Untitled Sermon

The Revelation Of Jesus Christ

Revelation 1:17-20

Introduction:

The book of revelation, while a type of literature known as “apocalyptic” (a Greek word meaning revelation)

is written in the form of a letter. It opens with a greeting typical for a New Testament Epistle.

Revelation is couched in 3 series of 7 judgments that God releases on the world

John opens his letter with the truth of God‘s power and eternal nature.

This would have been an encouragement to his readers who were facing increasing persecution for their faith.

The first-century Christians needed spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical stability to stand firm in their trials.

They would have been strengthened by the knowledge that God has a plan

and no matter how much it looks like evil is winning, that is not the reality

The book Revelation was written during a time of persecution, probably near the end of the reign during the reign of Domitian (a.d. 81–96). Most scholars favor a date about a.d. 95.

This was the 2nd wave of persecution to break out; first Nero than Domitian but this persecution was empire-wide in its scope

Revelation is addressed to seven churches in Asia Minor (1:4, 11), in an area now part of western Turkey.

John was an apostle, pastor and now has been banished.

John, at this point, has already written his gospel and at least three letters to the church, and now, most likely in his 90’s

the Lord comes to Him in the midst of his and the churches present suffering

Look at Rev. 1:9-20

9 I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet 11 saying, “Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”

12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, 15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.

17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, 18 and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades. 19 Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this. 20 As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches

Pray…

Three principles to guide our understanding in our brief time in Revelation:

Revelation is given by Jesus Christ and centers on Jesus vv.1-3

Rev. 1:1-3

1 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, 2 who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. 3 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.

V.1 The book of Revelation is about Jesus Christ, for in it he is revealed.

The revelation both is given by Jesus Christ and centers on Jesus

The revelation was sent to show God’s “servants,” i.e. , believers, what will take place “soon.”

Some preterists have said the wording relates to AD 70 and the destruction of Jerusalem.

But this latter view hardly works, for Revelation doesn’t focus on Israel and Jerusalem, and it strains belief to think Jesus’ coming can be identified with Jerusalem being destroyed.

First, “soon” is a relative term, for what it means depends on one’s perspective.

Peter tells us that one day with the Lord is like a thousand years

2 Pet. 3:8 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day

The revelation was mediated to John through an angel

The angel is sent by Jesus to declare what He is about to bring about soon.

V. 2 - The message John conveys in the book is the “word of God,” which means it is God’s message for the churches

V.3- is a beatitude

In it John claims this book is a prophecy to be heard and obeyed

The word prophecy here does not mean a prediction of the future, though much of revelation has to do with future events.(recorded in chs. 20–22)

Instead, it is a prophecy in the sense that it is God’s truth communicated to mankind

Which brings us to our second principle..

Revelation cannot mean to us what it did not mean first, to the original audience.

V.4 Begins a section of letters to seven churches in Asia

The seven churches are all located in the western part of what we known today as Turkey

They all face differing Circumstances in struggle with a variety of issues

Though these letters address the specific situation of each Church, altogether they offer a wealth of application for the church at large today

V. 9 - Written to suffering believers who are being actively persecuted and targeted because they follow Christ.

We see In v.9, John reveals that he is writing from the island of Patmos, a place to which criminals were banished

John’s crime was proclaiming the Word of God.

There are some that say that the Lord’s day [v.9] is a figurative statement referring to the final judgment day [v.10].

More likely it is simply the first reference to Sunday, the new day of worship (as opposed to Saturday, the Jewish sabbath) based on Jesus’ resurrection.

So here, John is called up in the spiritual world on the day commemorating Jesus’ resurrection

Revelation is written to comfort, encourage and correct the Seven Churches during their present tribulation

John writes that every believer partakes of the following:

Tribulation – the trials that come when a person seeks to follow God

Kingdom – the spiritual world that one experiences in part on earth and then experiences fully upon death

Perseverance – the ability to preserve in the trials that come along with following Jesus

The number seven seems to have a symbolic import as well

for the message ultimately isn’t limited to the seven churches but applies to all churches throughout history.

Illustration of present suffering of God’s church -

According to research done by affiliates of Gordon Conwell Seminary 900,000 believers died for their faith in the last 10 years.

They note 2016 was exceptional brutal to be a Christian with one believer being killed every 6 minutes (https://www.christianpost.com/news/over-900000-christians-martyred-for-their-faith-in-last-10-years-report.html)

In this context the church has been called to live and carry on her mission.

So How is it going with the local church?

Well in John’s day as well as in ours, not so good.

Illustration:

My first sermon at WG was from John 10.

