An Apocalyptic, Prophetic Greeting

Christ is Central

Right from the beginning, we see where the book gets its name — Rev.1:1 “The revelation of Jesus Christ...” The idea of revelation or the Greek: apocalypsis, means an unveiling or a divine uncovering. Something that we need to understand about apocalyptic literature:

It’s God’s revelation about how His plan for the world will unfold;

This unveiling occurs in dramatic fashion. There have been people in my family who love daytime dramas…soap operas…or what they were known as around my house: the stories. Funny thing about the “stories” is that they played out so dramatically that you could watch one week, skip a couple of weeks, and still basically be in the same place as you were a few weeks prior…drama;

And, it is highly symbolic, especially concerning heaven’s perspectives of history and current events in light of God’s intended end. Now let’s pause right here, because some of you already are saying, “So you don’t believe in a literal interpretation of Revelation?!” And let me just encourage you with this: yes, and at the same time, no…and neither do you. Want proof?

Do you truly believe a beast is going to rise out of the sea with ten horns and seven heads and ten crowns on its horns and blasphemous names tattooed on its horns?

Do you truly believe a beast will rise up literally out of the earth having two horns on its head like a lamb and speaking dragon-tongue?

Do you believe Jesus literally holds a sword in His mouth at the battle of Armageddon?

The question is always then what is symbolic and what is literal. So, I’ll give you a general interpretive rule when it comes to apocalyptic-type literature: start with symbolic and move to literal when the text demands it. But furthermore, don’t get so bogged down in those little details of well what’s this mean? Well what’s that talking about? Who do you think this refers to? that you miss the message we’re intended to receive.

That brings us to the next point: this revelation both originates with and centers around Jesus Christ. There’s evidence that the tiny of there in the first verse can be take as either teaching that the revelation comes from Jesus, i.e., the revelation that Jesus Christ has given, or that the revelation is meant to unveil Jesus, i.e., the revelation that shows Jesus Christ. I prefer to think of it as being intentionally vague. What certainly takes place is that John receives a message FROM Jesus and then bears witness about Jesus, receives a glorified vision of Jesus, and spends the rest of the book basically fleshing out details of who this Jesus is and what He does, especially in light of the end (i.e., the Day of the Lord!)

He then says it was given for God’s people, His servants, to show them the things that must soon take place. We probably need to go ahead and set this reminder…we have mentioned it the past couple of weeks as we laid the ground work…Revelation is nothing new. It tends to draw on prophetic images that have already be given in the OT. Much like the gospels reflect back on promises made about Jesus in the OT, so much of Revelation reflects back on ideas that the OT expressed about the end of salvation history. And it starts here in Rev.1:1 “...the things that must soon take place.”

This seems to be a subtle nod to the book of Daniel, particularly Dan.2:28-29 “but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head as you lay in bed are these: To you, O king, as you lay in bed came thoughts of what would be after this, and he who reveals mysteries made known to you what is to be.” At the end of Daniel’s interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, we find this line: Dan.2:44 “And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever.” That kingdom came with Jesus’ death and resurrection. Now, John is saying that these days must soon take place. Real quick, three themes that appear in Daniel 2 that sheds light here:

God is the Revealer of history’s mysteries.

History has a certain end that is pre-determined by God.

And, no matter how strong an earthly kingdom may seem, it will indeed be swept away by God’s forever kingdom…here’s looking at you, Babylon!

And further in the book of Daniel, he’s commanded to seal up the prophecy because it would not come quickly, but one of the first actions we see Jesus do in Revelation is to open the sealed scroll, and John himself is commanded to NOT seal the prophecy because it would soon take place.

So, this is coming soon…but don’t forget:

Ps.90:4 “For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night.”

2 Pet.3:8-9 “But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”

But there is also the idea of what must take place. It is certain. It will come to pass. There is no degree of question whatsoever. The end will come.

The heavenly perspective is affirmed by the fact that God both gave this revelation to John by sending His angel. Then, John is identified as one who bore witness to the word…and to the testimony of Jesus.

So, right from the get-go, there is a mind set, a frame of reference, that should inform our reading of Revelation. And, if we take nothing else away from the first couple of verses, we certainly should keep this in mind: Jesus is the point of the book, so beware of straying from Him and who He is and what He does.

Second...

Obedience is Key

Revelation is not only an apocalyptic revelation, but it is also a prophecy, an emphatic declaration of “Thus saith the Lord.” It’s better to understand prophecies as FORTH-telling rather than FORE-telling, and they are intended to both comfort, confront, and warn. Oftentimes context and application determines which one. But one thing that seems pretty consistent is that prophecies call for an obedient response, and Revelation is no different. Notice the heart of what John writes, that God’s people would not just read, not just hear, but that they would keep what is written in it.

The book isn’t written for intellectual speculation about the end of the world. It’s given so that God’s people would be obedient, all the way until the end of the world. And in so doing, there is a blessing…an idea that is connected all the way back to Genesis 1 when God creates animals and calls them to bear fruit and is then expanded to man with the same blessing, but with the addition of a call to bear God’s image and represent Him in the world. Rooted in Genesis 1, we understand that there is a life-giving aspect involved in blessing, and in general it refers to a good life lived well. It would be safe to connect this idea to Jesus’ promise of abundant life in John 10:10, understanding that this is indeed the greatest blessing we could receive…a fact that is thematically connected in the next few verses.

