Christ Our Sovereign Hope | Revelation 1

INTRODUCTION

Today, we start a new sermon series where we will be covering the first 4 chapters of Revelation. However, I will give you some inputs which can help you understand and read this book.

The book of Revelation is often misunderstood and some are very obsessed over it, while others ignore it. But this book is a gift from Jesus to his Church, meant to encourage faithfulness in the midst of trials, cultural pressure and compromise.

Revelation comes from the Greek word ‘apocalypse’ means ‘unveiling or uncovering.’

Revelation was written to revel/uncover God’s truth to his church.

Jesus is the agent of this revelation. Revelation 1:1

¹The 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,

Jesus testifies and witnesses to the content of the book. He provides authenticity and authority of the book. Revelation 1:2

…who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Understanding Revelation: Genre & Purpose

Revelation must be seen as a blend of three genre; apocalyptic literature, prophecy and epistle.

Apocalyptic literature: A visionary unveiling, symbols rooted in the OT and present reality.

• Apocalyptic literature is a narrative of someone’s visionary experience.
• It is a narrative of the heavenly world and about the future of the present audience.
• Metaphor and Symbolism is the primary mode of communication in this literary genre.
• Allows the readers now to see the world in a new light based on the heavenly reality.
• Primary function is encouragement and warning, not to predict the future.

Prophesy

Revelation 1:3

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 22:7, 10, 18-19

“Look, I am coming soon! Blessedis the one who keeps the words of the prophecy written in this scroll.”

He labels this book to be read as a prophesy. This is a prophesy, meant to be taken seriously and to obey. He is writing in the tradition of an OT prophet.

• A prophet is the one who proclaimed the message of God to the people. A prophet calls the people back to a relationship with their God.
• Prophesy was rooted in history; about God’s plans, God’s intervention in history, God’s desire for people living in history.
• Prophesy is one of the primary messages of judgement and salvation for both the faithful and the unfaithful. For faithful salvation and vindication and rewards them. For the wicked God promises Judgment.
• Like OT prophets, John warns, calls to repentance. Prophesy is written for encouragement and warning, not for the future.

Epistle or Letter

Revelation is a pastoral letter written to reach churches in real crisis. Revelation begins and ends like a letter. See the patten like in Paul’s letters.

Revelation 1:4-8

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.

Revelation 22:21

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen

Letters are written to a special people for specific context and occasion for their needs and their situation.

Interpreting Revelation: 6 Principles

1. Interpret Symbolically, not literally.

Numbers, images and visions point to deeper realities.

Revelation 1:12-13, 16, 20

¹²I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, ¹³and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest.

¹⁶In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.

²⁰The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

7 lampstands are 7 churches. In Ch. 1, John gives us a clue as a model to interpret the apocalyptic literature, but does not interpret it all though this book except in Ch. 17.

There are symbols and images in Revelation. Most of these images and symbols come from the OT and some from his time (like hand and lotus in our days for political parties). Some symbols were both from Roman and OT which had a relation from the OT to the present. For ex: Beast for example is a Godless nation in the Psalms, serpent in Gen. 3 in Rev it is the Roman empire.

Numbers are symbolic as well:

2. Revelation is not presented linearly; but has past, present, and future.

Past: Revelation 1:5

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

Revelation 12:5

She gave birth to a son, a male child, who “will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.” And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne.

Most of the things are about the present. Much of Revelation is an apocalyptic writing of the present persons and events of the 1^st Century. But Revelation 19 and 22 are future, the 2^nd coming of Christ, it has the future as well.

So, there is future but Revelation does that by placing the present situation with the future hope. Revelation is not a linear progression of events from beginning to the end, it is cyclic. Ch. 6, 7, 11, 14, 19, 22 etc ends with the second coming, where the kingdom has become God’s kingdom.

3. Interpretation of Revelation must be consistent with the 1^st Century readers.

Any interpretation that the 1^st century audience could not understand should be rejected.

4. Interpreting Revelation requires humility.

We must admit that we are not fully sure and we can be sometimes wrong.

Author: Apostle John

Revelation 1:1

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,…

John wants his readers to read Revelation in Trinitarian understanding (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, v4-5).

Revelation 1:4-6

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.

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, ⁶and 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.

Recipients: 7 historical churches that existed in Western Asia minor or modern-day Turkey.

Dating: Probably 95 or 96 AD

All 7 of these churches and many more in that region were situated right at the heart of the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire was the political, religious, economic, and military powerhouse of the day. These 7 churches found themselves living right in the heart of the Roman rule and faced some serious issues given the context and environment they lived in.

Message & Purpose of writing:

To Comfort and Encourage the Believers to Persevere. John is in Patmos, one parson died, 2:13 Antipas. There is no widespread persecution yet, but it is clear that more are going to die for the sake of the Gospel because of the Emperor and Lord Jesus conflict.

