The Revelation

Text: Revelation 1:1-20

Revelation = Greek - Apokalupsis = 18X in the NT = always when used of a person it means “to become visible”.

In this letter we have:

warnings of the consequences of sin

instructions on holiness

reveals the strength of Christ over creation

reveals the strength of the church (through Christ) to overcome the devil

reveals the glory and majesty of God

reveals God’s plan for the end of human history

talks about the antichrist, the battle of Armageddon, and how Christ will battle against evil

talks about the millennial kingdom, the Great White Throne judgment, and the new heaven and new earth

describes the ultimate defeat of Satan, sin, and the final state of the wicked

It tells of the ultimate victory of Jesus Christ, His church, and the joy of heaven

— And it is all shared by the One who has seen it all! — Jesus

I. The Author and Focus of the Letter (vv. 1–2, 9–11)

Revelation is not about a puzzle to decode, it is about a Person to behold.

When we read this book, we’re not just studying prophecy—we’re seeing Jesus more clearly.

Revelation 1:1–2 “The revelation of Jesus Christ that God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, whatever he saw.”

Revelation 1:9–10 “I, John, your brother and partner in the affliction, kingdom, and endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard a loud voice behind me like a trumpet”

2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness,”

The ultimate Author is God the Father, who gave this revelation to Jesus Christ.

Jesus gave it to His angel, who gave it to John, who now gives it to us.

The focus is not on beasts, bowls, or battles—but on Jesus Christ Himself.

John is the human author - the one who penned the words of this letter but make no mistake — John only wrote down what Jesus gave him to write.

While all of scripture is revelation from God, the Book of Revelation is THE Revelation—The Revelation of Jesus Christ!

Cross-reference:

Hebrews 1:1–2 “Long ago God spoke to our ancestors by the prophets at different times and in different ways. In these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son. God has appointed him heir of all things and made the universe through him.”

Illustration: Debbie and I were married April 20, 1984. I enlisted in the Air Force and went to Basic Training in December of that same year. We spent our first Christmas apart from each other. One of the things I asked Debbie to do was to write me a letter as often as she could. I knew I was going to be homesick and receiving a letter from her would sure help me cope with being away from her. She did an amazing job because almost daily I would receive a letter from my bride. It was an amazing encouragement to me and truly helped me make it through basic training. She shared with me, in detail, what was happening back home. She shared her daily activities, her thoughts, her love, her longing for me to be back home. Her letters helped keep me connected to her even though I was 1,000 miles away.

Church, that’s what this book is: it is a letter from our Savior, revealing His glory and His plan for all of us and the world in which we live. In this letter He is saying: this is what has taken place in the past, this is what is taking place right now, and this is what is going to take place in the future. Read it, understand it, obey it!

We see the author and focus of the letter, next we see the content of the letter.

II. The Content of the Letter (vv. 1–3, 10–20)

This is a prophetic letter (v. 3), a pastoral letter (v. 11), and a powerful vision (vv. 12–16).

It contains symbols, warnings, encouragements, and promises.

It contains a personal word from Jesus to His bride, the church. 2 Timothy 3:16–17 “All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” This is exactly what Jesus is going to address when He speaks directly to the 7 churches in chapters 2-3.

The centerpiece is the risen, reigning Christ—clothed in majesty, eyes like fire, voice like rushing waters.

The “of” in the very first verse causes us to ask the question: Is this a revelation about Jesus or a revelation from Jesus? Is Jesus the one being revealed or is Jesus the one doing the revealing? The answer to those questions is YES! He is both the Revealed and the Revealer!

The Revelation of Jesus Christ (v1)...a loud voice saying (v10-11)...and then in chapter 22, I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you (v16).

We are going to see some of the most descriptive scripture in all of the Bible in this letter.

Application: The Jesus of Revelation is not a baby in a manger. The Jesus of Revelation is not a teacher in sandals. The Jesus we are going to experience in this letter is the King of kings, and Lord of Lords, the Alpha and Omega, The First and the Last, the Judge of all the earth. The Jesus we are going to encounter in this letter is described like this:

He is: “[the ONE] dressed in a robe with a golden sash wrapped around his chest. His hair white as snow—and his eyes like a fiery flame. His feet like fine bronze as if fired in a furnace, and his voice like the sound of cascading waters. He is the ONE holding seven stars in his right hand; and a sharp double-edged sword coming from his mouth. He is the ONE that his face shines like the sun at full strength.”

We see the author and focus of the letter, we see the content of the letter, 3rd we see the benefit of the letter.

