What's Revelation About?
Revelation 1:1-8
Message #1
What is Revelation about? More than anything else, Revelation is about the unveiling of the glory of Jesus Christ. It is a singular Revelation. It is not Revelations (plural). It is the singular Revelation of who Jesus Christ truly is. And it is the prophetic proclamation of the ultimate and absolute victory of Jesus Christ over all evil and overall the effects and consequences of sin in the world, finally, and forever – into eternity.
Revelation is all about Jesus Christ and us entering into the final and complete victory that was won on the Cross. It was promised back in Genesis 3, verse 15. It was won on the Cross. It’s experienced by the end of Revelation.
Revelation is the fulfillment of every truth in the Bible, all wrapped in the person and glory of Jesus Christ.
Genesis is the book of beginnings
Revelation is the book of consummation
Revelation is like the second Genesis. It’s the beginning “the right way.” Revelation returns us to that place that God first created. All things are made new by the end of this book. The Bible ends with the passing away of all that is fallen in the sin nature (from the very beginning of evil) and the birth of all that is new in the glory of God’s presence – without sin – for eternity. And you want to make sure you’re there when it happens.
But, for us to grasp the true life-changing power of the Book of Revelation, we’ve got to approach it with a desire to know the true glory of Jesus Christ more than anything else. We’ve got to desire to know the glory of Jesus more than we desire to know the future. We’ve got to desire the deeper spiritual truths of Revelation more than just the foretelling of future events.
In Revelation, the true and full glory of Jesus Christ is unveiled to us, which is what the word Revelation means it is the unveiling of Jesus Christ, and so the Book of Revelation cannot be read like a supermarket tabloid – just about the predictions of the future. That is not the purpose of the book. The purpose of Revelation is to instill strong encouragement and perseverance in the Saints by knowing who Jesus Christ truly is and what God is truly doing in the world. Revelation is meant to make the glory and power, and victory of Jesus Christ grow bigger and bigger in our lives.
The Book of Revelation is the consummation of the truth that the more Jesus Christ is revealed to us, the bigger and bigger and bigger he gets in our lives. The bigness is not in the curiosity about the future. The bigness is in the glory of Jesus Christ. Amen!
This power has the power to profoundly change how we view Jesus Christ and how we view this world. It will powerfully change your life if you receive it the way it was written to be received, which is the unveiling of Jesus Christ. You will leave this book with a commitment, and a passion, with a confidence to follow Christ no matter what you experience, which is why the book was written initially, and it was what the people who initially heard the book read in Asia-Minor, the Seven Churches, it’s what they needed to hear. And if we will embrace this book for more than just mere future-telling, we will experience and encounter Jesus Christ in a way that we have not yet known him.
We want to experience the glory of Jesus in the Book of Revelation. We want to encounter him at a deeper level. We want to see him more and more for who he is, not who our culture has tried to make him. Our culture has tried to make Jesus very small and us very big, and Jesus as kind of “our little helper.” Revelation causes us to fall on our face before the glory of the mighty King. And that’s the goal.
And so, my prayer is, as we study Revelation, that we would receive a more full, more powerful, life-changing Revelation of the King of kings and Lord of lords who absolutely IS coming again – imminently – to bring all these things to pass.
Next, in regard to approaching this book. There are a lot of approaches to Revelation. There’s a lot of eschatology (the theology of end times). There are different views, and different people see different stuff. Listen, I’m not going to send you down those rabbit holes. Here’s how we approach Revelation. This is how Calvary Chapels have always, from the old school, approached it. The book is both literal and symbolic, just like the rest of the Bible, and we determine if a thing is more likely literal or symbolic by the context that it is written in.
And so, our approach to the Bible is if the context of a passage points to a thing being literal, then we take it literally. If the context of a passage points to a thing being symbolic, then we look at it symbolically and look for the deeper spiritual meaning there.
And whether we are in a literal or symbolic section, we will always ask the same question:
How does this apply to my life today?
Revelation is not for ear-tickling. Revelation is for “How does this change my life today?” And it’s designed to give you strength and encouragement and exhortation and confidence that Jesus Christ is who he says he is and that he wins in the end. How does this apply to my life today? Whether we are speaking literal section or symbolic section.