To Turn from Compromise and Complacency. The greater problem in the church in Rev. 2-3 is compromising and complacency. Out of the 7 churches, only 2 (Smyrna and Philadelphia) of them were suffering persecution and ostracism from the officials and the officials in the Roman emperor. The other 5 churches are given negative evolution by the risen Jesus because of their compromise with the pagan environment and their complacency. John is writing to turn them from their compromise and complacency.

CHRIST’S IDENTITY AND WORK, REV. 1:4-8

Revelation 1:4-8

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.

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, ⁶and 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.

Titles of Christ:

• Faithful Witness – Jesus is trustworthy even unto death.
• Firstborn from the Dead – He conquered death.
• Ruler of Kings – He is over every power, including Rome, politics, or personal crisis.

What Has Jesus Done?

• Loved us, v5 – Present tense, His love is constant.
• Freed/Redeemed us by His blood, v5 – Redemption from sin and death. This is Exodus imagery, freed us from the slavery of sin.
• Made us priests and a kingdom – He has redeemed us and made us priests (Ex. 19:6). Christ is creating a kingdom, community of people who will be priests and will represents his rule on earth, to be a faithful witness. God’s people are a kingdom, a kingdom that challenges the kingdoms of this world. We represent him here and now.

God is mentioned seated on the throne, v4. Revelation deals with who is truly in control, who is the sovereign ruler of the universe. Cesar is on throne, but the reader understands that the real ruler is God himself. Jesus Christ is the real ruler. God is the one who will lead history to its consummation.

Revelation 1:7-8

⁷“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.

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

The Lord is coming. We are called to be faithful. There is a future anticipation. God’s kings and priests live out as faithful witness in anticipation of the day when Christ will come and consummate history. Christ’s coming is imminent. Every eye will see him.

Revelation 1:8

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

Alpha & Omega.

Alpha & Omega – This is from Isaiah, the first and the last (Is. 41:4, 44:6), the title of God in the OT. God as standing at the beginning and the end of history, the exclusive sovereign ruler. Don’t live for temporary thrones. The One who is, the one who was, and the one who is coming – From Ex. 3:14 (I AM).

Revelation 1:17b-18

Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. ¹⁸I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.

I am the First and the Last

God is the exclusive God over against all other gods in Isaiah, and now that language gets applied to Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ stands with God. God who is the beginning and end of history is also the same as Jesus Christ. Jesus is the sovereign Lord over history. Because of his resurrection now, he holds the keys of death.

This expresses God’s eternity, God as the self-existent one, beginning of history, present in history, he is the future of history. The coming of God is the main theme of Revelation. In the meantime, to worship anything or anyone else is idolatry, God only deserves worship.

John 1:9

I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.

John is someone who is not above his readers, but one who actually identifies with their plight.

John is a companion in the suffering and kingdom. This is a kingdom that will bring about suffering. The fact that they belong to God’s kingdom and rule, brought them with conflict with evil empire of the day, that means suffering. That is exactly the way Jesus Christ lived in this earth. Jesus came and lived as the King, but the suffered and died. Now his followers follow suit. Yes, they represent the Kingdom and are part of God’s Kingdom rule in the present, they are priests, but that still entails suffering and endurance on part of God’s people.

JOHN’S VISION OF CHRIST: THE RISEN KING AMONG THE CHURCHES; 10-20

Revelation 1:10-11

¹⁰On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, ¹¹which said: “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.”

The inaugural vision that John has of Jesus Christ who comes to commission him to address the 7 churches of Rev. 2 & 3.

Revelation 1:12-20

¹²I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, ¹³and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. ¹⁴The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. ¹⁵His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. ¹⁶In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.

¹⁷When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. ¹⁸I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.

¹⁹“Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. ²⁰The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

In the vision of the exalted Christ, the descriptions of Jesus echoes OT texts.

7 Golden lampstands

Clearly describes the lampstands in the Holy place in the tabernacle, Ex. 5 and in temple 1 Kings 7. In Zechariah 4, in his vision of the heavenly temple, we find the lampstands. John is creating a scene of a heavenly temple. He is understanding Jesus in priestly terms and is now dwelling and residing in the heavenly temple.

Christ is in the midst of these lampstands. The lampstands are described as the 7 churches; v20.

Christ is portrayed as present with his people. Jesus is aware and active. That is why later on the messages to the churches in chapter 2 and 3, he can tell his people, “I know what you go through. I know what you experience, your shortcomings are. I know what your faults are.” Why? Because Christ is not portrayed as a deity far away from his people with no concern of what is going on, but as the one who is actually is in the midst of, and walks in the presence of His church. Therefore, Christ knows intimately what they are going through and what they are lacking or what they are suffering. In chapters 2 and 3, Jesus will begin to diagnose the 7 churches and the issues they face and provide both comfort and warning.

Jesus’ presence among the churches will mean different things:

For those that are suffering, Jesus’ presence is comfort and encouragement.

