Revelation Revealed – Chapter 1
Introduction
As the name of the book indicates, the last book of the Bible, “THE REVELATION” is a book that is already disclosed.
* Revelation means ‘apokalupsis’ in Greek and ‘apocalypse’ in English, meaning to unveil, uncover, to make clear or open
* It is actually a book of symbolic imageries and numbers, which has to be decoded from the Bible itself.
* It is a book that puts a FULL STOP to everything that started in the Genesis of the Bible.
* It is a book full of scenes that the writer saw. (Saw – 45 times)
* It is a book with sure blessings to those who gain access to it.
The Writer
* John, the apostle (1:9)
* Fisherman
* Son of Zebedee and Solomi
* Brother of James, also an apostle
* Naturally rude, Jesus called these brother ‘Boanerges’, meaning ‘Sons of Thunder’ (Mark 3:17)
* Called himself ‘Loving Disciple of Jesus’ (John 13:23)
* Also the writer of i) The Gospel of John ii) I John iii) II John and iv) III John
* Only available disciple when Jesus was crucified (John 19:26)
* Church leader of the church of Ephesus after the resurrection of Jesus Christ
Date of Writing
During Domitian’s reign over Rome in 81 to 96 A.D
Revelation – Chapter 1
1:1-3 – Introduction
* The book itself is the revelation of Jesus Christ
* Father God gave it to His Son Jesus Christ, who gave it to an angel, who gave it to John, who in turn gave it to the church (1:1, 11; 22:16)
* The book is also named ‘PROPHECY’ (1:3)
* The book contains i) John’s witness to the Word of God ii) John’s testimony of Jesus Christ and iii) All things that John saw (1:2)
* The book assures blessings to i) Those who read ii) Those who hear and iii) Those who keep that which are written in it (1:3) (‘Keep’ mentioned 7 times – 1:3; 2:26; 3:8, 10; 12:17; 14:12; 22:9)
* The book contains things to come pass shortly. But God’s calculation is totally different from ours. (Our 1000 years = God’s 1 day – 2 Peter 3:8)
* Time is at hand (mentioned twice 1:3; 22:10) (1 Peter 4:7)
1:4-5 – Salutation
* John greets the seven churches in Asia with grace and peace in the name of Jesus Christ.
* As the book is about Jesus Christ, let us review the titles given to Jesus in the book of Revelation. As we meditate on these names, our names will be written in the Book of Remembrance. (Malachi 3:16)
– Jesus Christ (1:1)
– Faithful Witness (1:5)
– First Begotten of the Dead
– Prince of Kings of the Earth
– Alpha and Omega (1:8)
– Son of Man (1:13)
– First and the Last (1:17)
– Alive Forevermore (1:18)
– Has the keys of Hades and Death
– Son of God (2:18)
– Holy (3:7)
– True
– Has the Key of David
– Lion of Judah (5:5)
– Root of David
– Slain Lamb (5:6)
– Our Lord (11:8)
– Lord God Almighty (15:3)
– King of Saints
– Faithful and True (19:11)
– Word of God (19:13)
– King of kings (19:16)
– Lord of lords
– Beginning and the End (22:13)
– Root and Offspring of David (22:16)
– Bright and Morning Star
1:6 – Doxology
* Glory and dominion to Jesus forever for i) Loving us ii) Washing us from our sins by His own blood and iii) Making us stand before the Father as Kings [(a) To govern ourselves (b) To govern our situations and (c) To conquer the enemy] and Priests [(a) Giving us access to the Father God and (b) To lead others to God]
1:7 – The Second Coming of Jesus Christ
* Jesus is coming with the clouds (Matthew 24:30; Mark 13:26; Luke 21:27)
* Every eye shall see Him
* Even those who pierced Him shall see Him (John 19:37)
* All the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him
(Second coming mentioned 7 times – 1:7; 2:5; 3:3, 11; 22:7, 12, 20) (318 verses of the New Testament discloses the Second coming of Jesus Christ)
1:8 – Endorsement of Jesus Christ
Christ endorses Himself as the authenticated One to pass the contents of the book. He certifies Himself as
– The Alpha
– The Omega
– The Beginning
– The End
– Who is
– Who was
– Who is to come
– The Almighty
1:9-10 – John’s Self Introduction
* John relates himself to the reader as
– Our brother and companion in i) Tribulation ii) Kingdom and iii) Patience of Jesus Christ
* He was exiled in the Island of Patmos (a small, rocky island with volcanic hills in the Aegean Sea in the coast of Asia Minor. It was a place of banishment for the Romans during the first century.)