In the Gospels, Jesus spoke often in parables, symbols, and metaphors. And he did it to make you dig for the truth so that the people who desire to know the truth could find it, but the people who didn’t would not. And Revelation is very, very similar to that. It is written symbolically, and in metaphors, along with the literal sections. And in the parables, it is the context that helps us understand that Jesus is speaking with symbolism or metaphor. This is the same throughout the Bible.
From the wisdom and poetry literature
to the visions and prophecies of the Old Testament Prophets
to the parables of Jesus…
and it is the same in the Book of Revelation
In fact, the churches in Asia-Minor who originally received this letter were much more familiar with the symbolism used in Revelation than we are today because much of the imagery and symbolism in Revelation comes from the Old Testament prophetic literature, especially Daniel and Ezekiel. (Which we will be spending some time in while we’re going through Revelation, and we’ll connect those because if you haven’t heard anyone ever say this, hear it now. You can’t understand Revelation without understanding the Book of Daniel. You can’t. Daniel is foundational to Revelation. We’ll connect those too.)
The big deal is, number one – symbolism, metaphor, parable, it’s part of how God communicates. But, number two, the Churches that received this initial letter, the Seven Churches there around Ephesus and what’s now Turkey, Asia-Minor, those Churches were more familiar with the symbolism that John used than you and I are. He used symbolism of the first century because he was writing to first-century people.
And so, as we study Revelation, we cannot try to say, “This is a symbol of this particular thing” in the 21st century. We have to be more interested in deeper spiritual meanings than whether the locust symbolizes a Black Hawk helicopter. Listen, the imagery and what that means is not really what’s going to change your life. What’s going to change your life is understanding the big picture of the glory of Jesus Christ and his power and his ultimate victory, and what eternity looks like as eternity begins. Revelation gives us a glimpse into the beginning of eternity. There is nothing like it. There is nothing like it.
I will poke some fun at these guys who take things in Revelation and make them like today’s news. However, the truth is, there are incredible prophecies in Revelation that seem clearly to be either being fulfilled or at least being prepared to be fulfilled right now – today. And seeing the potential fulfillment of those prophecies should strengthen our faith and our perseverance.
There are some things in this book that are happening right now on our earth that we can say, “Whoa! This really looks like this prophecy in Revelation being fulfilled.”
But here’s what I’ve learned in forty-four years of following Jesus. In 1979, when Pam and I got saved, guess what they were saying? “Well, Kissinger is obviously the antichrist. Who could it be if it’s not Kissinger?” This is that, this is happening, and Russia’s this, and Russia’s that. And then what happened to Russia? It went away. And then all those guys were like, huh! Well, I thought it was Russia. And then what happened to Russia? Russia came back like the bigger Bear that it is now. And now, everyone is like, wow, whoa! That’s really happening again.
So, there are some phenomenal prophetic things. We will go over them. We will talk about how they connect, and it is phenomenal. It is more than interesting. But it’s not the focus. It’s just awesome to think this thing with Russia and China right now, and the Silk Road, and some of these other things going on, we’re like, Woo, baby! But that’s what we were saying in 1979. And that’s the point! Is that every generation has said, “He could come back today!” And it’s driven them, and that’s the real point of Revelation.
We will dive into those prophecies as we go through the book, but not to the overshadowing of the Revelation of who Jesus Christ truly is and what God is truly doing on earth.
The Apostle John, late in life, close to sixty years after the resurrection of Jesus, was banished to the small island of Patmos by the Roman authorities for preaching the Word of God and for his testimony about Jesus. Exiled, instead of killed, the Apostle John was the only one of the original Apostles who was not martyred for his faith. In fact, he actually returns to Ephesus and dies later there. And it was there on the Isle of Patmos that John received the Revelation of Jesus Christ.
Last year, I was able to go to Greece with a small group of friends, and it was incredible. And although we were primarily following the footsteps of Paul, we did get to spend two days on the Island of Patmos, which may have been my favorite part of the trip.
Alright, let’s get started. I’m going to use the ESV for the first sentence in Revelation.
Revelation 1:1(a) (ESV)
1 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place
The Revelation (singular) (the REVEALING) OF Jesus Christ
The “of” can also be translated “from” but “The revealing OF Jesus Christ” carries the theme of the book. Then verse 1 says this Revelation of Jesus Christ is to show his servants the things that must soon take place.