For those that are compromising or complacent, Jesus’ presence means he is coming as a judge.

DESCRIPTION OF JESUS:

A sword coming out of Jesus’ mouth. This is another OT image. For those who are compromising or complacent Jesus comes to them as a judge, one who has a sword coming out of his mouth.

Jesus is further described as one like a Son of Man. This is a phrase taken out from Daniel 7 where following 4 beastly type of kingdoms (representing the wordily kingdoms), Daniel saw the Son of Man. Now you have a Son of Man, a human like figure who suffers, is vindicated, and receives the Kingdom. Now John sees Jesus as that exalted Son of Man from Daniel 7. Already Jesus has inaugurated his rule through his death and through his resurrection and exaltation. Jesus has received his Kingdom now. The Son of Man has already been vindicated and entered into his kingly rule. Now he will inspect his churches in 2 and 3.

Son of Man: He describes the Son of Man as having head and hair which was white like wool and as white as snow.

If you go back to Daniel, there are 2 figures. One is the Son of Man, the other is God himself, the ancient of Days seated on the throne. In Daniel 7, it is the Ancient of Days who is described with white hair as white as snow. Now that language gets applied to Jesus as the Son of Man. We are going to see that in the book of Revelation where you find language in the OT that was applied to God, now applied to Jesus Christ. Already, John is saying that this exalted Son of Man is God himself. Christ is present as Divine here. Jesus is described in language that is reserved for God himself. The Son of Man is a unique figure. He is none other than God himself.

As one reads this one must ask:

Who is truly in control?

Is it idolatry, to worship and give allegiance or to any other throne than that which belongs to God himself. Remember, He is the Alpha and Omega, there can be no other God before him. Revelation is a book about the exclusive worship that belongs only to God.

Living in the light of the Sovereign Christ

Revelation 1:17-18

¹⁷When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. (A typical apocalyptic language, when a seer sees a vision they become weak or fall down to the feet.) Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. ¹⁸I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.

Message of Revelation: The Son of man is the sovereign Lord of the universe. He stands over all over creation. Because of the resurrection, he has now conquered death, he now holds the keys of death.

So, in the rest of Revelation, when we find God’s people suffering or wondering why they would suffer, when we read the 7 churches, we see that 2 are facing suffering because of faithful witness.

Since Jesus is the Sovereign Lord of the universe:

Followers of Jesus do not have to fear. Those who suffer persecution at the hand of Rome or anyone else do not have to fear. God is in control. The Lord and His Kingdom values are the counter to the worldly kingdom and its values. The Lord’s people may face challenges, persecution, and even death. But we do not have to fear. Jesus is coming back again to consummate his kingdom. Jesus will lead history to its consummation. Are you discouraged? Find strength in the Sovereign Christ.

To those who are compromising and complacent: Turn to Jesus, and take a bold stand for Him.

Those who are compromising have every means and every reason then to take a stand for Jesus Christ no matter what the consequences. Are you compromising? Repent and take a stand for Jesus.

Jesus has already won the victory over death. Even if their faithful witness should result in persecution to the point of death, as it did for one person (Antipas, Pergamum; 2:13), what have they to fear? The resurrection means that he has not only overcome death but he is the one who gives life. So later on, in Chapter 20-22 of Revelation God now finally vindicates his people by giving them life.

Revelation 21:6-8

⁶He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. ⁷Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. ⁸But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”

Revelation 22:14

“Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city.

To the Church: Christ walks among us. His presence brings comfort and vindication. Let’s be a church that worships the Lamb and waits for His return in faithfulness.

LIFE APPLICATION POINTS

1. Worship the Sovereign Christ Above All Else

Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega the beginning and end of history. He alone is worthy of our ultimate allegiance. In a world full of temporary thrones, we are called to exclusive worship of Christ. Who or what tends to compete for your heart’s allegiance other than Christ?

2. Stand Firm in Trials and Suffering

Like John and the early churches, believers today may face opposition for their faith. Jesus walks among His people, and His resurrection assures us that suffering is not the end. He holds the keys of death and life. How does knowing that Jesus is in the midst of His Church change your view of the challenges you face today?

3. Reject Complacency and Compromise

Jesus knows our condition; our faithfulness and our failures. His presence should stir us to examine where we have grown cold, passive, or compromised. He calls us to repent and take a bold stand for Him. In what areas of your life have you been tempted to compromise your faith?

4. Live with Kingdom Identity and Purpose

Christ has made us a kingdom of priests. This means we are called to represent Him in our homes, workplaces, and city. Our calling is to reflect His character and mission wherever we go. What does it mean for you personally to be part of God’s kingdom and a priest in today’s world?

5. Live Every Day in Light of His Return

Jesus is coming again. This is not meant to frighten us, but to awaken us. Let His promised return shape your priorities, relationships, and witness. Be faithful, be alert, and live with hope.

If Jesus were to return today, how can that shape your actions?