The Blessing of the Revelation of Jesus Christ
Notes
Transcript
Introduction:
Introduction:
I’m so excited that today begins our deep dive into the Book of Revelation that will take us through a large part of 2025. I hope that you will be with us throughout this entire journey, and if possible join us on Wednesdays at either 1pm or 6:30pm to take an even deeper dive into this important book.
The name “REVELATION” comes from the Greek word which means an “unveiling.” Rob Morgan states “the term actually means ‘to remove something from hiding, to reveal, to unveil.’”
One of the first things that is revealed in this book is a special blessing promised to those who read, hear, and act upon the things this book has to say.
Today we will begin our series by looking at “THE BLESSING OF THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST.”
As we read this chapter today we will come across this verse:
Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.
Rob Morgan notes:
This is the only book in the Bible that begins and ends by pronouncing special blessings on those who study, understand, obey, and share its truth.
Don’t miss that…this is the ONLY book in Scripture that promises this blessing. Unfortunately, it has become a book that many Christians avoid or are scared of. However, God says it is meant to be a BLESSING! I don’t know about you but I NEED all of God’s blessings I can get!
Adrian Rogers suggests reasons as to why the Book of Revelation is a blessing to those who read it and keep it:
It Unlocks the Mystery of History
It Unlocks the Mystery of History
Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!”
“There is no devil in the first two chapters or the last two chapters of the Bible.” Adrian Rogers
It will Bring a Sense to our Suffering
It will Bring a Sense to our Suffering
All the evil, and suffering, and diseases, and gravesides ARE NOT GOD’S FINAL PLAN! This is God’s final plan:
And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”
It will Give You Stability in Chaotic Times
It will Give You Stability in Chaotic Times
“The Second Coming of Jesus and the Book of Revelation is a blessing because it is a stabilizing hope.” Adrian Rogers
With that said let’s dive into this first chapter!
As we begin let’s focus upon
The Future Blessings Revealed (vv. 1-3, 7)
The Future Blessings Revealed (vv. 1-3, 7)
Notice Revelation 1:1-2
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw.
The blessing of Revelation is for Christ’s servants (v. 1).
It’s an interesting breakdown that John gives to us in this first verse.
It’s the Revelation OF Jesus Christ
It was given to Him by God the Father
It was given to Him to SHOW TO HIS SERVANTS…the things which must “shortly” take place
The word “shortly” here indicates that it is something that could happen suddenly. Robert Morgan says:
The word soon could be translated quickly, suddenly, or swiftly, indicating these events, once unleashed, will come with sudden force.
As we continue to look at this breakdown we learn that Jesus REVEALED this message by an angel to one servant in particular…JOHN (v. 1b).
John is the human author that God hose to provide what he saw to the rest of Christ’s servants...
and then we are introduced to the blessing: Revelation 1:3
Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.
God promises a blessing to those who do three things with the Book of Revelation:
It Requires Reading
It Requires Reading
The concept is reading the book in a public gathering....reading it out loud. As the churches in Asia would receive this text they would gather the congregants together and would read it out loud, possibly in one sitting. In reading this book among the churches the implication would be they were not only reading this document, but embracing it for what it is: the Word of God.
During this series many of you will be asked to read the text, out loud to the congregation.
The second thing is that
It Requires Attention
It Requires Attention
Not only does it require reading, but it also requires “hearing.” We are to INTENTIONALLY LISTEN to what is being read. We have to “listen on purpose.” We need to pay attention to it!
It Requires Action
It Requires Action
It says that the person who “keeps” those things are blessed. God’s Word is not for mere information, but it’s information, that when rightly applied leads to TRANSFORMATION!
This appears to be an ongoing blessing into the future for those who read, hear, and apply what they learn from the book of Revelation to their lives.
Notice now Revelation 1:7
Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.
Another future blessing that awaits Christ’s servants is that ONE DAY we will SEE Him!
For His servants WHAT A BLESSING THIS WILL BE! Can you imagine Child of God what that moment might be like?
The song writer said:
Oh, I want to see Him, look upon His face,
There to sing forever of His saving grace;
On the streets of glory let me lift my voice,
Cares all past, home at last, ever to rejoice.
Another song writer said:
What a day that will be
When my Jesus I shall see
When I look upon His face
The One who saved me by His grace
When He takes me by the hand
And leads me to the Promised Land
What a day, glorious day that will be
As we move through the chapter we see...
A Past Blessing Rehearsed (vv. 4-5)
A Past Blessing Rehearsed (vv. 4-5)
John, to the seven churches which 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, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth.
To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood,
We go from what Jesus is going to do in the future, to reflect upon what Jesus has done in the past.
As we see from this passage this is directed to seven churches in Asia, which we will learn more about in Chapters 2 & 3. However, what John is about to say not only effects these 7 churches, but effect all believers in all times!
