The Book of Revelation: Part 1

Revelation 1:1-8 (BSB)

We are starting a new sermon series on the Book of Revelation. Is there any other book of the Bible that is as controversial as this one? When you think of Revelation, what comes to mind? Many people summarize this book by saying it’s about the end times and think its focus is on “the beast” or the “antichrist.” Some people have made elaborate charts and diagrams, mapping out from the text what they think are the clues to when Jesus returns. Some of them think our current world leaders are who it’s describing. Others think it’s merely symbolic imagery and not to be taken literally. Still others say the whole book is too confusing, so they don’t even bother to read it.

No matter how you’ve approached it in the past, like all the books of the Bible, Revelation is definitely worth the time it takes to study it. My prayer is that as we study it together, the Holy Spirit will open our hearts and minds to hear what John is telling the churches, and we will allow the Word of God to come alive inside of us.  

But before we start, I want to offer a little background on its author and how people interpret it. As always seems to be the case, there is debate about who the author of this book is and when it was written. Irenaeus, who lived and wrote extensively in the second century, thought it was written sometime between AD 81-96 by the Apostle John. And as authors N.T. Wright and Michael F. Bird note in their book, The New Testament in its World, “Early tradition, beginning with Justin Martyr, regarded the Apostle John, the son of Zebedee, as the author of the gospel, epistles, and Revelation.” And they add that all three writings, “do share…a certain family resemblance” (p.813). Having just spent 17 weeks studying the three epistles of John, I too can testify that the style and language of them and Revelation share similarities.

As I mentioned, though, beyond any disagreements as to who wrote this book and when it was written, the debate goes much deeper. It’s been said that there is no other book which is as highly debated as this one. So, I also think it’s important that we look at the common ways people choose to interpret this important book.

Now, I don’t know who originally came up with these four categories of thought, but there seem to be four major ways of interpreting Revelation: preterist, historicist, futurist, and idealist. Let’s look briefly at each one.

The preterist viewpoint dates this book to sometime in the late AD 60s, and they think the events relate primarily to the people it was written to. They think that most of the events have already happened in the past, specifically the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70. After all, as preterists point out, “Nero Caesar”—the Roman Emperor who killed Christians—that name adds up to 666 in Hebrew numerology. But the problem with this viewpoint is that some of the things that are foretold have clearly not happened yet.

Which is why historicists think that Revelation is predicting all that was about to happen in history. They see the seven churches John is writing to as seven different eras in church history. The problem with this viewpoint is that historicists don’t agree on which of the seven churches stands for which historical event.

Futurists think similarly to the historicist viewpoint, but they think the bulk of events are still in the future. Specifically, they think that starting in chapter 3 or 4, the events described have not happened yet. The problem with this is that it seems like in every generation, the people who hold to this viewpoint think all these things are going to happen imminently, and the beast is their government's current corrupt leader. In my opinion, this view tends to be very myopic.

Then, finally, the idealist view is that these events are mostly symbolic and portray the ongoing conflict between the kingdom of God and the kingdoms of this world starting from when John wrote it and not completing until Jesus returns. The problem with this viewpoint is that it tends to diminish the fact that this book is prophetic in the same way that the book of Daniel is prophetic. John is describing actual events, not just symbolism for the sake of spiritual application.

No matter which viewpoint we approach this letter from, we must be careful to interpret it, not from our point of view, but through the rest of Scripture. As with all books of the Bible, we must let Scripture interpret Scripture. And as we do, I think you’ll come to the same conclusion that many others and I have come to, which is that the best way to interpret this book is by combining all these different viewpoints. And as we do, we will see that some of this letter is purely symbolic. Some of these events have already taken place. Some of these things have yet to happen. And all of it can be applied to our faith and walk with the Lord.

So, let’s begin by reading the introduction, and pay close attention because I think the key to understanding this letter is given to us right here at the start. Revelation 1:1-3 says:

1 This is the revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants what must soon come to pass. He made it known by sending His angel to His servant John, 

2 who testifies to everything he saw. This 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 and obey what is written in it, because the time is near.

Did you figure out the key to understanding this book? John tells us that the purpose of this testimony is “the revelation of Jesus Christ.” But in order to understand why that is so important, there is something that you should know about that statement. The Greek word for revelation is “apokalupsis” and it means “revelation, unveiling, disclosure.” Or rather, this is the unveiling of Jesus Christ. In other words, this is the apocalypse of Jesus Christ.

Wait a minute, you might be saying, I thought apocalypse meant total destruction. Don’t worry, I thought that too. It doesn’t. How apocalypse came to mean ultimate destruction is beyond me. It seems that, over the centuries, because this book details what is to happen when Jesus returns, the word apocalypse has changed from simply meaning revelation or unveiling to meaning annihilation. But that’s not what John intended to say. In fact, he never uses the word apokalupsis again.

