When Jesus Christ came into the world, His glory was veiled by His humanity. Although He is God, He humbled Himself as a man in order to be the Savior of sinners. However, He is coming again to the earth, and this time it will be in power and great glory. This is joyous news for those who repent now and enter His kingdom through faith in His name. But it is a guarantee of certain judgment for those who reject His salvation. The Gospels reveal the suffering and death of Christ within the context of His kingdom. They likewise proclaim His resurrection and return to His exalted position in heaven. In them is found the promise of a glorious future for the believer secured through His sacrifice. The Book of Acts chronicles His sovereign establishment of the Church as heaven s embassy on earth until His return in judgment. The New Testament epistles build upon this by further clarifying and establishing His will, thus increasing our anticipation of His return. But it is The Revelation of Jesus Christ -- the final book of Scripture -- which describes His full glory. And as the next event on God s calendar for humanity, it is Christ s glory as King of kings and Lord of lords which will be displayed for all to see. This Revelation (Gr. - apocalypse) is the uncovering or full disclosure of the glorified Son of Man. 1
Although the world last saw Jesus Christ in His humiliation, they will next see Him in His exaltation. After giving His life a sacrifice for the sins of God s elect, He only appeared to His early disciples to encourage and instruct them. The apostles and other disciples saw Him in His resurrected state (Acts 1; 1 Cor. 15:5-8). Upon their eyewitness testimony the true Church has been built one believer at a time. Christ has sent the Holy Spirit to indwell, enable and equip Christians to serve as His representatives until His kingdom comes (Jn. 14-17). However, the world has not seen the Son of Man since His crucifixion (Jn. 14:19). His next earthly appearance will be to establish His throne forever. And in the process, He will righteously judge the unrepentant masses of humanity. They will see with their own eyes the glorified King whom they have scorned, and they will mourn greatly because of the judgment that has come upon them (Matt. 24:30). This book uncovers the reality of God s heavenly agenda for the universe, in which Christ s reign over all things. It provides insight into the Almighty s control over human history, and it allows His servants to take heart in the truths He reveals. The whole message of Scripture culminates here in the drama of the the Lord Jesus Christ s triumphant and eternal reign. In the pages that follow, the veil of the future is pulled back for us to behold the glorious Son of Man who is the eternal King. 2
introduces us to all of this. Here, we find the person, purpose, process and promise of the revelation. The Revelation of Christ: An Introduction The Person of the Revelation (v. 1a) As already noted, this is The Revelation of Jesus Christ. Although the book has many characters, He is the main subject. And even though it deals with numerous Old Testament references and an abundance of eschatological events, its focus is clearly on the exalted person of Christ. Everything else revolves around Him. That is, of course, the intention. We are told from the beginning that He is the eternal Sovereign of the Universe, who is working all things together for His glory and the good of His people (1:4-6). He is revealed in His brilliant glory as seen in 1:7-20. He is the exalted Lord of the Church as found in chapters two and three. Chapters 4-20 emphasize His second coming. There He displays His wrath, reclaims the earth and establishes His rule of righteousness as He pronounces final judgment on His enemies. The final chapters (21-22) reveal His eternal reign in the recreated and glorified universe, in which the believer lives joyously for eternity. Thus all of God s promises for humanity are fulfilled in Jesus Christ. 3
The Purpose of the Revelation (v. 1b) But what is the purpose of the book? While it is certainly a warning to the ungodly of the judgment to come, its primary objective is to encourage the Church. The world reads the things written here, but it does not understand them. It is but mere literature to unregenerate mind the enigmatic prognostications of just another religion. Although clear and logical in its presentation, its truths are mysterious to the unbeliever, for they are spiritually discerned (1 Cor. 2:6-16). This is understandable when we consider that it is Holy Scripture. But it makes even more sense when we realize that this unveiling of future events is actually a gift from God the Father to God the Son. It is Christ s partial reward for humbling Himself as a man and dying for the sins of His people (cf. Phil. 2:5-11). For you see, God the Father presents His agenda for the future coronation and reign of His Son. Thus, this is the revelation of Christ, which God gave Him. And He gave it to our Lord to show His servants. That is, we who are to share in His kingdom are to benefit from the truth contained herein. Christ wants His Church, whom He loves, to have a glimpse of His future glory. When Peter, James and John saw Christ transfigured on the mountain (Matt. 17:1-7), it was but a brief view of His royal splendor. But this book reveals the wonderful future of the King in great detail. 4
