The Revelation of Jesus Christ - The Herald

visions. However, these visions in which He is seen in person are designed to show His
relation to the Church in the various operations of His office. For instance, His performing
certain duties of His office as a priest is represented in His walking among the candlesticks
(Rev. 1:13); His receiving the revelation of future events from the Father is portrayed in
His receiving the sealed scroll (Rev. 5:7); His intercession in heaven in behalf of His
Church on earth is seen in the vision where He is represented as presenting the incense
and prayers which go up to the Father from the saints on earth. There are other instances
in which He appears in vision, performing the duties of His office to His Church in her
suffering, witnessing state on earth, as also those which show His authority as King and
Judge, which we need not mention.
Very truly has the meaning of the word revelation as used in this text been explained to be
"a disclosure of an extraordinary character, beyond the mere ability of man, by a special
communication from heaven. This is manifest, not only from the usual meaning of this
word, but by the word prophecy in verse 3, and by all the arrangements by which these
things were made known. The ideas which would be naturally conveyed by the use of this
word in this connection are two: first, that there was something which was before hidden,
obscure, or unknown: and second, that this was so disclosed by these communications as
to be seen or known. The things hidden or unknown were those which pertained to the
future; the method of disclosing them was mainly by symbols."
The well chosen language of another is interesting in this connection:
"Note the simplicity of the introduction to this most wonderful book. The Apostle did not
write the title as it appears in our Bibles--'The Revelation of St. John the Divine.' On the
contrary, he claims no credit for the revelation; for it was not his. As he distinctly explains,
it was from our Lord Jesus Christ, and to Him from God the Father. Nor was it even to St.
John in any special sense; but, as he again declares, unto God's servants, sent by His
'servant John.' This simplicity, common to all the Apostles, commends them to us as men
of humble mind--the very kind we should expect our Lord to use as special messengers to
His people. This simplicity, this absence of boastfulness, so noticeable in the writings of all
the Apostles, marks them as being in the ministry, not for the gratification of vanity, or for
earthly rewards of any kind, but simply as the servants of God, who delighted to do His
will, and to tell the Good Tidings, to the utter ignoring of themselves, except in so far as
mention of themselves and their affairs might be necessary."
The revelations are given in symbols: "And He sent and signified it [revealed by signs or
symbols] by His angel unto His servant John." To signify is to show or make known by
signs or symbols. It is then a book of symbols--symbolic visions. Its true meaning,
therefore, is veiled in symbols, and to understand it, a process of translation must take
place. One has said as illustrating this:
"If on opening a letter from a friend, the first sentence that met the eye was, 'I write in
Latin in order that my letter may not be understood by all,' we should at once be prepared
to translate as we read; we should not pore over a certain combination of letters and