Jesus as the Apocalypse of the Church
By Christopher Mack
For the last 2000 years, the world has been witnessing a revelation of Jesus Christ. He has been manifested in and through His followers who are the saints. The church is known as the "Body," the "Bride," the "Temple," and the "Holy City." Even the biblical terminology helps us to understand that the link between Christ and the church is close and is clearly revealed.
As we will see, this truth is a major key in the hand of the bible student. With this key, we can gain new ground in the interpretation of the New Testament, the history and the future of the church, and the Revelation of John in particular.
The NT is continually linking Christ with the church.
Jesus is the Shepherd. His people are the sheep.
Jesus is the Vine. His people are the branches.
Jesus is the rich root. His people; believing Jews and Gentiles
are the olive tree.
Jesus is the High Priest. His people are a royal priesthood.
Jesus is the Master. His people are slaves.
Jesus is the Teacher. His people are the disciples.
Jesus is the Bridegroom. His people are the bride.
Jesus is the King. His people are the kingdom.
Christ is the Head. His church is the body.
For good reason, Paul has chosen the metaphors of the "head" and the "body". He is creating and defining the linkage. What happens to the "Head", happens to the "body". Where the Head goes, the body goes. Sometimes the connection between the Head and the body; that is the connection between Christ and His church, is so close that the line differentiating the two gets blurred.
Therefore, what we are seeing here is a principle, a methodology, a hermeneutic, that will enable us to systematically interpret and understand the scriptures as they relate to the history and to the future of the church. What happened to the Head, that is Christ, is a pattern of what will happen to the church through time until Jesus returns. What Christ experienced in microcosm, the church experiences in macrocosm.
If this postulation is indeed correct and viable, then careful attention and study must be made of every aspect of Christ’s ministry. We must examine His words, His actions, and the situations that He found Himself in; and take note of the people that He interacted with. We must take note of the statements that others made about Him and the effect of these parties in regard to Him. We need to consider most carefully the passion, the suffering at Calvary, the resurrection and ascension of Christ. We need to consider His offices of Prophet, Priest, and King. We need to think about His relationship with His Father as Son, Heir, and Representative. As we do, a pattern will emerge. It is a pattern that the church follows.
We know that many persons, institutions, offices and even events that we have seen in the Old Testament are types and patterns of Christ and the N.T. church. The N.T. prophets interpreted and applied these types and used them to prove and explain that Jesus of Nazareth was Christ and Messianic King. The next step is when the proto-types of the O.T. are filtered through the Person, the teachings and the purpose of Christ to form a pattern for what is to follow in the experience of the church. The experience of Israel of the O.T. is repeated to some degree in the experience of the N.T. church. But it is important to recognize that these O.T. patterns are Christianized. A correct understanding is possible only when the information is seen in light of Christ. And as we will see; Christ is revealed through His church.
The book of Revelation is the "revelation of Jesus Christ". In it Jesus is revealed. Yet as we have studied Revelation, it is difficult to miss the close link between Christ and His people. A multitude of metaphors is used to describe the church and her relationship to Christ. As we know, the book of Rev. contains 100’s of words, concepts, echoes, allusions, and obvious antitypes from the O.T. But John filters them through Jesus and the cross.
In the synoptic gospels, we have the Olivet discourse. A careful comparative reading of Matthew 24 shows that it is saturated with words and concepts found especially in Daniel. Yet Jesus interprets Daniel in light of His own Person and mission. Matthew 24 is eschatological. It is the synoptic apocalypse. It drives through to the consummation. We have the future of the church in Matthew 24. Yet for John, Revelation is his Olivet sermon. Even a few minutes of cursory comparison between Matthew 24 and Revelation using a bible with cross-references reveals this relationship. It is also interesting to note the relationship between Matthew10 and Matthew24.
If my statement that what happened to Christ happens to the church is true, we have not only an interpretive key, but also a predictive key. A major witness that establishes this principle is found in Matthew 10 v 16-25. In Matthew chapters 5 through 7, we have the principles of the kingdom as stated by the New Moses (the Lawgiver) and the New King. In Matthew chapters 8 & 9, we see Jesus cleansing the lepers, healing the sick, casting out demons and raising the dead. All of these physical healings are symbolic of spiritual restoration. In Matthew chapter 10, we see Jesus summoning the disciples, giving them authority, instructing them, and sending them out. They are to (v6) "go to the lost sheep of Israel" as Jesus Himself did. (Matthew15v24) They are to preach that (v7) “the kingdom of heaven is at hand" as Jesus Himself did. (Matthew 4v17) They are to (v8) "heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, and to cast out demons" as Jesus Himself did. (Matthew chapters 8 & 9). Jesus has directed the church to follow in His footsteps and to model their ministry after His own.