* Reasons for banishment – i) Word of God and ii) Testimony of Jesus Christ
* John was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day – When the world shut its door to John, heaven opened its door to him.
* The Lord’s Day is Sunday – i) Jesus resurrected on Sunday (Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:9) ii) The disciples gathered on Sundays (John 20:19, 26; Acts 20:7)
1:10-16 – Vision of Jesus Christ
1:10, 11 – John heard a loud voice, as of a trumpet that said that He was i) The Alpha and the Omega and ii) The First and the Last. There is no doubt that it was the voice of Jesus Christ (1:8). The voice told him to i) Write on a scroll what he saw and ii) Send them to the seven churches in Asia – Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea. These seven churches represent the churches from the beginning (day of Pentecost) till the end (Last day of the church = rapture).
1:12-16 – John turned back to see the voice that spoke with him. When he turned he saw
– (1:13) In the midst of seven golden lampstands, which are the Seven churches (1:20)
– In the tabernacle Golden candlestick was placed in the holy place where the glory of God dwelt (Exodus 25:37)
– How truly is the promise of Jesus Christ to be in the midst of two or three gathered together in His name is being fulfilled here! (Matthew 18:20)
– Churches are the light of the world and it is Christ who illuminates the church (John 1:9)
– (1:13) One like the Son of Man – John who has physically seen the Son of Man, now sees the glorious manifestation of the same person
– Who had authority to forgive sins and heal (Mark 2:10, 11; Matthew 9:6; Luke 5:24)
– Who said He had to suffer, be rejected, killed and be raised up on the third day (Mark 8:31; Luke 9:22)
– Whom Stephen envisioned as standing at the right hand of God (Acts 7:52)
– Who said that we will see Him sitting at the right hand of God and come with clouds of heaven (Matthew 26:64; Mark 14:62; Luke 22:69)
– Whom Daniel envisioned as the Ancient of Days (Daniel 7:13, 14)
Jesus calls Himself as the ‘Son of God’ 11 times in the Gospel of John, which now makes it undemanding for John to identify the Son of Man. (John 1:51; 3:13; 5:27; 6:27, 53, 62; 9:35-37)
– (1:13) Clothed with a garment down to the feet
– Kings and Priests wore long robes (Exodus 28:2-4; 2 Chronicles 18:9)
– Jesus is the King of kings (1 Timothy 6:15)
– Jesus is our Chief Priest (Hebrews 8:2)
– He is clothed with majesty and strength (Psalm 93:1)
– The Train of His robe filled the temple (His glorious presence) (Isaiah 6:1)
– Let not men try to show themselves like God, trying to take the respect due to Him (Mark 12:38; Luke 20:46)
– (1:13) Girded about the chest with a golden band
– Kings, Prophets and Priests wore girdle (Exodus 28:4, 8; 1 Samuel 18:4, 11)
– Priests of the Old Testament wore leather girdles or girdles of many colors (Exodus 39:29; 2 Kings 1:8; Matthew 3:4)
– Girdle was not used at home. It was used to hold up a robe while on a journey or at work, as Jesus did while He washed the feet of His disciples. Though He is the King of kings, He is always ready to serve. He is still making intercession for us (Hebrews 7:25).
– He is always girded with righteousness and faithfulness (Isaiah 11:5)
– Girdle was the wallet of the Jews. They kept money and valuables in it. Jesus having the golden wallet signifies that He has everything in store for us to supply according to His riches in glory (Philippians 4:19).
