The Revelation of Jesus Christ, Which God Gave Him to Show His Servants What, Must Soon

REVELATION

Chapter 1

1:1The 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,

The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what, must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,

The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:

TODAY IN THE WORD

The more than two million limestone blocks used to build the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt were cut at various quarries and brought to the site by workers, then hauled up into place by other workers. The pyramid was originally covered by a layer of white casing stones cut with such precision that from a distance, the huge pyramid looked like it was cut from a single stone. Even without the casing stones, the Great Pyramid is one of the most impressive buildings ever constructed.

The Holy Spirit did some very impressive “construction work” of His own in giving the apostle John a vision of the risen Messiah, Jesus Christ. This is an amazing passage which brings together many of the images of Messiah from the Old Testament and the Gospels. The picture becomes complete when He is revealed riding out of heaven on a white horse (Rev. 19, our study for tomorrow).

In today’s passage, verse 5 alone gives us at least four descriptions of the Messiah in His glory. Jesus Christ is the “faithful witness” (see Isa. 55:4) who brings God’s Word to the nations, the “firstborn from the dead” in resurrection, and the King who rules over the earth. Best of all, He is the Savior whose death has “freed us from our sins.”

It just keeps getting better too. The book of Revelation is the story of Christ’s triumphant return, the day of salvation and vindication His people have longed for since the time of the patriarchs.

The particular focus of this first vision is Christ’s relationship to the church, which He bought with His own blood and of which He is the Head. Christ appeared to John for the purpose of delivering His message to the church. That’s why John saw an awe-inspiring figure moving among seven lamp stands, symbolic of the seven churches.

This was Jesus Christ, of course, dressed as a Priest, with white hair symbolizing wisdom and blazing eyes representing piercing discernment and judgment. He also held the keys of death and Hades. Here is a picture of unquestioned authority, Christ preparing to speak to His church.

Patmos—Where Revelation Written

The old Apostle John made Patmos a place of unforgettable mystery. There, the local residents will tell you, in a cave halfway up the highest peak on that isle shaped like a backward question mark, John saw his vision and wrote the Apocalypse. The guide will show you the three-pronged fissure in the cave’s ceiling, attributed to the “trumpet-like” voice of the Trinity.

If in the Grotto of Bethlehem the first whimperings of God’s newborn Son were heard, in the Grotto of Patmos were heard His last speeches.If in Bethlehem God descended humble and unknown, here He came in all his mightiness and glory. And if in Bethlehem a star announced His coming, here His second coming is announced by the trumpet.

What was begun at Bethlehem was echoed for all times at Patmos.

1:1 Revelation is a book about the future and about the present. It offers future hope to all believers, especially those who have suffered for their faith, by proclaiming Christ’s final victory over evil and the reality of eternal life with him. It also gives present guidance as it teaches us about Jesus Christ and how we should live for him now. Through graphic pictures we learn that

Jesus Christ is coming again,

Evil will be judged, and

The dead will be raised to judgment, resulting in eternal life or eternal destruction.

1:1 According to tradition, John, the author, was the only one of Jesus’ original twelve disciples who was not killed for the faith. He also wrote the Gospel of John and the letters of 1, 2, and 3 John. When he wrote Revelation, John was in exile on the island of Patmos in the Aegean Sea, sent there by the Romans for his witness about Jesus Christ. For more information on John, see his Profile.

This book is the revelation of,concerning, and from Jesus Christ. God gave the revelation of his plan to Jesus Christ, who, in turn, revealed it to John. The book of Revelation unveils Christ’s full identity and God’s plan for the end of the world, and it focuses on Jesus Christ, his second coming, his victory over evil, and the establishment of his kingdom. As you read and study Revelation, don’t focus so much on the timetable of the events or the details of John’s imagery that you miss the main message—the infinite love, power, and justice of the Lord Jesus Christ.