But listen, this word “soon” is not speaking of the passing of time. This Greek word that’s translated “soon” here, we get our word “tachometer” from it. And so, to me, what I imagine, is NASCAR – not that I’m a huge NASCAR fan. But when that car is sitting on the track, it’s just ready. But as soon as they flip that switch and the RPM’s hit about 8,000, that car is off like a rocket. That’s this word. It means “to rev up quickly,” meaning once this process fires up, it is going to come quick. The things that must imminently (that’s a good word) take place. It’s going to come like a fury when it fires up.
Let’s finish verses 1 and 2 in the NLT.
Revelation 1:1(b)–2 (NLT)
1 . . . He sent an angel to present this revelation to his servant John,
2 who faithfully reported everything he saw. This is his report of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.
And then, in verse 3, there is a very specific blessing. This is the first of seven specific blessings given in Revelation, and this blessing is repeated at the end of the book.
Revelation 1:3 (NLT)
3 God blesses the one who reads the words of this prophecy to the church, and he blesses all who listen to its message and obey what it says, for the time is near (imminent).
This word “listen” doesn’t mean that your auditory senses are functioning. It means “receive.” All those who receive its message and obey what it says…
And then John begins his salutation to the churches.
Revelation 1:4-5(a) (NLT)
4 This letter is from John to the seven churches in the province of Asia. Grace and peace to you from the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come (Eternal God); from the sevenfold Spirit before his throne (Holy Spirit); 5 and from Jesus Christ . . .
So, the letter is from the Apostle John (the One Whom Jesus Loved. The one who reclined on Jesus’ chest at the Last Supper), and he receives it from the Lord and an angel, and then he transmits to the churches that need it in Asia Minor. Seven churches that we’ll read about in the next two chapters. So, John is the overseer of these seven churches. It’s a very logical and historical thing for him to receive this prophecy and then transmit it to the churches that he is overseeing.
During this time, in 90 AD, the Roman Emperor named Domitian is ruling all of the Roman Empire. He took the title “Master and god” and demanded that people take an oath to worship him, which caused obvious problems for Christ-followers. This is the second round of severe persecution (they had already been through Nero and his burning and lighting of his garden with Christians). It’s really important we see that Revelation was written in the midst of intense persecution of the Apostle John. Church history says during this time, John was boiled in oil and exiled to a remote island called Patmos to keep him from causing any more trouble for Rome in the area of the seven churches that John is writing this letter to.
Also, the seven churches that he oversaw were under intense persecution, and they needed to know who it was that they were giving their lives for. They needed to know who Jesus Christ truly was. With all of this going on at this time, this is the time that Jesus Christ chooses to reveal himself in all of his glory and power to the Apostle John.
And this is not any different today. If you happen across a real Christ-follower who’s living through real persecution, you will find the strongest Christ-follower you’ve ever met. They needed to know that they could have confidence in the one to whom they had entrusted their lives. And we need to know the exact same thing today so that we would never turn back and never let go of him no matter what the circumstances are around us, and the Book of Revelation will absolutely give us that confidence.
And so, John begins by sending grace and peace from the full Godhead. But as he finishes with Jesus Christ, he breaks into a full-on doxology, which is just a gushing forth of praise. Listen to this incredible rapid-fire list of who Jesus Christ IS and what he’s done for us. This is just to get the Revelation of Jesus Christ started.
Revelation 1:5–6 (NLT)
5 and from Jesus Christ. He is the faithful witness to these things, the first to rise from the dead, and the ruler of all the kings of the world. All glory to him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by shedding his blood for us.
6 He has made us a Kingdom of priests for God his Father. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.
The Apostle John has been exiled on a forsaken island after possibly being boiled in oil, and he and the Church and Christians are being persecuted, even unto death. And as soon as he starts writing, John breaks forth into praise for who Jesus Christ IS and what Jesus Christ has done for us.
In other words, he does exactly what we would do if we were in the same situation, right?
You know, if someone boiled us in oil and then exiled us on an island, and our family was under severe persecution, isn’t this what we would do? We’d break into praise with God, right?
No, that’s a different culture. We have a backward culture when it comes to Jesus. We think we’re the master and he’s our servant. But Revelation turns that on its head, and you find out that he is THE Master. He is the Master of All and the Judge of All. And suddenly, we take on what John takes on here, and that is this: we do not praise God circumstantially. We do not praise God because of our circumstances; we praise God in the midst of our circumstances because of who God is. And when we get this Revelation of Jesus Christ, as he gets bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger in our lives, then our circumstances get smaller and smaller, and smaller and smaller. And then, in the midst of whatever our circumstances are, we’re singing praise to God like John is here.
