Dear Friends,
Have you ever thought about what it would be like to be blind? Have you ever tried to find your way in the dark even in your most familiar surroundings? If so, you know that you can become utterly confused. Without light, we cannot orient ourselves in time or space.
The first born of God’s creation was Light. God is Light, I John 1.5: “This then is the message which we have heard of Him, and declare unto you, that God is Light, and in Him is no darkness at all.”
Jesus was the First-born of creation, so He is Light, born of God. Jesus described Himself as Light: “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, ‘I AM the Light of the world: he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the Light of Life,” John 8.12.
And Jesus has bequeathed Himself to us as Light: “Ye are the Light of the world. A city set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick, and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven,” Matthew 5.14-16.
Just as by natural light our eyes can see, so God’s Word is the Light for our soul and spirit: “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path,” Psalm 119.105. It reveals the Truth that guides us spiritually to avoid the pitfalls of darkness: “But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light. Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light,” Ephesians 5:13-14.
Trying to go through life without the Light of God is like driving down the interstate at night without headlights.
This lesson is about the meaning of ‘Revelation’ as Perfection of Light, which is Jesus.
What did the word ‘Revelation’ mean to the Jewish world of 68 AD?
Urim ve Thummim
(Follow the Scriptures on this one and you will be blessed. Don’t give up here.) For one thing, it meant the precious gift that was only given to the High Priests in the Old Testament, called in Hebrew Urim ve Thummim, literally translated “Perfection of Light.” (Usually left untranslated in the KJV.) This special gift to the High Priest gave them spiritual insight that was required for the guidance of the nation, Israel.
Historically, this gift had not returned to their High Priests after the Babylonian captivity, more than 400 years earlier. By 68 AD they were desperately longing for this gift of the Holy Spirit. Revelation 1.1 tells us that God gave this gift to Jesus Christ, thereby proving His divine anointing as the Great Eternal High Priest, chosen of God: “The revelation, [Urim ve Thummim], of Jesus Christ which God gave unto Him.”
Biblical Context For ‘Urim ve Thummim’
Remember, this study is about keeping the Scriptures found in the Book of Revelation “In Context.” For the Biblical context of the Urim ve Thummim read and meditate the following Scriptures:
- In the time of Moses, Read: Exodus 28:30, Leviticus 8:8.
- Many, many years later, after the Babylonian captivity, when the remnant of Israel returned to Judea, Read: Ezra 2:59-63; Nehemiah 7:61-65.
- In the New Testament era, Read: Hebrews 4:14-16; I Peter 2:9; Revelation 2:17, where Christ is offering the “hidden manna,” that is, the Holy Food, which could only be offered by the High Priest with Urim ve Thummim.
So “The Revelation of Jesus Christ” means “The perfection of light.” The light which God spoke in Genesis 1:3 has come to its full perfection in Jesus Christ in Revelation 1.1.
For further discussion and referents for this subject see my book Revelation in Context, pages 56-61. Revelation in Context is available locally at the Living Word Bookstore in Shawnee, Oklahoma or www.Amazon.com, or www.XulonPress.com.
Free downloads are also available at www.revelationincontext.sermon.net.
Next Lesson: The Greek meaning of the word Revelation.