REVELATION
SIMPLIFIED
CHAPTER 1.1
Gleanings
from the Book of Revelation:
A
Weekly Verse-by-Verse Bible Study Series
The
REVELATION
TO JOHN
(The
Apocalypse)
Chapter
One
(Verse
1)
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto Him, to show
unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass; and He sent and
signified it by His angel unto His servant John.
The Theme of Revelation
The first five words of verse 1, Chapter 1 of the Book of Revelation state the THEME of
the entire Book:
Let’s read it together: “The Revelation of Jesus Christ.”
What it is not:
It is not the
Revelation of Saint John
It
is not the Revelation to Saint John
It
is not called Revelations.
What it is:
It is The Revelation of Jesus Christ to John
Definition of Revelation (Review)
Revelation is a disclosure of knowledge, an
unveiling of something previously unknown or hidden. It is the manifestation of
truths that could not be known by any other method except by God.
The word revelation
comes from the Latin verb Revelatio. Revelation in the Greek
language is Apokalupis, from which we acquire our English
word Apocalypse.
This word is primarily used in describing prophetic literature, Revelation
being the only prophetic book in the Bible.
The Purpose of Revelation
The Revelation of Jesus Christ was GIVEN TO US to show (His servants –
believers), things which must shortly (soon) come to pass, and He sent and
signified it by His angel unto His servant John.
The Chain of Command
1. God – God the Father Almighty
2. Jesus
Christ – God's
Son Jesus, the second person of the Holy Trinity (the Triune God), received
from the Father Revelation (the things which must shortly come to pass)
3. The
Holy Spirit (John
being in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day verse 10, received from)
4. The
Angel - (possibly
Gabriel). Jesus sent via (by way of) an angel of the Lord (cf. Revelation
22:16), and signified (made it known or showed) it to…
5. John – A
servant of Jesus Christ testified to everything he saw, and bare (reported,
made known, gave) the record of the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus
Christ to show to us
6. His
Servants – So
that we who are also servants and members of the seven churches (verse 4) might
get this heavenly telegram
Key Word – Servant
The Greek word is Doulos (pronounced Doo-las) meaning a slave, bondservant,
one who is under submission, or subjugation.
·
Who are His
servants? Us.
·
What does the
Apostle John call himself? A servant of Jesus Christ (end of verse 1).
(Verse 2)
Who bare record of the Word of God, and of the
testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.
[John], who bare record
Translated, bore witness, or testified. John is
projecting himself to his readers and to where you and I are on this day by
telling the truth of everything he saw. The angel communicated this to John - the human author - and he is now writing it down. The Holy Spirit, however, is the
spiritual author.
John writes three things:
1. The record of the Word of God
2. The testimony of Jesus Christ
3. An eyewitness news report of everything he saw
(Verse 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.
A Threefold Blessing
There is a threefold blessing for those:
1. Who hears this book of prophecy
2. Who read the words of this book
3. Who keep (retain, heed, live up to) those things
which are written therein
This is the only book in the Bible that the people
who read, hear, and live by the words in this book will receive a special
blessing from God. God will bless you when you:
1. Read Revelation
2. Hear Revelation
3. Retain/Keep/Act upon what is written in Revelation
In John’s closing statements he says, “Blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of
the prophecy of this Book” (cf.
Revelation 22:7). In his opening statement
and his closing statement, you are BLESSED
by this book! [Fear not – you will be blessed].
The 7 Blessings of Revelation
(The 7 Beatitudes of Revelation)
1. Revelation
1:3 - 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.
2. Revelation
14:13 - And I
heard a voice from Heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may
rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.
3. Revelation
16:15 - Behold,
I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments,
lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
4. Revelation
19:9 - And he
saith unto me, Write, Blessed
are they which are called unto the Marriage Supper
of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are
the true sayings of God.
5. Revelation
20:6 - Blessed and holy is
he that hath part in the first Resurrection:
on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of
Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.
6. Revelation
22:7 - Behold,
I come quickly: Blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.
7. Revelation
22:14 - Blessed are those who wash their
robes, so that they may have the right to
the Tree of Life and may enter the city by the gates.
Question:
When was the last time you read Revelation?
Fact:
Revelation is the one book that is read less than
any other book in the Bible, and yet it pronounces the greatest blessings to
those who read it.
The Reason for This Message
Verse 3 - For the time is
at hand (For what?) To receive the revealing truths
contained in this book.
