The Revelation of Jesus Christ

Are you ready to be blessed today? Are you ready to have your eyes dazzled, your ears opened, and your sox blown off by what God has in store for you in the book of Revelation? Are you ready to have your questions answered, your hopes encouraged, and your heart inspired by discovering how God wants to bless you through this book? You see, If ever there was a book that could be described as “a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma,” it is this last book in the Bible. And yet it is the only book in the Bible with a promise to bless those who read it, listen to it, and obey it. Why? Because this is a book in which God speaks directly from heaven. And it is a book that talks about heaven’s favorite subject: the Lord Jesus Christ. Indeed, the theme of the book could be described as “the majesty and glory of the warrior Lamb, King Jesus, who is coming again to rule and reign forever.”

This is how the book begins. Revelation begins by telling us that God gave this revelation of Jesus to Jesus, so He could reveal to us, what’s to come. In other words, God doesn’t want us to be in the dark about what’s to come. Most people are in the dark about where history is going. They’re in the dark about how God is sovereign over history. And they’re in the dark about the role Jesus will play in bringing about God’s reign over all at the end of the age.The book of Revelation brings this all to light.

But you may be thinking, how are we to understand this book? How are we to grasp all the symbols, the riddles, all the prophecies wrapped up in this book? Let me tell you a little story that can help us: One day, a group of seminary students were playing basketball when they noticed the janitor reading a book in the corner. Seeing that it was the Bible, they asked what part he was reading. “Revelation,” he answered. Hearing this, the young scholars thought they would try to help the poor soul make sense of so complicated a book. “Do you understand what you are reading?” they asked. “Yes,” he said. When they smugly inquired about his interpretation, the lesser educated but better-informed man answered: “Jesus is gonna win!”

So, if you’ve ever wondered where history is headed. If you’ve ever wondered how God wants to bless you, and if you’ve ever wondered how Jesus is gonna win, then let me encourage you to open your Bible to Revelation 1:1-8, to the introduction to this amazing book of blessing – where we’re going to begin by discovering just what Jesus wants to reveal to us. So, what is it that Jesus reveals?

Jesus reveals what’s to come: The revelation from 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 aloud 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. Revelation 1:1-3
In his opening statement, John tells us the purpose of Christ’s revelation. In fact, it has three purposes. First, Jesus reveals to the church what is to come – how history will play out for the church. In this book, we will see how Jesus stands in the midst of His church, as a bridegroom seeking the love of His bride. In this book, He will show us that as His bride, we will suffer constant attack and harassment from the dragon, which is Satan. In this book, He will show us what will happen to His bride, and how God will defend us, judge our enemies and send Jesus to slay those who persecute His church. Finally, we will see what happens after Jesus rescues His bride, and how history will end with the church living happily ever after with Jesus. That’s the first purpose of this book. We get to see how the church plays its part through the end of history.

The second purpose is to reveal the testimony of Jesus Christ. Let me share how Richard Phillips summarizes this purpose. He writes: “Revelation proceeds to present Christ as the Sovereign over the councils of God for history, the Lamb who alone is worthy to open the seals of God’s scroll, thus receiving the worship of heaven. Revelation concludes with the conquering Christ, whose sword cuts down His enemies, who sits on the throne of God’s judgment, and in who’s blessing the church, Christ’s radiant bride, now delivered from all the trials of the world, dwells in the light of God’s presence forever.” In other words, the greatness and grace of Jesus will be revealed in ways that will not only glorify Him but bring us to our knees in appreciation and praise of Him. In this book we will see the triumph of the Lamb. That’s the second purpose.

The third purpose is to reveal a blessing to those who read, hear and obey “the words of this prophecy.” The purpose of Revelation is not to titillate our imagination to wild speculative interpretations, but to inspire and motivate us to faithfulness and obedience. God gave us this book so that as we read it, hear it and obey it we will be blessed. In other words, God wants to comfort us, encourage us, and remind us that no matter what evil confronts us in this world, God is in control and Jesus is gonna win! So, if you want the blessing God wants to give you through this book, you can start out by simply reading this book yourself. And if you are willing to do this, let me give just you a few observations about reading this book that will help you.

First, Revelation is given to reveal. God is pulling back the curtain to show us what was previously hidden or unknown. He wants you to be confident that He has given us this book not to confuse or terrify us, but to give us light – to reveal the invisible forces and the secrets of His invisible plan that make sense of visible events that will be experienced by His church. He’s revealing the end of history and how Jesus wins, so we can be comforted and encouraged in this world of trouble.