1:1 The book of Revelation is apocalyptic (meaning uncovered, unveiled, or revealed) in style. This style of ancient literature usually featured spectacular and mysterious imagery, and such literature was written under the name of an ancient hero. John was acquainted with Jewish apocalyptic works, but his book is different in several ways:

He uses his own name rather than the name of an ancient hero;
He denounces evil and exhorts people to high Christian standards;
He offers hope rather than gloom. John was not a psychic attempting to predict the future; he was a prophet of God describing what God had shown him.

1:1 For more about angels, see the note on §Rev. 5:11.

1:1 Jesus gave his message to John in a vision, allowing John to see and record certain future events so they could be an encouragement to all believers. The vision includes many signs and symbols that convey the essence of what is to happen. What John saw, in most cases, was indescribable, so he used illustrations to show what it was like. When reading this symbolic language, we don’t have to understand every detail—John himself didn’t. Instead, realize that John’s imagery shows us that Christ is indeed the glorious and victorious Lord of all.

1:1-3 The book of Revelation reveals future events, but there is not the gloomy pessimism we might expect. The drama of these unfolding events is spectacular, but there is nothing to fear if you are on the winning side. When you think about the future, walk with confidence because Christ, the victor, walks with you.

A JOURNEY THROUGH THE BOOK OF REVELATION

Revelation is a complex book, and it has baffled interpreters for centuries. We can avoid a great deal of confusion by understanding the literary structure of this book. This approach will allow us to understand the individual scenes within the overall structure of Revelation and keep us from getting unnecessarily bogged down in the details of each vision. John gives hints throughout the book to indicate a change of scene, a change of subject, or a flashback to an earlier scene.

John 1 relates the circumstances that led to the writing of this book (Rev. 1:1-20). In John 2 and John 3 Jesus gives special messages to the seven churches of Asia Minor (Rev. 2:1-3:22).

Suddenly John is caught up into heaven, where he sees a vision of God Almighty on his throne. All of Christ’s followers and the heavenly angels are worshiping God (Rev. 4:1-11). John watches as God gives a scroll with seven seals to the worthy Lamb, Jesus Christ, (Rev. 5:1-14). The Lamb begins to open the seals one by one. As each seal is opened, a new vision appears.

As the first four seals are opened, riders appear on horses of different colors—war, famine, disease, and death are in their path (Rev. 6:1-8). As the fifth seal is opened, John sees those in heaven who have been martyred for their faith in Christ (Rev. 6:9-11).

A set of contrasting images appears at the opening of the sixth seal. On one side, there is a huge earthquake, stars falling from the sky, and the sky rolling up like a scroll (Rev. 6:12-17). On the other side, multitudes are before the great throne, worshiping and praising God and the Lamb (Rev. 7:1-17).

Finally, the seventh seal is opened (Rev. 8:1-5), unveiling a series of God’s judgments announced by seven angels with seven trumpets. The first four angels bring hail, fire, a burning mountain, and a falling star—the sun and the moon are darkened (Rev. 8:6-13). The fifth trumpet announces the coming of locusts with the power to sting (Rev. 9:1-12). The sixth trumpet heralds the coming of an army of warriors on horses (Rev. 9:13-21). In Rev. 10:1-11, John is given a little scroll to eat. Following this, John is commanded to measure the temple of God (Rev. 11:1-2). He sees two witnesses who proclaim God’s judgment on the earth for three and a half years (Rev. 11:3-14).

Finally, the seventh trumpet sounds, calling the rival forces of good and evil to the final battle. On one side is Satan and his forces; on the other side stands Jesus Christ with his forces (Rev. 11:15-13:18). In the midst of this call to battle, John sees three angels announcing the final judgment (Rev. 14:6-13). Two angels begin to reap this harvest of judgment on the earth (Rev. 14:14-20). Following on the heels of these two angels are seven more angels who pour out God’s judgment on the earth from seven bowls (Rev. 15:1-16:21). One of these angels from the group of seven reveals to John a vision of a “great prostitute” called Babylon (symbolizing the Roman empire) riding a scarlet beast (Rev. 17:1-18). After the defeat of Babylon (Rev. 18:1-24), a great multitude in heaven shouts praise to God for his mighty victory (Rev. 19:1-10).

