Revelation 1: Imminence

INTRO:

This book was written by John between 94 and 96 AD.

John was the last surviving apostle and was in exile on the island of Patmos when he received this vision.

v.1:

THE NATURE OF THE REVELATION:

The opening words, The revelation of Jesus Christ, tells us that the subject of the entire book is Christ.

The word revelation means an unveiling or a disclosure. It is the uncovering of something hidden, the making known of what we could not find out for ourselves.

It is a revelation from God Himself, as testified to in this first sentence. That makes plain that this book is not a book of human wisdom.

But you may [rightly] say that Christ is already revealed in Scripture, so what is this revelation?

Where Christ was first seen as a babe in a manger, a humble suffering servant, He will now be revealed as victorious and triumphant.

Paul, for one, had already mentioned (without detail) this coming and imminent victory of Jesus Christ.

Christ’s victory is imminent

Romans 16:20

Romans 16:20 NKJV

And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

Here, we are given a specific and detailed account of how The Lord Jesus Christ will come as a conqueror, and be revealed as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

This revelation was given to John and meant for us to see, so that we may know the things to come.

By doing this, He gives us hope. We are able to see a victorious future in the mist of a dark and cursed generation.

We are also able to see the fierceness of God's wrath which will befall the world during the seven years of the great tribulation.

As we progress through the book of Revelation, you'll notice that it is unique among New Testament books in a couple of ways.

It is a book primarily dedicated to prophecy. It is the last new revelation from God that man would receive. After this book was given, the era of prophets came to an end, and true prophets no longer exist.

For the majority of the book, there will be no mention of the church. The church will not be present on earth when God pours out His wrath. The church will already have been raptured (delivered), for the Bible tells us it is a time of Jacob's trouble.

The tribulation period is a time of “Jacob’s trouble” [Israel]

Jeremiah 30:7

Jeremiah 30:7 NKJV

Alas! For that day is great, So that none is like it; And it is the time of Jacob’s trouble, But he shall be saved out of it.

Our attention; therefore, will be turned to Israel, as God works toward their eventual deliverance.

THE PURPOSE OF THE REVELATION:

As these future events are revealed, we'll see the urgency of the call to salvation in Christ.

We will also gain a new appreciation for the beauty of the promise that God will deliver the saved from His wrath.

We'll be able to put our current sufferings in perspective, and understand that they pale in comparison to the suffering of those who will enter into the tribulation.

Such an understanding should then motivate us to more fervently share the gospel with a lost world.

To add to the urgency, we're told that these things "must shortly take place."

That doesn't mean that the events recorded here were supposed to happen during John's lifetime.

In fact it doesn't refer to a specific time at all, so we don't know when these things will happen.

What this does mean, is that the events are imminent. They are certain to happen.

The Greek for "shortly" is a variation of the same word used for "quickly" at the end of this book.

The return of Christ is imminent

Revelation 22:20

Revelation 22:20 NKJV

He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.” Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

The implication there, is that the return of Christ is imminent, and the meaning is the same in both instances.

Again, the imminent nature should make us all the more zealous to share the Gospel.

We are also told that this revelation was signified by an angel.

To signify means to cause something to be both specific and clear. That is precisely how God meant to communicate these truths to us, specifically and clearly.

v.2:

Two things in the book are of paramount importance: The word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.

The first sentence of this book tells us it came from God, and we know that all true prophecy comes from God, not man.

All prophecy comes from God

2 Peter 1:21

2 Peter 1:21 NKJV

for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

2 Timothy 3:16

2 Timothy 3:16 NKJV

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,

THE RESPONSE TO THE REVELATION:

What did John do with the Word of God? He bore witness to "all he saw".

Likewise, all believers should be bearing witness of the Word of God to the world around us.

All to often, we base our witness on something else, but it is only through the Word of God that Christ is revealed.

Christ is revealed only through the Word of God

John 5:39

John 5:39 NKJV

You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.

No one can come to faith in Christ apart from the Word of God

Romans 10:17

Romans 10:17 NKJV

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Neither your testimony, nor any other word can lead one to faith.

Personal experience, emotions, other philosophies are all imperfect and inadequate to the task of leading someone to faith in Christ.

Only the Word of God is infallible, and therefore suitable to lead someone to faith.

Good works (though important) will not lead one to faith, any more than good works can cause salvation.

One returning from the dead will not lead anyone to faith (Luke 16:27-31). They must hear the Word of God.

Stalling for time by building relationships will not lead one to faith. How many of the apostles converts were won this way?

The need is urgent, and only the Word of God is sufficient to the task, because Jesus is the only way.

Jesus is the ONLY way

Romans 10:17

Romans 10:17 NKJV

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

John 14:6

John 14:6 NKJV

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

We should all follow John's example, and bear witness to the Word of God (which is the testimony of Jesus Christ) to all we see.

v.3:

This revelation promises that those who hear this prophecy, and are obedient to His Word (I.e. The saved) will be blessed.

However, for those who aren't saved, many parts of the Word of God, this book in particular will be quite disturbing.

We should strive to share the Gospel, and lead others into the blessing that is Jesus Christ.

It is an urgent mission, this entire book screams urgency, and begs salvation.

Once again we are told that the time is near, and this only adds to the urgency.

How near is near? We have no way of knowing. God's eschatological time table is known only to Him.

As such, many people doubt whether there is any truth to the claims of Christ's return.

Peter addressed this very issue.

God’s timing is His own

2 Peter 3:3-9

2 Peter 3:3–9 NKJV

knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

He made it clear that God's timing is His own, but He WILL make good on His promise.

God won't rush it. He won't be a moment too soon or a moment too late.

Not willing that any should perish, His timing will be perfect.

When He does come, not one person will be able to say that they didn't have the opportunity to know Him.

In the meantime, we have much work to do. We can't afford to be idle.

Sitting idly is not an option for Christians

1 Thessalonians 5:6

1 Thessalonians 5:6 NKJV

Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.

We should be doing all we can to urgently lead others to Christ, and our study of this book should ultimately move each of us to doing just that.