Number 3 In A Series of Studies on Revelation -

Back to the Future - Revelation 1:1-6

If you and I are able to come to a correct understanding of the Book of Revelation we must start at the beginning. There is a temptation to quickly read Revelation 1 and skip over Revelation 2 & 3 and get to the more exciting passages. We want to dig into the mysteries and symbolism, study the prophecies of the antichrist and the coming judgments. We want to see how this world is going to end.

To do so would be a great mistake. No one can get the true meaning of any material without carefully reading the things which come first.

This is the very problem some people have because they have not read or do not believe the first book of the Bible, Genesis. The first and last books of God’s divine library are so important.

1. Its Essential Nature, v. 1a.

“Revelation.” is the Greek word “apokalupsis “ from which we get our English word “apocalypse.” It means “unveiling.”

The purpose of this book is to...

...clarify....not mystify.

...reveal...not conceal.

...help...not hide.

By the way, it is not the Book of Revelations. It is the Revelation. It is a single Revelation.

2. Its Central Theme, v. 1b.

This is the Revelation “of Jesus Christ.” Although this book tells us a lot about the future, it is not about the future. It is about Jesus Christ. In and through this book we get a clear picture of the character and nature and work of Jesus Christ. This is an unveiling of Jesus Christ. This book tells us of Christ’s future glory unveiled, uncovered and brought to light.

Jesus’ glory was veiled by His flesh at His first coming. At His second coming His glory will be unveiled for all to see.

3. Its Divine Source, v. 1c.

This is the Revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave.” The words of this book were not hatched up by some people on this earth. This book came from God.

4. Its Specific Recipients, v. 1d.

“To show unto his servants...” I like what David Dykes said about this. “It says God gave it to his servants, not to what I call ‘prophecy junkies.’ ” He went on to say, “If you’re offended by that term ‘prophecy junkies,’ let me use another term, ‘prophecy nuts.’ ” This wasn’t written to psychics or super-saints, but servants. Servants are those who know and love and serve Jesus Christ. God gave it to Christ to give to us. This is our’s, but only if we are His servants.

5. Its Prophetic Character, v. 1e.

The Book of Revelation is about “things which must shortly come to pass...” This book was written in 90 A.D. It did not mean it would happen “shortly” after it was given. The word "shortly” means it’s something that will happen rapidly. When all of this begins to happen, it will occur with amazing speed.

This book, like no other, takes us straight to the future.

Look at Revelation 1:19. “Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter.” There is the outline for the entire book of Revelation.

The Past - “Write the things which thou hast seen...” Rev. 1

The Present - “And the things which are...” Rev. 2 & 3.

The Future - “And the things which shall be hereafter.” Rev. 4-22.

This book focuses on the return of Jesus Christ in all His glory and all of the events and circumstances that attend that great day.

The word "shortly” in the Greek is "tacheos.” We get our English word “tachometer” from this root. Some of you have a tachometer in your car. It measures velocity, it measures the revolutions per minute of a motor - rpms. This records speed.

Listen, once our world gets into this part of the future, beginning in Revelation 6, it is going to move so fast. In just seven years the whole world’s system of man and Satan will be deluged with the horrific wrath of Almighty God.

This word not only implies “speed,” but also means “soon.” Revelation 22:12 Jesus says, “Behold, I come quickly.” And again in Revelation 22:20, “Surely I come quickly.” This speaks of the nearness of His return.

6. Its Supernatural Delivery, v. 1f.

“And he sent and signified it by his angel...” This should get our attention. Did you know this is the only book in all of the New Testament that was delivered and transmitted by angels. This is wonderful. This sets this Book and its words apart, even from other book in God’s inspired Word.

We will run into more angelic ministry in the Book of Revelation than any other book in the Bible. We are going to get well acquainted with angels. Angels appear in almost every chapter. Just listen to this. There’re in chapter 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, and 22. They’re all over the place...67 times in this book.

7. Its Human Agent, v. 1g-2.

“Unto his servant John...” The title at the heading of this book in many Bibles reads, “The Revelation of St. John the Divine.” The book titles were given by translators, not by original writers. You may or may not know it, but in its original form, the Bible was written in book and paragraph form, without any regard for the location or identification of any particular part. The divisions are the work of Stephen Langton, Archbishop of Canterbury, England (died in 1228). The verse divisions are credited to Robert Stephanus, of Paris, a printer who first published them in 1551.

We have already read the title, “The revelation of Jesus Christ.” This revelation was given to John, the disciple and Apostle of our Lord. We know from this book that John was arrested and exiled because of his preaching of the Word of God. This occurred during the persecution by the Roman emperor, Domitian. Tradition says that John was sentenced to be executed. He was to be boiled in oil. And tradition says they placed John in a cauldron of boiling oil, but he did not die. He survived his execution. Why? Because God wasn’t through with him. Did you know that you are pretty well indestructible until God gets through with you?

Apparently, the Romans had some kind of rule, like double jeopardy or something, once they tried to execute you, if they failed, they couldn’t do it again. So John was banished to the island of Patmos, a little rocky island out in the Aegean Sea.

I believe you could say God had John’s undivided attention. He can do that, can’t He?

Look at Revelation 1:9. “I John...” It’s almost like he is saying, “Can you believe this? I John, am getting this stuff. In the entire Gospel of John he never refers to himself my name. But its different in Revelation (1:1, 2, 9, 21:2, 22:8). He is blow away that He’s getting all this.

