Visions of God

Revelation 1:12-22

In the introduction to Revelation, John says:

Revelation 1:1 (NKJV) The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants--things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified [it] by His angel to His servant John,

This opening tells us that this is the Revelation of Jesus Christ. The book’s main character is Jesus Christ, and it records His works. In addition, Revelation reveals much concerning Jesus’ nature and person. Another way of saying this is to say, “Revelation adds to our Theology (knowledge of God).” 

Revelation builds on our knowledge of God by visually representing things and events in heaven and the spiritual realm’s interaction with the earth. 

One of the most shocking and startling visual representations is the opening vision of Jesus Christ. It is shocking in the sense that He is pictured as having “eyes like flames of fire” and a “sharp two-edged sword” coming from His mouth. This visual representation of Jesus is also startling in that up to this point in the New Testament, Jesus has been gentle, humble, and compassionate. While His grace and compassion are unchanging, the picture of a sword and fire does not suggest these characteristics.

While we are beginning with the eyes like flames of fire and sharp two-edged sword,” other features are mentioned that communicate truth. We are reminded of what Hebrews 1 tells us of Jesus.

Hebrews 1:1-3 (NKJV) ¹God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, ²has in these last days spoken to us by [His] Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; ³who being the brightness of [His] glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

Look at verse 3 again. Jesus is the brightness of God’s glory and the express image of His person. In John 14, Jesus tells us, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9).

Think about what that means! He who has seen Jesus has seen the Father!

When God sent His Son, He sent him as one of us in a humble, gentle manner in order to invite us to accept His mercy and grace. However, some of the visual revelations of God throughout the Bible are anything but humble and gentle. 

In Exodus, when God met with Israel at Mount Sinai, we are told:

Exodus 19:16 (NKJV) Then it came to pass on the third day, in the morning, that there were thunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain; and the sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all the people who [were] in the camp trembled.

As Israel stood before the mountain, the Lord descended and was manifested in the physical world. The lightning was real (not imaginary or visionary); the smoke, sound, and trembling took place in this physical realm.

God is a person, not a human person, but a person in the sense that He thinks, feels, and has His own being inside Himself (i.e., He is self-aware). He sent His Son so that we can understand that we are created in His image. But, this is where the similarity ends because He is the Almighty Creator and has no physical limits. So, when God gives glimpses of Himself in the world or in visions, these glimpses are both terrifying and difficult to describe.

In addition to Sinai, two revelations of God stand out: Isaiah’s vision in Isaiah 6 and Ezekiel’s vision in Ezekiel 1.

First, let’s read what Isaiah saw.

Isaiah 6:1-5 (NKJV) ¹In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His [robe] filled the temple. ²Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. ³And one cried to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy [is] the LORD of hosts; The whole earth [is] full of His glory!” ⁴And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke. ⁵So I said: “Woe [is] me, for I am undone! Because I [am] a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The LORD of hosts.”

The Lord was sitting on a throne, seraphim stood around Him covering face and feet with wings, and the Lord’s presence caused smoke to fill the house. Isaiah’s response was, “Woe is me, for I am undone!”

Next, look at how Ezekiel describes what He saw.

Ezekiel 1:26-28 (NKJV) ²⁶And above the firmament over their heads [was] the likeness of a throne, in appearance like a sapphire stone; on the likeness of the throne [was] a likeness with the appearance of a man high above it. ²⁷Also from the appearance of His waist and upward I saw, as it were, the color of amber with the appearance of fire all around within it; and from the appearance of His waist and downward I saw, as it were, the appearance of fire with brightness all around. ²⁸Like the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day, so [was] the appearance of the brightness all around it. This [was] the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. So when I saw [it,] I fell on my face, and I heard a voice of One speaking.

Brightness and glory that overwhelms the human mind surround the Lord God. Notice Ezekiel’s response to what he saw. “So when I saw it, I fell on my face.”

In the Gospel accounts, we are introduced to God in the flesh. However, Peter, James, and John were given a glimpse of the glory of God in Jesus. At the Mount of Transfiguration, they were given a glimpse of who Jesus is.

Matthew 17:1-6 (NKJV) ¹…Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; ²and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. ³And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. ⁴Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” ⁵While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” ⁶And when the disciples heard [it,] they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid.

