“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen“
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
God’s final word in Scripture is a word of grace. This is the salutation of the book. Only the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ will keep us through it all. We should add our “amen” to this as well.
The exhortation of grace to Christians stands in stark contrast to those without Christ.
Principle:
Each of us needs to be aware of our need for God’s sustaining grace.
Application:
We have the promise of God’s sustaining grace through anything we might face in life. Whether it be adversity or ecstasy, God promises that His grace will always be there for us.
Jesus may come momentarily. No signs need to be fulfilled before He comes. The rapture is a signless, timeless event. He could come at any moment.
May Jesus come today. Oh, what a blessed day!!
Jesus promised a special blessing to those who study the book of Revelation. I am sure He did that for you in this study.
Thank you Grant for your hard work. I have gained understanding from it. I differ from you in non-essential things, however am grateful for all that you do. God bless!
Thank you Chris. God’s richest blessings on you.
I am puitting this question at end of your commentary because it is a geneal question and specific to a passage in Revelation:
In Ephesians it explains Christ's descent into Hell and how he took the righeious with him to Heaven.
Yes, in Revelations, the Saints cry out asking how long till they are taken. How long do they have to wait.
One explanation tells that we all reside in the holding area of Hades: one side paradise, one side the hot dry place. Until Jesus' second coming when all the Saints will rise up before those who are still on earth.
Then there is scripture that says since Christ's resurrection, the righteous to directly to be with Him.
Can you untangle this for me? Thanks.
Ann, your question is very involved so I decided to send an article from the Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible:
NT usage. The Greek word had?s is used only ten times in the NT (eleven times if one includes the textual variant in 1 Cor. 15:55, but the more reliable MSS have thanate, “O death”). The term is translated “hell” in the KJV, but the same rendering is used for geenna G1147 (see GEHENNA), which refers to the place of eternal punishment. The NRSV maintains the transliteration “Hades” throughout, whereas the NIV uses several renderings.
In Matt. 11:23 (and in the parallel passage, Lk. 10:15) Hades is used to describe the tragic fate awaiting unrepentant CAPERNAUM. That city will be “brought down to Hades” (NIV, “to the depths”) in marked contrast to being “exalted to heaven.” Apparently Hades is here considered to be a place of punishment. Christ promises that the “gates of Hades” will not prevail against his CHURCH (Matt. 16:18). Although this text has usually been interpreted otherwise (no doubt because of the influence of the rendering “hell” for Hades), the promise probably means that even death itself will not be able to prevent God’s people from sharing in the victory of Christ.
Hades is also the place to which the rich man went when he was buried, in contrast to ABRAHAM’S BOSOM, to which poor Lazarus was transported by angels when he died (Lk. 16:23; NIV, “hell”). This passage (a parable by Jesus) gives far more information about Hades than any other in the NT, but to what extent the language is parabolic and to what extent it is to be taken literally is a question upon which commentators are not agreed. Hades is described here as a place of “torment” in which the wicked dwell in flames, a condition that produces “agony” and specifically a desire to have one’s tongue cooled by water (v. 24). Furthermore, although presumably in a disembodied state, the rich man could “lift up his eyes” (KJV) to see those on the other side of the “great chasm”; and he believed that Lazarus could “dip the tip of his finger in water.” In the parable, conversation is possible between the inhabitants of Abraham’s bosom and of Hades, although no one can cross from one realm to the other. See LAZARUS AND DIVES.
Hades is mentioned twice by PETER in his sermon on the day of PENTECOST (Acts 2:27, 31; NIV, “grave”). In the first instance, Peter quotes Ps. 16:10, where Hades is a translation of Sheol, and in the second instance he applies this Psalm as a prophecy of the RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST; because he rose from the dead, Christ was not detained in Hades, and thus the prophecy was fulfilled.
Finally, the word Hades is used four times in the book of Revelation. Jesus describes himself as possessing “the keys of death and Hades” (Rev. 1:18). In 6:8 John sees a pale horse whose rider is named Death, “and Hades was following close behind him.” These terms are coupled two additional times: at the final judgment, “death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them” and then “death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire” (20:13–14). This last reference apparently teaches that Hades is a temporary place that will be destroyed at the end of the world.
As one considers these instances of NT usage, there appears to be some variation in the way the term Hades is used. Sometimes it seems almost to be equated with death itself, and therefore to be the condition into which both the godly and the ungodly enter. Elsewhere it appears to be the temporary abode of the ungodly prior to the final judgment, whereas the godly go immediately to be with the Lord in glory. G. Vos seeks to solve this problem by distinguishing between Hades as a place and as a state. According to him, only the ungodly go to the place called Hades, whereas the godly go into the state of disembodied existence, which is designated by the same word.
Other passages of the NT are sometimes interpreted as referring to Hades, although they do not mention the word itself. According to Eph. 4:9, Christ “descended into the lower parts of the earth” (KJV), and this statement was interpreted by the church fathers and some later commentators as describing a DESCENT INTO HADES by Christ after his death. However, other commentators claim that this passage simply speaks of Christ’s coming down from heaven to earth (cf. NIV). Another passage, 1 Pet. 3:19, says that Christ “went and preached to the spirits in prison”; this verse too has been interpreted by some to refer to a descent of Christ into Hades at his death. (Cf. further G. Bartle, The Scriptural Doctrine of Hades [1869]; J. P. Lange, A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures: The Revelation of John [1874], 364–77; W. O. E. Oesterley, Immortality and the Unseen World [1921]; J. Jeremias in TDNT, 1:146–49; DDD, 382–83; OCD, 661–62.)
Silva, M., & Tenney, M. C. (2009). In The Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible, H-L. Grand Rapids, MI: The Zondervan Corporation.
Hello grant, I want to use this medium to commend your work in taking out time to explain the scriptures in such a way that one would understand perfectly. Thanks for your commentary, now I understand the book F revelation better. Been following your commentaries on other chapters of the bible it has really enlightened me. Thanks sir
Konani, thanks for your comments. They are encouraging.
Hello Grant, How can i get access to all your Studies of over 4000, the studies in the article category are not really much. awaiting your response. Thanks
Did you try the right column? First book then verse. Once you are at a verse you can go back or forward.
Thanks Grant your commentaries have so helpful to understanding the misery of the book of Revelation. May the Lord continue to increase you in knowledge, grace, strength and understanding.
Grant, I want to thank you for the gift that your study of the book of Revelation has been to me. I have just finished (10/18/21) this study after spending the last year going through the Book of Revelation (started on 9/26/20). Your insight on the Word and factual explanation has been a blessing to me and so may others. May you continue to be used by the Lord in the work to further His Kingdom and to educate His saints and open the eyes of those skeptical of The Word of God! Well done good and faithful servant!
Graham, thanks for the blessing.