Rev. 1:1-8
Introduction: This book opens with the Greek words, Apokalypsis lesou Christou, which translates the Revelation of Jesus Christ. The word, Apokalypsis, from which we derive the word "apocalypse," literally means a disclosure or unveiling of unseen spiritual forces operating behind the scenes in history and controlling the events and outcome according to the character and program of God. The disclosure is conveyed in a series of symbolic visions that exhibit characteristics of OT prophecy, in particular, those received by Daniel, Ezekiel, and Zechariah. The book is apocalyptic in the form of visions describing events with extensive use of symbolism and is prophetic, not only as a divine prediction of future events but also a divine diagnosis of the present state of affairs-i.e., a world opposed to God that is characterized by sin and evil.
The writer simply identifies himself as "John," and while some have questioned "which John," the vast majority of Bible scholars believe John the apostle, author of the Gospel of John and the letters 1, 2, 3 John, to be the writer of this book. The book was most likely written while John was exiled on the Isle of Patmos between 94-96 A.D. While John is the writer, the author of the Book is identified as Jesus the Messiah, who has the authority from God to describe the coming events to His servant John for communication to the church. While John doesn't deny his role in compiling the book, he presents himself primarily as a recipient and recorder of visions rather than being the author of Revelation's message. The stated purpose of Revelation is to reveal Jesus Christ in terms of His person, His power, and His plan for the future. We will wade into the book slowly today, taking up Rev. 1:1-8, which scholars have labeled as the Prologue, where we will be told how to read the Book and receive its promised blessings.
Read Rev. 1:1-2 - The Writer of the Book of Revelation
1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John, 2 who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw.
v. 1a: "The Revelation of Jesus Christ" - This book is Jesus' revelation in the sense that it belongs to Him, and He is the one doing the revealing. It is also Jesus' revelation in the sense that He is the object, the person revealed by the book. This book will show us the Antichrist, show us God's judgment, show us great calamity on the earth, and show us Mystery Babylon (Rev. 17) in great detail, but first and foremost, it will show us the person of Jesus Christ.
v. 1b: "which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants" - This is the important reason why God gave this Revelation of Jesus Christ-to reveal the unveiled truth to God's servants in the churches-to us, so we will know what's going to happen and be prepared for it.
v. 1c: "the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated itby His angel to His bond-servant John" - This prophecy must take place because it is guaranteed by God's sovereign purpose, and will take place soon. But understand this is "soon" on God's timetable, not ours. The Greek used for soon, tachei, also can mean something that happens fast, when it happens. Jesus communicated these "things" to John by His angel. We must stop here and try to understand that Revelation is a book that communicates in "signs," which often causes us difficulty in understanding it. Why is it done this way? Well, the signs are necessary because (1) John expresses the things of heaven, and (2) he's describing things he's "seen" by using symbolic images to explain them. To us, this is a book of prophecy; but to John, it was simply history being recorded and explained as he saw it unfolding in front of him. The ultimate and divine I-Max program. Can you even imagine it?
v. 2: "who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw" - In this Prologue, we can see that in writing this book, John knew he was recording Scripture, the holy Word of God. He calls it "the word of God," like an OT prophet, and further validates it as "the testimony of Jesus Christ."
TRUTH 1: Revelation is a book that communicates much of its message in "signs." The signs are necessary because (a) John expresses the things of heaven, and (b) he's describing things he's "seen" by using symbolic images to explain them. To us, this is a book of prophecy; but to John, it was simply history being recorded and explained as he saw it unfolding in front of him.
