Revelation Chapter 1 (Sermon for Pilgrim Church 6/2/22)
Revelation reveals to us who Jesus is as the one who has overcome death for the sake the church, his bride. He will punish all the enemies of his bride and usher in the glorious new age.
Most people are afraid to read Revelation because it is weird and obscure and hard to understand. It is all of these things, but it is worth studying. There are some key ideas that help to make the book more understandable. My plan is to introduce some major ideas by working through chapter 1.
(NIV) Revelation 1:1 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.
The first thing which these verses tell us is that this book is “The revelation of Jesus Christ”. The simple point is that this book reveals something. It unveils knowledge of Jesus Christ that we would not have otherwise. It gives us a glimpse into God’s purposes and actions that we would not have otherwise. We might read this, as the NIV does, as revelation from Jesus Christ. But the point still remains that this book reveals rather than conceals something. The trick is learning how to read it in order to grasp what it reveals. As we do so, remember that there is a blessing attached to it. “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.”
In Greek, the word for revelation is ‘apocalypse’. Before John wrote Revelation there was already a style of writing called Jewish apocalypse. The central idea in Jewish apocalypse is that God will decisively intervene in human history to save his people and punish their enemies. During the present evil age, things tend to go very badly for the people of God. They are persecuted. But a new age is coming when there will be nothing but peace and joy. This will be like a return to Eden. Apocalyptic writing tends to have visions, angels and a lot of symbols in it.
In Revelation, John sees many visions. He is visited by several angels. There are many different symbols. These give us the perspective of heaven on what is happening in the world. All these things, according to verse 1, were given by God to Jesus and then Jesus revealed them to John through an angel so that John could tell the church “what must soon take place.”
One aspect of the book of Revelation is that it contains a lot of allusions to the Old Testament. There are not quotations, as you would find in other parts of the New Testament, but there are plenty of references that people familiar with the Old Testament are supposed to pick up on. The phrase “what must soon take place” is one such allusion. In Dan 2, Nebuchadnezzar had a dream and Daniel interpreted it. Daniel said, “but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to come” (Dan 2:28). The dream was of a statue, which represented different kingdoms that would come in the future. All of them were crushed by a giant rock that grew and filled the whole earth. This represents the kingdom of God. When John mentions the things that must soon take place, he is telling us that the kingdom of God is coming, just as the book of Daniel says. The kingdom of God is coming and it will crush all the kingdoms of the earth. The difference between Daniel and Revelation is that Daniel spoke of a distant future but Revelation describes things that were already taking place when it was written. They are still taking place.
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 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.
The book of Revelation is chock full of symbols and these start even in verse 4. The symbols include the numbers, creatures, colours and natural events. When you understand that this is a book full of symbolic things rather than literal things, it is much easier to understand what is going on and what we are meant to take from it.
Verses 4-5 refer to the Trinity in an unusual way. “Him who is, and who was, and who is to come” alludes to what God said to Moses at the burning bush. Moses asked God’s name and God said, “I am who I am”. In Hebrew this can mean “I will be who I will be”. The name of God is very much like “him who is, and who was, and who will be”. Verse 5 is not too difficult. “Jesus Christ” is plain. I will come back to the description of Jesus later. In between are “the seven spirits before his throne”.
Seven is a very important number. In these two verses it appears twice – seven churches, seven spirits before the throne. In the book “seven” appears 31 times and “seventh” is used five times. Seven is the number of God or perfection or completeness. This idea starts in Gen 1-2 when the six days of creation are completed/consummated by the seventh day of rest. We should not assume that the number seven is used literally, but rather is intended to represent completeness. There were probably more than seven churches in Asia. For a start, we know that Colossae was pretty close to Laodicea and yet it is not included in the letters. So, the seven churches represent all the churches. The seven spirits are probably the Holy Spirit because God the Father and Jesus are both mentioned. Seven spirits alludes to a passage in Zechariah which mentions seven lamps and seven channels to the lamps. This is about the Holy Spirit (Zech 4:2-7). It is probably also alluding to the sevenfold Spirit described in Isa 11:1-2. Therefore, the Holy Spirit is not seven different spirits as such but the total, complete Spirit of God.
Let’s go back to the description of Jesus. There are two major descriptions of Jesus in this chapter. The first in verses 5-7 and the second in verses 10-18. I’ll look at the short one first. “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, 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. ‘Look, he is coming with the clouds,’ and ‘every eye will see him, even those who pierced him’; and all peoples on earth ‘will mourn because of him.’ So shall it be! Amen” (Rev. 1:5-7 NIV).
We know that this book was written to a church in the midst of persecution (see v 9). Many Christians had suffered and some had died because they testified to the name of Jesus. The Greek word for witness is martys, from which we get the English word martyr. This makes the first statement about Jesus very important. He is “the faithful witness”. Before any Christian has ever been a witness to Jesus, Jesus has gone before and continues to go besides because he is the faithful witness. He suffered and died first. Not one of the persecuted believers are alone in their suffering.
