Disciples Global Network

In  Revelation , John saw countless followers of the “ Lamb ” exiting the “ Great Tribulation ” after persevering through it. This striking image is central to his vision of the “ Innumerable Multitude ,” the men from every nation and people who were redeemed by the blood of Jesus. Having “ overcome ,” John saw them standing triumphantly in worship and celebration before the “ Lamb ” and the “ Throne ” in the “ Holy City, New Jerusalem .”

The terms “ tribulation ” and “ wrath ” are  NOT  synonymous in Paul’s letters or the  Book of Revelation . “ Tribulation ” is what the disciples of Jesus endure for his sake. “ Wrath ” is the horrific fate that awaits the wicked at the final judgment. In his first letter to the Thessalonians, Paul writes that God did not appoint them to “ wrath .” Yet, in the same letter, he states that believers are destined for “ tribulation .”

The promises of the Hebrew Bible are fulfilled in the Son of God and Messiah of Israel, Jesus of Nazareth, period . The promises of God find their fulfillment in Jesus Christ. “ In him ,” they find their “ Yea ” and “ Amen .” The things that were once “ hidden ” are revealed in the life, words, death, resurrection, and exaltation of the Son of God, the one in whom all the shadows and types of the Hebrew Bible are actualized. All of God’s “ mysteries ” are laid bare in the Nazarene, especially in his Death and Resurrection.

Jesus has reigned as Sovereign over the Earth since his Death and Resurrection, already he is seated on the Messianic Throne. Because of his obedience, he is the “ Ruler of the Kings of the Earth .” Before his Ascension, he declared that God had bestowed all authority on him - “ In Heaven and on Earth .” Thus, his authority is without limits and a present reality.

The Church has been plagued for centuries by prophets, seers, and mystics who claim to possess secret knowledge and new insights into the mysteries of God beyond anything found in the Scriptures, knowledge obtained via visions and dreams, or perhaps by deciphering the Hebrew alphabet or the Jewish calendar. The Bible certainly does speak of God’s “ mysteries ,” His unexpected ways that differ radically from human wisdom, but they were disclosed in His Son twenty centuries ago.

Jesus is the only true Light of the World, and his light shines all the brighter amidst the darkness that tyrannizes the present age. All competing claims are false . “ Life ” is found in the “ Word ” or ‘ Logos ’ (λογος), and this life is the “ Light of men .” The Light is “ shining in the darkness ,” and the darkness “ cannot seize ” or suppress it. This same “ Word ” has become the Living Word of God in Jesus of Nazareth, in whom the glory, salvation, and life of God are manifested for all men to see - (John 1:1).