Revelation – Lesson 3

 

Revelation 1:1-3 – Purpose of Revelation

Revelation begins with the revealing of Jesus Christ.  It was given from God to Jesus to His angel to John and then to us.  John is to tell all he saw and be a testimony of Jesus Christ.  The revelation is that Jesus Christ is Lord of all.  It is the revelation of God’s power and glory.  “Blessed is the one who reads 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”. - Rev. 1:3.  The book of Revelation is the only book in the Bible that says you will be blessed when you hear, read, and put in practice what it says.

To be blessed means happy or fortunate.  It implies there is great benefit to those who study and understand.  When read and obeyed, the Word of God rejoices the heart.

To “take to heart” implies courage knowing Christ’s victory overshadows all troubles.  We gain courage and confidence by being more hopeful.

“The time is near” is true more so for us today than people thousands of years ago.  We are closer to the end.  The rapture of the church is imminent.  We don’t know when, because God’s timing is different from ours.  It may be in a 100 years or it may be tomorrow.  We must know the truth and be ready.  Are you ready?

Revelation 1:4-8 – Greetings to Seven Churches

John started by giving grace and peace from Jesus Himself, which is comforting because in Revelation we will see a lot of judgments, earthquakes, and destruction of the earth and its people.  He also mentioned the 7 spirits before His throne.  “And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.” – Isaiah. 11:2.  These spirits of God are the Holy Spirit in His completeness.  Jesus is described as being a faithful witness, the first born of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

In Rev. 1:4-5 we learn that God the Father is eternal, existing in the past, present, and future; Jesus is the faithful witness.  He and His Word have authority because He is the Creator.  He and His Word are dependable.

These passages relate to truths about Jesus as we see in Rev. 1:5-6 ….

1 Cor. 15:3 – Christ died according to the Scriptures, buried, raised on third day according to the Scriptures.

1 Cor. 15:20 – Christ has indeed been raised from the dead.

Phil. 2:9-11 – God exalted Jesus to the highest place, gave Him the name above every name, and everyone will confess that He is Lord.

When Jesus returns every eye will see Him and every knee will bow before Him.  Rev. 1:7 – “Even those who pierced Him and all the peoples of the earth will mourn.”  They will mourn because they missed the opportunity to believe in Jesus’ death on the cross for their sins.  All will recognize Him.  Those who pierced him may refer to the nation of Israel.  Remember they cried out in Matt. 27:25 – “We will not have this Man to rule over us” and in Luke 19:14 – “Let His blood be upon us and on our children.”  They will recognize their error of rejecting Christ as their Savior.

Revelation 1:9-20 – Heavenly Vision

John was exiled on the island of Patmos because of His testimony of Jesus. He lived in poverty and probably faced loneliness because he lost connection with the world; he didn’t know what was going on in Asia.

Followers of Jesus face hardships today.  They face resistance from the world, are mocked and rejected for their beliefs, and some even killed.

John was filled with the Spirit and heard a voice like a trumpet which told him to, “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches:  to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.”  - Rev. 1:11.  He saw Jesus and described His hair, eyes, feet, voice, hand, mouth, and face.  In His hand was 7 stars and out of His mouth came a sharp double-edged sword.  His face was like the shinning sun.

When John saw Him, he fell at His feet as though he was dead.  Jesus told him not to be afraid and that He was the First and the Last, the Living One, was dead and now alive for ever and ever, and that He held the keys of death and Hades. (Rev. 1:17-18)  Having the keys to death and Hades mean He has the power over them.  He proved that because He rose from the dead.  John was told to write down everything and not leave anything out. 

He gave instructions to John to “Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later.” – Rev. 1:19.  This is the key verse that unlocks the door to the entire outline of the book.

The 7 lampstands represent the 7 churches.  They are lamps that hold the light of Christ.  They must show His light to the world.  Jesus was holding 7 stars in His right hand, which are the angels of the 7 churches. (Rev. 1:20)  These angels are probably angels who watched over the churches.  Some believe these stars are the pastors of the churches who lead and watch over the people.

Next week we will continue our study with Revelation 2 – the churches in Ephesus and Smyrna. -- I encourage you to trust in Jesus.

__________________________________________

If you have enjoyed my post and have found if helpful, please leave a comment or share this post with the buttons below.