(Verse 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.
What Christ Gives to Saints
In epistle-style writing, John addresses seven distinct
churches in Asia Minor (see verse 11). As we will see later, these seven
churches are representative of not only seven churches but also seven types of
believers (us). The greeting is a benedictory blessing in nature.
To believers, John writes:
A. To You
1. Grace be unto you
2. Peace be unto you
Contrasts
1. Grace is a Greek form of greeting (Charis)
2. Peace is the Hebrew form of greeting (Shalom)
1. Grace is the source of all our blessings today
2. Peace flows from grace
1. Grace is our standing or position with God
2. Peace is our experience with God
1. Grace is God’s attitude toward us (what God gives us) For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men. (cf. Titus 2:11)
2. Peace is the outcome And the peace of God,
which passeth all understanding, shall keep
your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus (cf.
Philippians 4:7).
From grace flows peace. You cannot have the peace
of God without first His grace. This is given to us freely. So, the Book of
Revelation reveals:
1. The Grace of God and
2. The Peace of God
B. From Whom?
(The Godhead - The Holy Trinity, The Triune God,
Three persons in One):
1. From God the Father (Eternal God)
a. Him which is
b. Him which was
c. Him which is to come
2. From God the Holy Spirit [The complete sevenfold manifestation of the Holy Spirit (cf. Isaiah 11:2)]
1. The Spirit of Wisdom
2. The Spirit of Understanding
3. The Spirit of Counsel
4. The Spirit of Might
5. The Spirit of Knowledge
6. The Spirit of Fear of the LORD
7. The Spirit of the LORD
3. From God the Son (beginning of verse 5)
The Book of Sevens
As noted earlier, there are seven blessings, and
in verse 4, the seven churches and the seven Spirits. We begin to see a pattern
forming in the Book of Revelation. God uses the number seven which is His
number to represent completeness. The number seven is not only signifies God’s
biblical fullness but also His perfection.
Below is a casual list of sevens found throughout
Revelation:
1. 7 Churches
(1:4)
2. 7 Spirits
(1:4)
3. 7 Golden
Lampstands (1:12)
4. 7 Stars
(1:16)
5. 7 Lamps of
Fire (4:5)
6. 7 Seals on
the Book or Scroll (5:1)
7. 7 Horns
(5:6)
8. 7 Eyes
(5:6)
9. 7 Angels
(8:2)
10.
7 Trumpets
(8:2)
11.
7 Claps of
Thunder (10:3)
12.
7,000 Men Slain
(11:13)
13.
7 Heads
(12:3)
14.
7 Crowns
(12:3)
15.
7 Last
Plagues (15:1)
16.
7 Golden
Bowls (15:7)
17.
7
Mountains (17:9)
18.
7 Kings
(17:10)
Seven New Things Seen in Revelation
(The Golden Age of Eternity)
This is what God promises us as believers:
1. A New Heaven and Earth (21:1)
2. A New People (21:2-8)
3. A New Bride (21:9)
4. A New Home (21:10-21)
5. A New Temple (21:22)
6. A New Light (21:23-27)
7. A New Paradise (22:1-5)
Other
References are found
elsewhere in the Old and New Testaments. We will notate a few to exemplify this
point.
In the Old Testament
·
7 Days of
Creation
·
7 years of famine
in Joseph’s time
·
7 years of plenty
in Joseph’s time
·
70 weeks of
Daniel (discussed in a later lesson)
In the Levitical System
·
7th
Day Sabbath
·
7th
Sabbatic Year
·
7th
Sabbatical Year of Jubilee
In Israel’s Feasts
·
The Feast of
Passover lasted 7 days
·
The Feast of
Tabernacles or Sukkot lasted 7 days
·
The Marriage
Feast lasted 7 days
In the New Testament
·
7 Beatitudes of
Matthew 5
·
7 Petitions in
the Lord’s Prayer
·
7 Parables in
Matthew 13
·
7 Loaves for
the multitude
·
7 Times Jesus spoke
from the Cross
·
7 Churches
addressed by Paul
In the World System
·
7 days in the
week
·
7 notes in
music
·
7 colors in the
rainbow
QUESTIONS:
1. What does Revelation mean?
2. What is the theme of the Book of Revelation?
3. How was John instrumental in this book?
4. Why was the Book of Revelation written?
5. How do we obtain God’s peace?
6. How is the Holy Spirit manifested?
7. What does the number seven represent?
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