Consider His warnings to the disciples as He sends them out into a world that is hostile to the heavenly principles of God’s kingdom. Matthew 10v16 says, "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves: therefore be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves." Was not Christ Himself like a sheep in the midst of wolves? But here it is the church. They are to be as innocent as doves. Christ the Peacemaker came to make peace. The dove is still the symbol of peace. Christ was innocent and undefiled, as the church is to be as she announces peace.
Matthew10 v17&18 says: "But beware of men; for they will deliver you up to the courts, and scourge you in their synagogues, you shall even be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles". Christ knew what was in the heart of man and trusted Himself to no man. Now He warns the church to "beware of men". Jesus said, "They will deliver you up". These are the exact same words that are used to describe what happened to Christ. He was delivered up as recorded in Matthew 17 v22, 20 v18, 27 v2, 18 & 26, just to note the cases in Matthew. The fact that Jesus was "delivered up" is mentioned repeatedly. And what happened to Christ, happens to the church. And in what manner was Jesus delivered up? He was persecuted and put to death by a union of the civil and religious powers. Apostate religion and state linked hands in order to scourge and crucify Jesus. But in Matthew 10, Jesus is warning the church that the same thing will happen to them.
Three times in verses 17, 19, & 21, Jesus speaks of them "delivering you up" in reference to the followers of Christ. It is to the death. In North America today we are living in an island in space and time. For untold millions however, persecution by a state that was controlled by religion gone bad, was the mainstay during the dark ages. The church is to be brought before governors and kings, as a testimony to them. The word testimony comes from the Greek word "marturion". It means to witness, and bear witness by death, if necessary. John was on the island called Patmos, because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. Rev.1v9 This theme is at the beginning of Revelation and runs through it. Christ’s purpose for the church is that she gives witness to the word of God. She has integrated the teachings found in the word; and especially the teachings of Jesus Himself, into her heart, and is therefore able in some sense to testify as Jesus did before her.
Matthew 10 v 22 & 23 says: "you will be hated by all on account of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved." "But whenever they persecute you in this city, flee to the next; for truly I say to you, you shall not finish going through the cities of Israel, until the Son of Man comes". Matthew23v34 says: "some of them you will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city." Matthew24v14 says: "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a witness to all the nations, and then the end shall come." We are seeing a progression and expansion of the meaning of the term "Israel" within the book of Matthew. The term "Israel" used in Matthew10v23 is multifaceted. See my paper, "How Would The Disciples Have Understood Matthew 24?"
Jesus was hated. The followers of Christ are hated. The message of the gospel may comfort the afflicted but it certainly afflicts the comfortable. The world hates the judgment message of the gospel and whoever preaches it because it exposes their sin, their motives and their character. The disciples will find themselves fleeing from one city to another just as Jesus did. For how long? Until they have witnessed to all the nations. Until the end. Until the Son of Man comes. What happened to Christ in microcosm is the pattern for what will happen to the church through the ages until Jesus returns.
In verses 24 & 25, we will see the clearest and most powerful statement of this principle: "A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. It is enough for the disciple that he becomes as his teacher and the slave as his master. If they have called the Head of the house Beelzebub, how much more the members of his household!" Here we have the crown witness. Using three comparisons, Christ links Himself to His household, His slaves, and His disciples. How could He have stated it more clearly? What happened to Christ will happen to His representatives through time until He returns. This is revealed in the term "you" that runs through Matthew24.
If we in fact have located a credible principle, we would expect to see a repetition of what happened to Jesus happening to the church in the book of Acts. Therefore, let’s briefly consider what we do see in Acts. In Acts chapters 4 & 5, the religious leaders are greatly disturbed at the preaching of the disciples. They are filled with envy because the disciples have the same power to heal as Christ did. They have them flogged. They were ready to kill them until Gamaliel warned them of their folly. In Acts 7, the Jewish elders bring false witnesses against Stephen and the people are stirred up against him. When he had finished publicly condemning them, they stoned him to death. Next we see Saul ravaging the church, breathing threats and murder against them in Acts 8 & 9. In Acts 12, we see Herod the king laying hands on James the brother of John and putting him to death to please the Jews. In Acts 22 &23, Paul was brought before the council of the Sanhedrin as Jesus was. Later, the Jews conspire to kill him. Next, we see Paul shuffled from one king to another as a witness to them in the same way as Jesus was shuffled from Pilate to Herod and back to Pilate again. Finally we see Paul sent off to Rome to stand trial and finally be put to death, in spite of the fact that neither Festus nor Agrippa finds any guilt in him. What happened to Christ happened to the church in the book of Acts. And it has continued to happen down through the ages.
