Revelation 1:1-5a

Prologue

1The 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, 2who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. 3Blessed 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.

Greetings and doxology

4John,

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, 5and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

Dig Deeper

"You’d better hide." Why?, asked the girl’s younger brother. "Because the sky is falling and it’s about to land on your head," she replied. What she meant was that their father had just found out that the young man had created a new work of art on the beautiful, light yellow dining room wall that had just been freshly painted. Simply saying dad’s mad and he’s coming your way wouldn’t work. It wouldn’t convey the severity and intensity that she believed was about to come down on this boy, or at least that should come down on him. Sometimes, when a situation is so intense, normal language simply won’t work. It needs to be conveyed through bigger, earth-shattering type language.


This is exactly what John tells us from the very beginning is going to happen in the book of revelation. The things that he is about to relate were related to him, and they are so big, so monumental, that they go beyond normal human words. Only symbolic and deeply metaphorical language can truly do justice to the magnitude of the situation at hand.


1:1 - From the opening words, John makes it clear that this is to be a revealing or revelation of and by Jesus Christ. It is not intended to be a mystery. It is written about things that would soon take place. It was not written about the end of the world or something in the distant future for John’s first readers. The Revelation is a covenant lawsuit, prophesying the outpouring of God’s wrath on Jerusalem. It would be the culmination of the "last days;" the time between the ascension of Christ and the last days of the covenant with Jerusalem which would end with its destruction. The NIV translation drops the fact that the original text says that the angel "did signify" the revelation. This shows from the beginning that the Revelation was written in signs; it was "sign-ified." The servant John is almost assuredly none other than the beloved apostle who wrote the gospel of John and the three letters of John.


1:2 - The first verse says that this is the revelation of Jesus Christ. John now reminds readers that He vouches for the reliability of Christ because he saw and knew Him. Thus, we see a pattern of Christ and His servants bearing dual witnesses that will be carried on throughout the book (and will be important in understanding 11:4-12).


1:3 - This is the first beatitude (blessing) of seven in the revelation (1:3; 14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20;6; 22:7; 22:14). The blessing is pronounced for those who remain faithful to the message. John blesses those who read and hear. This indicates that the book was meant to be read in liturgy (public worship). Revelation is greatly concerned with public worship; it is a central theme of the book. By showing heavenly worship, John reveals how the Church is to perform God’s will through earthly worship. We are to respond to the truth in special worship and then respond in general worship throughout every area of our life. This is why the blessing is limited to those who take to heart what is written. John again warns that the time described in this prophecy is near. The events described are contemporary and are soon to happen. The end of the world was approaching. Not in the physical sense, but the passing away of the old world order and the Old Covenant.


1:4-5a - John addresses the prophecy to seven actual churches. But it is also true that seven is a symbolic number in the Scriptures. It represents a fullness of quantity (going back to the seven days of creation) which means here that it likely represents the fact that the Revelation is intended for the whole Church in every age as well as the specific seven churches. John gives characteristic blessing of the apostles, bestowing among the churches, sending Grace and peace equally from all three members of the Godhood. The greeting here is a clear expression of Trinitarian faith. The Father is the One is who, was, and is to come. He is eternal and unchangeable (Mal. 3:6).


The word ‘come’ here also indicates the idea of judgment. When God comes He comes in judgment. He comes not just one time at the end of the world, though, it also refers to His unceasing rule over history. Since grace and peace can only originate from God, the seven spirits are a reference to the Holy Spirit. The person spoken of here is clearly equal with the Father and Son. The picture of the seven spirits is taken from Zechariah 4, in which the prophet sees the Church as a lampstand with seven lamps. The Holy Spirit’s empowering work is described in terms of seven, symbolizing fullness and completeness. Just as there are seven churches, there are seven spirits or to better capture the concept in English, the seven-fold Spirit. The Spirit is before the throne of God indicating that the Revelation is a book about rule. "Throne" occurs 46 times throughout the Revelation. God’s throne is a reference to God’s official court where He receives official worship. John is again stressing worship. The entire vision of the Revelation was seen on the Lord’s Day (1:10), the Christian day of official worship. All the action in this book centers on the worship around the throne of God.


The final member of the Godhood is Jesus Christ, described as faithful witness, firstborn, and the king of the earth. In the Bible, the witness was one who enforced the law and assisted in its execution, including the death penalty if necessary. The significance of Jesus as the faithful witness is that He witnesses against those who are at war against God, and He will execute them if need be. John refers to Him as the firstborn, showing that He fulfilled the prophecy in Ps. 89:27. Jesus is also the current ruler of the earth, He is not waiting for some future event. The clear message is that Jesus is Lord, Caesar is not.



Devotional Thought

One of the main themes of the revelation is the importance and primacy of worship in the life of the church. When you go to church, is the corporate, public, and official worship of God your primary concern? (Notice the primacy that John places on group worship in the rest of the book.) What are some things that you can do to gain the proper perspective on the importance of worshipping God?