But the news gets better. Jesus is “the firstborn from the dead”. He was martyred but he is alive and “firstborn” suggests that others will also be raised to life because of Jesus, the first one. The “kings of the earth” played a significant part in the persecution. The Emperor Domitian was probably emperor at the time of writing. People in the Roman Empire were required to offer sacrifice to the imperial cult and Christians could not do this. Therefore, they were targeted. This made it more than just a few personal attacks. But, Jesus is “the ruler of the kings of the earth”. The kings of the earth think they are in charge, but they are all under the power and rule of Jesus Christ, who is no longer dead. Jesus reigns right now from heaven. What the kings of the earth do is only temporary, but Jesus is eternal. Throughout the book, we see how the people of the earth are judged by God, demonstrating who is in charge. This would have given the church courage to continue. It applies to us now. Whatever we think of our government, they are not the ultimate authority, even if they think they are.
“To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, 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.” Jesus loves his church. This is one of the important themes in that the church is suffering but the one who died for the church is the bridegroom who is coming back for the bride he loves. The current state of the church, being persecuted, suffering and dying is not permanent. They are a kingdom of priests to serve the God and Father of Christ. This is an eternal calling, not undone by suffering and death.
Lastly, there are several references to various OT messianic passages. “Look, he is coming in the clouds” does not have anything to do with clouds in the sky. It is an allusion to Dan 7:13. In Dan 7, Daniel had a dream about four beasts, which represent four wicked kings. The beasts waged war against God’s people. But after the beasts there is good news. The Ancient of Days appears on his throne and strips the beasts of their power and authority (Dan 7:9-12). And then, “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed” (Dan. 7:13-14 NIV).
Jesus Christ is this “Son of Man”, who is coming on the clouds of heaven to usher in the everlasting kingdom of God, in which he is the eternal king. He will judge every wicked king who has persecuted the people of God. You can see why a persecuted church would need to hear this. Daniel’s beasts appear in Revelation in modified form, but the assurance is that they will be judged and God’s people will triumph. The suffering of now will end when the Son of Man comes in the clouds of heaven.
“‘every eye will see him, even those who pierced him’; and all peoples on earth ‘will mourn because of him.’ So shall it be! Amen.” This is a reference to Zech 12:2. Some think this refers only to believers, but others (including myself) read it as an indication that every person will see the king of glory and mourn over the fact that they pierced him. The expression “of the earth” is actually used forty-two times in this book. “Those that dwell upon the earth” contrasts regularly with the saints, whose home is in heaven.
“8 ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.’ 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’” (Rev. 1:8-11 NIV).
I am going to make only brief comment on these verses. The “alpha and omega” is a designation for God the Father. It is later used on Jesus (21:6; 22:13). John is a sufferer also, but he knows that the kingdom is sure and patient endurance is necessary. The whole book provides encouragement to patient endurance in suffering. The reason for the suffering is the testimony of Jesus. Don’t give up. John was told to send this to the seven churches, and because these seven represent the complete church, what the book says is for us also.
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, 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 of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
Here we have yet another description of Jesus. The person John saw was among the lampstands. The explanation of this symbol is given to us; the lampstands are the churches. The lampstand (Menora) was a significant part of the temple furnishing, and mentioning it here brings to mind the whole temple. The lampstand was filled continually with oil, representing the Holy Spirit. Thus, we should understand this symbol to mean that the church is the temple and it draws its power from the Spirit in order to stand strong against the onslaught of the people of the earth. In John’s vision the glorious man is among the churches. Jesus is not far from his bride but walks among the churches. He speaks to each of the seven in chapters 2&3.
The description of Jesus in verses 13-15 is very much like one of Daniel’s visions (Dan 10:5-6). Jesus’ head and hair were like wool compares him to the Ancient of Days in Daniel 7:9. And his voice like rushing waters is also like the God of Israel, whose “voice is like the roaring of rushing waters” (Ezek 43:2).
The description of Jesus is very scary and powerful. The two-edged sword is an allusion to Isa 11:4 “but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked” (Isa 11:4), as well as 49:2. He is the eschatological judge of all the earth. The whole thing points to an eternal one who will judge the persecutors of the church. It is no wonder that John fell at his feet as if he (John) were dead. This paints a picture of a terrifying person. Yet, at the same time, it is comforting that such a powerful man is the Lord of the church.
Jesus reassures John with a reminder that he is the one who has overcome death. “Then he placed his right hand on me and said: ‘Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. 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’.” This one who will judge all is the one who has died and is risen. He has the keys to death and Hades. This is not an allusion to the OT, but possibly to some gods in Asian or Egyptian mythology. Both Hekate and Anubis were said to possess keys to the gates of Hades. Most certainly, Jesus is the one who has power over both death and the abode of the dead. Whatever happens to the church in the present, even if their persecutors kill them, there is hope in Christ because he is alive and his bride will also live with him forever.