These men, who were Jesus’ closest companions, fell on their faces and were greatly afraid! In Revelation, around 60 years later, John sees Jesus’ glory once again. And, once again, he is overwhelmed to the point that He fell at Jesus’ feet as dead. Here is how John describes what he saw.

Revelation 1:12-16 (NKJV) ¹²Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, ¹³and in the midst of the seven lampstands [One] like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. ¹⁴His head and hair [were] white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; ¹⁵His feet [were] like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters; ¹⁶He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance [was] like the sun shining in its strength.

This description of Jesus reminds us of Israel, Isaiah, and Ezekiel’s visions of God. However, a difference that we see in John’s narrative is that it is clear that this vision is enhanced with symbols. For example, a physical sword from our physical world is not sticking out of Jesus’ mouth. While I do not profess to know what Jesus’ eyes are made of, they are not made out of physical fire. These images are given to communicate truth about Jesus in His person.

Jesus tells us that some things that John is seeing are symbolic. He says:

Revelation 1:20 (NKJV) “The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches.

The seven lampstands are us, the Church. As an important side note, we should notice that the lampstand holds up the light as a “light bearer” but is not the source of the light. We are the light of the world because we carry the Spirit in our persons and corporately as a body. The source of the light, however, is Jesus. We will consider some of the implications of this as we look at the seven churches.

However, as John beholds His Savior, He notices His eyes. When I meet a person, I like to look in their eyes, and by this act, I seek to connect with that person; even if briefly, I fix my attention on that person. When we connect with Jesus, He sees into our souls. He knows our thoughts, intentions, and desires. This is the fire. It is a refining fire because everything about us is laid open and bare before Him who is perfect in holiness and power. He is our judge, the One we lived in fear of before the cross. Even as believers, we are refined by this fire. As Peter says:

1 Peter 1:6-7 (NKJV) ⁶In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, ⁷that the genuineness of your faith, [being] much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ…

We are to be found to praise, honor, and glory God, but this means we must be refined like gold in the fire. Jesus, who began a good work in us, will continue that work until it is complete, as Philippians 1:6 tells us.

Related to this is the sharp two-edged sword that is seen coming from Jesus’ mouth. Ephesians 6 tells us what our spiritual armor is. Of all the armor, the only offensive weapon we are described as having is a sword, which is said to be “the word of God.” Hebrews tells us this:

Hebrews 4:12 (NKJV) For the word of God [is] living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Jesus is the Word, He is with God, and He is God. We see Him thus in Revelation, and the sword coming from His mouth reminds us of this. The word from His mouth vanquishes His foes and lays bare before Him all our thoughts and intentions. 

We would despair but for other elements of His appearance. For one, His garment is a robe down to His feet with a gold sash. Oh! Such a glory! These are the robes of a priest! He is our high priest. In Exodus, the priest’s robes are described, and the one difference is the Old Testament priests wore a plate with stones representing the 12 tribes of Israel on their chest. But Jesus, Oh Jesus, He wears a gold sash over His chest because His is the perfect priesthood, and He represents all the tribes and nations of the earth before the throne of God.

His loud voice speaks of His absolute victory over sin, death, and the grave, and His white hair speaks of His purity. The feet are the feet of the mighty warrior who conquers the earth and all His (our) enemies. 

These things are terrifying to His enemies and the glory of us who He calls His friends.

I want to draw a very brief and sudden conclusion to this talk. 

We, like John, should fall as dead before our great and glorious God and Savior, and then getting up as He has raised us, we need to tell people, publish far and wide, what we have seen, the things that are, and the things that will be. 

Jesus is the only hope of this world, and He has us here as His Church to be people who help people know Jesus. It really is as simple as that.

Our great commandments are to love God and People, and our great commission is to disciple, baptize, and teach. We are people who help people know Jesus.

How are you doing with this?

The first step is to accept Jesus.

The second step is to learn how to walk by:

1. joining with other believers (church membership, our combined efforts go much further than our individual efforts ever could, plus Jesus works through His Church)
2. finding a place to serve (we serve Jesus by serving others as part of His body)
3. teaching others to do as we have done.

In the Spirit

Revelation 1:9-11

Revelation 1:9 (NKJV) I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.

