The last great book of the Bible opens with the words: βThe revelation of Jesus Christ,β and from these words it derives its title: βThe Revelation.β In this book St. John deals largely with the return of Christ in glory to judge and reign.
II Thes. 1:7,8 tells us that one day βthe Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heavenβ¦ in flaming fire taking vengeance on them thatβ¦ obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.β This is what the book of the Revelation is basically about. But this phraseology is also used in Paulβs epistles, for in Gal. 1:11,12 he says:
βI certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not after man, for I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.β
Surely this is not the same βrevelation of Jesus Christβ of which John wrote. St. Paul refers not to βthe revelation of Jesus Christβ in glory, but to βthe revelation of Jesus Christβ in grace while He delays the judgment; not His revelation to the world in person, but His revelation to the world through Paul the chief of sinners, saved by grace. In Verses 15,16 of Gal. 1, the Apostle says: ββ¦it pleased Godβ¦ to reveal His Son in Me.β What a revelation of grace to a sin-cursed world when God saved Saul, His bitter, blaspheming enemy! He tells about it in I Tim. 1:13-16, where he says:
β[I] was a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injuriousβ¦ Howbeit, FOR THIS CAUSE I OBTAINED MERCY, THAT IN ME FIRST JESUS CHRIST MIGHT SHOW FORTH ALL LONGSUFFERING, FOR A PATTERN TO THEM WHICH SHOULD HEREAFTER BELIEVE ON HIM TO LIFE EVERLASTING.β
This is why Paul says: ββ¦it pleased Godβ¦ to reveal His Son in Me.β By saving the chief of sinners (as Paul calls himself in I Tim. 1:15), God would show us that He is willing to save any sinner, βfor whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be savedβ (Rom. 10:13). source
