092604

ENCOURAGED BY KNOWING GOD

Revelation 1:1-20
“The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who testifies to everything he saw--that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. 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. John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father--to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen. Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it 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." I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. On the Lord's Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, which said: "Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea." I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone "like a son of man," dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. "Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.”
1) Read John 19:1-6—compare with Revelation 1:7. Was Jesus any less in His glory in the gospel John than He will be at His reappearing? How so?
a) “Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him. And the soldiers planted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe, And said, Hail, King of the Jews! and they smote him with their hands. Pilate therefore went forth again, and saith unto them, Behold, I bring him forth to you, that ye may know that I find no fault in him. Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man (emphasis mine)! When the chief priests therefore and officers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Take ye him, and crucify him: for I find no fault in him.” (John 19:1-6)
b) “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.” (Revelation 1:7)
2) Rev. 1:1-3—This book is the revelation or unveiling of our Lord Jesus Christ! These great mysteries have now been revealed to us—the saints of God! The revelation given of Jesus can better be translated as from, about, and belonging to Jesus Christ and was given to John, the apostle, by God the Father. This book points solely to Jesus, in all His heavenly glory and majesty, and is in stark contrast to His first appearance on earth as He appeared in the role of God’s humble servant. Take time to prayerfully and thankfully read Isaiah 53. Name several ways Christ’s unveiling in Revelation differs from His earthly obedience to God the Father’s will for His life on this earth.
3) John often referred to himself as “the disciple that Jesus loved.” (John is believed to the disciple who leaned on Jesus’ bosom during the Last Supper--probably the youngest of the apostles.) He walked with Jesus during His earthly ministry of 3 ½ years. He was a friend of Christ. He was a great leader of the early Christian church and wrote the gospel of John and three epistles or letters to the church. Yet, how does he choose to refer to himself and to the church in verse 1?
4) John dares not claim any familiarity with the Jesus he walked and ate with, but falls down as dead and worships before the post-incarnate Risen Lord (verse 17)! He associates himself with those he is sharing this vision with and refers to himself as a fellow servant. The word servant is translated as “slave” or “bond-servant”, a word that implies ownership by another. John considered himself and the church as being “owned” by Christ!
a) “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” (Romans 6:16)
5) There is a promised blessing that corresponds with this great book. What is the required criteria to receive this implied blessing?
a) God Himself will bless all those who read, hear and obey the prophecies of this book. The work blessed means “how fortunate” or “oh, the joy of.” It is the first of seven times (the number seven speaks of completeness) "blessed" is used in the book of Revelation (See 14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6; and 22:7, 14). To obey we must keep and reserve the words of this book.
6) Grace and peace are the opening words to the church. Of course, we know that grace is God’s unmerited favor. It is not something that we can humanly earn. Grace opens and closes the Book of Revelation (22:21). Peace speaks to our wholeness and well-being. The source of these great blessings are from God the Father (vs. 4), God the Holy Spirit (vs. 4) and from Jesus Christ (vs.5). How are each equal Persons of the Trinity described?
a) God the Father is described as “him who is, and who was and who is to come.”
b) The Holy Spirit is described in a rather unique way: “the seven spirits before God’s throne.” One translation reads, “the sevenfold Spirit.” This probably refers to Isaiah 11:2:
i) “And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord;” (Isaiah 11:2)
c) Jesus is given three separate titles in vs. 5: Faithful Witness; First to Rise from the Dead and Commander of all the Rulers of the World. How did Christ fulfill or how will he fulfill these titles?
i) FAITHFUL WITNESS—GOD’S PROPHET - Jesus Christ is the only trustworthy witness to the events that have taken place and also to the events that will “soon” happen that are described in the Book of Revelation.
(1) “Let God be true, and every man a liar…” (Romans 3:4)
(2) Here, God is establishing His covenant with David, king of Israel, but this promise ultimately finds its fulfillment in God’s own Son, Jesus Christ:
(a) “I will also appoint him my firstborn, the most exalted of the kings of the earth. I will maintain my love to him forever, and my covenant with him will never fail. I will establish his line forever, his throne as long as the heavens endure."
(b) "If his sons forsake my law and do not follow my statutes, if they violate my decrees and fail to keep my commands, I will punish their sin with the rod, their iniquity with flogging; but I will not take my love from him, nor will I ever betray my faithfulness. I will not violate my covenant or alter what my lips have uttered. Once for all, I have sworn by my holiness-- and I will not lie to David--that his line will continue forever and his throne endures before me like the sun; it will be established forever like the moon, the faithful witness in the sky." Selah” (Psalms 89:27-37)
d) FIRSTBORN OF THE DEAD—GOD’S HIGH PRIEST - This refers to the firstborn (first raised—permanently) from the dead and has to do with the resurrection. Jesus was the first to rise from the grave and He lives forever more! One glorious day (and soon, pray God) (verse 1:3) we will follow our Lord in the resurrection.
i) “Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words.” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).