John was on the island of Patmos. Having been Jesus’ closest friend and companion, John was a long way from Judea. He had traveled many miles and spent many years serving Jesus as an Apostle. He was now approximately 96 years old and historians from around 100 years after these events testified that at one time John was dipped in boiling oil and miraculously did not die.

As he gives his account, notice the humility with which he approaches us. He was an Apostle, chosen by Jesus, and He wrote one gospel and three epistles in the New Testament. However, he does not claim any position or authority but counts himself as a brother and a companion with us in the tribulation, kingdom, and patience of Jesus Christ.

Let’s consider tribulations, since John was suffering for the sake of the gospel at the time he received the Revelation. The Lord Jesus and the Apostles stressed that we must go through trials. For example, Acts 14:22 says:

Acts 14:22 (NKJV) “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.”

John knew what suffering is. He witnessed the suffering of Jesus, he knew of the deaths of all the other Apostles (who were his friends and companions), and he, himself, was exiled as a criminal. John MacArthur says the following in his commentary on Revelation. 

John was probably sent to Patmos as a criminal (as a Christian, he was a member of an illegal religious sect). If so, the conditions under which he lived would have been harsh. Exhausting labor under the watchful eye (and ready whip) of a Roman overseer, insufficient food and clothing, and having to sleep on the bare ground would have taken their toll on a ninety-year-old man. (John MacArthur New Testament Commentary, Revelation 1)

These comments from John MacArthur are consistent with what historians from that era have recorded. 

 

This is what has become of the cave where John is believed to have received the Revelation!

What is important to us is the brotherhood we have in our suffering for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. We are members of a kingdom this world cannot see. As for the kingdom, the gospel of Luke gives the following account.

Luke 17:20-21 (NKJV) ²⁰Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; ²¹“nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”

In this passage, Jesus says the kingdom of God is within us. As members of God’s kingdom, we have values, goals, and objective that the world does not accept or understand. While the world persecutes us because of these differences, we must remember that we wrestle not against flesh and blood. The world lies in the power of the evil one and as members of God’s kingdom, we are at war with the evil one. Jesus said that He will build His church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. In other words, the devil is doing everything he can to stop us.

Gates are built to protect against invasion. In 2 Corinthians 10 we are told:

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (NKJV) ³For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. ⁴For the weapons of our warfare [are] not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, ⁵casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,

In Christ Jesus, we have overcome the world; the victory is already ours.

Our tribulation is for the kingdom, filling up what is lacking in Christ sufferings,(Colossians 1:24 (NKJV) I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church,). As the body of Christ on earth, we are advancing His kingdom and saving souls from destruction. 

(Going back to Rev. 1:9) According to John, we labor for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. He says, that he is, our “brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ (Revelation 1:9). The labor he speaks of requires perseverance. (The NKJV says “patience” but this “patience” means not quitting or giving up.) We bear up under tribulation because we know that we are victors in Christ Jesus. Revelation tells of the victory of the Lord Jesus Christ over all His enemies. The benefit for us of reading and knowing this book is that we gain courage to persevere because we know the end of the story.

In order to receive the Revelation, John first was “in the Spirit.” He serves as an example for us. We are commanded to walk by the Spirit and we need to learn what this means. We know that we are to abide in Jesus by obeying His word, and the key to walking by the Spirit is found in yielding our will to God and obeying His word even if our flesh wants to do something else.

While in the Spirit, John was given the Revelation and saw things that for God are history, but to us are still future. God is not limited by time. For this reason, Jesus said, “before Abraham was born, I AM.” Jesus spoke these words more than a thousand years after Abraham’s day, but He speaks in the present tense. In the same way, the things that John saw while “in the Spirit” were more than a dream, according to Jesus, John was seeing things which were, things which are, and things yet to come.

Revelation 1:19 (NKJV) “Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this.”

By recording what he saw, John wrote things which are, were, and will be. John saw these things with spiritual eyes and says:

Revelation 1:10 (NKJV) I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet,

He was in the Spirit. The things that John saw were not seen with his physical eyes, but with spiritual eyes. In 2 Corinthians 12, the Apostle Paul tells of seeing visions and not knowing whether or not he was in the body or in the Spirit. While John was aware that he was in the Spirit, the things that he saw were more certain than what we see with our physical eyes. Seeing with spiritual eyes is a significant part of the book of Revelation. Four times, John reminds us that he was shown things “in the Spirit.”