It is the apostle John who writes the Revelation of Jesus. And because the church does what Christ did, the revelation of Jesus will be the revelation of the church.
John in Rev. 1 v2, bears witness of all that he has seen. What did John see? He saw Jesus. He walked with Jesus for 3 ½ years. He heard the words that Jesus spoke. He assimilated the teachings of Jesus into his mind and heart. He was an eyewitness to what Jesus did. He saw the situations that Jesus was in. He saw the people that Jesus interacted with. He was part of the inner three. He went up the mountain and witnessed the transfiguration. He was present at the Last Supper; he witnessed the depths of Christ’s passion in the garden. He was there when they tried Him. John watched them crucify Him. He heard what Jesus said as He hung dying on the cross. John was there to hear Jesus entrust the care of His own mother to him. John saw, heard, and spoke with the resurrected Jesus. He was present when Jesus rose up from the earth and returned to heaven. John witnessed it all. He was a possessor of the testimony of Jesus. He became a living vessel that contained the relational, the salvational, the ethical, and the eschatological information about Jesus Christ. This is the "testimony of Jesus" that he bore witness to. This is the same "testimony of Jesus" that the church has bore witness to down through the ages.
Now, in Revelation, John makes known the testimony of Jesus and it finds its fulfillment, realization, and expression in and through the church. In Revelation, we will see Jesus living, acting, and expressing Himself through His body which is the church.
Jesus is the Prophet, the Priest, and the King. In Revelation, the church, at least in some sense, also fulfills these offices.
What do we see in Revelation chapter 1? We see Jesus Christ dressed in the garb of a priest. He is walking in the midst of the 7 lamp stands, which represent the 7 churches. The saints are depicted in v6 as a kingdom of priests. Christ is a priest; His followers are priests.
As John goes over the messages to the 7 churches in Rev. Chapters 2 & 3, we see Jesus affirming the churches in the areas where they resemble Him in word and deed. He admonishes them when they depart from the pattern. A key part of the description of Jesus in Rev. Chapter 1 is related and stated to each one of the 7 churches. This is more than encouragement. The totality of the church is to be formed into the image of Christ.
The rewards that are Christ’s are also for the church. Where Christ goes, the church follows. Where Christ rules, the church rules. As Christ overcame and sat down on the Father’s throne, so also will the church. Rev.3v21 says: "He who overcomes, I will grant him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne". In Rev.14v4, the ones who are purchased from the earth "are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes". In Rev.14 v1, “the Lamb is standing on Mt. Zion and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousands".
As Christ was faithful until death, the church is to follow suit. Rev.2v10 The faithful ones, the overcomers, will receive a new name, which no one knows but the one who receives it. In Rev. 2 v17, the church follows the pattern of Christ in Rev. 19 v12, Who has also received a name "which no one knows except Himself". We read another clear instance in Rev. 2v 26 & 27 where the one who overcomes, as Jesus did (Rev. 3 v21) and is faithful to the end receives authority over the nations as Jesus Himself has also received. John utilizes Psalm 2v 8 & 9, which is a Messianic Psalm. But in Revelation, John applies Psalm 2, not to the Messiah, but to the church. I quote: "And he who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations; and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of the potter are broken to pieces, as I also have received authority from My Father."
In Rev. 3 v5, Jesus said, "He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments." In Mark 9v3, the garments of Jesus became radiant and exceedingly white as He was transfigured before the inner three disciples. John was on that mountain. He saw the white garments of Jesus. And the church wears what Jesus wears.
In Rev.3v9, Jesus speaks of those who say that they are Jews, (no doubt in the spiritual sense) and are not. They will come and bow down at your feet. John is here recording what Jesus is saying to the church. Yet we see the angelic host bowing before Jesus in Rev. 5v13 & 14. We are not seeing the saints being worshipped, but they are being recognized as the true Israel of God. To the Lamb belong blessing, honor, glory, and dominion. And He extends it to His bride, who reigns with Him for a thousand years as His co-regents, replicating his office as King.