Read Rev. 1:3 - A Blessing to the Reader and Keeper of this Book
3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and keeps [heeds] the things which are written in it; for the time is near.
v. 3: I hope all of you are as encouraged by this verse as I am. This is the first of seven beatitudes in the Book of revelation, which we will study in detail at a later date. First of all, "blessed" means a lot more than being happy; it means God is showing us favor in a special way. So, how are we blessed by this verse? (1) We are blessed simply to have John share with us the written record of his unique experience in heaven; (2) we are blessed to have the opportunity to read these words aloud and share them with others, and (3) we are blessed to have the Holy Spirit illuminate the words as they are read and heard; and (4) we are blessed to know of God's plan to perfect the creation and us with it, even if we don't know precisely when it's going to happen. When John tells us to "keep the things written," it means the book of Revelation will imprint upon us and change the way we live. When the verse ends with "the time is near," John encourages us to live as if it will happen in the next instant.
TRUTH 2: When we read the Book of Revelation or even listen to it being read out loud, we are blessed. First of all, "blessed" means a lot more than being happy; it means God is showing us favor in a special way. When John tells us to "keep the things written," it means the book of Revelation will imprint upon us and change the way we live. When the verse ends with "the time is near," John encourages us to live as if it will happen in the next instant.
Read Rev. 1:4-5a - John to the Seven Churches in Asia
4 John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace, from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, 5a and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
v. 4a: "John to the seven churches that are in Asia; Grace to you and peace" - Jesus identifies these churches by name in v. 11: They are Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicia, and in chapters 2 and 3, Jesus sends letters to these churches. Although there were other churches in the region, Christ's selection of seven, symbolizing completeness, implies that He is addressing the "whole" church through them, for that time and for today. The words "grace" and "peace" only appear twice in Revelation, here and in 22:21. Grace (Gr. charis) is the free gift of salvation by God to all who accept the Lordship of Jesus Christ, so that in this context, God is our benefactor and we are the beneficiaries who depend on His grace. Peace (Gr. eirene), the absence of war, suggests a type of well-being that that comes from a deep relationship with God.
v. 4b-5a: "from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth" - The grace and peace mentioned in v. 4 has three sources: (1) "from Him who is and who was and who is to come" (i.e., eternal)-God the Father; (2) "from the seven Spirits who are before His throne"-speaks of the perfection and completion of the Holy Spirit, which alludes to the description of the seven aspects of the Spirit in Isa. 11:2; and (3) "from Jesus Christ as: (a) "the faithful witness," the One who knows God because He was "in the beginning with God" Jn. 1:2); (b) "the first born of the dead," because His resurrection brought in a New Covenant with the promise of eternal life for all believers, Jn. 3:16; and (c) "the ruler of the kings of the earth," though Jesus presently rules a kingdom not of this world, before the book of Revelation ends, He will take dominion over every earthly king so that "at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth," Phil. 2:10.
TRUTH 3: Jesus is empowered by God to offer grace and peace because He is (1) the faithful witness, (2) the first born of the dead, and (3) the ruler of the kings of the earth. Jesus Christ is: (a) "the faithful witness," as the One who knows God because He was "in the beginning with God" Jn. 1:2); (b) "the first born of the dead," because His resurrection brought in a New Covenant with the promise of eternal life for all believers, Jn. 3:16; and (c) "the ruler of the kings of the earth," though Jesus presently rules a kingdom not of this world, before the book of Revelation ends, He will take dominion over every earthly king so that "at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth," Phil. 2:10.
Read Revelation 1:5b-8 - To Him Who Loves Us
5b To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood- 6 and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father-to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. 7 BEHOLD, HE IS COMING WITH THE CLOUDS, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen. 8 "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."
v. 5b: "To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood-" - The word "love" is present tense, meaning that Jesus' love for us is ongoing, never ceasing. The word released (or washed) is in the aorist tense, which means a completed (as opposed to an ongoing) action. Jesus' action to release us from our sins is complete, already done once and for all time. If we consider our own ingrained sinfulness, this seems almost too good to be true, yet, this verse confirms that we can stand clean before God, even from the deepest stains of sin. To "wash our sins by His Blood" meant the ultimate sacrifice of God the Son for us, that we, by grace, may be saved.
v. 6a: "and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father-" - This is the status Jesus gives to those he loves and who are released from sin. Going beyond love, which is enough in itself, He makes us to be 'kings' as part of God's royalty and priests as God's special servants. In this way, we represent God to man and Man to God. Kingdom living is not about dying and going to heaven; Kingdom living begins for us now when we acknowledge Christ as our king and begin living by kingdom rules.
