The Revelation of Jesus Christ

Revelation 1:1-8 English Standard Version (ESV)

Prologue

1 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants[a] the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 2 who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. 3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.

Greeting to the Seven Churches

4 John to the seven churches that are in Asia:

Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth.

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood 6 and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. 7 Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail[b] on account of him. Even so. Amen.

8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

After reading Revelation 1:1-8, click this video and see how the book of Revelation is used today in the midst of COVID-19 pandemic. The speaker is very zealous. We see it in the way he speaks. He is really convinced about his message. His analysis of current social issues might have a basis though some would dismiss it as another conspiracy theory. It is very interesting how he connects COVID-19, cryptocurrency, 5G, vaccination, artificial intelligence and others to the particular passages in the book of Revelation. 

I have a problem with the way the speaker quotes the biblical text. Just like many typical preachers who preach from Revelation, the speaker used Bible passages to make people afraid. Of course he would not admit that such was his intention. I could not understand such fear mongering particularly in the Body of Christ. I can't avoid but be critical about it and my criticality is informed by my conviction about the certainty of the victory of Christ and His Church not only in the next life, in the age to come or in eternity, but even here in human history. My reading of Revelation is informed by that conviction. It is grounded in the doctrines of creation, covenant, and the Great Commission.

Let us now turn our attention to our passage, Revelation 1:1-8. In NIV, the book is described as "The revelation from Jesus Christ" and so the emphasis is Jesus as the source of this revelation. Whereas in ESV, it is "The revelation of Jesus Christ," the meaning is that Jesus is the object of this revelation. I prefer ESV's rendering for the book is all about Jesus and here in 1:1-8, we will see what does the book reveal about him. That is the question answered by the book of Revelation.

In properly applying the message of the book to our time, we need to pay careful attention to the time frame. The writer clearly stated that the time of the fulfillment of this revelation was "soon." Notice also the sequence or the chain involved in the delivery of the message of revelation. The source is God. It is Him who gave this revelation. The object of this revelation is Jesus. God wanted to make this revelation known by sending his angel to John. And then John had to communicate this revelation to the seven churches in Asia. 

John here is described as a witness bearer. His witness centered on three things: the word of God, the testimony of Jesus, and to all that he saw. All of these are about Jesus, and this witness-bearing task of John is consistent to the whole message of the book.

And then we find an interesting transition in verse 3. From a discussion about Jesus as the object of revelation, the writer is now shifting our attention to the blessedness attached to this revelation. This transition is still consistent with the message of the whole book about Jesus. Here we find Jesus either as the Source of blessing or blessing can be accessed through Him by those who read aloud the words of this prophecy, those who hear, and those who keep it. So here we find a corrective to a current mistaken notion about blessing that confines it only in visible things. We see here that blessing can only be attained not apart from the revelation of Christ. It is therefore right to say that such blessing can only be found in Jesus.

Continuing this discussion on blessing, another noteworthy insight here is the connection of this blessing to the immediate time frame. Verse 3 repeats what is mentioned in verse 1, the nearness of the time of the fulfillment of revelation. We could deduce something here. Using the message of Revelation as if it is referring exclusively to the events in the 21st century will not stand this time test for that will not make sense in the mind of John and the seven churches in Asia. 2,100 years after John's time clearly cannot be reconciled with the meaning of "the things that must soon take place" (v. 1) and "for the time is near" (v.3).

Reaching verse 4, we now read the author of this book who originally was a receiver of revelation coming from the angel sent by God, and the recipients of the book identified as the seven churches in Asia. It was followed by a greeting, "Grace to you and peace." What is noteworthy about this greeting is its source is identified as the Triune God. God the Father as the One who is and who was and who is to come. The Holy Spirit is described as the seven spirit who are before his throne. Jesus Christ is described as the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings of the earth. These descriptions of Christ are very relevant to the content of the entire book for there we find the cost of being a faithful witness, the recurring theme of death, and above all the role of kings on earth. 

And then in the latter part of verse 5, there we read how Jesus is described in relation to us. He loves us, has freed from our sins by his blood, and has made us a kingdom of priest to his God and Father. And then in verse 7, Jesus is described as coming with the clouds. Finally in verse 8, Jesus Himself is described as the coming Lord God and what He said about Himself as the Alpha and Omega, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty" is the same description that applies to the Father in verse 4. 

So here in Revelation 1:1-8, we see in summary what the book reveals about Jesus. First, He is the source of blessing as His people reads, hears, and keeps the message of the book. Second, as a member of the Triune God, He is described as the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. Third, He is also described in relation to His people, loving us, setting us free, and making us a kingdom of priests. And finally, Jesus coming with the clouds is described as the Alpha and Omega, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty." 

That's what this book is all about. It is not about making people afraid of the latest pandemic or conspiracy theory. It is all about Jesus.