John doesn’t praise God because of his circumstances. He praises God in the midst of his circumstances.
1. Jesus Christ is the Faithful Witness
2. He is the First to rise from the dead
3. He is the Ruler of all the kings of the world
4. Who Loves us
5. And has Freed us from our Sins
6. BY Shedding His own Blood for us
7. AND - He has made us a Kingdom of Priests to God the Father
And no matter what our circumstances are, that’s true. That’s who Jesus Christ is. That’s what he’s done. That’s what the churches of Revelation needed to hear, and that’s what we need to hear today.
That is seven life-changing truths about who Jesus Christ is today – and we’re only six verses into the book!
And so, after bursting out in praise to Jesus, John turns to the “primary event” of Revelation.
The primary focus of Revelation is Jesus Christ.
The primary event of Revelation is the second coming.
And so, John jumps from who Jesus IS to the second coming of Christ.
Revelation 1:7 (NLT)
7 Look! He comes with the clouds of heaven. And everyone (every eye) will see him— even those who pierced him (referring to the Jews). And all the nations of the world will mourn for (on account of) him. Yes! Amen!
Every eye will see him, including the Nation of Israel, and the nations of the world will be “pierced with grief” he appears. Then John ends verse 7 with a Yes and Amen. This is a double amen – “This will certainly come to pass.”
Sometimes, just to give you a break and let you catch your breath, I’m going to poke fun at some things that I’ve heard over the decades about Revelation. This is one of them. Look at the beginning of verse 7. He comes with the clouds, and everyone (or every eye) will see him. Now, who’s heard somebody say, “That’s because of the internet.” So Jesus is just waiting for Google and Elon Musk to get the internet around the whole world. You’ve heard it, right? And so that everyone can see Jesus come. So, you’re saying to me that Jesus is dependent on Google and Elon Musk to get the internet around the world? Is that what you’re saying? “Yeah! Once that happens, then Jesus can come back.”
No! Stop that! Don’t buy that book. Stop it. Listen, if Jesus wanted to come back in the first century, every eye would have seen him. Okay? And if he wants to come back now, believe me, he is not waiting for Google because Google is on the other side of this battle, number one. And he’s not waiting for Elon Musk, even though he seems like a decent guy. He’s not waiting for either of those things.
Every eye will see him because he’s GOD! And the nations will grieve; they’ll be “pierced with grief,” one translation says, when he appears.
Jesus IS coming back to rule this earth!! This will certainly come to pass. All of the prophecies about Jesus’s first coming are all now called “history.” And one day, all the prophecies about his second coming will also be called “history.”
Jesus Christ IS coming back to rule this earth, and notice there is no mention of believers rejoicing at his second coming because the rapture takes place before the second coming. And in Revelation 19, we return with Jesus when he returns to earth. Jesus IS coming back. And you want to be with him when he comes. And between now and then, you want Jesus to get bigger and bigger in your life until his glory consumes your life. You do not want to see him as the nations of the earth because Jesus came the first time as Savior, but he’s coming the second time as Judge and King.
And then, in verse 8, the Lord God speaks.
Revelation 1:8 (NLT)
8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end,” says the Lord God. “I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come—the Almighty One.”
This is the Eternal Lord God meeting his beloved friend and Apostle John while John is exiled on a remote island under tremendous persecution from the world.
Back in verses 5-6, John began by reciting seven great truths about who the Lord Jesus IS, and then here, in verse 8, the Lord responds to John by proclaiming even greater truths. The Lord God of the Book of Revelation IS the Alpha and the Omega – the Beginning and the End.
He IS the one who is
He IS the one who always was
He IS the one who is coming again, and he IS the Almighty One
And his glory is the focus of the Book of Revelation. This book is the Revelation of: Who Jesus Christ IS and What God is absolutely doing. And our number one goal is to stay focused on that Revelation of who Jesus Christ is and what God is absolutely doing as we go through this book.
Guys, if you just want to know what happens in the end, turn to the end of the book and find out. But just reading what the Bible says happens in the end won’t save you. But setting your sights and your heart on who Jesus Christ truly IS and what God is absolutely doing and that you have a desire to know him better and better and for him to get bigger and bigger in your life, I pray that will trigger a response of faith in you that will make you a citizen of the Kingdom of God, that is revealed to us in this book.