Second, Revelation is a book to be seen. In other words, Revelation is a book of symbols in motion. One of the key themes of the book is that things are not what they seem… What appears to be weak, helpless, hunted and defeated congregations of Jesus’ faithful, will actually prove to be true overcomers who participate in the triumph of the Lamb. What appears to be the invisible forces controlling history – the military-political-religious-economic complex – will prove to be a system sown with the seeds of its own self-destruction.

In fact, a number of symbols will be drawn from images found in the Old Testament. For example: The two witnesses of Revelation 11 are the two olive trees of Zechariah 4, “the two anointed ones who are standing by the Lord of the whole earth” (Zech 4:14). The tree of life in paradise at the dawn of Biblical history reappears at the end of history. The ancient serpent who seduced Eve and plunged the world into misery is seen again, waging war against the woman, her son, and her other children. This book is full of symbols, metaphors and imagery that are meant to be seen to be understood.

Another thing we will see in Revelation is this: Numbers count in Revelation. One aspect of symbolism is the use of numbers to signal the structure of John’s visions and to represent important concepts. For example, the number 7, the number of perfection plays a prominent role in Revelation. Seven is the number of churches to which the book is written, and the number of proclamations given by the Jesus to these churches. Likewise, the ram’s seven horns symbolize Jesus’ complete power, and His seven eyes His complete knowledge. The scrolls are sealed with seven seals. The angels’ sounding of seven trumpets structure the third major section of Revelation. We also read of seven heads, seven hills, seven kings, and the seven spirits of God.

All this to say, is that if you read this book, hear this book and obey this book, God says you will be blessed. He gave us this book to bless us. That’s the first thing Jesus reveals to us. Now, as we move into the greeting of this letter, we see what else Jesus reveals

2. Jesus reveals who He is to us: 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. Revelation 1:4-6 John brings a greeting to the seven Churches from the God head, from the Trinity. First, from the Father: “from Him who is, and who was, and who is to come” This title of the Father only appears here in Revelation, reminding us that our God is the God of the present, the past and the future. It is a reminder to the readers that God is always with us. Second, “from the seven spirits before His throne” The reference here is to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is needed to bring to believers the grace and peace John greets them with here. The readers of this letter needed God’s grace to help them endure in the midst of their persecution, especially the pressure to compromise. And third, we have the greeting from Jesus – The ultimate source of grace and peace given to us by the Father. Look at how He is described:

He is the Revealer “the faithful witness” In other words, Jesus perfectly reveals God and His salvation to a darkened world. Having come from heaven where He enjoyed close fellowship with the Father, Jesus came to make the Father known. He revealed His holiness in the moral perfection of His life; He revealed the Father’s wisdom in His teaching, and he revealed God’s power in the miracles by casting out demons, healing the sick, and stilling the storm. But it was in His dying on the cross that Jesus revealed the grace and peace of God we needed most. For it is by His grace we are saved so that we can enjoy peace with God. Jesus reveals God’s grace and peace to us.

He is the Risen One “the firstborn from the dead” By His resurrection Jesus conquered death and now rules as Lord over life and salvation. As a result, Jesus’ resurrection guarantees the resurrection of anyone who puts their trust in Him. Grace is found in Jesus, because His resurrection gives us a certain hope of heaven.

He is the Ruler over all ”the ruler of the kings of the earth” This will be a recurring theme in this book. It is not “He will be” but rather “He is the ruler” All authorities, spiritual and earthly, are under His dominion. Alexander Maclaren writes: “His dominion rests upon love and sacrifice. And so, His Kingdom is a kingdom of blessing and of gentleness; and He is crowned with the crowns of the universe, because He was first crowned with the crown of thorns.” Grace is found in Jesus because Jesus will always be the Sovereign ruler over the earth.

He is the Redeemer John identifies Jesus as “Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood.” Jesus loves us. How do we know this? We know it because of the cross. By His bloody death, Jesus set us free, once and for all from our sins. He lived the life we should have lived but did not. He died the death we should have died but now do not have to. He paid the penalty we should pay but cannot. And He gives us a salvation we do not deserve but can freely receive. That’s grace. As our redeemer, Jesus gave us everything so we can follow Him freely.

He is the Reigning King “has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve His God and Father” John rejoices that Jesus has “made us a kingdom.” Jesus is the King of kings, and we are the kingdom over which He rules. When we believe in Christ we gain citizenship in His kingdom. However, not only do we enter Christ’s kingdom, but all through Revelation Jesus declares that we enter into His kingship. He says that those who persevere in the faith will receive “authority over the nations” and will “sit with me on my throne” Revelation 3:21. In fact, it is written in Revelation 5:10, that the worshipers in heaven praise Jesus for making His people “a kingdom and priests to our God,” and adds that we “will reign on the earth.”

