INTRODUCTION TO REVELATION

INTRODUCTION TO THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST

REV. 1:1-9

PRAY

Revelation was written to be read. That may seem obvious, but when it comes to the last book of the Bible, many forget that truth. They know it needs to be read by someone, maybe a pastor or theologian, or prophecy teacher. A professional. But for the regular ordinary church goer, nope. Its too complicated. Too weird. Too scary. So its best to leave it to the professionals. The problem is the professionals aren’t reading it either. Seminaries barely touch on it. Others prefer to dodge the letter, saying incorrectly that there is no personal application in it.

What they are saying is that this book is irrelevant. If that’s the case why is it a part of Scipture? Its sad that so many avoid Revelation. Because too many I the church are missing out on all the blessings that God promises to those who read it. At first it can be intimidating. But you will find as you read it, how easy it is to understand. Again, God wrote this letter to be read, not by just professionals but by you too!

In our society today we don’t write letters anymore. We send emails, text, social media posts, but rarely do we communicate with letters. The first century Roman empire was a letter writing society. That how they communicated. In fact after the Book of Acts all the rest of the New testament are Letters. With Revelation being the longest.

John on the isle of Patmos was commissioned by the Lord Jesus Christ, to send a letter to the seven churches of Asia Minor. A direct message by God to His people. So how is it that so many Christians and their pastors turn their back on this part of Gods Truth?

There’s no doubt that the churches that first received this letter didn’t follow the same path by reading it over, shaking their heads, then tossing it aside and saying, “Yeah, that John was always a little bit off.”

Instead, we can picture the church at Ephesus gathered for service. A hush comes over the congregation as the seal is broken and the letter is unrolled. All are on the edge of their seats. These may have been the first words they had received from their former pastor—the man who had married and buried so many of the congregation, the one whose teaching they had sat under for years, the apostle who had been one of the inner circle of the disciples of the Savior, Jesus.

The current pastor scans the faces of the people. He has a serious look on his face, but a tear is visible in the corner of his eye. He begins: The Revelation of Jesus Christ… (Revelation 1:1). Just those five words. They say it all. How could you not want to read the rest? Jesus Christ, God Himself, is about to reveal something to the world. What was unknown is about to be made known. What was unclear is about to be made clear. The Lord, in His infinite wisdom, determined that He had some things that He needed to lay out for His church, and here they were written out.

Yet there are believers who don’t take time to read this letter. And there are pastors who refuse to preach it. That’s amazing! How can anyone possibly think that is a wise decision?

These churches would have soaked it in. Every word would have been like music to their ears. This would have been true even of the bitter words, words that convicted them as a congregation, because they would have recognized that they were all part of “the Revelation of Jesus Christ.” The message in this letter would have been the topic of conversations for weeks, months, years to come.

Without reading this letter, you cannot know the Lord as He is today and has always been. There will be a gaping hole in your knowledge of His character. You cannot know the future He has prepared for you. You will be ignorant of His plans for the rest of the world. The Lord is the Great Communicator, and He has made Himself known through the ages in dreams, visions, signs, wonders, and His Word. How can we demote any part of His Word to the level of null and void?

ITS ALL ABOUT JESUS!

What is the theme of Revelation? What is it about? there is one central theme that carries through this wonderful letter of pain and hope, wrath and love, and judgment and grace, and it is not a what but a who. The book of Revelation is all about Jesus Christ. From beginning to end, He is there carrying out the will of the Father. It took John only four words to get to the name that is above all names. So, as you read, remember that the ultimate focus of this letter is not the rapture, nor the tribulation, nor Israel, nor the church, nor the new heaven or the new earth. It is the King of kings, the Lord of lords, the powerful Lion of Judah, and the spotless sacrificial Lamb.

READ SCRIPTURE

Revelation. The revealing of something that was previously unknown or unseen. The wor in the Greek is apokalypsis. What comes to your mind when you hear the word apocalypse? (examples) the word actually means unveiling, and it had the idea of a sculpture or statue that is being revealed to the public for the first time. Our modern pop culture has given it a scry vibe when in reality it’s nothing more than the revealing of something. Much like the gender reveals of today.

The Opening of the letter. Vs 1-2

The opening begins with the subject of the letter even before the greeting! Jesus! he was the true author of this letter. The true revelator.