At this juncture I would now like to move into a consideration of Revelation chapter 11. In Rev.10 v11, and Rev.11 v3, 6, & 10, we read the words "prophesy" and "prophets". The two witnesses, the two olive trees, the two lamp stands, and the two prophets are different metaphors that describe the church. To prophesy is to fulfill the role of a prophet. Here we see the church replicating the prophetic office of Christ.
The church is the "holy city" in Rev.11v2 in contrast to the "great city" in v8, which is symbolic of apostate religion. In Matthew5v14, Jesus said of the believers, "you are the light of the world, a city set on a hill cannot be hidden." In John 8v12, Jesus calls Himself the light of the world. The church will fulfill the purposes of Christ in the world by walking in His footsteps.
John is commanded to measure the temple of God in Rev.11v1. The Greek word for temple here is "naos". It is the inner sanctuary. It represents the people of God as the city does. This term "naos" appears in the Pauline texts, which describe the church as the true temple of God. 1 Cor.3v16, 17; 2 Cor.6v16, 17; Eph.2v21. The temple is the city is the lamp stand. The temple was the place of worship, access to God, rest and fellowship with God, the place of sacrifice, atonement and judgment. The Presence of God dwelt in the temple. Yet, in Rev.21v22, "the Lord God, the Almighty, and the Lamb, are its temple." In Rev.21v3, we read: "Behold, the Tabernacle of God is among men and He shall dwell among them". In the fullest sense the Lord Jesus Christ is the fulfillment, personification and embodiment of the temple. Nevertheless, as His representative, the church is also known as the temple.
The church prophesies on earth. They witness, even to the point of death, to the court outside the temple; to the earth dwellers. (Rev.11v4, 6, and twice in v10) Four times, the universal number, the term "earth" is used. As Jesus bore witness and testified to the point of death, so also does the church. Only after Christ had finished His testimony, was the god of this world permitted to kill Him. So it is with the church. Whenever they finish their testimony, only then are they killed (Rev.11v7).
In Rev.11v3, the witnesses prophesy for 1260 days. Yet, in v2, they are tread underfoot for 42 months. In Rev.12v6, we see the woman fleeing into the wilderness, immediately after Christ is caught up to God and to His throne. As Christ was driven into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil, the church replicates His actions. In His conflict with Satan, Christ used the sharp two-edged sword which is the word of God to defeat him. So also do those who are with Him. (Rev.19v13-15) The life of Christ is the pattern for the church. In Rev.12v13, we see the dragon, which has been thrown down after Christ’s victory at Calvary, immediately going after the woman to persecute her. In Rev.12v14, the time period is for a time, times, and half a time. In Rev.13v5-7, the beast makes war against the saints for 42 months. These periods of time are the same but are expressed in different ways. The metaphors that describe the people of God change but they still refer to the same group of people. The witnesses in Rev.11 are the same as the woman in Rev.12 and also refers to the saints in Rev.13.
The woman in Rev.12 is victorious in her battle with Satan. Christ overcame Satan at Calvary. Now we see the saints overcoming Satan by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony. Rev.12v9-11. As His representative, the church does what Christ does. In the wilderness, Satan desired the worship of Jesus. Jesus refused. Satanic persecution followed Him all the rest of His days. So it is also with the church. They refuse to worship Satan and they are also persecuted and murdered for the time span of 1260 days, 42 months: Time, times, and half a time. What does it all mean?
Think about it. We have seen the same principle stated and illustrated again and again. What happened to Christ happens to the church. What happened to Christ in microcosm happens to the church in macrocosm through time until the end when the Son of man returns. These symbolic time periods are just another way of saying 3 ½ years. Jesus ministered for a literal 3 ½ years. The church ministers for a symbolic 3 ½ years. Therefore these time periods are symbolic of the entire church age when the church follows the pattern of Christ’s ministry. The time periods begin immediately after the victory, resurrection and ascension of Jesus. (Rev.12 v5, 6, & v13,14.) They continue down to the Second Coming. This is reminiscent of Daniel 9v27, where the Messiah was to be cut off in the middle of the last week, in the middle of the last 7, leaving 3 ½ unfulfilled. The church will complete it by replicating the ministry of Christ. Daniel 9v24 found its fulfillment in Jesus Christ and His work of redemption at the cross. Yet in the ultimate sense it will find its consummation when Jesus Christ returns to set up His kingdom of glory.