Revelation 1:10 (NKJV) I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet

Revelation 4:2 (NKJV) And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and [one] sat on the throne.

Revelation 17:3 (NKJV) So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.

Revelation 21:10 (NKJV) And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God…

Revelation must be understood with spiritual eyes. As is true with all the word of God, we must have the help of the Holy Spirit to understand what is being said. With each of the four verses referring to being in the Spirit, what John is seeing changes. These changes mark transitions that help us as we work through the text of Revelation.

On the Lord’s day that John tells us about in chapter one, while in the Spirit, he heard a voice. We are told that the voice was loud, like a trumpet, and it was behind him.

When Elijah was on the mountain, God sent fire, wind, and earthquake, but God was not in any of these.  God came in a still, small voice. The Holy Spirit whispers to our inner man saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” However, when Jesus comes for His Church, He will come with a shout, the voice of an archangel, and a trumpet sound. At that time, the dead in Christ will rise first, and then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). This does not say anything about the unbelieving dead, nor those who do not believe, but speaks exclusively to those who belong to Christ. And this is one occasion where the Lord uses a loud voice. He does this to call His people from every part of the earth. In John 11:43, Jesus called Lazarus out of the tomb with a loud voice. The Lord Jesus did not need to raise His voice to bring Lazarus out. He shouted for the benefit of those around Him so that there was no question what was happening. A loud voice is meant to get our attention, and a trumpet is used for the same thing. When the events of 1 Thessalonians 4 take place, only those who are in Christ Jesus will answer the call. When John heard the voice, only He answered the call.

John was in the Spirit when He heard the voice so it is apparent that he was waiting quietly before the Lord, which is a good practice for the Lord’s Day. When John heard the voice, it was behind him. The Lord Jesus was not trying to sneak up on John, rather like all of us when we come before the Lord, we do not know where the Lord will come from. We must wait before the Lord in humility. In our conceit and pride, we tend to anticipate where the Lord will come from, and find that He comes in a way and from a direction we did not anticipate. For some reason, John was not facing the Lord when He came.

The voice said:

Revelation 1:11 (NKJV) saying, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,” and, “What you see, write in a book and send [it] to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.”

This is Jesus; the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last. He says something similar in verse 18.

Revelation 1:18 (NKJV) “I [am] He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. 

John introduces Him in his gospel account as:

John 1:1 (NKJV) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

As we observed in the introduction to Revelation, in the gospels we see the suffering Savior who was despised and rejected by men. Now, in Revelation we see the risen, triumphant Lord and King; we see the beginning and the end, the everlasting Father.

Jesus tells John to put what he sees in a book, and that is the book we hold in our hands today. John wrote it in Greek, but if you have the ESV, NASB, NKJV, KJV and other literal translations, you have as close as we can get to a word-for-word rendering of what John recorded in the book he was commanded to write. 

As we observed in the introduction, there were more than seven churches in Asia, but the number seven represents completeness or fullness and therefore these seven stand for the whole Church throughout history. We are represented in those who are to receive the book and indeed we have.

John was on Patmos, exiled for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. The rest of the Apostles had been killed for their testimony and John was the last of those who had walked with Jesus. Twelve men gave their lives for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. We are called on to do the same. As John was instructed to write what he saw, we are commanded to teach what we have been taught concerning the way. We are commanded to give testimony to the truth.

We do not have much time. The days of the book of Revelation are upon us; therefore, we must be prepared to leave this earth soon. We need to spend more time in the Spirit and less time pursuing the things of the flesh. There are only a few things that really matter.

1. Love God
2. Love your neighbor
3. Tell others about Jesus
4. Teach others how to walk with Jesus.

We have been left with these commandments. This is what we are to be doing. 

Who Is, Who Was, and Is to Come

Revelation 1:4-8

Rev 1:4 (NKJV) John, to the seven churches which 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,

The book of Revelation is the capstone of the Bible. With this letter from John to the seven churches, the Bible is complete. The Bible contains 66 books, so coming to this last book, the assumption is that one is familiar with the contents of the preceding 65 books.

As for the human author, John does not say much about himself. In verse 1, he says that he received the Revelation from an angel. And then, in verse 4, he states his name as the author of the letter. In his culture, the person writing a letter said who they were at the beginning of the letter. We see this pattern in all Paul’s letters. Verses 4 through 7 are John’s personal greetings.

