Revelation 1 - Jesus and His Servant John

Revelation 1

The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John, who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, everything that he saw. Blessed is the one who reads, and those who hear the words of the prophecy and keep the things which are written in it; for the time is near.

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, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood— and He made us into a kingdom, priests to His God and Father—to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to 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 fellow participant in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet, saying, “Write on a scroll what you see, and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”

Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And after turning I saw seven golden lampstands; and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and wrapped around the chest with a golden sash. His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire. His feet were like burnished bronze when it has been heated to a glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters. In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength.

When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades. Therefore write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after these things. As for the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

Message: Jesus and His Servant John

Time: John mentions himself as writer of this book 4 times. He wrote it from the island of Patmos around AD 95. It is a book of eschatology (last things), first writing to 7 churches John had been involved with. It then deals with the specifics of the tribulation (4-18) and then Christ's dominance over the forces of evil and a re-creation of a place for the redeemed (19-22). 

What the Lord is Saying:

So after spending much time looking at Jesus, Christ alone and what it meant that Jesus came. I've spent the last remaining lessons looking at the encounters Jesus had with people. Nathanael, Samaritan Woman, Pontius Pilate, Two men on the road after his resurrection, Saul, and now John the Revelator (as Phil Keaggy would say). 

These words giving to John are events which must soon take place. John received visions or was in the Spirit of what would happen and he records what he sees in these writings. He speaks to the seven churches who released us from our sins by His blood. 

It is clear from this first chapter that Jesus spoke to John and he received a special experience from Jesus that has now been relayed to us. It reminds me that Jesus is involved in our lives. He is still speaking to us, through the Holy Spirit. We are really enamored and enthralled by this text. It has been a controversial text and many different people walk away from it with many different interpretations. To me, that seems fine. It is fun to understand the text but understanding it is not crucial I believe to my salvation. But, I do believe Jesus had this encounter with John and he is passing on that understanding through these words. 

Conclusions - I have spent a lot of time on this particular issue of Tabletalk. I started looking at in January, reading through the articles and providing a synopsis of them. I suppose I decided to be thorough in looking at the issue since I was taking so long to go through it and it wasn't until the end of March that I started my first post on the Divine Nature of Christ. The issue is about solus Christus - Christ alone. It has been very illuminating to me. It seems too small to simply say that Jesus has had a significant impact on my life and the life of us all. But, it also seems necessary to say that Jesus and His mission completes the story of our lives and faith. He is divine and this is significant though remains quite controversial. But, in addition to being divine he had a human nature, needing to eat, needing rest and being tempted, as I am daily. 

The lesson on Jesus as our Federal Head is an interesting one to me for Jesus makes us all alive as Adam ushered in sin to all men. It makes sense and yet it is truly a message that is difficult to understand for those that have not been given divine understanding of it by God. And it was followed up by saying that Jesus is the True Israel, the true Messenger from God and the one as our Messiah that will rescue and deliver His People. O how rich is this understanding of God and His word. 

These lessons were followed with understanding further Jesus obedience. For Him to be our Messiah, and Messenger and final substitute, he must have been completely obedient in every way - as he grew up and He also showed us the importance of baptism and how we are to respond to temptation and how Jesus fulfilled the Law. I am incapable of being obedient to the Law so the Law means something a little different to me, it first and foremost reminds me that I can't obey it but it was meant to be obeyed and Jesus did this. Therefore, I always return to Him for having saved me and done this. And in saving me He suffered. Sin has consequences and Jesus took on all of those consequences for me. 

Then there were lessons about Jesus' titles - Prophet, Priest and King. Again, what I see in Jesus is completeness and finality. He is the only Prophet that is needed. He spoke for God and He always accomplished God's purposes. He did it all so there is no reason for anyone else. He is our High Priest, clearing the way for us to approach the Father. And He intercedes for me. He is all I need. He is King. he is King of Kings. 

It is his atonement that makes me whole. He paid the penalty of sin for me, once for all, but also for all he has called. The reality is that not every person will be drawn to Him. And so while he can save all, he only saved those that He has called. And it is only by Him rising from the dead that I can rise from the dead. He conquered death and it is through my faith in Him that I share this resurrection. 

This lesson ended with Jesus and his encounters with people, reminding me that He is encounters us and meets us and what a joy this is to me, to all of us. 

Promise: Everything changes in our lives or should change in our lives when we encounter Jesus. 

Prayer: O God, thank you for these lessons. They've taken me a lot of time to get through but getting through them has been an absolute joy. It has reminded me Jesus how you have done it all for me. And that life is always about You. O forgive me for shying away sometimes from speaking of You. Help me to be a light for you and to encourage people as I can about You. Thank you for speaking so clearly to me through these words. Thank you for giving me new life and that life is all about You. Continue to give me discernment and knowledge of You and Your word. Bring to mind these truths in my life, as I live life, as I engage with people. I want to be like you Jesus and think and do the way you think and do. I praise your name and thank you for changing my life for not just now, but for all eternity.