John writes to the seven churches, and as he does, he uses a common letter greeting for the first century. So now, the complexity of it all unfolds a third time…not only is this an apocalypse, not only is this a prophecy, but it is also an epistle, which means it is written in an historical time to address an historical situation to a literal group of churches. Wow! But before we go too far, we’re confronted with our first bit of symbolism, because it’s not just written to a group of churches, but to seven churches. And yes, that is symbolic, as the number of seven is throughout Revelation.

Seven is rooted in the seven-day Sabbath cycle of creation.

And, seven refers to completeness.

So, while the letter is written in a specific time to a specific group of churches (see chps.2-3) addressing historical concerns, the complete (seven) nature of the address applies it to all churches at all times. You could appropriately say REVELATION HAS AN IMMEDIATE CONTEXT WITH UNIVERSAL APPLICATION.

We see common greetings extended to the church.

Grace — the unmerited favor of God, when we get something we don’t deserve. It is necessary not just in saving matters but also in the daily life of believers as God sustains every step of the way.

Peace — first with God, but second, the settled contentment that is unique to believers, even in the harshest of persecutions, because we keep our minds focused on Christ, the One who rules over all and will one day conquer all, setting all things right again (think DOTL).

Where does this grace and peace come from? The One who is and who was and who is to come. Again, OT theology is at play here. The idea actually connects back to God’s answer to Moses in Ex.3:14 “God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’ ” When God gives this answer, He essentially says to Moses, “I am the God who will be as I determine I will be, and I eternally exist as such.” God is both eternal and unchanging. His promises still stand. See also:

Isa.41:4 “Who has performed and done this, calling the generations from the beginning? I, the Lord, the first, and with the last; I am he.”

Isa.43:10 ““You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me.”

But it also comes from the seven spirits who are before his throne. A couple of OT passages help again to inform our understanding, and the fact that seven is used again symbolically:

First, Isa.11:2 “And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.” Seven attributes attributed to the Spirit of God.

Then, one we mentioned not too long ago, Zech.4:2-9 “And he said to me, “What do you see?” I said, “I see, and behold, a lampstand all of gold, with a bowl on the top of it, and seven lamps on it, with seven lips on each of the lamps that are on the top of it. And there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.” And I said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?” Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” I said, “No, my lord.” Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts. Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain. And he shall bring forward the top stone amid shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’ ” Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also complete it. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you.” )There’s a lot going on in that Zechariah passage, but ultimately there’s a vision of a lamp stand with “sevens” on it and it’s meant to remind Zechariah that God is the One who accomplishes things by His Spirit…things like communicating prophecies and bring the end to fruition.

Finally, it comes from Jesus, and with that, the triune God is laid before our eyes. The One who is Three but is One, the only true God…eternally existing, self-defining, and unchanging. Jesus is further explained as:

The faithful witness — the Word who became flesh and perfectly communicates the Father and His will to us (see Heb.1:1-4 “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.”)

The firstborn of the dead — not so much of timing, but of primacy and sovereignty and ability to bring to pass the things which are to come. And as the firstborn from the dead, He is the guarantee of things to come, the Originator of new creatures who become so through His resurrection.

The ruler of kings on earth — So much to unpack, but let’s think about two verses here:

Ps.2:2-6 “The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying, “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.” He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.”

And also Dan.4:34-35 “...for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?””

And while we’re at it, Dan.7:13-14 ““I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.”

Our God Reigns

As John closes out the introduction, he launches into a doxological refrain, a declaration of praise that is rooted in the gospel and what the gospel does in a believer’s life.

Christ has freed us from our sins by His blood. He’s drawing upon the OT imagery of sacrifice, but His applying its completion to Jesus, because it’s not the blood of bulls or rams, it’s the blood of Jesus Himself.

He’s made us a kingdom, priests to His God and Father. He combines ideas found in Genesis 1:28 “And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” with the call to Israel in Ex.19:6 “and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’”

We are those who will reign with Christ, but in the meantime we represent Him and His holiness and His character on earth.

This call is fulfilled in the people of God through the New Covenant initiated by Christ (see 1 Pet.2:9 “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”)

It’s important to make this connection as we study through Revelation: the completion of Israel’s call is realized in the New Covenant — and by extension New Covenant people of faith — and is accomplished THROUGH CHRIST. This sets an important paradigm for studying Revelation.

The doxological refrain continues with…you guessed it…more OT reference, this time combining streams of thought from Daniel 7 and Zech 12.

Dan.7:13 ““I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him.”

Zech.12:10 ““And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.”

Jesus Himself combines these pictures in Matt.24:30 “Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”

When Christ returns, He is clearly the victorious one. All nations are given to Him as an inheritance (Dan.7:14), and those who have not bowed the knee willingly (Phil.2:10) will wail (or mourn) because of Him.

Finally, in addition to the picture we get of Jesus as the reigning King, we get the “amen” of the doxology, Rev.1:8 ““I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” In essence, it implies that God is everything and in between, both the origin and the goal of all of history, the constant IS in every believer’s life, a powerful reminder, especially in light of the tribulation the book will go on to promise.

And that’s it. That’s the introduction to the Revelation of John, and as believers, we are reminded to keep Christ central, obey His teachings, and trust God’s sovereign rule.