John assumes we know who he is; he wrote the Gospel of John, and he was the pastor of the church in Ephesus for a time. Ephesus is the first church addressed in the letters to the churches, which is fitting because of John’s relationship with that church.

The book is addressed to the seven churches which are in Asia. However, there were more than seven churches in Asia. For example, there was the church at Colossi, the church at Galatia, and the church at Philippi.

Starting at Ephesus and going north, then making an upside-down “U,” one could visit each of the seven churches in the order that they appear in Revelation. 

However, the reason that seven churches are addressed is that seven is the number of completion. The number seven is significant throughout the Bible. You have heard it said that seven is the number of perfection, but perfection, in this case, means completion or maturity. There are seven churches, seven seals, seven bowls, and seven trumpets in the book of Revelation. The creation week was seven days, the golden lamp in the holy place had seven branches, and Revelation 1:4 mentions the “seven” Spirits of God that are before the throne. All of these sevens represent “completeness” or “fullness.”

The book of Revelation is a book of completion. In it, we see the consumption of the ages, the culmination of God’s plan for creation, and the completion of the written word of God. Seven churches are addressed because the church throughout the ages is pictured in them, and the pattern of the relationship between Jesus Christ, the Head of the Church, and the various local bodies throughout the earth can be discerned. Any church can look and find itself represented in the seven. In addition, the Church in these last days most resembles the church of Laodicea. But, we must be careful to make sure we realize that not every church fits into this generalization. We will cover this more when we get to the letters to the churches.

After naming himself and the recipients, John says, “Grace to you and peace….” Many New Testament letters begin this way, but we should not pass over the meaning of the blessing pronounced. Grace comes through our Lord Jesus Christ, and it is through Him we have peace with God and peace in our hearts. We need to understand that grace saves us, and then peace fills us due to that grace. The grace and peace of God are given without measure to the one who trusts in Him. 

Notice that grace and peace come from the Trinity. 

The One who is, who was, and is to come, is God the Father. 

The “seven Spirits who are before the throne” refers to the Holy Spirit. The number seven, being the number of completion, represents the fulness of the Holy Spirit. Another example of this is found in Revelation 5:6.

Rev 5:6 (NKJV)  And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth.

In this verse, which we will study more fully later, the reference to the seven Spirits points to the Spirit of God in His fulness going throughout the earth in judgment. 

In the salutation of the Revelation, the Spirit, in all His fullness, is granting grace and peace. 

Revelation 1:5-6 gives greetings of grace and peace from Jesus Christ, the third person of the Trinity. However, the description of Jesus is fuller than the description of the Father and the Spirit.

Rev 1:5-6 (NKJV) ⁵and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, ⁶and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him [be] glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. 

Grace and peace from Him who was is, and is to come, the seven Spirits before the throne and Jesus Christ.

Grace and peace are ours because God gave His only begotten Son. Begotten does not mean created. When a man begets a child, the child is the same “kind” as the father, i.e., human. In much the same way, when God begets a Son, the Son is God. However, the Son has no beginning and no end. Another way of translating “begotten” in this case would be to say, “God’s one and only Son,” which refers to the unique nature of the Son. We are all sons and daughters of God, but we are adopted, not begotten. Some say that Jesus never claimed to be God, but this is not true. In several places, Jesus claims to be God, and none is more straightforward than the statement of Revelation 1:8. In verse 8, Jesus says He is the beginning and the end, the Almighty. We will look at this some more, but I point it out at this time to help us understand who Jesus Christ is.

Jesus is the Greek version of the Hebrew name “Joshua.” At the time Jesus lived and walked here on earth, you could have thrown a rock into a crowd of Jews and had a good chance of hitting a “Joshua.” To distinguish Him from all other Joshuas, we say, “Jesus Christ.” Christ is not His name; it is His office. 