In that sermon series we look at Jesus being the door. There’s only one door and inside that door we find safety and salvation

Jesus has entered the threshold of the door

And He has watched you worship on Sunday morning’s

He has walked with you all week

He has encountered how you love people even when no one else is looking

He knows every thought you’ve had

And know He’s saying son/daughter pull up a chair and sit down I have some things we need to talk about

WG family, Jesus has written us a letter

The question is would you read it?

Not just would you read it, how would you read it? Quickly or carefully?

Will you lay it on the table and read it later or would you stop everything and study the letter because your life depends on it!

Main idea: John writes Revelation in order to reveal God’s sovereignty and Christ’s preeminence both now and in the future, so that weary believers might experience grace and peace in times of distress

Letters in the first century typically had a greeting that identified the sender and the addresses

The greeting in Revelation is what theologians call a Trinitarian greeting

It starts with a description of the Father, the supreme sovereign Lord of the entire world, past, present, and future v.4

The seven Spirits before His throne represent the Holy Spirit v.4

And at the first part of verse5, we have a threefold description of Jesus

The Triune Doxology - v. 4-5a

Vv.4-5a 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, 5 and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth.

The Father on a throne v.4;8

Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come,

We should note that this very same phrase is used of the Father in

Revelation 1:8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

We also see this phrase in 4:8 And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!”

The prologue concludes with an emphatic statement of God’s sovereignty.

God declares himself to be “the Alpha and the Omega,” referring to the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet.

He rules over every particle and speck of history, and has and always will be eternally God.

He is a mighty God in every moment faced by those who belong to him.

There was never a time he was not supreme Lord over all, and there is no chance that history will spin out of his control.

He is coming through his Son, Jesus Christ, to bring in the kingdom.

Believers can be guaranteed such vindication because God is “the Almighty.”

In one sense, we should not be surprised that the Father is declared the “coming one,” for even though the Son comes physically, what is true of the Son is true also of the Father.

Isa 41:4 - God is the creator and sustainer of all things I, the Lord, the first,  and with the last; I am he.

The Holy Spirit is before the Throne -v.4b

V.4b from the seven spirits who are before his throne,

We need to recall that Revelation is apocalyptic, regularly using numbers with symbolic importance

Thus the number seven here designates perfection and the fullness of the Holy Spirit.

John 7:37-38 - On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”

Revelation 22:1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb

The Son is The Lord of Lords v.5a

V.5a and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth

And at the first part of verse5, we have a threefold description of Jesus:

The faithful witness:

Jesus was faithful in the past to carry out God’s plan of redemption, and He will be faithful in the future by bringing about the plan of God for the consummation of the ages

The first born of the dead:

Because Jesus was faithful to the plan of God, God raised Jesus from the dead.

This is the ultimate in hope for the believer, because all those who place their faith in Jesus can be assured of rising from the dead as well

The ruler of the Kings of the earth:

Even though John’s readers or dealing with cruel rulers

and it would seem as if these rulers were in ultimate control, Jesus has supreme control and the earth is under His rule

Because of Jesus, there is no longer need for any other human mediators to connect us to God

Therefore, all believers are the object of Jesus’ love

released from sin, a part of the kingdom of God, and able to pursue God directly through Jesus Christ

That is why John offers praise in the form of a doxology at the end of v.6

V.6 and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever

The Vice-regents of God vv.5-6

We are made to rule for God - vv. 5b-6

Vv.5b-6 and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood 6 and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

The sacrificial character of the language used indicates believers need to be forgiven to be set free from the bondage of sin

Psalm 130:8 And he will redeem Israel

from all his iniquities.

V.6 Jesus freed his people from sin for a purpose.

His people constitute a kingdom and are priests of God the Father.

When God created Adam and Eve, he placed them in the garden to rule the world for him (Gen. 1:28; 2:15).

They were to be his vice-regents in the world

mediating his blessing as priests to the entire world.

They failed in their commission, of course, and brought into the world death and devastation and ruin

Romans  5:12–19 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men[a] because all sinned— 13 for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. 14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. 15 But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. 16 And the free gift is not like the result of that one man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. 17 For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. 18 Therefore, as one trespass[b] led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness[c] leads to justification and life for all men. 19 For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous.

Israel was also summoned to be a “kingdom of priests” (Ex. 19:6)

but like Adam they transgressed the Lord’s commands and did not bring the universal blessing promised to Abraham (Gen. 12:3; 18:18).

The church of Jesus Christ is where God now rules.

His rule over the entire world is not yet evident, but he does reign over his people.

They are his realm, his kingdom, his dominion, and hence the rule of the saints is set in motion but not completed

The redeeming work of Christ and the centrality of Christ in God’s purposes do not diminish the glory of God the Father.

Quite the contrary.

These realities maximize God’s glory.