This last revelation of Jesus has some serious and meaningful implications for us: Kings reign by conquering, and we conquer in Christ’s name through the gospel. For whenever we share the gospel of God’s grace found in Jesus, and someone trusts in Jesus, the Kingdom of God advances. That’s one of the reasons we will see Satan oppose the church in this book. And that’s also why I am convinced that one of the reasons Jesus reveals Himself as our King, and makes us kings, is so that we might gladly share His gospel of grace and with others and build His kingdom together. And it is one of my hopes, in preaching this book is that God will transform us into bold and courageous servants of our King, so that we might partner with Him to conquer our world with His gospel of grace.

Which leads us to the final truth Jesus reveals to us in this introduction, and that is this: Jesus reveals His immanent return Remember, I just mentioned that Revelation is a book about seeing. Well, here now God commands us to look: “Look, He is coming with the clouds,” and “every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him”; and all peoples on 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.” Revelation 1:7-8 Here God Himself speaks, drawing our attention to the second coming of Jesus. And as He does, He wants us to be aware of three realties of His coming. The first is this:

His coming will be seen: “Look, He is coming with the clouds.” This call to look is a call to pay attention. This is what the Bible calls our blessed hope: The appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus. And He will be coming on the clouds. This is a direct reference to Daniel 7:13, where Daniel described his vision this way. “I looked, and there before me was one like a Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven.” Jesus is going to come back the same way he left. Just as the disciples saw Jesus ascend into heaven, someday, in the not-too-distant future, everyone will see the coming of Jesus: “every eye will see Him” Whereas in his first coming, he was seen only by a few shepherds on the backside of Bethlehem, when He comes a second time, this will be a decisive and sky-splitting display of divine glory. For Jesus himself said, “For as the lightening comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.” Matthew 24:27 His coming will be thrilling and dramatic. His coming will be seen by everyone.

Second, His coming will bring sorrow “every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him”; and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of Him.” Now, you would think his coming would bring great joy. But in that day, all Israel will see and understand that that they (and we) crucified the Messiah. In making these statements, John is echoing the prophecy of Zechariah, “When they look on me, on Him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only child and weep bitterly over Him.” Zechariah 12:10

Zechariah’s message reminds us that “those who pierced him” includes more than those who were physically present at His crucifixion. Literally, “all tribes of the earth will wail on account of Him.” referring to believers from all over the world who will grieve over what their sins did to Jesus. But then there’s another reason people all over the world will mourn. It’s because Jesus’ return will catch most people unprepared and unforgiven because of their unbelief. Every eye will see and look upon the One whom they pierced in mockery and rejection, and they will wail on account of him. Again, Richard Phillips speaks to this sorrow saying: “The scene is Christ’s judgment on unbelieving humanity, which experiences sorrow without repentance and mourning over the realization that there is no longer any opportunity to believe and be saved. Such mourners will no doubt lament the lives they led, and their seeing the grace of Christ for believers will make the anguish of judgment all the more keen.” So, yes, His coming will bring sorrow. And finally,

His coming will bring strength: God signs off by declaring who He is. His first declaration, “I am the Alpha and Omega” declares God’s Sovereign reign overall, since He exists before and after all things. This declaration speaks of God’s sovereign control. In other words, God is in control of everything in time and history. What He says will happen, will happen. Jesus will come again. You can take that to the bank.

His second declaration, “who is, and who was, and who is to come” speaks of God’s eternal nature, but more importantly, His self-existing nature. Not only does the eternal God have no beginning, but the self-existent God has no source of life other than Himself. God does not and cannot change. Because He is self-sufficient, nothing outside of God is able to cause Him to change. What that means for us, is that God will always be the same throughout eternity. The God who proved His love to you by giving you Jesus, will always love you. His love for you will never change.

In His third declaration, God calls Himself “the Almighty.” He is pantokrator. Which means God is both “might” and “dominion.” The mighty ruler overall. In other words, Jesus will return. And when He does, He will reign with power and authority overall. And we will reign with Him.

Now, how’s that for an introduction for what’s to come? “The majesty and glory of the warrior Lamb, King Jesus, is coming again to rule and reign forever.” And He is coming soon. So be encouraged, for on that day we will get to celebrate… because Jesus wins!