The Revelation of Jesus Christ

[Read Revelation 1]

I’m curious what many of you were thinking when you heard we were going to begin a series through Revelation. I’m sure some groaned—thinking it was going to become overly speculative and complicated. I’m sure some were overjoyed because they love the mystery and the puzzle of the book. Some were probably intrigued, because they have heard a lot about Revelation but have never really looked at it. And I’m sure there were many other things going through your mind. 

Let me explain why I choose to preach through the book of Revelation. First, this is the Word of God and we are told that ALL SCRIPTURE is profitable and useful for the Christian. I don’t like it when we choose to throw certain books of the Bible out—labeled as “unuseful” because God has TOLD us that they are useful. So, we should not neglect them. And to build on this further, we are told that we will be BLESSED by reading and hearing and obeying what is written in this book (Revelation 1:3).

I also choose to preach through the book of Revelation because I believe it is EXTREMELY relevant to our current situation—but maybe for different reasons that some would think. I do not believe this book was written ONLY about some future event that will happen at the end of history. It was written for the church of John’s day AND our day AND future days—just like every other book of the Bible. 

Here’s why I think that. The book begins, “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place.” (Revelation 1:1, ESV). God gave these visions to John so that he could tell the church what MUST SOON take place. He didn’t give John things to tell the church that would happen thousands and thousands of years down the road. These things were happening SOON. 

To build on this, Jesus tells John, “Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this.” (Revelation 1:19, ESV). The things John sees in these visions are “things that ARE” and “things that are to take place AFTER this.” So, as we go through this book, some of the visions are describing things that ARE—things that were happening when John wrote this book and things that are happening right now—and there will be visions describing what will take place after this—visions of the future. 

But here’s the reality as we dive deeper into this book. MOST of the things in this book are talking about things that ARE HAPPENING right now. NOT necessarily because Jesus is coming tomorrow or next year, but because this book is describing the period between Jesus’ death and his second coming. That’s exactly where we find ourselves. So, we cannot ignore this book as irrelevant. It is extremely relevant AND the church of today has missed out on a tremendous blessing by ignoring it. 

Before we dive into this introductory vision, we need to look at the way John sets up this book. He begins by calling it, “The revelation of Jesus Christ…” (Revelation 1:1, ESV). That tells us two things. The most important being that this is a book about Jesus Christ. We must NEVER lose that as we read this book. The book isn’t primarily about all the weird and wacky visions or about solving a puzzle. Everything in this book has the purpose of showing us Jesus Christ.

Later on John says, “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy…” (Revelation 1:3, ESV). So, this book is a book of prophecy and a book of revelation. The word revelation is a translation of the greek word apokalypsis where we get our word apocalypse. One commentator says that apocalyptic literature is like a heightened form of prophecy—which is why John also calls this a prophetic book. 

It’s important to understand what it means that this is a prophetic book. In our day, most people associate the word “prophecy” with things that will happen in the future—or past predictions of future events. Yet, when you read the Old Testament prophets, they were not limited to future events only. Just like John said of this book, they spoke of things that ARE and things that will come after. They spoke the very words of God to His people about what was happening and what would happen. So, the fact that Revelation is a book of apocalyptic prophecy doesn’t mean it ONLY about future events. Just like the Old Testament prophetic books, this book is the very word of God spoken to the church about what is happening and what will happen. 

Finally, there’s one more important thing we need to cover. The book begins by saying, “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,” (Revelation 1:1, ESV). When John says “he made it known” he is using a Greek word that means to signify—or to use signs and symbols. So, we’re being told that the message of this book has been placed in signs and symbols. That tells us something important about how to interpret this book. When we interpret other books of the bible, our method is “interpret literally unless forced to interpret symbolically.” Yet, John is telling us to do the opposite. As we interpret the book of Revelation, we are to interpret symbolically unless we are forced to interpret literally. 

And, to be honest, this is why so many people want to throw Revelation off the shelf. They say, “If we’re supposed to interpret this book symbolically, then people can make it mean anything they want!!” Yet, that’s not the way it works. We don’t have the freedom to make symbols mean what we want. God has already given us the symbols and the meaning. This book is FILLED with symbols from the Old Testament prophets. We will have to go back to the Old Testament over and over and over again in order to understand the images and symbols John is using. I think this is why we struggle to understand this book—because we don’t know the Old Testament very well. 

Here’s an example I like to give—probably more relevant today than any other time I’ve told it. What if I told you a story about two animals that were fighting. One was a red elephant and the other a blue donkey. They fought so violently that they trampled everything around them and made a huge mess. Do you know exactly what I’m trying to say? Yes. Can you make it mean anything you want? No. It’s the same with the book of Revelation. 

And, to be honest, the mess I just described using an elephant and a donkey is described in Revelation by a beast—a beast that was devouring the church. That is the context in which John writes Revelation. He says, “I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.” (Revelation 1:9, ESV). John is writing from the island of Patmos—basically a deserted island of rock. He says he was there because of the Word of God and his witness for Jesus. He was exiled there because of persecution of Christians. Because he was speaking the Word of God and pointing people to Jesus, he was exiled to the island of Patmos. And ironically, while exiled for speaking the word of God and the testimony of Jesus, Jesus meets John and gives him a Word of God and a testimony and John writes it down and sends it out to the churches. There is no stopping the Word of God. 

