THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST
Scripture Revelation 1:1-20 Orig. 6/14/1964
Rewr. 1/24/1989
Passage:
Prologue
1 The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 2 who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. 3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.
Greetings and Doxology
4 John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia:
Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits[a] before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, 6 and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.
7 “Look, he is coming with the clouds,”[b]
and “every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him”;
and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.”[c]
So shall it be! 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.”
John’s Vision of Christ
9 I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10 On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, 11 which said: “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.”
12 I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man,[d] dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. 15 His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.
17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. 18 I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.
19 “Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. 20 The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels[e] of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.”
Purpose: Beginning a text book study of Revelation for an adult Church Training class, here describing introductory materials
Keywords: Bible Study Lordship of Christ Revelation
Letters to the Seven Churches
Timeline/Series: Revelation Letters to the Seven Churches
Introduction
Our purpose is two-fold. One, we want to study the Book of Revelation. We want to look at this material from the perspective with which it touches our lives, the lives of believers in the very late 20th century. Two, we want to be aware of the variances that exist in study materials relating to this book.
Is it important? The answer to that is easy. Yes!! And it doubtless will become more important, if not to us, to our children and grandchildren As in all apocalyptic material, the end-result is hope. It has been our very good fortune to live during a very stable time. Though there have been wars, and these shall continue, they have touched our lives only indirectly. Except by the intervention of God, they likely will affect our children’s lives in disturbing ways.
Someone defines this book in a very unique way. I am paraphrasing what I remember from years ago. The Bible is a sentence of God’s revelation of Himself to people. The promise of the coming Messiah in the Old Testament is the subject of the sentence. The predicate is found in God’s activity at the cross as revealed in the gospels. The object of the sentence is seen in the lives of the disciples. Revelation is the period at the end of the sentence. With the closing of the Book of Revelation is the closing of God’s message of self-revelation, and man’s final inducement to hope.
I. The Place to Begin is to Find Out What We Can about the Book. V1 “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant.”
Point number one has to do with authorship. John is mentioned as the one who receives the revelation. He is not the author. He is the agent. There are various ascriptions to agency: KJV—Revelation of St. John the Divine; ASV—Revelation of John; RSV/TEV—Revelation to John; NIV—Revelation.
John was therefore the scribe, clerk. Does this self-identification hold true? Typically, famous heroes’ names are given with apocalyptic literature. Is it the John we know or some other? John writes in his own name; similarities with gospel, epistemology. John had seen the humiliation, he would be the likely one to behold the glory. (A36p360) He heard parables with his heart; he viewed coming glory same. He listened, and wrote, as the message was revealed. The problem relative to style is resolved at Patmos. Similarities (theology, Christology). No amanuensis to smooth writing.
V9, “I, John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.” He was there because of his faithfulness to the word, and to Jesus. Exile is the word that comes to mind.
II. A Writer Precludes a Precedent. V3 “Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear.” And v4 “John to the seven churches which are in Asia.” The seven churches were departure points. They were the churches on the great Roman road in Asia Minor. Not the only churches, they were key. They are represented in order from Ephesus. The “all” however, clearly shows that this message will transcend these localized congregations. Immediately: to outlying churches; Directly: through missionary travels; Consequently: through placement in canon.
III. Neither is there Reason to Spend Much Time Deliberating Date.
There is no supporting scripture. That it was John gives approximation; that it was apocalyptic suggests that it was during time of turmoil.
There is external evidence. Irenaeus, a second century bishop, advised A.D. 90-95, which history records as a time of persecution. Contemporary evangelical scholarship agrees with this time of [Emperor] Domitian.
Some, however, hold to an earlier date such as the time of Nero (late 60s). This was also a time of persecution.
IV. We are Brought Next to Consideration of the Message Itself. V1 “Things which must shortly come to pass.” V1 “The revelation . . . signified.” V19-20 “Write what you have seen, what is, what will be: the mystery.”
Look for a moment at a two-part outline.
· Part 1—(a) Christ and his churches, Chapters 1-3; (b) A vision of heaven, Chapters 4-5; (c) The seven seals, Chapters 6-7; (d) Complete overthrow and destructions of world ideals and institutions, and the dominion of Christ, Chapters 8-11
· Part II—(a) The Messianic period, Chapters 12-14; (b) The seven bowls, Chapters 15-16; (c) The fall of Babylon (or Rome), or final destruction of evil, Chapters 17-18; (d) The coming of the Lord, Chapter 19; (e) Millenium/end of world, Chapter 20; (f) The consummation, Chapters 21-22.
A quick look at word meanings. (a) Revelation (apokálupsis): an uncovering, an unveiling of what has been hidden. Luke 2:32 “a light to (lighten) the gentiles.” Romans 16:25 “. . . the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the (revelation) of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began.” (b) Signify (sēmaino): make known by signs. Used three times in John’s gospel—12:33, 18:32, 21:19.
An interesting sidelight [Genesis v Revelation]:
Genesis—Creation of Heaven and Earth
Revelation (21:1)—Creation of new Heaven and Earth
Genesis---Earthly paradise lost
Revelation—God’s paradise revealed, tree and river of life
Genesis—First man, Adam and Eve
Revelation (21-22; I Corinthians 15:47)—Second man, Christ/bride
Genesis (22:7)—Beginning of sin
Revelation (20:14)—Satan cast into lake of fire; death and hades
Genesis—First acts of sin
Revelation (11:15, 19:11f)—Final punishment
Genesis—Rise of Babel
Revelation (18:21)—Destruction of Babylon
Genesis (4:17)—City of Man
Revelation—City of God; great city (21:10), holy city (21/22)
Genesis—Sorrow, pain, death
Revelation (7:17, 21:4)--Opposite
The establishment of Revelation as prophecy. 1:3 “Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy.” 22:7 “Blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.”
Prophecy—propheteia: to speak forth.
By definition—(a) not primarily “foretelling”; (b) declaration of what cannot be known through natural means; (c) forth-telling of the will of God. (d) Contemporarily, prophecy relates to what is known, I Corinthians 13:8,9.
Conclusion
There is a shift in Revelation relative to Rome. Where before she is seen as benefactor (Corinth, Acts 18:1f, and Ephesus, Acts 19:13f), now she is enemy. Caesar worship is the reason. Obligatory to pronounce “Caesar is Lord.”