twenty-two. It is an unveiling of the exalted Christ that "Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." (Philippians 2:6-8). The Father gave this Revelation to His Son as the picture of His glorious triumphant future over all the powers of the Heaven, the Earth, and beneath the Earth.

This book also presents the Father in a glorious manner. Not until we come to Revelation chapter four does the Father manifest Himself unveiled before the saints of the ages. David cried out, "As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness." (Psalm 17:15). To see Him demands that we be clothed in our eternal garments of glorification. Even the sun will have no further need to shine as He and His Son become the Light of His universe.

But, the message of this book is a message exclusively written to the church. There are many participants, but they are not central to the message. From the great angelic host down to the unholy trinity of Satan and his false christ and false anointing, these participants share in the last unredeemed earthly period before the one thousand years of Jesus ChristÂ’s earthly reign. His saints, redeemed from the ages are His prize and jewels. They include all of His overcoming elders from both the first Testament period and the church age. The typological numbers of twenty-four elders in Revelation 4:4 to Revelation 19:4 must include His blood-washed of both dispensations. This book was written to the church to show His saints our titles or positions during the Great Tribulation and beyond.

I have prepared a color timeline of the church throughout the twenty-two chapters of this masterpiece of prophecy. The church was given five different titles to express our positions of authority. Each of these titles are represented in a different period of this book and do not overlap at all. They are clear descriptions of what the Lord Jesus Christ Himself and the Father have prepared for us concerning our roles for the future. It is so important to understand that this book is the Revelation of Jesus Christ in which He makes us central with Him and His Father for eternity.

The Five Titles of the Saints
The Church: The first title for His saints is given in chapters one, two, and three. We are called His church, His ecclesia, or His people sat in authority to transact His business on this earth. Those three chapters, especially two and three, delivered a hard-hitting message of commendations and reproofs to direct His church to the highest ideals of righteousness. Great responsibility is laid on the saints within the church age, but that age ends at the beginning of chapter four. The Rapture occurs and the saints are never called the church again. This role, as His authority on earth, is complete when John is caught up to Heaven to view her prophetic future after the church.

The Elders: The second title, beginning with Revelation chapter four, has the saints now called His elders. These elders are clearly redeemed, glorified, and appear in the unveiled presence of the eternal Father Himself. The typological number of these elders is twenty-four, but the literal number is clearly stated in Revelation chapter five. "And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands." (Revelation 5:11).

The word elder first appears in Revelation 4:4 and appears last in Revelation 19:4. They are called elders twelve times during this period and seven of those times they are called twenty-four elders. This exact period is from the beginning to the end of the preparation and transaction of the Seven Year Great Tribulation. Our title and position of elders places us in Heaven with the Lord Himself and the Heavenly Father. We share in the judgments of this earth and are clearly His choice jewels redeemed from among men. These are "overcoming" saints that have earned the right to share authority with the Heavenly Trinity and the host of angels. They are called elders throughout this Seven Year Tribulation period. The reason they appear on thrones is because of their position with their Crowning King to judge and redeem the earth. "Elders" suggest those who rule with the Shepherd and the Lord of Lords.

The Armies: Our third title is named "armies, which were in Heaven" and states that we return with the one named, "Faithful and True." This is the Lord Himself and the elders (no longer called elders), but now called His "army" returning to fight the Battle of Armageddon with Him. After the seven-year period of the Great Tribulation in which we serve with Him in the seven-sealed judgments, we return to finish off the Antichrist and False Prophet and to subdue the nations of the earth. The Bible plainly states that we are going to judge angels and the nations. This is an indefinite period between the seven years and the One Thousand Year Reign. It shows the overcomers that were raptured and possibly the Tribulation saints of Revelation Seven being an invincible army setting the earthly kingdom in order to serve the Lord Jesus Christ.

Our position as an army is clearly under the "Lord Sabboath" or "Lord of a Host" and no doubt includes angels, seraphims, and cherubims. Maybe even the archangels will share in this incredible triumph over the earth. The Scriptures do not go into great detail concerning this great victory in which the entire earth becomes His kingdom and all political powers become the duty of His saints. By the time the army of saints is finished, the earth is ready for the period the Holy Word calls the "Millennial Reign of Jesus Christ."

John speaks of the Lord and His army with victorious terms. "And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh." (Revelation 19:19-21). Now, the earth is ready for a righteous government.

Kings & Priests: Our fourth title as His saints is as "kings and priests." The earth is now His earth and righteousness covers the cosmos. There are natural people that still have a sin nature, but there is no devil available to tempt them (He is in the bottomless pit.). The King of the earth reigns from Jerusalem and the saints rule the earth under the King of kings.

The Old Testament writers clearly understood the glory of this kingdom. In fact, they truly expected the Messiah to establish that kingdom at His first coming. ThatÂ’s one of the key reasons they rejected Jesus Christ as that Messiah. It will be a righteous kingdom. "In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD; and the pots in the LORDÂ’S house shall be like the bowls before the altar. Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the LORD of hosts: and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them, and seethe therein: and in that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts." (Zechariah 14:20-21).

Isaiah added to this incredible picture. "And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called the way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein. No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there. And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away." (Isaiah 35:8-10).

Not only will it be a righteous kingdom for mankind, but a gentle, kindly earth where nature and the creatures return to a Garden of Eden disposition. The Holy Ghost said, concerning the King of kings and His reign, "But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatriceÂ’ den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea." (Isaiah 11:4-9).

The Saints will be His ambassadors and rulers throughout the entire earth. We will reign as kings and priests. The overcoming saints will have rule of the cities, the states, and the nations. There will be no judges that are not glorified saints acting in total harmony with the great King. The local judges and the Supreme courts will be godly saints that have earned the right to rule.

The Bride of Christ: The fifth and eternal title of His raptured saints is the "Bride of Christ." We have progressively moved from His church, the established authority of the Lord appointed on this earth, to His elders in Heaven during the Great Tribulation; then, to His army as He returns to secure the nations; His kings and priests during the one thousand years; and, finally, to His Bride for eternity. This is an incredible picture of the order of Revelation. This masterpiece of Literature is not written just to give information about prophecy, but an orderly picture of all future events, especially after the saints are caught up at the Rapture.

This Heavenly Bride will be united in a spiritual union and will inherit a prepared city, called New Jerusalem. Even this city is called the "Holy City" and is described as "a bride adorned for her husband." John declares this city. "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." (Revelation 21:1-4).

This eternal city is not a place of a mixed multitude, as religion would suggest today. The lines are drawn to show the overcomer, the victorious saints as His eternal family, and the rest of mankind, regardless of their claims or their professions, as removed from His presence into eternal death (Lake of Fire). "He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death." (Revelation 21:7-8).

What a picture emerges from this breathtaking Book of Revelation when everything is taken literally. There are typologies, but the Biblical picture of those types is still literal and must be kept in order. If we will apply this same literalness to the seals, trumpets, and vials, as well as Satan, the Antichrist, and the False Prophet, this book will become a book of clear prophecies beginning to unfold before our faces. It is clear to me that the stage is being set for this prophecy to move out of Revelation chapter three and to proceed into chapter four and beyond. The Rapture, "Come up hither," can occur at any moment.

Over the next months, we will share together in different aspects of this masterpiece of prophecy. Our videos are already making a fantastic impact. The fifth will be ready this month (December 2000). The full color timelines are breathtaking tools to help in understanding the prophecies of Revelation. Please note the list of these Timelines; some are ready, others are still being prepared. LetÂ’s make the Book of Revelation come alive for this generation. It is GodÂ’s perfect picture of future events.