III. The Benefit of the Letter (v. 3)

The Book of Revelation gives us courage to endure anything and everything we will face in this life, clarity to discern what is truth and what is a lie, and confidence to worship the one and only true God and Savior Jesus Christ.

Why should we read the book of Revelation? Because it is God’s word! That should be good enough. But unfortunately, it’s not. So God, knowing how we are wired and that we may need some motivation, because we are made of flesh and we are earthly, selfish, greedy people, always thinking, what’s in it for me—added an incentive to this book. If fact, it is the only book of the Bible that begins with a promised blessing for reading it, hearing it, and obeying what is written in it. Revelation 1:3 “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear the words of this prophecy and keep what is written in it, because the time is near.”

Make sure you understand that the blessing isn’t just in reading and hearing the words in this prophecy...the blessing will only be applied when it is obeyed.

Cross-reference:

James 1:22 “But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”

Illustration: I used the illustration last week about how the light of lighthouse could become dull when it is not cleaned. While the light still shined it did not give off it’s full power and thus it could not illuminate the potential dangers lurking below. I want you again, to think about a lighthouse in reference to the book of Revelation. The lighthouse doesn’t remove the dangers of the sea, the waves and the rocks below, but when the light is shining bright it shows you were those dangers are located. That bright light also show you where the harbor is and what route to take to get to safety. That’s what the Book of Revelation is: it doesn’t take away the difficulties of life, it shows you where they are and how to get to safety. But here’s the key — if you ignore the light you are going to crash on the rocks and not make it to safety.

The Benefit of the letter is that when we read, hear, and obey...we can make it to the harbor where we will find the blessing of safety and rest!

So, we have the author and focus of the letter, the content of the letter, the benefit of the letter, 4th we have the timing of the letter.

IV. The Timing of the Letter (vv. 1, 3,)

If you are having difficulty understanding why the second coming is taking so long it’s not because you don’t know the definition of “soon” it’s because you are not understanding God’s timeline.

Revelation 1:1 “The revelation of Jesus Christ that God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,”

Revelation 1:3 “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear the words of this prophecy and keep what is written in it, because the time is near.”

The words soon and near tend to make us believe that all these things are going to take place “soon” and “near”. So why haven’t they kicked off, what is God waiting for?

2 Peter 3:8–9 “Dear friends, don’t overlook this one fact: With the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord does not delay his promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance.”

Our “soon” and our “near” are not the same as God’s. But make no mistake — The events of Revelation are unfolding now and yet to come. “Soon” doesn’t mean immediate—it means imminent and the rapture of the church could happen at any moment.

Application:

We must live with urgency, not complacency. Jesus is coming—not someday, but soon. Are we ready?

So, we have the author and focus of the letter, the content of the letter, the benefit of the letter, the timing of the letter, let’s look lastly at the recipients of the letter.

V. The Recipients of the Letter (vv. 4, 11, 20)

Just like in John’s vision Jesus is present in His church today. He knows our works, our weaknesses, our worship, and our witness.

Revelation 1:4 “John: To the seven churches in Asia. Grace and peace to you from the one who is, who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne,”

Revelation 1:11 “saying, “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.””

There are some who believe that these 7 churches mentioned here are symbolic of the 7 ages of the church.

Apostolic Age: Begins with Jesus and lasts until the first persecution.

Era of Persecution: From Nero to Constantine the Great.

Era of Illumination: From Constantine to Charlemagne.

Period of Peace: From Charlemagne to the heresy of Luther.

Time of Tribulation: Beginning with Protestantism.

Age of the Graeco-Latin Church: From the rise of Christianity to the first ecumenical council of Nicaea in 325 AD.

Modern Church History: The age of Protestantism in conflict with Romanism, followed by various periods of reform and revival.

Remember what we stated several times already. We take a Literal, Historical, Grammatical approach to Revelation.

These were real churches in real cities with real struggles. We have also talked about the number 7 in the book of Revelation and that it represents Perfection, Completeness, or Fullness. So, here the 7 churches represent both actual churches that were present in John’s day and speaks to God’s church today. So, in the letters to the 7 churches we must look and listen to the message God speaks to Brush Creek Baptist Church.

Challenging Question:

Imagine Jesus walking the aisles of Brush Creek Baptist Church this morning, looking not just at our attendance but at our hearts. What would He commend? What would He correct?

Conclusion:

Revelation 1 is not just an introduction—it’s an invitation. An invitation to see Jesus as He truly is. To hear His voice. To prepare for His return. To obey His Word. And to shine as His lampstand in a dark world. Let us not be a church that merely studies Revelation—let us be a church that lives it. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” (Revelation 2:7)