T HE K I N G ’S B U S I N E S S his faith. B u t while he was living amid the stones and rocks of th a t b arren is land, w ith only perhaps a few rough, un lettered salt m iners for associates, he was tak en in- th e Spirit 2,000 years a- head of his tim e to associate w ith Jesus in th e exercise of His Lord- ship over the earth. And remember th a t John is no t a w itness from th e earth, b u t he is caught th ru the door into Heaven to see events tran sp iring on th e earth from H eaven’s viewpoint. John is commanded by the voice, which he heard behind him, to w rite past things, p resen t things and fu tu re things 1:19. We are told in 4:1 to "Come up hither, and I will show thee th e th ing s which must come to pass h ereafter.” Thus we g ath er th a t from th is point on th e events of the book are fu tu re events. If th is be so, then, the second and th ird chapters are describ ing th e p resen t events of th is dispen sation, or “ th e things th a t are.” This leaves only th e first chapter to give us th e p ast things, namely, Jesus in the glory and John on the Isle of Patmos. As we follow th is fu tu ritiv e in terp reta tion of the book, which seems th e most logical to us, we are not unm indful of „those godly men, who believe th a t th is book is th e key to all history, each scene in it referring to some historical event. N either do we forget those who have made a sp iritual application of the tru th s of th is book to th e Christian liv ing of God’s people down th ru th e cen turies. But we shall be careful no t to spiritualize away its message to the church, th e world, and to Israel by ap plying these g reat earth ly and heavenly events to Christian living alone. Having then discovered th e main out line of th e book to be as follows: Chapter I— The P ast Things, Chapters II and III— The P re s e n t' Things, Chapters IV through XXII— The F u tu re Events.
882 fact th a t It is a revelation of Jesus Christ, given by God to Him, to he given to H is angel to reveal to John. This book should be read for no other reason th an to see Jesus. But most of all to see H im as He -will be revealed in th e Day of th e Lord. The Greek word tran slated revelation means an unveil ing. This, then, is an unveiling of Jesus during th a t period of th e world’s h istory a t th e close of th is age. Here in LCor. 1:7, th e Corinthian Christians are exhorted not “ to come behind in any g ift; waiting for th e REVELATION of our Lord Jesus Christ.” And th e Thessalonian Christians are urged (II Thess. 1 :7 ) to “re st w ith us, a t th e REVELATION of th e Lord Jesus from Heaven w ith th e angels of H is power in flaming fire.” Or, as P eter puts It, I Pet. 1:13, “ Set your hope perfectly on th e grace th a t is to be brought unto you a t th e REVELATION of Jesus Christ.” And Jesus, Himself, spoke of His revelation in Luke 17:30 where He said, “ In th e day th a t th e Son of-Man is REVEALED." This is no t a sealed book, like Daniel’s prophecy, b u t an un veiling of Jésus during “ th e day of the Lord.” This is evidently th e reason why John in 1:10 is in th e Spirit on th e “Day of th e Lord." Not Sunday, as many have thought, b u t tak en from th e Isle of Patmos across th is D ispensation of Grace to be present in the day of Jesu s’ Revealing, A num ber of th e best scholars have rendered 1 :10 “ In th e Spirit I was present a t th e “Day of the Lord.”. T hat period of Jesu s’ Lordship over th e e a rth a t th e end of th is age. Isa. 2:11, 1 2 ;Isa. 13:6, 8 ,1 3 ; Isa. 34:8; Jer. 46:10; Ezek. 7 :19 ; Ezek. 13 :5 ; Joel 1 :1 5 ; Jo e l 2:1, 2, 11, 31; Joel 3: 14; Amos 5 :18 ; Zeph. 1:7, 8 , 14, 15; Zeph. 2 :2 , 3; Zech. 14 :1 ; Mai. 4:5. These passages have th e ir local applica tion as well as th e ir fu tu re fulfillment. The Apostle John w rote from Patmos about 96 A. D., being banished th e re for
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