AN EXAMPLE OF INSPIRED WRITING

The Example of the Book of Revelation

The book of the Revelation provides an excellent example of the communication of God's Word to men. "The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must shortly take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John" (Rev 1:1). Notice how the message came to us. It is a message God gave to Christ. Christ gave it to an angel, and the angel gave it to John. John, then, passed it along to the seven churches in Asia Minor.

John was exiled on the Isle of Patmos. We have no indication of how this message got from the island of Patmos to the seven churches. They surely were not running a postal service from the island prisoner to the cities of Asia Minor. Faith depends upon the Originator of the message providing means for it to get to the people. That is an elementary aspect of faith which men are not at liberty to complicate.

Another principle can be seen in the giving of this apocalyptic book. By the time the people received it, it had passed through four personalities--three heavenly, one upon earth. God, Christ, an angel, then John! Yet, the message remained in its original form, uncorrupted. Christ acted in strict accord with the Father. The angel operated in precise harmony with Jesus. John did not depart from this harmony, even though "a little lower than the angels." Nothing was lost in the message, nothing added, and nothing corrupted. If this were not the case, the solemn warning of Jesus Himself could never have been an integral part of the book (Rev 22:18-19).

The very presence of the Word of God assumes completeness and preciseness. If this is not the case, we do not have the Word of God. In such a case, former generations may have possessed it, but we cannot be sure we do. This appears to be unsound reasoning to the least of the household of faith--and thus it should! It may appear foolish to worldly wisdom, but if God can keep you from falling (Jude 24), He can keep His Word from being corrupted. If this is not the case, there can be no basis for confidence and assurance! He can keep you from falling in the midst of competitive and adversarial influences. Why is He not capable of doing the same with His Word, upon which our salvation depends?