Don’t just know the information. Know Jesus. Let him get bigger and bigger in our life, and let his glory consume us more and more, bringing on a response of faith that ensures that we’ll be there when he wins.
Revelation is all about Jesus Christ and us entering into the final and complete victory that was won on the Cross. It was promised back in Genesis 3, verse 15. It was won on the Cross. It’s experienced by the end of Revelation.
Revelation is the fulfillment of every truth in the Bible, all wrapped in the person and glory of Jesus Christ.
Genesis is the book of beginnings
Revelation is the book of consummation
Revelation is like the second Genesis. It’s the beginning “the right way.” Revelation returns us to that place that God first created. All things are made new by the end of this book. The Bible ends with the passing away of all that is fallen in the sin nature (from the very beginning of evil) and the birth of all that is new in the glory of God’s presence – without sin – for eternity. And you want to make sure you’re there when it happens.
But, for us to grasp the true life-changing power of the Book of Revelation, we’ve got to approach it with a desire to know the true glory of Jesus Christ more than anything else. We’ve got to desire to know the glory of Jesus more than we desire to know the future. We’ve got to desire the deeper spiritual truths of Revelation more than just the foretelling of future events.
In Revelation, the true and full glory of Jesus Christ is unveiled to us, which is what the word Revelation means it is the unveiling of Jesus Christ, and so the Book of Revelation cannot be read like a supermarket tabloid – just about the predictions of the future. That is not the purpose of the book. The purpose of Revelation is to instill strong encouragement and perseverance in the Saints by knowing who Jesus Christ truly is and what God is truly doing in the world. Revelation is meant to make the glory and power, and victory of Jesus Christ grow bigger and bigger in our lives.
The Book of Revelation is the consummation of the truth that the more Jesus Christ is revealed to us, the bigger and bigger and bigger he gets in our lives. The bigness is not in the curiosity about the future. The bigness is in the glory of Jesus Christ. Amen!
This power has the power to profoundly change how we view Jesus Christ and how we view this world. It will powerfully change your life if you receive it the way it was written to be received, which is the unveiling of Jesus Christ. You will leave this book with a commitment, and a passion, with a confidence to follow Christ no matter what you experience, which is why the book was written initially, and it was what the people who initially heard the book read in Asia-Minor, the Seven Churches, it’s what they needed to hear. And if we will embrace this book for more than just mere future-telling, we will experience and encounter Jesus Christ in a way that we have not yet known him.
We want to experience the glory of Jesus in the Book of Revelation. We want to encounter him at a deeper level. We want to see him more and more for who he is, not who our culture has tried to make him. Our culture has tried to make Jesus very small and us very big, and Jesus as kind of “our little helper.” Revelation causes us to fall on our face before the glory of the mighty King. And that’s the goal.
And so, my prayer is, as we study Revelation, that we would receive a more full, more powerful, life-changing Revelation of the King of kings and Lord of lords who absolutely IS coming again – imminently – to bring all these things to pass.
Next, in regard to approaching this book. There are a lot of approaches to Revelation. There’s a lot of eschatology (the theology of end times). There are different views, and different people see different stuff. Listen, I’m not going to send you down those rabbit holes. Here’s how we approach Revelation. This is how Calvary Chapels have always, from the old school, approached it. The book is both literal and symbolic, just like the rest of the Bible, and we determine if a thing is more likely literal or symbolic by the context that it is written in.
And so, our approach to the Bible is if the context of a passage points to a thing being literal, then we take it literally. If the context of a passage points to a thing being symbolic, then we look at it symbolically and look for the deeper spiritual meaning there.
And whether we are in a literal or symbolic section, we will always ask the same question:
How does this apply to my life today?
Revelation is not for ear-tickling. Revelation is for “How does this change my life today?” And it’s designed to give you strength and encouragement and exhortation and confidence that Jesus Christ is who he says he is and that he wins in the end. How does this apply to my life today? Whether we are speaking literal section or symbolic section.
In the Gospels, Jesus spoke often in parables, symbols, and metaphors. And he did it to make you dig for the truth so that the people who desire to know the truth could find it, but the people who didn’t would not. And Revelation is very, very similar to that. It is written symbolically, and in metaphors, along with the literal sections. And in the parables, it is the context that helps us understand that Jesus is speaking with symbolism or metaphor. This is the same throughout the Bible.
