The Great Announcement to the Churches (Revelation 1:4-8)

1. Grace & peace are yours (4)

⇒ Grace means the favor and blessings of God. It means that God takes an active role in our lives; that He looks after and takes care of us; that He provides all the good and beneficial things of life for us whether physical, material, or spiritual. We do not deserve the grace of God, but God loves us. Therefore, He showers us with His grace, His favor, and His blessings.

⇒ Peace means that we can have peace with God and with men; that we no longer have to feel that God is far away from us, nor that God is hovering over us, watching every little move that we make. God is not evil; He is not seeking every chance to condemn and punish us. God seeks only one thing with us and that is peace.

a. From God: The eternal & unchangeable God

“But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus” (Ep. 2:4–7).

“And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Ph. 4:7).

“For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee” (Tit. 2:11–15).

“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; that being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (Tit. 3:5–7).

b. From the Holy Spirit

Note that the Holy Spirit is called the “seven Spirits.” The number seven in the Bible simply means completeness, fullness, and perfection. Thus, the seven spirits mean the Holy Spirit in all His fullness. The Holy Spirit is before the throne of God in all of His perfection and fullness. Therefore, the believer is to find grace and peace in the fullness of the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit of God who lives within the believer in order to fill the believer with the grace and peace of God.

c. From Jesus Christ

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (Jn. 14:27).

“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer I have overcome the world” (Jn. 16:33).

“Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Ro. 3:24).

“In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace” (Ep. 1:7).

“For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us” (Ep. 2:14).

“To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (Col. 1:2).

2. Christ is the great Savior, the wonderful Redeemer (5-6)

a. He is the faithful witness

He is the one Person we can depend upon. We can trust what Jesus Christ tells us. Jesus Christ came from God, out of heaven itself, to reveal the truth to us—the truth about God and man and man’s world. What Jesus Christ has revealed can be trusted.

“Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness” (Jn. 3:11).

“Jesus answered and said unto them, Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true: for I know whence I came, and whither I go; but ye cannot tell whence I come, and whither I go” (Jn. 8:14).

“Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice” (Jn. 18:37).

b. He is the first to arise from the dead

That is, He is the first to arise who never again had to die. The words “first-begotten” or “firstborn” mean to be the first in rank; to be supreme and preeminent in the resurrection. Of all the people who have arisen from the dead, Jesus Christ is Supreme. It is He who is the Son of God; therefore, it is His resurrection that is the supreme and preeminent resurrection. All other people arise because He arose. All believers shall arise to live with God eternally because He arose and conquered death for us. Because He arose, we too shall arise if we believe that He died and rose for us.

c. He is the Prince over all rulers of the earth

Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead and exalted to the right hand of God’s throne. He and He alone has been given the seat of Sovereign rule over the earth. The world may seem chaotic and the problems too enormous to be handled. But Jesus Christ is in control, and He is able to handle it all. However, a man may legitimately ask: Why does God not go ahead and come and straighten out the chaotic mess and evil of the world? God tells us as plainly as human language can say it:

“[God] is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Pe. 3:9; see vv.3–10).

Jesus Christ is delaying His return so that more people can be saved and live eternally with God. But someday, and from the weight of the evidence the day will be soon, Jesus Christ is returning to take over the rule of the world. He and He alone is going to rule and bring the reign of righteousness to the earth. He alone is the prince of the kings of the earth.

d. He has redeemed us

He “loves us and has washed us from our sins in His own blood” (v.5). The word love is in the present tense in Greek. This means that Jesus Christ always loves us. He loves us today just as He has loved us in the past. The word “washed” (lusanti) means to be loosed, set free, and released from sin. How did the blood of Jesus Christ set us free from sin?

⇒ Jesus Christ took our sins and died for them. He had lived a sinless and perfect life as a Man upon the earth. Therefore, He was able to present Himself as the Ideal and Perfect Man before God. He was able to die as the ideal and perfect sacrifice. He was able to take our sins—the guilt and the judgment of our sins—upon Himself and bear the punishment for them. He was the Ideal and Perfect Man; therefore, God is able to accept His death as the ideal and perfect sacrifice for sin.

“Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father” (Ga. 1:4).

“In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace” (Ep. 1:7).

“In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins” (Col. 1:14).

“Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation [behavior] received by tradition from your fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Pe. 1:18–19).

“And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation” (Re. 5:9).

e. He has exalted us

He has actually made us kings and priests.

⇒ By kings is meant a kingdom, a rule, some authority and responsibility that involves overseership, management, supervision, and governing. Believers shall rule and reign with Christ. We shall oversee and administer the affairs of the universe for Christ throughout eternity.

“Do ye not know that the saints shall judge [oversee, have authority over] the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?” (1 Co. 6:2).

⇒ By priests means that we have open access into God’s presence any time. Believers no longer need human priests or mediators. Believers are themselves made priests before God—all by Jesus Christ. Believers are now to offer their own prayers, praises, worship, thanksgiving, and offerings to God.

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” (Ro. 12:1).

“By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name” (He. 13:15).

“Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ” (1 Pe. 2:5).

3. Christ is coming again (7)

This is the theme of Revelation, the coming again of Jesus Christ and the justice and judgment which He is to execute upon the earth. Jesus Christ is coming again, and when He comes, this verse says two things will happen.

a. He is to be seen by all

The glory of God is so bright and so full of light that it actually shines brighter than the sun (see Re. 21:23). When Jesus Christ returns, there will be a display of His glory that will surround the earth, and the reflection of the Lord’s glory will be seen by every eye. Remember also there will be an innumerable host of angels and believers who are accompanying Christ back to earth. The idea is this: there will be so many that they will surround the earth. Whatever the case, Christ in all of His glory and majesty is going to return to earth, and when He returns, every eye shall see Him.

b. He is to be seen by those who killed Him: They will mourn because of Him

This refers to all the enemies of Christ, not only to those who crucified Christ. Every person who has rebelled against Jesus Christ shall see Jesus Christ and they shall cry out in anguish because they have …

• cursed Him

• rejected Him

• ignored Him

• neglected Him

• rebelled against Him

• opposed Him

“And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Mt. 24:30).

4. Christ is the Almighty God (8)

a. The Alpha & Omega

Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet and Omega is the last letter. That is, Jesus Christ is the beginning and the ending of all there is. He began all things and He shall end all things. All things find their purpose, meaning, and significance in Him. Man, the world, history—no matter how chaotic and disjointed life may seem—all things are under the control of Jesus Christ.

Thought 1. The exhortation is clear: we must put our trust in Jesus Christ and cast our lives upon Him. When we do, we receive the great gift of God spoken about in verse four. We receive the grace of God’s care and provision and the great gift of peace, and we become safe and secure for eternity.

b. The One who is, who was, & who is to come

That is, He is eternal and unchangeable. Today He is the same Person He has always been, and He shall always be the same Person.

Thought 1. This is a great message for man. Jesus Christ loves us all; He loves us as much as He loved those who lived when He first came to earth. His love is unchangeable. But remember: so are His justice and judgment. If we trust Him, we shall know His love; if we reject Him, we shall know His wrath.

“And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: they shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; and as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail” (He. 1:10–12).

“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever” (He. 13:8).

“Thy name, O Lord, endureth for ever; and thy memorial, O Lord, throughout all generations” (Ps. 135:13).

“Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations” (Ps. 145:13).

c. The Almighty God

The word means the All-Controller, the All-Ruler. He is the One who controls all things and rules over all things in the whole universe. This means that Jesus Christ possesses all power: He is omnipotent, able to do anything. He controls everything: the universe and every being within the universe. He controls the atoms, protons, neutrons, and electrons of space and matter. He even controls every circumstance, event, and happening throughout the universe.

Thought 1. Jesus Christ is the Almighty. This means a most wonderful thing: no matter what a person goes through if he belongs to Jesus Christ, all things will be worked out for his good. Jesus Christ will control the circumstances and twist them to the good of the believer. Nothing can snatch the believer out from under the control of Jesus Christ.

“Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: for by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: and he is before all things, and by him all things consist” (Col. 1:15–17).

“God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high” (He. 1:1–3).