John also calls himself a “partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus.” He’s a “partner” because the churches he is writing to are also facing the same persecution, the same tribulation, needing the same patient endurance. They are being threatened with exile for spreading the Word of God, tempted by the sin of the world around them, and wondering where Jesus is in all of this. So, in the midst of their chaotic situation, Jesus comes and gives them a vision—showing them where He is. 

Does that sound relevant to you? We are in the most chaotic time in our lifetimes. There is more division, anger, frustration that I’ve ever seen before. There has been rioting in the streets and attacks on the capitol building. Yet, there’s much more chaos than our political chaos. We’re watching our country begin sprinting away from God and the truth of scripture. The further they sprint away, the more tribulation and persecution will come. I don’t want to be a pessimist here—and I’m not—but people are already losing their jobs for holding to Christian principles. Christians are being exiled (in a unique way) for speaking the Word of God and pointing people to Jesus. And the further we run away from God, the more aggressive the persecution will be. Don’t you find yourself wondering—like the churches John wrote to—“Where is Jesus in all this?”  They’re asking the question—we’re asking the question—so Jesus shows us/them. 

As we read through the visions of this book, it’s important to use your imagination. Try your hardest to implant these images in your mind. 

John writes, “Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.” (Revelation 1:12–16, ESV). That’s where Jesus is in all this chaos. He’s standing in the midst of the golden lampstands, holding on to the stars of those lampstands. This image has almost moved me to tears this week as it clung to my mind. 

Because I spent so much time “setting the stage” for the book, I don’t have time to dive into each of these images. The Study Booklet will give you guidance to do that on your own. Much of this vision is identical to the vision given to Daniel in Daniel chapter seven. So, I highly recommend you look at that passage this afternoon. 

But here’s the general picture. We see Jesus walking in the midst of the lampstands—which were in the temple—wearing a long robe with a sash around his chest. This is the clothes the priests wore. So, we see Jesus functioning as our priest. 

Yet, he’s more than a priest, he has white hair. In Daniel this image is describing the Ancient of Day—the eternal one. That’s why his hair is so white—he is the eternal timeless God. His eyes are burning like fire and his feet are like burnished bronze. These are both signs of his fury and judgement and wrath against sin and evil. 

Out of his mouth comes a double-edged sword. The sword has always been a symbol of authority and power. But this sword is coming out of his mouth—which should remind us of scripture that speaks of the God’s Word being a double edged sword. So, this shows BOTH his power and authority and the power and authority that come through His word. 

And he is shining. His face is like the sun in full strength.He is shining in all of his glorious splendor. Shining so powerfully that it causes John to drop down like he was a dead man. 

The image Jesus presents to us is him as prophet, priest, and king. He is the prophet with the powerful, authoritative Word of God coming from his mouth. He is the priest offering up prayers and sacrifices for the churches. He is the king, ruling and reigning over his people and bringing judgement and wrath on all evil. 

Yet, he’s not just any prophet—he is the eternal prophet shining in glory. He’s not just any priest—he is the eternal priest shining in glory. He’s not just any king—he is the eternal king shining in glory.

And where is he? Where is this eternal, glorious prophet, priest, and king in the midst of all this chaos? He’s with the churches. John says, “…the seven lampstands are the seven churches.” (Revelation 1:20, ESV).  Where is Jesus when the world around is so chaotic and there is tribulation and persecution? He’s right here with his churches. He’s right here with THIS church. He’s in our midst. He’s working as our prophet—giving us God’s Word. He’s working as our priest—who offered himself as a sacrifice and continually brings our prayers to God. He’s working as our king—protecting us, guiding us, and punishing all evil. THAT’S where Christ is in the midst of this chaos. He’s right here!

And he’s holding onto the seven stars, which John says, “…the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches…” (Revelation 1:20, ESV). There are different ways to understand what John means by angel. Some take this to mean that each church has their own particular angel. I don’t think that’s right. The word “angel” can also be translated “messenger,” which would make the meaning fairly clear. The seven stars are the messengers of the seven churches—the pastors. 

And where are these pastors? They are in the hands of Jesus Christ! That brought me to tears this week. And, man, I wish I could help other pastors catch this vision right now. As I talk to pastors who are struggling and suffering in the midst of this chaos, I want them to know that Jesus has us in his hand! He’s got us. 

But that means more than just holding onto us and supporting us. The eternal, glorious prophet, priest, and king is holding onto us. That means we have no authority apart from Christ. We have nothing to say apart from Christ. We have nothing to offer apart from Christ. And in the midst of this craziness, we will be tempted to shut up and be quiet and not speak the Word of God. Yet, Christ has us in his hand! We cannot be quiet. We cannot shut our mouths. Just like John, we must continue to speak the Word of God and point people to Jesus no matter the cost. We MUST do this because we’re in Jesus’ hand, but it is also true that we are ENABLED to do this because we are in Jesus’ hand. 

So, where is Jesus in the midst of this chaos? He’s right here—glorious and powerful as ever—working among the churches as our prophet, priest, and king.