From the wisdom and poetry literature
to the visions and prophecies of the Old Testament Prophets
to the parables of Jesus…
and it is the same in the Book of Revelation
In fact, the churches in Asia-Minor who originally received this letter were much more familiar with the symbolism used in Revelation than we are today because much of the imagery and symbolism in Revelation comes from the Old Testament prophetic literature, especially Daniel and Ezekiel. (Which we will be spending some time in while we’re going through Revelation, and we’ll connect those because if you haven’t heard anyone ever say this, hear it now. You can’t understand Revelation without understanding the Book of Daniel. You can’t. Daniel is foundational to Revelation. We’ll connect those too.)
The big deal is, number one – symbolism, metaphor, parable, it’s part of how God communicates. But, number two, the Churches that received this initial letter, the Seven Churches there around Ephesus and what’s now Turkey, Asia-Minor, those Churches were more familiar with the symbolism that John used than you and I are. He used symbolism of the first century because he was writing to first-century people.
And so, as we study Revelation, we cannot try to say, “This is a symbol of this particular thing” in the 21st century. We have to be more interested in deeper spiritual meanings than whether the locust symbolizes a Black Hawk helicopter. Listen, the imagery and what that means is not really what’s going to change your life. What’s going to change your life is understanding the big picture of the glory of Jesus Christ and his power and his ultimate victory, and what eternity looks like as eternity begins. Revelation gives us a glimpse into the beginning of eternity. There is nothing like it. There is nothing like it.
I will poke some fun at these guys who take things in Revelation and make them like today’s news. However, the truth is, there are incredible prophecies in Revelation that seem clearly to be either being fulfilled or at least being prepared to be fulfilled right now – today. And seeing the potential fulfillment of those prophecies should strengthen our faith and our perseverance.
There are some things in this book that are happening right now on our earth that we can say, “Whoa! This really looks like this prophecy in Revelation being fulfilled.”
But here’s what I’ve learned in forty-four years of following Jesus. In 1979, when Pam and I got saved, guess what they were saying? “Well, Kissinger is obviously the antichrist. Who could it be if it’s not Kissinger?” This is that, this is happening, and Russia’s this, and Russia’s that. And then what happened to Russia? It went away. And then all those guys were like, huh! Well, I thought it was Russia. And then what happened to Russia? Russia came back like the bigger Bear that it is now. And now, everyone is like, wow, whoa! That’s really happening again.
So, there are some phenomenal prophetic things. We will go over them. We will talk about how they connect, and it is phenomenal. It is more than interesting. But it’s not the focus. It’s just awesome to think this thing with Russia and China right now, and the Silk Road, and some of these other things going on, we’re like, Woo, baby! But that’s what we were saying in 1979. And that’s the point! Is that every generation has said, “He could come back today!” And it’s driven them, and that’s the real point of Revelation.
We will dive into those prophecies as we go through the book, but not to the overshadowing of the Revelation of who Jesus Christ truly is and what God is truly doing on earth.
The Apostle John, late in life, close to sixty years after the resurrection of Jesus, was banished to the small island of Patmos by the Roman authorities for preaching the Word of God and for his testimony about Jesus. Exiled, instead of killed, the Apostle John was the only one of the original Apostles who was not martyred for his faith. In fact, he actually returns to Ephesus and dies later there. And it was there on the Isle of Patmos that John received the Revelation of Jesus Christ.
Last year, I was able to go to Greece with a small group of friends, and it was incredible. And although we were primarily following the footsteps of Paul, we did get to spend two days on the Island of Patmos, which may have been my favorite part of the trip.
Alright, let’s get started. I’m going to use the ESV for the first sentence in Revelation.
Revelation 1:1(a) (ESV)
1 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place
The Revelation (singular) (the REVEALING) OF Jesus Christ
The “of” can also be translated “from” but “The revealing OF Jesus Christ” carries the theme of the book. Then verse 1 says this Revelation of Jesus Christ is to show his servants the things that must soon take place.
But listen, this word “soon” is not speaking of the passing of time. This Greek word that’s translated “soon” here, we get our word “tachometer” from it. And so, to me, what I imagine, is NASCAR – not that I’m a huge NASCAR fan. But when that car is sitting on the track, it’s just ready. But as soon as they flip that switch and the RPM’s hit about 8,000, that car is off like a rocket. That’s this word. It means “to rev up quickly,” meaning once this process fires up, it is going to come quick. The things that must imminently (that’s a good word) take place. It’s going to come like a fury when it fires up.
