1:1-8

NT

Revelation 1:1-8

esv

Listen to Jesus' Words

The Unveiling of Jesus

The revelation

of Jesus Christ,

Subjective

which God gave him

to show ... the things

Purpose

to his servants

Destination

that must soon take place.

He made it known

Explanation

by sending his angel

Means

to his servant John,

who bore witness to the word

of God

Source

and to the testimony

of Jesus Christ,

Contents

even to all

that he saw.

The Blessing of Obedience

Blessed is the one

who reads aloud the words

of this prophecy,

Epexegetical

and blessed are those

who hear,

and who keep

what is written

Content

in it,

Locative

for the time is near.

Ground

Look at Your Sovereign Savior

The Past and Present

John [is writing]

to the seven churches

that are in Asia:

Grace

Content #1a

to you

Advantage

and peace

Content #1b

from him

Source #1

who is

and who was

and who is to come,

and from the seven spirits

Source #2

who are before his throne,

and from Jesus Christ

Source #3

the faithful witness,

Explanation #1

the firstborn

Explanation #2

of the dead,

Separation

and the ruler

Explanation #3

of kings

Subordination

on earth.

To him

who loves us

and has freed us

from our sins

by his blood

and made us a kingdom,

priests

to his God

and Father,

to him

be glory

Content #2

and dominion

forever and ever.

Temporal

Result

The Future

Behold, he is coming

Content #3a

with the clouds,

Accompaniment

and every eye will see him,

Content #3b

even those

who pierced him,

and all tribes ... will wail

Content #3c

of the earth

Attributive

on account of him.

Even so.

Eternity

“I am the Alpha

and the Omega,”

says the Lord God,

“who is

and who was

and who is to come,

the Almighty.”

The main point of verses 4-6 is that John is sending grace and peace to the seven churches from the triune God, and ascribing glory to Jesus .

The main point of verse 7 is that Jesus will return.

The main point of verse 8 is the Lord's claim to eternal self-existence.

The main point of verses 1-2 is that this letter is a revelation of Jesus Christ.

The main point of verse 3 is that the one who reads, hears, and keeps the words of this prophecy is blessed .

Since this sentence is giving further information about "the revelation" (1a), I've indented it.

phrasing

Notes

Head: Focus: The focus of this section is the life of the mind . We want to think accurately according to the truth of God’s Word we’ve phrased. Questions: How should I think differently about God/myself/others because of what I’ve just phrased? What doctrines are taught in this passage? What specific contribution to those doctrines does this passage make? What other Scripture texts add to the truths taught in this passage? This book is both from Jesus and about Jesus. The point of this book isn’t to satisfy our curiosity about the future, but to show us Jesus for our good and awe and fear and love. We must remember this as we approach the book. Notice Jesus' threefold character (1:5a-g) and work (1:5h-6d). Cf. Dan 2:28 with 1:1. 1:1-2 show that this is a prophetic book. It is an unveiling of what God is actively bringing about , at this very moment , to do His will! Cf. Zech 12:9-10 with 1:7. Heart: Focus: The focus of this section is the life of the emotions . We want to feel accurately according to the truth of God’s Word we’ve phrased. Questions: How should I feel differently about God/myself/etc. because of what I’ve just phrased? What emotions are expressed in this passage? What emotions does this passage exhort me to feel? I should feel moved, in awe, of the beauty and power and sovereignty of God in 1:4-6 - his work of redemption, of giving us a new identity. I should receive grace and peace (1:4) through these truths - that is the whole point of this book, after all! Do you view God the Father, the Holy Spirit, and the Lord Jesus in this way? As eternal and almighty and sovereign, having accomplished your redemption and right now accomplishing your sanctification, as ruling over every event of your life in love and mercy and kindness and holiness and power? This is reality! Or do your problems loom larger than God in your mind? Then you need grace and peace . That means that you need this book of Revelation! You need the entirety of God’s Word ! When you feel weak, where do you turn? Open your Bible! Turn here to Revelation 1 and spend time thinking about the first 8 verses. You need to remind yourself of the firm foundation of God’s sovereignty that your soul and the entire globe is resting on. This book is a treasury of grace and peace, through the power and love and faithfulness of Jesus Christ. Hands: Focus: The focus of this section is the life of the will . We want to act accurately according to the truth of God’s Word we’ve phrased. Questions: How should I act differently because of what I’ve just phrased? What motivations does this passage give for acting differently? What sins do I need to repent of and put off? What good works do I need to put on? I need to see the urgency of obeying the message of Revelation ( 1:3 ). Do I want to flourish, to grow spiritually richer, like the man of Psalm 1? Then I must listen and obey this book. Prophecy in the OT was not only about foretelling the future, but even more about forthtelling how God's people should live. So too is Revelation (1:3). So this book is not meant for debate, or to satisfy your fascination about the end times. It is a book to be obeyed , and we'll see that in chapters 2-3. Why? The end of verse 3 says: the events of this book are imminent ; they could happen at any moment. This is because Jesus has died, has risen again, and has ascended. He is controlling history, and will surely bring the events of this book to pass; the last days have begun ; His kingdom has begun ! But we are still awaiting the consummation of the results of His death and resurrection and ascension, which are at the doors .

notes