Jesus our Lord not only promises that we will one day be with Him in that glory (Jn. 14:1-4), but He wants us to know as much as is humanly possibly about it now. Why? Because it encourages us as we serve Him in this world which is hostile to His authority. When The Revelation was written, the Gospel had spread throughout the known world of that day. However, Christians were heavily persecuted. It had been several decades since Christ s crucifixion, and earthly life for His disciples had only gotten worse. The truth regarding the glory of the Lord s kingdom, despite their sufferings in this world, was welcome information indeed. And it has encouraged successive generations of the Church, as we eagerly anticipate our King s return (cf. 1 Cor. 1:7; 2 Thess 1:7; 1 Pet. 1:7). The next phrase explains why this unveiling of the Lord s glory is so encouraging. These are things which must shortly take place. In other words, they will soon happen, as in being the next event on God s kingdom agenda. The word can mean quickly or swiftly, and the events of the Second Coming will indeed occur in rapid succession once they begin. However, the primary reference is to His glorious return. 5
It has been at hand since His ascension into the glory of heaven (Acts 1:9-11). The imminence of His return means that Christians can serve each day with that expectation. When God the Father decides that it is time, the glory of Christ will be unveiled for the world to see. As evil as the world can be, and no matter what the extent of our persecution, believers in this world can keep looking up (Lk. 20:28). The Process of the Revelation (vv. 1c-2) The introduction also gives us the process of the revelation. That is, we are told how Christ gave it to the Church. We know that it came to Him from the Father, and He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John (v. 1c). The Lord s use of a heavenly angel (i.e. messenger ) to deliver the message to His apostle, John, is significant. This is the only New Testament book that employs the use of an angel. Angels certainly relayed the news of Christ s incarnation and birth as explained in the gospels of Matthew and Luke. However, no other New Testament Scripture involved angelic beings to signify or communicate the entirety of the information. 6
Just as God used angels to deliver the Law to Moses (Acts 7:53; Gal. 3:19; Heb. 2:2), so some were tasked with relaying the truths contained in this book. They likewise play an important role in the future events that are described. With only two exceptions, they appear in every chapter, and the word angel is used 71 times. That is more than any other book of the Bible. Needless to say, a study of this book provides much of our doctrine concerning angelic beings. Having received the truth of Christ s glorious return from the Lord s angel, His servant John writes it down for us. The emphasis here is that the apostle is Jesus willing and eternal slave committed to following Him into the glory of the kingdom. As with the other apostles, he had experienced much persecution for the sake of Christ. Even as he received this book, he was exiled to the island of Patmos (v. 9). Although an old man, he was likely sentenced to hard labor and certainly seclusion. He suffered because he had faithfully taught the Word of God and proclaimed the Gospel. Our Lord and Savior utilized His trusted and faithful servant to share the Father s gift with the Church. We are told in verse two that the apostle carried out the task. John bore witness to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw. This defines John s lifetime of ministry. He bore witness to Christ s first coming, which he experienced as a young man. Now he bears witness as an old man to this vision of the Lord s Second Coming. 7
As noted here, his witness is the word of God. The Promise of the Revelation (v. 3) This book is also unique, being the only one in the Bible that comes with a promise of blessing. There are actually several benedictions throughout. Verse three gives us the first of seven total beatitudes: Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it We find a similar blessing in the concluding chapter (22:7). The others involve a blessing for: those who die in the Lord and rest from their labors (14:13); those who live a godly life in anticipation of the Lord s return (16:15); those who are invited as guests to the marriage supper of the Lamb (19:9); those who have part in the first resurrection (20:6); those whose salvation is confirmed by their obedience and who subsequently enter into the fullness of eternal life (22:14). This first benediction identifies the book as a prophecy. In other words, it is a true word from God. John identifies the one who reads it, those who hear it, and those who keep it. This describes a gathering of believers for fellowship and worship centered in the Scriptures. It blesses everyone who sincerely considers its truth and lives according to it. This is, of course, evidence that God fully intended for the prophetic book to be read publicly in the churches. It also proves that He intended it to be included in the canon of New Testament Scripture. 8
The book is a blessing because is encourages us to live godly and vigilant lives of service. The urgency conveyed to the Church, even from the first verses, calls us to be sober-minded in our way of life. We must come together as a fellowship of believers and encourage one another to live faithfully for the Lord. As Hebrews 10:24-25 says, And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching (cf. Rom. 13:11-14; 1 Cor. 15:51-58; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; James 5:7-9; 1 Pet. 4:7; 2 Pet. 3:1-15; 1 Jn. 2:18). What is the Day of which the writer of Hebrews speaks? It is the coming of Christ in glory The concluding phrase of Revelation 1:3, for the time is near, simply echoes the truth of verse one, which declares Christ s return to be at hand ( shortly take place ). So, we are to study this Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ. It is guaranteed to keep our attention on our Lord and His imminent return. Being focused on that truth will, in turn, heighten our sense of urgency in ministry to build up the Church in holiness and warn the ungodly world of the judgment to come. How does the imminent return of Christ affect your life? Are you prepared to hear, receive, obey and bear witness to the truths of this book? 9