The revelation of Jesus is primarily what this complicated book is all about. Jesus is unveiling for John all that must happen before He returns. He’s revealing what is to come, and at the same time, Jesus is revealing or unveiling more of Himself. He’s doing the revealing, and He’s the One being revealed.

How He did this was by sending His angel to John. Barnes’ Notes on the Bible says, “By his angel—that is, an angel was employed to cause these scenic representations to pass before the mind of the apostle. The communication was not made directly to him but was through the medium of a heavenly messenger employed for this purpose.”

John was the servant who was shown all this, but it was given to all of us who follow Jesus. This book is written to all of us to show us what “must soon come to pass” and so therefore we must “hear and obey what’s written in it.” Therefore, we need to take it seriously, and we need to remember as we read it that it’s primarily going to be about Jesus Christ.

John, in typical John fashion, then lets everyone know that what he is writing is true. This is so similar to how he began 1 John. He said, in 1 John 1:2-3, “And this is the life that was revealed; we have seen it and testified to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us.”

Now he says, in verse 2, that he, the servant of Jesus, “testifies to everything he saw. This is the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.” So once again, John is testifying that all that he is about to write he has learned from Jesus. It’s not John’s words or ideas he’s going to write about. It is “the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.”

And because it’s not merely John’s ideas, that’s why he can proclaim in verse 3 that, “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear and obey what is written in it, because the time is near.”

There is urgency in that last statement, isn’t there? The time is near. I think that alone should inform us that, whichever way we interpret this letter, we must not think it did not apply to the people to whom John wrote this letter. Clearly it applied to them, especially if it is to apply to us. And I think it most certainly applies to us today as well. As 2 Timothy 3:16 says, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness.”

But this announcement that “the time is near” also reminds me of what John wrote in 1 John 2:8, when he said, “Children, it is the last hour; and just as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have appeared. This is how we know it is the last hour.” The possibility of the nearness of Jesus’ return has not left John’s mind.

Now, let’s read the next section. Verses 4-8:

4 John, 

To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from Him who is and was and is to come, and from the seven spirits before His throne, 

5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and has released us from our sins by His blood, 

6 who has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father—to Him be the glory and power forever and ever! Amen.

7 Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him—even those who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. So shall it be! Amen.

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

There is a lot to cover, so let’s go back through this, one verse at a time. Verse 4 says, “John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from Him who is and was and is to come, and from the seven spirits before His throne.”

This isn’t Asia as we think of it today, but as they did then in the Roman province of Asia. Today it is understood to be the western part of Turkey. These were real churches, and the people who read this letter would have recognized who these churches were and even recognized their own church. Can you imagine it? What if the Lord told the Apostle John to write a letter to you or your church? What might he say? It could be a very enlightening exercise to imagine.

This letter, John explains, is from him, but it’s really “from Him who is and was and is to come, and from the seven spirits before His throne.”

This “Him” is most likely in reference to God the Father. As Exodus 3:14 says, God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” This speaks to God’s eternal nature. He says, “I AM.” He always has been and always will be.  

The seven spirits, some commentators point out, might be referring to Isaiah 11:2 which says, “The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him—the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and strength, the Spirit of knowledge and fear of the LORD,” which would make it a reference to the Holy Spirit.

I like what Charles Ellicott, in his commentary, says: “The context makes it impossible to admit any other meaning than that the greeting which comes from the Father and the Son comes also from the Holy Spirit sevenfold in His operations, whose gifts are diffused among all the churches, and who divides to every man severally as He will.”

I think this is one of the many mysteries in this letter. We will see later on that there are also seven lamps of fire, seven angels—seven seems to be a significant number.

But assuming the seven spirits do mean the Holy Spirit, then to round out the Trinity, verse 5 adds, “and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.” 

We should note the use of the word “witness.” Alexander MacLaren, in his commentary on this passage, says that the word witness is seen in all the writings attributed to John, “and is one of the many threads of connection which tie them all together, and which constitute a very strong argument for the common authorship of the three sets of writings, vehemently as that has of late been denied.”

John would have learned this important word from Jesus, who said about Himself in John 18:37 (ESV), “For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”

Charles Ellicott points out that this whole phrase is an echo of Psalm 89:37 and says, “The coincidence of expression is remarkable: ‘I will make him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth; he shall stand fast as the sun before me, and as the faithful witness in heaven.’” He also notes, “It is instructive to notice that this book, which describes so vividly the manifestations of Christ’s kingdom claims for Him at the outset the place of the real King of kings.”

MacLaren also adds, “And therefore, as I take it, it is no exaggeration to say that the whole fabric of Christianity and all Christ’s worth as a witness to God, stand or fall with the fact of His resurrection …Strike away the resurrection and you fatally damage the witness of Jesus…If Christ be not risen we have nothing to preach, and you have nothing to believe. Our preaching and your faith are alike vain: ye are yet in your sins. Grace and peace come from faith in the ‘first begotten from the dead.’” MacLaren is quoting from Paul in 1 Corinthians 15.