He’s 80 years old or better. It’s 96 A.D. He was a teenager at the Last Supper in 33 A.D. We’re a long time later, 63 years later, he’s got to be in his 80's. And he’s exiled on the island of Patmos, he’s an old man, all by himself and he just cannot believe what he is getting.

Verse 2. “Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all the things that he saw.” Through it all, John was a faithful witness.

8. Its Spiritual Blessedness, v. 3a.

“Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy; and keep those things which are written therein...”

Verse 3, this ought to get you here every week. Amen? If you listen to this being read and explained and you hear it with obedient ears and you put this into your life, you are going to be blessed. That is the promise of God to you in this book. This very same promise of blessing shows up at the end of this book in Revelation 22:7.. “Blessed is he that keepeth the saying of the prophecy of this book.”

Revelation 1:3 depicts a church service. Somebody reads, somebody listen, and then we practice what we hear. We must hear it and heed it.

There are actually seven “blesseds” in Revelation.

Revelation 1:3 “Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy; and keep those things which are written therein...”

Revelation 14:13 “Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord...”

Revelation 16:15 “Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.”

Revelation 19:9 “Blessed are they that are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb.”

Revelation 20:6 “Blessed and holy is he that hath part that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power...”

Revelation 22:7 “Blessed is he that keepth the saying of the prophecy of this book.”

Revelation 22:14 “Blessed are they that do his commandments...”

Let me say just a word about the number “seven.” This book of full ofsevens. Seven churches, seven spirits, seven candlesticks, seven stars, seven lamps, seven seals, seven horns, seven eyes, seven angels, seven trumpets, seven thunders, seven thousand, seven heads, seven crowns, seven plagues, seven vials, seven mountains, and seven kings. There are also seven beatitudes, seven years of judgments, seven divisions of each of the letters to the seven churches, seven “I ams” about Christ and there are seven doxologies in heaven.

What is seven? In Genesis 2:3, “And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it: because in it He had rested from all His work which God created and made.” God didn’t rest because He was tired. He rested on the seventh day because He had nothing else to do - it was over. Seven is the number of completion, the number of fullness.

9. Its Compelling Urgency, v. 3b.

“For the time is at hand...” The word “time” here is not “chronos,” that is clock time or calendar time. The word is “kairos,” that is eras, epochs, seasons. The words “at hand” means the next great epoch of God’s redemptive history is near. It’s on the horizon, it’s imminent. Again in Revelation 22:10.

Now, get this. What the Holy Spirit is endeavoring to do is to force everybody in God’s churches from the time this was written and on to live in the light of the fact that this is the next event. And since we don’t know when it’s going to happen we have to live as if it were going to happen in the immediate future - at any moment.

Someone might casually say, “What’s the rush? What the big huff? It’s been 2,000 years.”

Let me tell you a little story. A man was talking to God and ask him, “God, how much is a million dollars to you.” God answered, “A penny.” “God, how much is a million years to you.” God answered, “A minute.” The man asked, “God, could I have a penny?” God answered, “In a minute.”

2 Peter 3:8 - “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”

It’s been 2,000 years to us, that’s a mere two days to God. He is coming!

There are two things that need to get hold of us: the shortness of time and the length of eternity.

10. Its Congregational Addressees, v. 4a.

“John to the seven churches which are in Asia...”

Revelation was given to John for our Lord’s churches. Notice the plural word “churches.” Many today have the tendency to talk about Christianity in terms of “the church” - referring to something invisible and universal. The Bible always speaks of Christianity in terms of “churches.” There is a sense in which every believer is part of a great spiritual family, the family of God. But the concept of the church in the New Testament is always that of local, visible congregations.

These seven churches are named for us in verse 11. Do you see them there? Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea. We will study those seven cities and those seven churches in detail as we get into chapters 2 and 3.

11. Its Trinitarian Benediction, v. 4b-5a.

“Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne; And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth.”

Benediction means blessing. Grace and peace are what God sends out to us. That’s the Father’s wish. That's the Son’s wish. That’s the Spirit’s wish.

God. “From him which is, and which was, and which is to come.” It tells us about God in time dimension through He is eternal. That is so we can understand Him. He has always been and will always be.

Spirit. “And from the seven Spirits which are before his throne.” Why is it seven spirits here? Remember, seven is the number of fulness. And back in Isaiah 11:2 the seven-fold ministry of the Spirit is given.

Jesus Christ. And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth.”

- “Faithful witness.” Jesus not only told the truth, He is the truth!

- “The first begotten of the dead.” This doesn’t mean He was the first one ever to be raised from the dead. Others had been raised before Him. This means of all those who were ever raised He is the preeminent one. “Firstborn,” prototkos, means “preeminent.”

- “The prince of the kings of the earth.” He is the ruler of the kings of the earth. 12. The Exalted Doxology, v.5b-6a.

“Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood. And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his father; to Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever.” Jesus loved us and washed us and made us what we are. He alone is worthy of our praise because has sought us, and bought us, and caught us!

He was bruised and brought healing.
He was pierced and eased pain.
He was persecuted and brought freedom.
He was dead and brought life.
He is risen and brings power.
He reigns and brings peace.

13. Its Solemn Response, v.6b.

“Amen.” Let it be! With this the introduction is concluded and we are called brought to our feet in praise and then to our knees in prayer.

“God, thank you that you have opened the door to this book and we are ready to enter. Fill us with anticipation as we learn more about our blessed Savior and His glory that is to come. In His name we pray, Amen.”