The Revelation Of Jesus Christ Series

The Revelation of Jesus Christ

Revelation 1

Introduction:

Nature never taught me that there exists a God of glory and of infinite majesty. I had to learn that in other ways. But nature gave the word glory a meaning for me.

C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves.

1. The source of the book.

a. It is the revelation of Jesus Christ.

b. It is the revelation which God gave to Jesus Christ.

2. The subject matter of the book.

a. The things which must shortly come to pass

3. The substantiation of the book.

a. It is the record of the apostle John concerning things to come.

The story is told that after Helen Keller’s teacher, Anne Sullivan, had given her the names of physical objects in sign language, Miss Sullivan attempted to explain God and tapped out the symbols for the name "God." Much to Miss Sullivan’s surprise, Helen spelled back, "Thank you for telling me God’s name, Teacher, for he has touched me many times before." Helen Keller knew something of God’s signature from nature, but it was wordless.

Source Unknown.

I. The Revelation of Jesus Christ (Rev 1:1-8)

Rev 1:1-8

(1) The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:

(2) Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.

(3) Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

(4) John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;

(5) And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

(6) And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

(7) 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.

(8) I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

a. The revelation (1)

i. It is a revelation which God gave him.

1. Christ chose to the mediator between God and man and therefore relies solely on the will of God.

2. Christ knows the will of the father and because he expects us to follow God’s will, has not left us ignorant.

ii. “things which must shortly come to pass”

1. Rev 1 compared with Dan 8

Revelation One Daniel Eight

“The Revelation of Jesus Christ” (1) “A vision appeared unto me” (1)

“must shortly come to pass” (1)

“for it shall be for many days.” (26)

2. God has chosen to speak in the “last days” through “his son.”

Heb 1:1

(1) God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,

3. The gospel is the last revelation we will receive before the judgment

a. General revelation has always come from nature.

b. The first specific revelation came from the patriarchs.

c. The second from Moses.

iii. “signified it by his angel”

1. God gave the revelation to Jesus, and Jesus in turn gave it to the angel to give to the churches.

2. The Angels are God’s messengers.

b. The Record (2)

i. The Person

1. John the Fisherman

2. John the Apostle

3. John the Revelator

ii. The Premise

1. The Revelation is from God

2. John has added nothing to the revelation

iii. The Prophecy

1. The prophecy would come to pass.

c. The Reward (3)

i. The blessing was for those who read, or heard

ii. The blessing was for those who kept the things in the revelation

iii. The blessing was for those who were living then

d. The Recipients (4-8)

i. The Seven Churches of Asia

1. Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.

ii. Those who have been made kings and priest

1. The Blessing comes from God.

a. The Father

2. The Blessing comes from the Holy Spirit

a. “the seven sprits” is the Holy Spirit, who is not seven in number, but seven represents the perfect Spirit of God.

Isa 11:1-2

(1) And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: