Revelation Chapter One ||| Introduction
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Greetings and Doxology (Revelation 1:1-8)
OPEN IT
With what typical phrases do you open and close your letters?
EXPLORE IT
What did God want us to learn from the Book of Revelation? (Rev.1:1)
What sources did John say was the basis of his revelation? (Rev.1:2)
What is promised to those who take the time to study this revelation? (Rev.1:3)
What did John urge his readers to do? Why? (Rev.1:3)
To whom did John write this letter? How did John refer to God? How did God greet his readers in Christ’s name? (Rev.1:4)
By what threefold description is Jesus presented? (Rev.1:5)
What is Jesus’ attitude toward Christians? (Rev.1:5)
What does Jesus do on behalf of Christians? (Rev.1:5)
In what way does Jesus make all believers new? (Rev.1:6)
What is Jesus’ purpose for the church? (Rev.1:6)
How did John react when he recounted all the things that Jesus had done for Christians? (Rev.1:6)
What prophecy opens this book? (Rev.1:7)
By what unique description does God explain Himself in this passage? (Rev.1:8)
GET IT
How should we act since we have been freed from our sins?
What changes need to take place in your life to reflect the truth that Jesus may return at any moment?
APPLY IT
What can you do now to prepare for Jesus’ return?
Commentary
The Revelation (1:1a). These two words are essential to understanding this book. Apokalupsis (Revelation) appears eighteen times in the New Testament, always, when used of a person, with the meaning “to become visible.” The book of Revelation contains truths that had been concealed but have now been revealed. The Apocalypse reveals a great many divine truths. It warns the church of the danger of sin and instructs it about the need for holiness. It reveals the strength Christ and believers must overcome Satan. It reveals the glory and majesty of God and depicts the reverent worship that constantly attends His throne. The book of Revelation reveals the end of human history, including the final political setup of the world, the career of Antichrist, and the climactic Battle of Armageddon. It reveals the coming glory of Christ’s earthly reign during the millennial kingdom, the Great White Throne judgment, and depicts the eternal bliss of the new heaven and the new earth. It reveals the ultimate victory of Jesus Christ over all human and demonic opposition.
The book of Revelation describes the ultimate defeat of Satan and sin, and the final state of the wicked (eternal torment in hell) and the righteous (eternal joy in heaven). In short, it is a front-page story of the future of the world written by someone who has seen it all.
But supremely, overarching all those features, the book of Revelation reveals the majesty and glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. It describes in detail the events associated with His second coming, revealing His glory that will one day blaze forth as strikingly and unmistakably as lightning flashing in a darkened sky (Matt. 24:27).
Of Jesus Christ, (1:1b) While all Scripture is revelation from God (2 Tim. 3:16), in a unique way the book of Revelation is the revelation-the revelation of Jesus Christ. While this book is certainly revelation from Jesus Christ (22:16), it is also the revelation about Him. The Gospels are also about Jesus Christ but present Him in His first coming in humiliation; the book of Revelation presents Him in His second coming in exaltation. Every vision and description of Him in Revelation is one of majesty, power, and glory.
Which God gave Him (1:1c) In what sense is the book of Revelation a gift from the Father to Jesus Christ? Mark 13:32: “But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.” In the humiliation of His incarnation, when He “emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant” (Phil. 2:7), Jesus restricted the independent use of His divine attributes.
To show to His bondservants, (1:1d) To further exalt and glorify His Son, the Father has graciously granted to a special group of people the privilege of understanding the truths found in this book. John describes those people as His [Christ’s] bondservants. “Doulois” (bondservants) literally means “slaves” (Matt. 22:8; Mark 13:34). The doulos (bondservant), however, was a special type of slave-one who served out of love and devotion to his master.