God is magnified, God is glorified, in his Son, Jesus Christ

especially in his saving work by which he redeems his people

The vice-regents are not preeminent; Jesus is - vv. 7-8

Vv.7-8 7 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[b] on account of him. Even so. Amen.

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

V.7 -  He is coming through his Son, Jesus Christ, to bring in the kingdom.

Believers then, now & in the future can be guaranteed of two things: Protection and vindication.

Protection doesn’t mean escape it means perseverance

Vindication means that God will make all things right; not one act of injustice will get by His Sovereign justice.

V.8 - God declares himself to be “the Alpha and the Omega,”

He rules over every particle and speck of history, and has and always will be eternally God.

He is a mighty God and Sovereign in every moment faced by those who belong to him.

He never abandons his people but will accomplish his purposes despite the horrendous evil characterizing their present existence.

The sovereignty of God assures believers that his kingdom will come and his will be done

Believers can be confident they will enjoy the new creation and won’t be expelled from the city to come.1

We experience the grace of God when we know the love He has for us in Jesus Christ.

Since He has freed us from our sins, He won’t withhold any gift from us. He is in control of our lives and all of history.

There was never a time he was not supreme Lord over all, therefore there is no chance that history will spin out of his control.

The Church’s Tribulation - v. 9

V.9 I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.

Partners in tribulation

The word “Brother” was a common designation among believers and reflects the close relationship they experienced as members of the same religious body.

Commitment to a common goal had removed the artificial barriers of position and status.

Their common lot is described as “suffering and kingdom and patient endurance … in Jesus.”

“Suffering” refers to the difficulties and afflictions of everyday life that result from faithfulness to Christian principles

John 16:33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

In this world you will have trouble

2 Timothy 3:12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,

Partners in the kingdom

He is a part of the family of God, just as they are.

He also emphasizes his partnership with them.

He shares with them the “tribulation” and suffering believers face:

slander, poverty, imprisonment, discrimination, social rejection, physical abuse, and—in some cases—death.

The word of God centers on the testimony about Jesus Christ v.2

Both John and his readers suffered because of their allegiance to Jesus Christ, their unflinching allegiance to the word of God.

Even now he and they are members of the kingdom (1:6; 5:10; 12:10)

and will reign with Jesus when he establishes his kingdom in all its fullness (5:10; 11:15).

Hence, John’s participation with them in endurance isn’t pointless.

Believers are members of the kingdom now, but they are called to endure so they will

Those who persevere in Christ will be the ones who will enjoy Christ in His very presence

Rev 19-21 - Wedding day is coming

Therefore write what you see for these Seven churches present encouragement and perseverance.

There’s no promise of escape only patient endurance in hope of our Sovereign Lordenjoy the kingdom in its fullness later

The Son of Man speaks - v.12-16

Vv.12-13 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest.

Jesus is Preeminent = Superior to or notable above all others

Six Christ-Centered Revelations Of Christ’s Preeminence:

Preeminent priest - vv. 12-13

In John’s vision, Jesus’ description and even position or telling

The fact that He was standing in the middle of the churches signifies that the churches belong to Him v.13

The term Son of Man, when are used about the Messiah, refers to the fact that Jesus not only had a divine nature but a physical body as well

Daniel 7:13-14; “I saw in the night visions,and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him.14 And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.

Look at v.13and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest

John is saying that he saw a man, but not just any man – He is a God– man.

Jesus’ full length robe with a golden sash was the apparel of a priest

The Son of Man is not only a king

but also a priest, suggesting, given Revelation 1:5–6

that he is the one who atoned for the sins of his people.

The kingdom becomes a reality through the cross

and thus if there is no cross

if there is no priestly work of atonement

there is no kingdom for the saints.

The cross is the tree that brought us life!

We see the preeminent priest and...

Preeminent in wisdom  - v. 14

V.14 The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire

Look at Daniel 7:9-10 “As I looked, thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days took his seat his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames; its wheels were burning fire.10 A stream of fire issued and came out from before him; a thousand thousands served him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him; the court sat in judgment, and the books were opened

This paints the picture of someone who has the wisdom of the world because He has existed forever v.14

The fire images introduced in verse 14 and continuing into verse 15 or pictures of judgment

In this vision, Jesus is looking at the world with the eyes of judgment.

The feet of Christ represent the reality that Jesus can judge the earth and will execute that judgment personally

It expresses the piercing insight of the one who is sovereign, not only over the seven churches but over the entire course of history as well

Preeminent in His power & stability - v.15

V.15 15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters.

Below the long robe the feet of Christ appeared like “bronze.”

In any case, the shining, bronzelike feet portray strength and stability.