Revelation—the Content of the Letter The word “of” in the first phrase of the letter leads to a question. Is this a revelation about Jesus or from Jesus? Is He the Revealed or the Revealer? The answer is both. Again, He is the Revelator. He is the One who dictates to John chapters 2–3 of the letter, and He is the superintendent of the revelation of the events in the rest of the chapters. He launches with a command: “What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches….” (Revelation 1:11). And He concludes with an affirmation of the message: “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star” (Revelation 22:16).

Again, Jesus is the central figure in this book. Yes, it talks about the end times, but the first chapter begins with Jesus and the last chapter ends with Jesus. Chapter 1 sees Him making a surprise appearance, and chapter 22 calls out for Him to make a surprise reappearance. The letter, though, isn’t just about Jesus showing up unexpectedly, although He does do that several times. It is also about Him bringing judgment upon the world. You might say, “Come on, Jesus is all about love. He’s not about judging and punishment.” You’re right, He is all about love. That is why His return is still yet to come. The desire of God is that all will come to Him. Paul wrote, 1 Timothy 2:3–4 “For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

Sadly, there are those who, despite the loving sacrifice of Jesus on the cross for the forgiveness of their sins, will choose to reject God. For them, there only awaits judgment. And who is the One designated to bring about that judgment? Jesus, the Righteous Judge. Speaking of Himself, Jesus said, (John 5:22–23 “For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.” ).

Blessing—the Benefit of the Letter vs 3

God made us, so He knows how we think and what it takes to motivate us. That is what we find in Revelation 1:3. Why should we read the words of this prophecy? What should be our motivation to hear these words and to keep the commands written in it? Because it’s God’s Word. That should be enough. But like a father who loves to give treats to his child when they are doing the right thing, He says, “By the way, when you do what you should be doing, I’m going to bless you to pieces.” This blessing comes in many forms. Among them is the fact that we can know what is coming for this world. God wants us to be aware of what is ahead. He wants us to prepare ourselves and our families for His return. (bomb and storm shelters) God has given us 2,000+ years to prepare for the coming storm that will sweep the entire earth. When that happens, there will be no place to hide. Plagues, earthquakes, hail, fire, and starvation will run rampant throughout the globe. COVID will seem like a case of the sniffles in comparison to what people will be exposed to during the seven-year global catastrophe.

“Blessed” almost feels like an understatement for those who will escape this time. But safety doesn’t come by standing there and listening to the sirens go off. Saying, “Uh-oh, rockets an tornados are coming” does absolutely nothing to protect us from bombs landing on our heads. We’ve got to get to shelter. That’s where the last part of the verse comes in. It is not enough just to read and hear the words of this letter. We must “keep” them. The Greek word there means “to guard, watch, protect, keep.” The one who does this will take the central message of this letter and hold on to it with all they’ve got. What is the central message of this book? It’s Jesus. Remember, He is the Author and focus of this letter. Those who make Jesus their Savior and Lord by repenting of their sins and giving their lives to God will receive the wonderful blessing of shelter from the devastation. But this shelter will not be in an underground bunker. It will be in heaven with our Savior in the place that He promised to go and prepare for us (John 14:1–4 ““Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.”” .

Near—the Timing of the Letter

Near. That may be the most difficult word to come to terms with in the whole passage. It has troubled readers and preachers and commentators for centuries. In fact, there are those who use this innocent little adverb to mock believers who are anxiously anticipating the return of Jesus and the rapture of the church. But that is nothing new. Even back in Peter’s day, there were those who mocked. Peter, however, wasn’t having any of it, and he pointedly corrected these doubters. 2 Peter 3:5–9 “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.” There is God’s timetable and there is ours. From a human perspective, the word “near” passed its outer limits about 1,800 years ago. According to God’s calendar, it’s like we’re only a couple of days into the wait. The time will come, though, when He will act. And when He does, He will do so very quickly.

A Fine “How Do You Do?” vs 4-8

Having given us that wonderful introduction, John now presents what is both a greeting and blessing. He put himself forth as the writer of the letter, the seven churches in Asia as the recipients, and the triune God as the Author. Then, once Jesus is mentioned, the apostle just can’t help himself from heaping praise upon his Savior.