As he rehearses this “past blessing” he draws our attention to the Lord Jesus Christ. First the Lord is referred to as:
The Faithful Witness—He faithfully revealed God to man! He is the WORD in flesh!
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.
The Firstborn From the Dead
Ryrie put it this way: First in the order of resurrections was the resurrection of Christ. Though others had been raised from the dead before Christ, He was the first to rise from the grave with a body that was no longer subject to death (Rom. 6:9; Rev. 1:18). This is why Paul called Him the Firstborn from the dead (Col. 1:18). His resurrection is the first of many to come (1 Cor. 15:23).
Ruler Over the Kings of the Earth
This is exactly what King Nebuchadnezzar proclaimed after Daniel interpreted his dream through the power of God. Notice his response in Daniel 2:47
The king answered Daniel, and said, “Truly your God is the God of gods, the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, since you could reveal this secret.”
He Loved us and Washed Us from our Sins in His Own Blood
As the angel reveals this statement to John, surely his mind went back to the cross where he saw his Savior, his friend, and his Lord being crucified. It was through this ONE sacrifice that Christ made possible for all the sins of the world to be washed away!
The Lord Jesus accomplished all that in the past and today we are enjoying the benefits of this in the PRESENT!
A Present Blessing Realized (vv. 6, 8, 11, 17-18)
A Present Blessing Realized (vv. 6, 8, 11, 17-18)
Our Promotion: Kings & Priests (Queens & Priestess)
Our Promotion: Kings & Priests (Queens & Priestess)
For instance notice Revelation 1:6
and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Have you ever thought of yourself as a “king and priest.”
D. L. Moody notes:
WHEN Christ’s work was done, the veil of the temple was rent from the top to the bottom. God came out of the holy of holies, and man can now go in. He makes all His people...kings and priests. Every one can come right into the presence of God himself. [Before Christ] none but the high priest could enter into the holy of holies; but Christ’s veil being rent, God came out and man can go in through the veil of His flesh.
His Position: Alpha & Omega; Beginning & End; Who Is, Who Was, Who is to Come; the Almighty
His Position: Alpha & Omega; Beginning & End; Who Is, Who Was, Who is to Come; the Almighty
Notice Revelation 1:8
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
saying, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,” and, “What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.”
And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last.
He is FIRST: He is SUPREME
He is LAST: He is ETERNAL
One website notes:
Got Questions? Bible Questions Answered What Does It Mean that Jesus Is the Alpha and the Omega?
Among the Jewish rabbis, it was common to use the first and the last letters of the Hebrew alphabet to denote the whole of anything, from beginning to end. Jesus as the beginning and end of all things is a reference to no one but the true God. This statement of eternality could apply only to God.
This is just another clear statement of the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ is God robed in human flesh!
This is seen throughout Scripture, but one example is Isaiah 44:6
“Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel,
And his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts:
‘I am the First and I am the Last;
Besides Me there is no God.
It is seen not only in this first chapter of Revelation but also in the last chapter...
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.”
You may ask why this is considered a present blessing. Remember the context of verse 17 in which the Lord Jesus spoke this to John. He said, “Do not be afraid.”
Why is this a BLESSING? Robert Morgan sums it up well:
The 50 Final Events in World History: The Bible’s Last Words on Earth’s Final Days 2. Next Stop: Patmos (Revelation 1)
We don’t know what tomorrow’s headlines will bring, nor can we anticipate what will befall us today or tomorrow. But one reality overrides everything else—Jesus is alive, so we needn’t fear. When He rose from the dead, He overcame every challenge, overthrew every enemy, and overturned every affliction. He stripped away any reason for sleepless nights or fretful days. He set the stage for the righteous consummation of all His intentions and paved the way for the new heaven and new earth.
This same Jesus is the ONE who will come again.
Finally we see...
His Power: He Who Lives and Was Dead, Who is Alive Forevermore! He Holds the Keys!
His Power: He Who Lives and Was Dead, Who is Alive Forevermore! He Holds the Keys!
He conquered death, hell, and the grave and ripped the keys of death and hell right out of the devil’s hands.
This same Jesus is the eternal RULER of the universe and He is alive and well. Notice Revelation 1:18
I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.
Take it Home Action Steps
Take it Home Action Steps
Embrace Reading, Hearing, Understanding, and Applying the truths of Revelation and the Word of God
Embrace Reading, Hearing, Understanding, and Applying the truths of Revelation and the Word of God
Make Sure You are Ready for His Return
Make Sure You are Ready for His Return
Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.
Celebrate what Christ Accomplished on Your Behalf
Celebrate what Christ Accomplished on Your Behalf
Approach His Throne Boldly to Find Help in Your Time of Need
Approach His Throne Boldly to Find Help in Your Time of Need
Do Not Fear: He has Conquered and He Holds the Keys
Do Not Fear: He has Conquered and He Holds the Keys