Let’s finish verses 1 and 2 in the NLT.
Revelation 1:1(b)–2 (NLT)
1 . . . He sent an angel to present this revelation to his servant John,
2 who faithfully reported everything he saw. This is his report of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.
And then, in verse 3, there is a very specific blessing. This is the first of seven specific blessings given in Revelation, and this blessing is repeated at the end of the book.
Revelation 1:3 (NLT)
3 God blesses the one who reads the words of this prophecy to the church, and he blesses all who listen to its message and obey what it says, for the time is near (imminent).
This word “listen” doesn’t mean that your auditory senses are functioning. It means “receive.” All those who receive its message and obey what it says…
And then John begins his salutation to the churches.
Revelation 1:4-5(a) (NLT)
4 This letter is from John to the seven churches in the province of Asia. Grace and peace to you from the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come (Eternal God); from the sevenfold Spirit before his throne (Holy Spirit); 5 and from Jesus Christ . . .
So, the letter is from the Apostle John (the One Whom Jesus Loved. The one who reclined on Jesus’ chest at the Last Supper), and he receives it from the Lord and an angel, and then he transmits to the churches that need it in Asia Minor. Seven churches that we’ll read about in the next two chapters. So, John is the overseer of these seven churches. It’s a very logical and historical thing for him to receive this prophecy and then transmit it to the churches that he is overseeing.
During this time, in 90 AD, the Roman Emperor named Domitian is ruling all of the Roman Empire. He took the title “Master and god” and demanded that people take an oath to worship him, which caused obvious problems for Christ-followers. This is the second round of severe persecution (they had already been through Nero and his burning and lighting of his garden with Christians). It’s really important we see that Revelation was written in the midst of intense persecution of the Apostle John. Church history says during this time, John was boiled in oil and exiled to a remote island called Patmos to keep him from causing any more trouble for Rome in the area of the seven churches that John is writing this letter to.
Also, the seven churches that he oversaw were under intense persecution, and they needed to know who it was that they were giving their lives for. They needed to know who Jesus Christ truly was. With all of this going on at this time, this is the time that Jesus Christ chooses to reveal himself in all of his glory and power to the Apostle John.
And this is not any different today. If you happen across a real Christ-follower who’s living through real persecution, you will find the strongest Christ-follower you’ve ever met. They needed to know that they could have confidence in the one to whom they had entrusted their lives. And we need to know the exact same thing today so that we would never turn back and never let go of him no matter what the circumstances are around us, and the Book of Revelation will absolutely give us that confidence.
And so, John begins by sending grace and peace from the full Godhead. But as he finishes with Jesus Christ, he breaks into a full-on doxology, which is just a gushing forth of praise. Listen to this incredible rapid-fire list of who Jesus Christ IS and what he’s done for us. This is just to get the Revelation of Jesus Christ started.
Revelation 1:5–6 (NLT)
5 and from Jesus Christ. He is the faithful witness to these things, the first to rise from the dead, and the ruler of all the kings of the world. All glory to him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by shedding his blood for us.
6 He has made us a Kingdom of priests for God his Father. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.
The Apostle John has been exiled on a forsaken island after possibly being boiled in oil, and he and the Church and Christians are being persecuted, even unto death. And as soon as he starts writing, John breaks forth into praise for who Jesus Christ IS and what Jesus Christ has done for us.
In other words, he does exactly what we would do if we were in the same situation, right?
You know, if someone boiled us in oil and then exiled us on an island, and our family was under severe persecution, isn’t this what we would do? We’d break into praise with God, right?
No, that’s a different culture. We have a backward culture when it comes to Jesus. We think we’re the master and he’s our servant. But Revelation turns that on its head, and you find out that he is THE Master. He is the Master of All and the Judge of All. And suddenly, we take on what John takes on here, and that is this: we do not praise God circumstantially. We do not praise God because of our circumstances; we praise God in the midst of our circumstances because of who God is. And when we get this Revelation of Jesus Christ, as he gets bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger in our lives, then our circumstances get smaller and smaller, and smaller and smaller. And then, in the midst of whatever our circumstances are, we’re singing praise to God like John is here.
John doesn’t praise God because of his circumstances. He praises God in the midst of his circumstances.