John quickly gets past his part in one word. He states his name, then moves on to the recipients, whom he also quickly brushes by for now. They will be dealt with in much greater detail in the next two chapters. The writer and recipients may be important to an extent, but they are certainly secondary to the Ones who come next. God in Three Persons—Blessed Trinity

This greeting is not written to act as further proof of the Trinity. Instead, the fact is just accepted as truth. Grace and peace are offered to the recipients of the letter first from the Eternal One—the Father who is, who was, and who is to come. Then, out of the normal order, the greetings are given from the Holy Spirit. Here He is described as the seven Spirits who are before the throne of the Father. The implication is that the Holy Spirit is ready to be sent by the Father in the same way that He was sent to inhabit the believers of the church on the day of Pentecost. Finally, we come to the Son. What is it that we learn about Jesus in this mini-hymn of praise?

Jesus is the Faithful Witness. He perfectly represented the Father before the world. The first of the great prophets, Moses, made this promise: (Deuteronomy 18:15 ““The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear,” ). Because He is the Word of God, Jesus not only acted upon the words of His Father, but also spoke the words of His Father. As He told the disciple Philip, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9).

Jesus is the Firstborn from among the dead. Paul wrote, (Colossians 1:18 “And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.” He is preeminent in two ways. First, the fact that He is the firstborn indicates that there will be others to follow. through His resurrection, He has opened the door for our resurrection. He is also preeminent in that He is the perfect and only sacrifice that could be made for our sins. Not only is He the perfect High Priest, but He is the perfect offering. As the writer of Hebrews put it, Hebrews 10:14 “For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.” . As the High Priest, He laid the offering on the altar. And, as the spotless Lamb that was slain, He allowed Himself to be that sacrifice.

Jesus is the Ruler of the kings of the earth. The Bible first revealed Jesus as a helpless baby, lying in a manger. He grew in wisdom and stature and power, far surpassing all others. Later in Revelation, John revealed who that little baby became when he wrote, “He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS” (Revelation 19:15–16). He is the One before whom one day every knee will bow and every person will acknowledge that He is the rightful King to the throne.

Jesus is the Lover of our souls. How many of you love your children? Hopefully, all your hands went up. We all love our children and would willingly lay down our lives for them. But how willing are you to lay down your life for someone who is your enemy—a person who hates you or who arrogantly acts like you don’t even exist? Not too many of us would volunteer for that assignment. Yet the Bible tells us Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” . Jesus sacrificed His life not just for His friends, but for His enemies too. That is the depth of Jesus’ love.

Jesus is the Washer of our sins. This might be the characteristic of Christ that brings me the most peace. What once separated me from my God is now gone because of what was done on that cross. Not only has it disappeared from my life, but it is gone never to return. Micah 7:19 “He will again have compassion on us, And will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins Into the depths of the sea.” . Because of the blood of Jesus Christ, we can come pure and holy into the presence of our righteous Creator, and that is a right and a privilege that will never be taken away.

Jesus is the enthroner of kings and the consecrator of priests. This same promise is stated in Revelation 5 by the twenty-four elders in heaven as they praise the Lamb, saying that He has “made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth” (verse 10). In the later passage we learn the purpose of our new roles. We will reign on the earth. Our experience after death is not one of luxurious lying around eating nonfattening bonbons. It is a life of learning, serving, and worshipping. Imagine what you will see, hear, and experience as the years pass and you fulfill your calling in the future kingdom of God. What exactly will it look like? We know that as kings, there is a political element to our leadership as we lead people. As priests, there is also a spiritual element as we act as connectors between God and humanity. Because Jesus is the High Priest, He has full power and authority to place us in these positions.

The Seven Churches—). These seven churches, which we will become much better acquainted with in chapters 2 and 3 of the letter, were all active congregations in John’s day. As we read this list, it becomes clear that the churches are mentioned in geographical order, beginning with Ephesus, which was closest in location to John when he wrote the letter.