The time interval between the ascension and return of Christ is not fixed. Due to the conditional nature of the covenantal structure that under girds scripture, Christ will return when specific requirements have been fulfilled. One of these requirements is for the church to experience a re-enactment of the passion of Jesus Christ. From past history, we know that the deliverance of God’s people is always in the context of the destruction of the enemies of God’s people. Whether it be the preservation of 8 people from the flood, or the rescue of Lot and his daughters from the destruction of Sodom, or the salvation of the covenant people from annihilation by Pharoah and his armies at the Red Sea, or the nation of Israel set free from their conquerors in Babylon; in each case the deliverance of God’s people was in the context of the destruction of the enemies of God and of His people. Yet the Lord is long-suffering. His people have been His witness among these unbelievers. It is only when horrendous sin reaches its full measure and the people of God themselves are in immanent danger of annihilation that God moves in deliverance and wrath against the enemies of His people.
The ultimate act of deliverance took place at Calvary. God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us. Christ became "sin" and the sin-bearer. God poured His wrath on Him. The people of God find their ultimate deliverance in the context of the cross.
Revelation 11v2 speaks of how the nations, (the unbelievers) will trample down the holy city, which as we have seen is the people of God and is also the temple of God.
In Daniel 8v13, we see the holy place and the host trampled down. What is the holy place? In Daniel it is the sanctuary, the temple, the place of access and worship of God. It is the place of spiritual rest and forgiveness of sins. The host is the people of God.
Yet for John, in the gospel of John, the sanctuary, the temple, finds its meaning in the person of Jesus. Jesus is the tabernacle of God dwelling among men. Jesus is "Bethel", the house of God. Jesus is the place of worship. Jesus is the sanctuary from where the river of life flows. Jesus said, in John 2v19: "Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up" and in v21 "He was speaking of the temple of His body". The restoration of the temple to its rightful state took place at the resurrection of Jesus. Dan.8v14 will find its ultimate consummation at the resurrection of His body, the church.
Jesus is the holy place that was ultimately trampled in Dan.8v13. The host, referring to the people of God, were also trampled. Revelation 11v2 has picked this up. What has happened to the Head is depicted as happening to the body in Revelation chapter 11.
As has already been demonstrated, in Revelation 11, the church is the temple as Christ is the temple. The church possesses the testimony of Jesus. She is given the power and authority that Jesus had. (Rev.11v3 &12v10). She goes out and prophesies as Jesus did. She is clothed in sackcloth, the sign of humility as Christ in His humility prophesied in human flesh. Through the preaching of the gospel and speaking forth the ethical teachings of Jesus in fulfillment of the "law and the prophets", she torments those who dwell on the earth (v10), that is the unbelievers, as Jesus before her did. The fire of the word of God, the gospel, comes out of the mouth of the two witnesses. They have the power to shut up the sky, reminiscent of Elijah who ministered during a literal and spiritual drought for 3½ years (James 5 v17, Luke 4 v25). They call down the plagues in fulfillment of the covenant curses on the lawless rebellious ones. (Leviticus 26)
The church is persecuted and finally killed after she has finished her testimony (Rev.11v7) following in the pattern that was laid down by Jesus before her. Rev.11v8 says: "And their dead body (singular) will lie in the street of the great city which mystically is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified." It is Jerusalem, where all the prophets down through the ages have been slain. It is the "great city" Babylon (Matthew 23 v35-37; Rev.18 v24). We are not seeing here a geographical location or an ethnic distinction but a mindset. The mindset, the evil and adulterous generation, that shed the blood of the prophets as far back as Cain has been alive and well through the ages. Men with the same evil mindset persecuted, conspired against, and finally crucified Jesus. They will continue to make war with the church until Jesus returns. The "Passion" of Jesus will be replicated in the church. Rev.11v7, 8. After 3 ½ days, (Rev.11v11) she is raised to life and taken to heaven. The totality of the church will be raised at the end of the 3 ½ years, at the end of the church age. After her resurrection she is taken up to heaven as Jesus was before her (Rev. 11v12). In that hour there was a great earthquake. (Rev. 11v13) Death could not hold the Savior in the tomb. An earthquake took place at His resurrection. Interestingly enough, an earthquake also takes place at the resurrection of the church.
What we have seen here is a dramatic key. What happened to Christ happens to the church. The key is interpretive and predictive. We have just seen the tip of a giant iceberg. As we would expect, everything begins and ends with Jesus Christ.