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Lesson 01 – Greetings and Doxology (Revelation 1:1-8)
Commentary
The things which must soon take place; (1:1e) The book of Revelation’s emphasis on future events sets it apart from all other New Testament books. While they contain references to the future, the Gospels primarily focus on the life and earthly ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And He sent and communicated it by His angel (1:1f) The book of Revelation is unique in New Testament literature because it is the only book sent and communicated to its human author by angels. In 22:16 Jesus reaffirmed the truth taught here, declaring, “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches.” Angels were involved in the giving of the book of Revelation to John just as they were in the giving of the Law to Moses (Acts 7:53; Gal. 3:19; Heb. 2:2). Not only were angels involved in transmitting the book of Revelation to John, but they also play a prominent role in the scenes it depicts. Angels appear in every chapter of Revelation except 4 and 13. This book, then, is an important source of information on the ministry of angels.
To His bond-servant John, who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. (1:1g-2) The human agent to whom the angelic messengers communicated the book of Revelation is here identified as His [Christ’s] bondservant John. This was John the apostle, the son of Zebedee and brother of James. John wrote the book of Revelation while in exile on the island of Patmos (1:9). As he had loyally testified to the first coming of Christ (John 19:35; 21:24; 1 John 1:2; 4:14), so John faithfully, under the Spirit’s inspiration, testified to all that he saw concerning His second coming.
Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; (1:3a) The book of Revelation is bracketed by promises of blessing (beatitudes, as in Matt. 5:3-12) to those who read and obey it (22:7; Luke 11:28). But those are only two of the seven promises of blessing the book contains; the rest are equally wonderful: “‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!’ ‘Yes,’ says the Spirit, ‘so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them’” (14:13). “Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes, so that he will not walk about naked and men will not see his shame” (16:15); “blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb” (19:9); “blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection” (20:6); “blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city” (22:14).
For the time is near. (1:3b) That the return of Christ is imminent, the next event on God’s prophetic calendar, has always been the church’s hope. Jesus commanded His followers to watch expectantly for His return:
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Lesson 01 – Greetings and Doxology (Revelation 1:1-8)
Commentary
John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace, from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. (1:4-5a) Unlike modern letters, in which the senders put their names at the end of the letter, ancient letters sensibly named their writers at the beginning.
Thus, John identifies himself as the writer and names the seven churches (listed in 1:11) that are in the Roman province of Asia (modern Turkey) as the recipients. Grace to you and peace was a standard greeting in New Testament letters (Rom. 1:7; 1 Cor. 1:3; 2 Cor. 1:2; Gal. 1:3; Eph. 1:2; Phil. 1:2; Col. 1:2; 1 Thess. 1:1; 2 Thess. 1:2; Philem. 3), but this greeting introduces a benediction from the exalted Trinity (2 Cor. 13:14).
The phrase Him who is and who was and who is to come identifies the first Person of the Trinity, God the Father, described here in anthropomorphic terms. Because it is the only way we can understand, the threefold description (1:8; 4:8) views God in time dimensions (past, present, and future), although He is timeless. The eternal God is the source of all the blessings of salvation, all grace, and all peace.
The seven Spirits, who are before His throne, refers to the Holy Spirit. Obviously, there is only one Holy Spirit; the number seven depicts Him in His fullness (5:6; Isa. 11:2; Zech. 4:1-10). The Holy Spirit in all His glory and fullness sends grace and peace to believers; He is the spirit of grace (Heb. 10:29) and produces peace in believers’ lives (Gal. 5:22). Here He is seen in the glory of His place in the Father’s presence in heaven.
Grace and peace also flow from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. He, too, is seen in the glory of His exaltation. It is only fitting that John mentions Christ last, and gives a fuller description of Him, since He is the theme of the book of Revelation.
A faithful witness is one who always speaks and represents the truth, and that certainly characterizes the Lord Jesus Christ. He was a perfect witness to the nature of God. Revelation 3:14 calls Him “The Amen, the faithful and true Witness.” “For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world,” He declared to Pilate, “to testify to the truth” (John 18:37). Jesus Christ, the faithful witness who cannot lie and lived and spoke flawlessly the will of God, promises believers salvation’s grace and peace.
The second description of Jesus, the firstborn of the dead, does not mean He was chronologically the first one to be raised from the dead. There were resurrections before His in the Old Testament (1 Kings 17:17-23; 2 Kings 4:32-36; 13:20-21), and He Himself raised others during His earthly ministry (Matt. 9:23-25; Luke 7:11-15; John 11:30-44). Prōtotokos does not mean firstborn in time sequence, but rather first in preeminence. Of all who have ever been or ever will be resurrected, He is the premier one. God declares of the Messiah in Psalm 89:27, “I also shall make him My firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth.” The book of Revelation records the unfolding of that promise.
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Lesson 01 – Greetings and Doxology (Revelation 1:1-8)
Commentary
The third title, the ruler of the kings of the earth, depicts Christ as sovereign over the affairs of this world, to which He holds the title deed (5:1ff.). That Jesus Christ is the sovereign King of the earth is repeatedly taught in Scripture (e. g., 19:16; Ps. 2:6-8; Jer. 23:5; Zech. 9:9; Matt. 2:2; 21:5; Luke 19:38; 23:3; John 1:49). He is Lord, having a name “above every name” (Phil. 2:9-11), who, according to the Father’s plan and the Spirit’s work, grants believers His royal blessing of grace and peace.
To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood-and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father-to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. (1:5b-6) The work of Christ on behalf of believers caused John to burst forth in an inspired doxology of praise to Him. In the present, Christ loves believers with an unbreakable love (Rom. 8:35-39). The greatest expression of that love came when He released us from our sins by His blood-a reference to the atonement provided by His sacrificial death on the cross on our behalf.
Here is the heart of the gospel. Sinners are forgiven by God, set free from sin, death, and hell by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. God made Him our substitute, killing Him for our sins, so that the penalty was fully paid for us. God’s justice was satisfied, and God was able then to grant righteousness to repentant sinners for whom Christ died.
John concludes his doxology with the only proper response considering the magnitude of the blessings Christ has given believers: To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. That is to be the response of all who read this marvelous book in which that future glory and dominion is clearly presented.
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 over Him. So, it is to be. Amen. “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” (1:7-8) After the introduction and greetings (vv. 1-6), verse 7 begins the first great prophetic oracle in the book of Revelation. The exclamation idou (Behold) is an arresting call to attention. It is intended to arouse the mind and heart to consider what follows. Fittingly, the first thing John calls attention to is the glorious truth that He [Jesus] is coming. Thus, the theme of the book of Revelation is the coming One, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Despite the scoffers who deny the Second Coming (2 Pet. 3:3-4), the Bible repeatedly affirms that Jesus will return. That truth appears in more than five hundred verses throughout the Bible. It has been estimated that one out of every twenty-five verses in the New Testament refers to the Second Coming. Jesus repeatedly spoke of His return (e. g., Matt. 16:27; 24-25; 26:64; Mark 8:38; Luke 9:26) and warned believers to be ready for it (e. g., Matt. 24:42, 44; 25:13; Luke 12:40; 21:34-36). The return of the Lord Jesus Christ to this earth is thus a central theme in Scripture.
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Lesson 01 – Greetings and Doxology (Revelation 1:1-8)
Commentary
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” (1:8) In this verse the Lord God puts His signature on the prophecy of the Second Coming recorded in the previous verse. Three of His divine attributes guarantee the certainty of the pledge of Christ’s return.
Alpha and the Omega emphasizes God’s omniscience. Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet, and Omega is the last. All knowledge is conveyed through the letters of the alphabet; thus, God’s designation of Himself as the Alpha and the Omega affirms that He has all knowledge. He knows, therefore, the certainty of this promise.
As the one who is and who was and who is to come, God’s transcendent, eternal presence is not confined by time or space or any feature or event in them. There is no possible contingency of which He is unaware regarding the Second Coming. Thus, His promise that the Lord Jesus Christ will return settles the issue.
Jesus came the first time in humiliation; He will return in exaltation. He came the first time to be killed; He will return to kill His enemies. He came the first time to serve; He will return to be served. He came the first time as the suffering servant; He will return as the conquering king. The challenge the book of Revelation makes to every person is to be ready for His return.
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