– (1:14)His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow
– Ancient of Days, no beginning or end (Daniel 7:9)
– Glorified with the glory of the Father before the world was (John 17:5)
– After His resurrection, Jesus was no more an ordinary man, but glorified – Stephen saw Him in the midst of the glory of God (Acts 7:56), Paul envisioned Christ’s glory that his eyes went blind (Acts 9:3-6)
-Wool and snow signifies His sinless purity (Isaiah 1:18; Hebrews 7:26)
– (1:14) His eyes like a flame of fire
– All-seeing, all-proving (Revelation 19:12; Daniel 10:6; Habakkuk 1:13)
– Penetrating into the hearts and thoughts of men- a perfect, matchless Judge (Psalms 132:1, 2, 23; Revelation 2:23)
– Sees everything on earth (Job 28:24)
– Sees our every sin (Psalms 90:8)
– Sees good and evil men (Proverbs 15:3)
– No place one can hide away from His sight (Job 34:22; Jeremiah 23:24)
– Eyes of fire that proves and sanctifies (1 Peter 1:7)
– Eyes that on earth were filled with compassion and tears
– (1:15) His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace (Daniel 10:6)
– Strong enough to thresh the enemy (Micah 4:13; Romans 16:20)
– No more mercy or grace but hardened to judge (Deuteronomy 28:23, 24; Revelation 19:15)
– The same feet that tread on earth searching for people to preach, heal and deliver, the same feet that were nailed on the cross
– (1:15) His voice as the sound of many waters (Revelation 14:2; 19:6; Ezekiel 43:2)
– A terrible voice to His foes
– Subduing all other noises
– The same voice that preached to multitudes, that did individual counseling, that cried aloud with tears to save Him from death (Hebrews 5:7), that pleaded for thirst and blessed multitudes
– (1:16) Seven stars in His right hand
– Seven stars are the seven angels (messengers or servants of God) of the seven churches (1:20)
– Those who turn men to righteousness are like stars (Daniel 12:3)
– He who is in the hands of Jesus is also in the hands of the Father and none can snatch him away (John 10:28, 29)
– (1:16) Out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword
– Two-edged sword is the Word of God that is able to pierce and discern even our thoughts and intents (Hebrews 4:12)
– Deals with the church with the Word of His mouth (2:16)
– Strikes the heathen with the Word of His mouth (19:11-15)
– (1:16) His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength
– Dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see (1 Timothy 6:16)
– Sun of righteousness (Malachi 4:2)
– At the mount of transfiguration, His face shone like the sun (Matthew 17:2)
– When Paul envisioned Jesus, he saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun (Acts 26:13)
– Jesus, the Lamb of God is the light in the New Jerusalem and here is no need of sun or moon (Revelation 21:23)
1:17 – John’s Response and God’s Commission
– (1:17) When John saw Jesus, he fell at His feet as dead
– This had been the response of all others who had the privilege to see God’s glory (Job 42:5, 6; Isaiah 6:4; Ezekiel 1:28; 3:23; 43:3; 44:4; Daniel 8:17; 10:8, 16, 17; 17:6; Acts 9:4)
– Men realize their unworthiness in His presence (Judges 6:22; 13:22; Isaiah 6:5, 7)
– (1:17) Jesus laid His right hand on John and said “Fear not; I am the First and the Last”.
– 80 times throughout the Scripture God says, “Fear not”, to tranquil the fear of men because of His presence.
– (1:17, 18)
* Position of Jesus – First and the Last
* Life of Jesus – Was dead but alive forever more
* Authority of Jesus – Has keys of Hades and Death
– Authority over Hades – (p.s.- Notes on Hades will be given later)
– Authority over death -Jesus has the power to lay down His life and the power to take it back (John 10:18)
1:19 – Write These
– The whole content of Revelation is contained in this verse. Jesus commissions John to write
i) Things he has seen – Chapter 1 – Vision of Jesus Christ
ii) Things which are – Chapters 2 and 3 – His message to the seven churches in Asia
iii) Things which will take place after this – Chapters 4 to 22 – Events that take place after the church age until the end of the world and formation of God’s government.
1:20 – Mystery
– Disclosing the knowledge of the Kingdom of God is the real Mystery (Matthew 13:11; Luke 8:10)
– The word ‘Mystery’ is used 4 times in Revelation (1:20; 10:7; 17:5, 7)
– Seven stars in His right hand are the seven angels (messengers) of the seven churches – Seven golden lampstands are the seven churches (‘Lampstands’ – 7 times – 1:12, 13, 20,; 2:1, 5; 11:4)
