Revelation 1:1-8

Revelation 1:1–8 ESV

The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near. John to the seven churches that 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 of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen. “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Introduction:

What brought John to the island of Patmos?

He was believed to be the youngest disciple. He is the only disciple to die of natural causes. Emperor Nero had sentenced John to death because of his confession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. He was to drink a deadly poison but did not die. Emperor Domitian wanted to kill John and discourage Christianity at the same time. So he had John brought to the games as a main attraction. They had a vat of boiling oil and pushed John into it. John suffered no harm and early church history teaches that all the spectators were saved that day. Domitian did not what else to do to John but exile him to the island of Patmos.

Prophecy

30,442 verses of the Bible, 20,000 or 2/3 relate to prophecy

- 1 out of every 30 verses specific predictions of the return of Christ

-over 300 references of His return in New Testament

-22 chs of Revelation and 404 verses (2/3) are direct or indirect references to the old testament

Islam's Koran, Buddhist 40 Volume (The Tipitaka),

Hinduism's 4 volume (The Vedas),

Confucianism's 4 volumes (Analects)

Lay Out of Chapter 1:

vs 1-3 Prologue

vs 4-8 Overview

Revelation 1:1 ESV

The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,

vs 1 - revelation - (not revelations) this is one revelation not multiple; something revealed or a disclosure; in this case a supernatural revealing of information that mankind could not learn on their own

Revelation 1:2 ESV

who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw.

this is a characterization of the person receiving the revelation; he had spent his life baring record of the Word (another title for Christ John 1:1 ) of God and the testimony or witness of Jesus Christ (the gospel of John and the epistles) - this verse is basically John's resume

Revelation 1:3 ESV

Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.

reads - reads aloud publicly; conjunction - it is not enough to read it out loud, it is not enough to hear it, but we must also hold on to it for truth and modify our lives proving this is truth - it is God's will for us to understand this Revelation. Titus 2:13

Signs fulfilled that we are getting closer to the end:

1. Rebirth of the nation of Israel (Ezekiel 37:38)

2. Jerusalem under Israeli rule but in conflict (Luke 21:24)

3. Worldwide distress of nations (Luke 21:25)

4. Nations and leaders speaking of peace, but preparing for war.(Joel 3:9; 1 Thessalonians 5;3)

5. The wide acceptance of homosexuality (Luke 17:28-30, Ezekiel 16:48-50)

6. A completely self-centered society (2 Timothy 3:1-5)

7. An increase in violent crime (Matthew 24:37-39)

8. Worldwide environmental problems (Revelation 11:18)

Jesus gave His own list in Matthew

1. Deception (24:5)

2. Dissension (Wars) (24:6-7)

3. Devastation (24:7)

4. Disease (24:7)

5. Disasters (24:7)

6. Death (24:9)

7. Disloyalty (24:10)

8. Delusion (24:11)

9. Defection (24:12)

10. Declaration (24:14)

Revelation 1:4–5 ESV

John to the seven churches that 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 of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood

the second half of vs 4 - first half of vs 5 tell us what the gist of Revelation is about

vs 4 - 7 different conditions - churches; grace (good will and favor towards someone) and peace (harmony, tranquility, freedom from worry) maybe we pray incorrectly - we need to start out with seeking God's grace or good will and favor towards us. Then are our lives aligned with the Word of God that we are in a position to receive grace? Changes everything.

Ephesians 2:8,9 Titus 2:11

7 Spirits - Isaiah 11:1-2

1)Spirit of the Lord

2) Spirit of Wisdom

3) Spirit of Understanding

4) Spirit of Counsel

5) Spirit of Might

6) Spirit of Knowledge

7) Spirit of the fear of the Lord

Isaiah 11:1–2 ESV

There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. 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.

Titus 2:11 ESV

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people,

Revelation 1:6 ESV

and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

the second half of vs 5 - vs 6 recounts the past, what Jesus has already done for us.

vs 6 - Kingdom - give right to rule; Priest - bridge.

Revelation 1:7 ESV

Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.

Future

Revelation 1:8 ESV

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

vs 8 is timeless - a statement made in eternity past to eternity future

vs 8 -

I AM Statements

I AM the Christ (John 4:26)

I AM the Bread of Life (John 6:25)

I AM from Above (John 8:23)

I AM the Eternal One (John 8:58)

I AM the Light of the World (John 9:5)

I AM the Door (John 10:7)

I AM the Good Shepherd (John 10:11,14)

I AM the Son of God (John 10:36)

I AM the Resurrection & the Life (John 11:25)

I AM the Lord & Master (John 13:13)

I AM the Way, the Truth, & the Life (John 14:6)

I AM the True Vine (John 15:1)

I AM the Alpha & Omega (Rev 1:8)

I AM the First & Last (Rev 1:17)