All of this is true. His testimony is sound. Jesus is the Christ, “the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.” First, we must believe that about Jesus before we hear John’s testimony about the vision he received.

Continuing in verse 5, John says, “To Him who loves us and has released us from our sins by His blood.” The Berean Literal Bible translation is much closer to the Greek, and it says, “To the One loving us and releasing us from our sins in His blood—.” 

This speaks to Jesus’ ongoing love and ongoing releasing or loosening from our sins. He loved us so much that He died on the Cross for us and He released us from our sins, but He is still loving us.

This is profound because, as MacLaren so says, “His love, if I might use such a phrase, is lifted above all tenses, and transcends even the bounds of grammar. He did love. He does love. He will love. All three forms of speech must be combined in setting forth the ever present, because timeless and eternal, love of the Incarnate Word.”

Then, verse 6 adds to this and says, Jesus is “who has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father—to Him be the glory and power forever and ever! Amen.”

Some translations, like the King James Version, say, “made us to be kings and priests.” But really, it’s kingdom. Jesus has made us to be a kingdom. All of us believers, we together are part of God’s kingdom, and as such, we are priests to His God and Father.

What does it mean to be priests to His God and Father? If Jesus has loosed us from our sins, we do not have to go through anybody else to approach God the Father. In the past, only priests of God could offer a sacrifice for the sins of the people. We don’t need to do that anymore since Jesus became the ultimate High Priest and died on the cross for our sins. If we have faith in Jesus and He has loosed us from our sins, then we are like priests.

This is very important to understand as we move forward in this text. The old system of temples and priests—of animal sacrifice and offerings—are over. They are not coming back. That is why we proclaim as John did, “to Him be the glory and power forever and ever! Amen.”

Then he adds to that thought in verse 7, and says, “Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him—even those who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. So shall it be! Amen.”

Again, in typical John fashion, he gives us a foreshadowing. He wants us to know what his main point is going to be, so he tells us ahead of time and he will repeat it again. His point is this: Jesus will return.

Every eye will see Jesus—including those who pierced Him. Did you know John’s Gospel account is the only one which mentions that soldiers pierced Jesus’ side when He was on the cross? It seems now he’s recalled that. But as Barnes’ Notes on the Bible says, the point John is making goes beyond those who literally pierced Jesus’ side. He says, “All sinners who have pierced his heart by their crimes will then behold him and will mourn over their treatment of him.” And as we’ll see as we move further along in Revelation, John will explain how even those long dead will stand before Jesus. All will see Him and will mourn.

The word for mourn is the Greek word koptó and it means “To cut, to strike, to mourn.” Other translations say wail. People who have denied that God exists will beat their chests with the undeniable realization that He is very much real. None of us will be unmoved.

I think it’s important, too, to note that it says all the tribes of the earth will mourn. This might seem like a small detail, but this wording shows us that the vision John is testifying about is not centered on a single ethnic people group, but on all people of the earth. Throughout this letter, we will see how the people of God are the redeemed people who are from every tribe, tongue, or nation.

Then, verse 8, our last verse for this week, says, “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and was and is to come—the Almighty.”

The Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet, and the Omega is the last. The Lord God is the beginning and the end. This refrain will repeat again. Even in this brief introductory section, he stated this twice. Our God is He who is, and was, and is to come. He is the Almighty. We can have grace and peace because God is He who is and was and is to come.

John has set the stage. He was given a vision: a “revelation of Jesus Christ.” The Almighty has revealed to him what will happen. We are told to read it aloud and obey what he says, for this is the apocalypse of Jesus Christ.

Isn’t this exactly what the world needs today? We need the revelation of Jesus Christ to come to all people. All people need to be shown who Jesus truly is, who He truly was, and how He will truly come back. The people who are in darkness need to be shown the light of the world. They need a revelation of Jesus Christ so they can proclaim with us: to Him be the glory and power forever and ever! Amen.

So, as we continue studying this apocalyptic letter, let us remember first that apocalypse simply means unveiling. Let’s study this unveiling of Jesus Christ. Let’s look for Him in everything we read. For those of us who know who Jesus is, it’s not meant to be frightening. It’s meant to be enlightening. We don’t need to fear what we might discover, for it will show us more of “He who loves us and has released us from our sins by His blood.” And as we read it, more of Jesus Christ will be revealed to us.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we love You and praise You, for You are indeed the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come. You are the Alpha and Omega, the eternal God. As we study Your Word, please open our hearts and minds to receive the truth so we can better understand and obey Your Word. Thank You for sending us Jesus to make the way for us to be a part of Your kingdom and to be priests to You. To Him be the glory and power forever and ever! Amen.