1. Jesus Christ is the Faithful Witness
2. He is the First to rise from the dead
3. He is the Ruler of all the kings of the world
4. Who Loves us
5. And has Freed us from our Sins
6. BY Shedding His own Blood for us
7. AND - He has made us a Kingdom of Priests to God the Father
And no matter what our circumstances are, that’s true. That’s who Jesus Christ is. That’s what he’s done. That’s what the churches of Revelation needed to hear, and that’s what we need to hear today.
That is seven life-changing truths about who Jesus Christ is today – and we’re only six verses into the book!
And so, after bursting out in praise to Jesus, John turns to the “primary event” of Revelation.
The primary focus of Revelation is Jesus Christ.
The primary event of Revelation is the second coming.
And so, John jumps from who Jesus IS to the second coming of Christ.
Revelation 1:7 (NLT)
7 Look! He comes with the clouds of heaven. And everyone (every eye) will see him— even those who pierced him (referring to the Jews). And all the nations of the world will mourn for (on account of) him. Yes! Amen!
Every eye will see him, including the Nation of Israel, and the nations of the world will be “pierced with grief” he appears. Then John ends verse 7 with a Yes and Amen. This is a double amen – “This will certainly come to pass.”
Sometimes, just to give you a break and let you catch your breath, I’m going to poke fun at some things that I’ve heard over the decades about Revelation. This is one of them. Look at the beginning of verse 7. He comes with the clouds, and everyone (or every eye) will see him. Now, who’s heard somebody say, “That’s because of the internet.” So Jesus is just waiting for Google and Elon Musk to get the internet around the whole world. You’ve heard it, right? And so that everyone can see Jesus come. So, you’re saying to me that Jesus is dependent on Google and Elon Musk to get the internet around the world? Is that what you’re saying? “Yeah! Once that happens, then Jesus can come back.”
No! Stop that! Don’t buy that book. Stop it. Listen, if Jesus wanted to come back in the first century, every eye would have seen him. Okay? And if he wants to come back now, believe me, he is not waiting for Google because Google is on the other side of this battle, number one. And he’s not waiting for Elon Musk, even though he seems like a decent guy. He’s not waiting for either of those things.
Every eye will see him because he’s GOD! And the nations will grieve; they’ll be “pierced with grief,” one translation says, when he appears.
Jesus IS coming back to rule this earth!! This will certainly come to pass. All of the prophecies about Jesus’s first coming are all now called “history.” And one day, all the prophecies about his second coming will also be called “history.”
Jesus Christ IS coming back to rule this earth, and notice there is no mention of believers rejoicing at his second coming because the rapture takes place before the second coming. And in Revelation 19, we return with Jesus when he returns to earth. Jesus IS coming back. And you want to be with him when he comes. And between now and then, you want Jesus to get bigger and bigger in your life until his glory consumes your life. You do not want to see him as the nations of the earth because Jesus came the first time as Savior, but he’s coming the second time as Judge and King.
And then, in verse 8, the Lord God speaks.
Revelation 1:8 (NLT)
8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end,” says the Lord God. “I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come—the Almighty One.”
This is the Eternal Lord God meeting his beloved friend and Apostle John while John is exiled on a remote island under tremendous persecution from the world.
Back in verses 5-6, John began by reciting seven great truths about who the Lord Jesus IS, and then here, in verse 8, the Lord responds to John by proclaiming even greater truths. The Lord God of the Book of Revelation IS the Alpha and the Omega – the Beginning and the End.
He IS the one who is
He IS the one who always was
He IS the one who is coming again, and he IS the Almighty One
And his glory is the focus of the Book of Revelation. This book is the Revelation of: Who Jesus Christ IS and What God is absolutely doing. And our number one goal is to stay focused on that Revelation of who Jesus Christ is and what God is absolutely doing as we go through this book.
Guys, if you just want to know what happens in the end, turn to the end of the book and find out. But just reading what the Bible says happens in the end won’t save you. But setting your sights and your heart on who Jesus Christ truly IS and what God is absolutely doing and that you have a desire to know him better and better and for him to get bigger and bigger in your life, I pray that will trigger a response of faith in you that will make you a citizen of the Kingdom of God, that is revealed to us in this book.
Don’t just know the information. Know Jesus. Let him get bigger and bigger in our life, and let his glory consume us more and more, bringing on a response of faith that ensures that we’ll be there when he wins.