“I Will Return”—the Groom’s Promise to His Bride

It had been a while since Jesus promised, “I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:2–3). By a while, I don’t mean weeks or months or even years. It had been decades. By this time, only John was left alive of those who had heard Jesus utter those words in the upper room the night before His crucifixion. It’s understandable if some in the church were saying, “Uh, John, are you sure you heard Him right?” The Lord knew that reassurance was needed, so that was exactly what He gave (Revelation 1:7). When Jesus returns, it will not be by limousine or airplane or spaceship. He is coming with the clouds. This is a visual that we see in other parts of Scripture as well Daniel 7:13 ““I was watching in the night visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, And they brought Him near before Him.” . Matthew 24:30 “Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, 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.” Matthew 26:64 “Jesus said to him, “It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”” . Notice what he says. He is coming with the clouds and on the clouds. He is not coming in the clouds. This is not a private return, nor is it momentary. Every eye will see Him, including those who “pierced” Him: Zechariah 12:10 ““And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.” . This reassurance from Jesus did not directly address the concern that many in the church had—“Lord, when are you returning to take us to be with you?” That event is the rapture of the church, when Jesus comes in the clouds and collects His bride. 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17 “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.” . Again, notice the preposition “in.” The event promised in Revelation 1 is the second coming of Christ. That is when He returns to bring judgment upon the world and to set up His kingdom, which He will rule from His throne in Jerusalem. While that is certainly a time to anticipate, the blessed hope of the church is not the second coming. The rapture is our “go time.” At the second coming, we will be on the clouds with Jesus.

The Beginning and the End

This introduction ends with the following verse: “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” (Revelation 1:8). Who is the coming One? As we have already seen, it is Jesus Christ. Thus, both the Father and the Son are Ones “who are and who were and who are to come.” “The Alpha and Omega” refers to God’s eternity or His eternal existence. He never had a beginning, so He always was. He will never have an ending, so He always will be. “. But John himself, long before he wrote this letter from the island of Patmos, opened his Gospel with these words: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made (John 1:1–3). Jesus, the Word, was, is, and is to come.. If there was ever any doubt in anyone’s mind whether Jesus is God Himself, He uses the title “the Almighty” to refer to Himself. That Greek word used there appears eight other times in Revelation and once outside of this letter by Paul in 2 Corinthians 6:18 when he was quoting from the Old Testament. The word is used only in reference to God. When Jesus stood before John, the disciple was looking at the face of the Almighty Himself. One day we all will look into the face of the Almighty Himself. How will you face Him? As savior and Lord? Or will you face Him as Judge? If you reject His freee offer of grace, His free offer of salvation, then you will face an eternity separated from Him in Hell. The Romans Road to salvation is a way of explaining the good news of salvation using verses from the book of Romans. The Romans Road is a simple yet powerful method of explaining why we need salvation, how God provided salvation, how we can receive salvation, and what are the results of salvation.  Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” We have all sinned. We have all done things that are displeasing to God. There is no one who is innocent.   Romans 6:23a, teaches us about the consequences of sin: “For the wages of sin is death.” The punishment that we have earned for our sins is death. Not just physical death, but eternal death!  Romans 6:23b: “But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 5:8 declares, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Jesus Christ died for us! Jesus’ death paid for the price of our sins. Jesus’ resurrection proves that God accepted Jesus’ death as the payment for our sins.

Romans 10:9, “That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Because of Jesus’ death on our behalf, all we have to do is believe in Him, trusting His death as the payment for our sins - and we will be saved! Romans 10:13 says it again, “for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Jesus died to pay the penalty for our sins and rescue us from eternal death. Salvation, the forgiveness of sins, is available to anyone who will trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.  Romans 5:1 has this wonderful message: “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Through Jesus Christ we can have a relationship of peace with God. Romans 8:1 says, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Because of Jesus’ death on our behalf, we will never be condemned for our sins. Finally, we have this precious promise of God from Romans 8:38-39: “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Would you like to follow the Romans Road to salvation? If so, here is a simple prayer you can pray to God. Saying this prayer is a way to declare to God that you are relying on Jesus Christ for your salvation. The words themselves will not save you. Only faith in Jesus Christ can provide salvation! “God, I know that I have sinned against you and am deserving of punishment. But Jesus Christ took the punishment that I deserve so that through faith in Him I could be forgiven. With your help, I place my trust in You for salvation. Thank You for Your wonderful grace and forgiveness - the gift of eternal life! Amen!”