The voice of Christ is said to be “like the sound of rushing waters,”

suggesting the awe-inspiring power of a great waterfall.

The same description is used of the voice of God in Ezekiel 43:2

Ezekiel 43:2 And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was coming from the east. And the sound of his coming was like the sound of many waters, and the earth shone with his glory.

Also, look at Revelation 19:6 Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out

We read in Psalm 29:3, “The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord, over many waters.”

Preeminent control - v. 16

V.16 In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.

Three things are said of the Son of Man in v.16.

First, he holds the seven stars in his right hand.

Second, a two-edged sword is in his mouth,

and third, his face shines like the sun.

Jesus holds them in his hand, controlling and protecting them

Turn to Psalm 73:23 Nevertheless, I am continually with you;

you hold my right hand.

Psalm 139:10 even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.

John 10:28  give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.

The danger in our life is to think we are entitled to God’s protection while we rebel against his word

Preeminent in Truth and Judgment v.16

Jesus also has a sharp double-edged sword in his mouth.

The sword in these scene symbolizes the irresistible power of divine judgment

The sword refers to his words, for Revelation 2:12 speaks of the “words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword.”

The Son of Man must not be trifled with, for his word penetrates and judges those who oppose him.

Look at 2 Thessalonians 2:8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming.

It is the word of Christ that will ultimately prevail

Preeminent Glory

John’s account of the beginning vision now reaches its high point.

The appearance of the exalted Christ is described as being “like the sun shining in all its brilliance.”

Do we see what John desires the church to see before they read Jesus’ letters?

He desires them to see Jesus as He is, Sovereign, Wise, and He is good.

Do not ignore Him!

He desires us to see our God as one who abides with his people

sees their struggles

and will one day make it all right again

The Preeminent One speaks - vv. 17-20

Fear - v.17a

V.17a When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead

The glory of God in the Son of Man was more than John could take as a mere human being

John’s response to the vision was to fall at the feet of Christ as though dead.

Jesus, as the Son of Man, declares, “I am the first and the last.”

These words are picked up again in Revelation (cf. 2:8; 22:13)

Christ now lays his right hand on John and speaks a word of strong assurance

Look at Daniel 10:10 And behold, a hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees

Fear not - v.17b -18

Vv.17b-18 But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, 18 and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.

There is no cause for fear because he who speaks is “the First and the Last.”

This title is essentially the same as the divine self-designation in v.8, “the Alpha and the Omega.”

In 22:13 both titles are joined by a third, “the Beginning and the End.”

In Isaiah 44:6 God declares, “I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God”

Isaiah 48:12 “Listen to me, O Jacob, and Israel, whom I called! I am he; I am the first, and I am the last

The title emphasizes the absolute sovereignty of God

It declares that in his essential nature Christ possesses life and therefore is to be understood in sharp contrast to the dead (or inanimate) gods of paganism.

The Emperor's gods are lifeless, powerless idols

But Jesus is sovereign, alive and he has spoken to his people!

so:

Write - v. 19

V.19 Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this.

So translate, “Write, therefore, the things you are about to see, that is, both what now is and what lies yet in the future.”

John’s role, as described in verse 19

is to describe this vision, reveal the state of the churches

and communicate the later description of the future to come

His vision comprehends all of history, including the present and the future

which are essentially related to the past

Jesus is the Sovereign God with his people then, now and in the future

The Mysteries - v. 20

V.20 As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches

In Daniel 2:47 Nebuchadnezzar acknowledges that Daniel’s God is a “revealer of mysteries.”

It is in this same sense of the “inner meaning of a symbolic vision” that Christ now supplies the interpretation of the seven stars and seven lampstands.

The lampstands are the churches. In v. 13

We learned that Christ stands among (“in the midst of”) his churches.

Facing persecution in a hostile environment, they are to realize his abiding presence.

The stars are the angels

It is important to note that the churches are described as lampstands – not the light itself, but that which reveals the light

John refers to “angels” or an “angel” seventy-five times in the book

and every other use refers to heavenly angels.

It is thus most natural to see a reference to them here as well.

This argument is further strengthened when we observe that “angel” or “angels” typically refers to heavenly angels in the OT .

We also see in Job 38:7  that angels can be identified as stars.

Whatever you land (eschatology), understand this

there is a demonic hoard that seeks to destroy you, your family, and this church,

and if there is and there is, then there is a greater angelic host fighting with us.

WE ARE NOT ALONE!!

Why did Christ give John this Revelation to give to the church?

So That

Believers might experience comfort and grace in times of distress, hardship and persecution

Present comfort - Psalm 23:4 - God is with us. His rod and his staff, both protecting and correcting.

Future Hope - Rev 22:1-5 - We will see His face!