e) THE COMMANDER OF ALL THE RULERS OF THE WORLD—GOD’S KING - He is King of kings and Lord of lords!
i) “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11)
7) Verse 7 points to Jesus’ second appearing on this earth. His first coming was marked by humility--servitude. His Second Coming will be in the clouds—which represents the majesty of God’s presence (Psalms 104:3). This will be a bodily appearance. Every eye shall see Him! This is His return as King! (Don’t confused this appearing with His return in the air to catch his church away (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 Corinthians 15:51—The catching away or “rapture” of the church will come as a “thief in the night” (Revelation 3:3; 16:15). The world weeps because they realize, too late, that Jesus is returning as their Eternal Judge! All people, those who have pierced Him, all those who have rejected Christ will mourn because they finally recognize the truth that Christ came and died to bring them to repentance and to pave the way for their eternal salvation. Yet, John encourages believers to look forward to this time! Behold! What are the reasons given that the child of God can take great courage in beholding their Risen Lord (verse 5b)?
a) God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit love us! This is in the present tense. This means the One True God keeps on loving us! More, He sent His One and Only Son to die for you—He will always love you!
b) Jesus Christ has freed us from our sins by the shedding of His blood!
i) “For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life.” (Leviticus 17:11)
ii) “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.” (1 Peter 1:18-20)
c) He has made us kings and his priests to serve forever before our God!
i) This was an original calling for the entire nation of Israel (Exodus 19:1-6). However, they rejected this calling of God (Matthew 21:43) and this privilege has now been passed on to each of us—all believers—yes, you and me (1 Peter 2:1-10)!
8) The Book of Revelation was written and given by God to encourage the church as it was going through the most difficult of times—John was a fellow sufferer. Why was John on the island of Patmos? What crime(s) was he guilty of?
9) John was worshipping on the Lord’s Day. What day was this?
10) Suddenly, John hears a sound. It’s strange that a vision begins with a sound and that John had to turn around to see where the sound was coming from. Why do you think he was approached this way?
a) Perhaps it was to prepare John for the incomparable vision he was to see of the Risen Lord. The voice he heard was “like” a trumpet. This was an awesome and compelling way to get John’s attention and one that could not be ignored.
11) Nothing could have prepared John for the vision of the glorified Christ. He did his best to describe the awesomeness of the Lord, but John was only able to say that some things were “like” things he was familiar with. Jesus’ hair was “like” wool, his eyes were “like” bright flames, His feet were “like” bronze. Be honest. Are you more comfortable with the idea of seeing Christ in His lowly earthly state, or with meeting Him face to face as your Creator God?
12) I know for myself, I have always pictured meeting Jesus as He was following His resurrection when He appeared before the disciples (John 20:19-20). I feel I can relate to Him in His humanness. It’s pretty disconcerting to imagine standing (or being face down for that matter) before our God who is a consuming fire! (Deuteronomy 4:24)
a) “So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.” (2 Corinthians 5:16) In other words, we once knew Jesus after the flesh, but we will no longer regard Him that way.
13) Just some notes on the description of Christ:
a) His hair – some commentaries suggests this is indicative of his ageless wisdom and of His being the “Ancient of Days” (Daniel 7:9). Speaks particularly to His “omniscience—knowing what is best for His children. Fully able to judge with honor and authority.
b) His eyes – refers to His omnipresence. He sees all—he particularly watches over His own.
c) His feet – symbolic of His victory over his foes (See Psalm 110:1)
d) His countenance – reminds us of His Transfiguration (Matt. 17:2 and of the prophecy of Malachi 4:2)
i) “Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is he, this King of glory? The LORD Almighty-- he is the King of glory. Selah” (Psalms 24:7-10)
14) Perhaps we can take comfort in knowing: a) “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” (1 John 3:2-3)
15) What is the only appropriate response to being in the presence of the Living Lord? How does our Lord comfort John? a) Awe, fear and worship! John did not assume a familiar attitude with the Lord, much less try and have a conversation with Him! Jesus comforted John with the words, “Do not be afraid.” Whenever these words have been used they translate “stop being afraid” and imply that the person spoken to is already in a state of terror. True peace can only be achieved supernaturally. God is indeed terrifying until he speaks to us, “Fear not.”
16) Jesus is pictured as standing among seven gold lampstands, holding seven stars in His right hand and a sharp two-edge sword coming from His mouth. This is the image of Christ as the great High Priest over the church. (Read Hebrews 9).
a) The lampstands are representative of the seven churches in Asia (modern Turkey). The stars are thought to be guardians, leaders or pastors of the seven churches. Lamps shine forth light in a darkened world. Christ compelled us to, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)
17) What does the sharp two-edged sword represent? (Hebrews 4:12)
18) How do you respond to the fact that even today our Lord Jesus is walking among the churches—inspecting and judging--watching how our lamps, our lights shine in this world. That He does not shut His eyes to sinfulness--that His constant call to the church and the world is, “Repent!” Does this motivate you or do you want to shy away from His all-seeing eyes?
19) How can we draw comfort in knowing that God keeps a record of our pain and suffering, that Christ is alive evermore and He alone holds the keys to death and the grave?
a) As Christians we must always remember that not only is Jesus judging, He is making intercession for us:
i) “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.” (Hebrews 7:25 KJV)
ii) “Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.” (Romans 8:33-34 KJV)
20) Take time to go through this first chapter of Revelation and make an exhaustive list of the titles given to Jesus!

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