In Genesis, when Adam and Eve sinned, God promised a Savior who was called the seed of the woman. As time passed, God revealed more about the woman's promised seed. Moses mentioned that God would raise a prophet like Him. The Psalms speak of a coming Savior, and the Prophets spend a lot of time announcing the coming Messiah. Messiah means “anointed one.” Psalm 2 says:

Psalm 2:6-8, 12 (NKJV) ⁶"Yet I have set My King on My holy hill of Zion." ⁷"I will declare the decree: The LORD has said to Me, 'You [are] My Son, Today I have begotten You. ⁸Ask of Me, and I will give [You] the nations [for] Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth [for] Your possession. ... ¹²Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish [in] the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed [are] all those who put their trust in Him.

The King is the Anointed One, the Messiah. And, as the Messiah, God promises to give Him the ends of the earth for His possession. In the Gospels, we see Jesus rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, but we need to remember that Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords. The earth is His to rule. Revelation 1:5 says that He is “…ruler over the kings of the earth.” When we attach “Christ” to Jesus, we refer to His position as King of all the nations on earth.

Revelation 1:5 also calls Jesus the faithful witness. Later in the book of Revelation, we will see the souls of martyrs under the altar of God asking for recompense. “Martyr” is a word that means “witness.” Jesus is the faithful witness; not only did He give His life a ransom for many, but He testified to the truth. He never lied and is always reliable. When He stood before Pilate, Jesus said:

John 18:37 (NKJV) Pilate said to Him, "Are You a king then?" Jesus answered, "You say [rightly] that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”

According to His words, Jesus came to bear witness to the truth. Even deeper than this is that He is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). Faithful means we can trust or rely upon His witness.

In addition to being the faithful witness, He is also said to be “the firstborn from the dead.” Others in the Bible were raised from the dead; Jesus raised several from the dead, including Lazarus. However, Jesus is the first to be raised from the dead, never to die again. We all will be raised from the dead. At the end of Revelation, we see that the unsaved dead will be raised last, only to be judged and thrown into the lake of fire. But, believers who have trusted in Jesus will be raised to life eternal.

After describing Jesus and the salvation He gives, John gives a doxology, a song of praise.

Revelation 1:5-6 (NKJV) To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, ⁶and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him [be] glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. 

We love Him because He first loved us, and we see this love displayed in the praise that comes out in this doxology. Most modern translations say, “To Him who loves us….” Jesus loves us and keeps on loving us, and his love never changes. [1 John 3:1 NKJV]  “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!” How can we even express or comprehend the all-encompassing love that Jesus showed when He “…washed us from our sins in His own blood.”

Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins. Every drop of Jesus’ blood is priceless, and there is no way to measure its worth.

He has made us kings and priests or “a kingdom of priests” to His God and Father. Before the tribulation, the Church will be raptured. From chapter 4 of Revelation through chapter 19, the Church is not mentioned, and when the Church reappears, it is as the Bride of Christ. When He returns to reign as king, we will reign with Him.

After the song of praise, verse seven begins with “Behold.” This is a call for us to pay attention, and we need to stop and consider. So, pay close attention to what follows in verse seven.

Revelation 1:7 (NKJV) Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.

The Lord’s people wait for His return. In 1 Thessalonians 4, believers are caught up to meet Him in the air, and after the tribulation, Jesus comes back in glory to slay the beast and imprison the devil. At that time, all the tribes of the earth will mourn because they will see the Lord whom they rejected. The nation of Israel will look on Him whom they have pierced and recognize Him as the promised Messiah whom they crucified.

The words of greeting from John, which started at verse 4, end with “Even so, Amen.” And then, Jesus gives His own greeting.

Revelation 1:8 (NKJV) “I am the Alpha and the Omega, [the] Beginning and [the] End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Jesus is the eternal Almighty. John 1:1 tells us that He was with God in the beginning and is God. Now, in Revelation 1:8, Jesus says He will continue to be with God forever. 

Jesus gave the Revelation to John to give us grace and peace. This greeting is not just a formality to open a letter; it is a declaration, once again, that God’s purpose in giving us this book and all 65 books that preceded it is to provide us with a blessing (grace and peace). 

If we read and do the things in this book, we will be filled with grace and peace. 

This then is your assignment for this year; dig into this book and study it, asking the Lord to give you understanding.

Listen to this book. If you have not been washed from your sins in His blood, you will go through the terrible events described in this book. Disasters are coming that will cut the world's population nearly in half. You will want to take part in the rapture of the Church rather than go through those years. Since no one knows the day nor the hour, now is the time to be washed from your sins in the blood of Jesus.