The final three chapters of the book of Revelation catalogue the events that finalize Christ’s victory over the enemy: Satan’s 1,000-year imprisonment (Rev. 20:1-10), the final judgment (Rev. 20:11-15), and the creation of a new earth and a new Jerusalem (Rev. 21:1-22:6). An angel then gives John final instructions concerning the visions John has seen and what to do once he has written them all down (Rev. 22:7-11).

Revelation concludes with the promise of Christ’s soon return, an offer to drink of the water of life that flows through the great street of the new Jerusalem, and a warning to those who read the book (Rev. 22:12-21). May we pray with John, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus” (Rev. 22:20).

The Bible ends with a message of warning and hope for men and women of every generation. Christ is victorious, and all evil has been done away with. As you read the book of Revelation, marvel at God’s grace in the salvation of the saints and his power over the evil forces of Satan, and remember the hope of this victory to come.

TODAY IN THE WORD

In the story The Prince and the Pauper, a young prince and a young peasant boy secretly trade places. This classic story holds our attention in part because we want to see how people will treat the prince when they are unaware of his true identity. If we imagine the New Testament presenting Jesus’ life along a similar dramatic plot line, the book of Revelation would be that climactic chapter that discloses Jesus’ true identity. To everyone’s surprise, the carpenter’s son is shown for who He really is, the Lord of all.

This month we will be reading through Revelation and meditating on the exalted majesty of the risen Jesus. We will fix our eyes and attune our ears to the glorious titles and images of Jesus that form the warp and woof of the apostle John’s vision. As we read, our guiding question will be, “What does this passage teach us about our Lord Jesus?”

John addresses his letter to the seven churches in Asia (the area that is western Turkey today), and from the very beginning he attributes all he is going to write to a revelation from Jesus Christ (Rev. 1:1). But why is this significant? Why should we pay attention to what Jesus has to say? Quite simply, because Jesus’ words come directly from God Himself and Jesus is a faithful witness of His Father (Rev. 1:5).

In fact, the titles used in Revelation 1:5 highlight the life, resurrection, and exaltation of Jesus. In His life and death on earth He was a faithful witness for God. By raising Jesus as the first to be resurrected from the dead, God showed the world that Jesus was His faithful witness. One day God’s exaltation of Jesus will be complete when He reigns not only over the kings of the earth, but also over the enemy--death itself (1 Cor. 15:25–26).

God Revealed:

Conversationseffusive, reasoning

Dreams suppose, aspiration

Visionsspectacle, ideal

Theophaniesdivinely manifested

Miraclesunexpectedness

Christhypostasis

Holy Spiritrhema

Youobject of His love

TODAY IN THE WORD

1:2.who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw.

Who testifies to everything he saw--that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.

Apostle John’s Farewell

Tradition tells us that the aged apostle John, in bidding farewell to his congregation, admonished them to love one another.

“But, we want something new,” they said. “Give us a new commandment.”

John replied, “Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning...that we should love one another!” (1 John 2:7; 3:11).

1:3Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near.

Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.

Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

1:3 Revelation is a book of prophecy that is both prediction (foretelling future events) and proclamation (preaching about who God is and what he will do). Prophecy is more than telling the future. Behind the predictions are important principles about God’s character and promises. As we read, we will get to know God better so that we can trust him completely.

1:3 The typical news reports—filled with violence, scandal, and political haggling—are depressing, and we may wonder where the world is heading. God’s plan for the future, however, provides inspiration and encouragement because we know he will intervene in history to conquer evil. John encourages churches to read this book aloud so everyone can hear it, apply it (“take to heart what is written in it”), and be assured of the fact that God will triumph.