TRUTH 4: As believers, Jesus has made us to be a kingdom and priests to His God and Father. He makes us to be 'kings' as part of God's royalty and priests as God's special servants. In this way, we represent God to man and Man to God. Kingdom living is not about dying and going to heaven; Kingdom living begins for us now when we acknowledge Christ as our king and begin living by kingdom rules.
v. 6b: "to Him bethe glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen" - "Glory" (Gr. doxa) is characteristic of God and refers to His awesome majesty. God shared His glory with Jesus, and Jesus' glory is revealed in His presence with us, His salvation work, and His judgment. We saw Jesus' glory revealed at the Transfiguration and at His death and resurrection. "Dominion" (Gr. kratos) involves applied power and might. Dominion belongs to God, who created heaven and earth, and rules over them; and God shares this dominion with Jesus Christ. For me and you, recognizing the dominion of Jesus Christ is to let Him rule over us, be king of every aspect of our lives, body, soul, and spirit. "Amen" simply means "yes, I agree." Do you agree? Amen?
v. 7: "BEHOLD, HE IS COMING WITH THE CLOUDS, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen" - The word "Behold (Gr. idou) alert us that something important follows. Clouds are associated with the presence of God in both testaments, e.g, the pillar of cloud by day that les the Israelites from Egypt (Ex. 13:21) and when God spoke from a cloud at the Transfiguration (Mt. 17:1-8). This tells us that Jesus will be surrounded by clouds at His seconding coming. Jesus was taken up into a cloud at His ascension, and God said He would return in the same manner (Acts 1:9-11). And when Jesus comes, it won't be a secret coming, because "every eye will see him." When Jesus reveals Himself to the Jews, His own people, it will not be in anger, because by that time, the Jewish nation will have turned to Jesus as their Messiah (Mt. 23:29; Rom. 11:25-26), and when they see His pierced hands and feet it will be a painful reminder of their past rejection of Him. When Jesus comes, it won't be only the Jews who "mourn" their past rejection of Him, because there will be people saved of "all the tribes of the earth" who will have a part in this time of mourning, a time of remembrance. Amen-do we agree?
V. 8: "I am the Alpha and the Omega,"says the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty" - Some Bible translation, like my NASB, print the dialogue of this verse in red, which denotes that they were translated as the words of Christ. The verse goes on to identify three attributes of God: (1) the "Alpha and Omega" are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, so that Jesus is saying, in effect, I am the A to Z, the beginning and the end, and being the beginning and the end, I have authority over everything in-between. The idea behind this title is that Jesus is before all things and will remain beyond all things, timeless and eternal. Alpha and Omega also represent completeness, which implies that Jesus has everything under His sovereign control down to the minutest detail. (2) "Who is and who was and who is to come" (repeats v. 4b). This phrase expresses the idea behind the OT name for the Triune God, Yahweh. It reflects His eternal nature and His unchanging presence, and reflects that Jesus shares this eternal nature with God the Father. (3) "The Almighty," translates to the Greek word pantokrater, which literally means the one who has his hand on everything and conveys a sense of great power and strength in that hand. The name ALMIGHTY implies omnipotence-that God has all the might he needs to do anything he wants to do, and this attribute is imputed to God the son, Jesus Christ.
TRUTH 5: When Jesus tell us He is the Alpha and the Omega, it means He is the beginning and the end. Since He's the beginning and the end, it means He has authority over everything in-between. The idea behind this title is that Jesus is before all things and will remain beyond all things, timeless and eternal. Alpha and Omega also represent completeness, which implies that Jesus has everything under His sovereign control down to the minutest detail. Nothing escapes His attention.
