Revelation 1:4-8
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 kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood.”
• “TO THE SEVEN CHURCHES THAT ARE IN ASIA“ John sent this letter (the entire book) to the seven churches mentioned in chapters 2 and 3, which were found in the Roman province of Asia [modern-day Turkey] approximately 100 miles from Ephesus. These are specific geographic locations, however the integrity of the number seven indicates that its message is for the Church of every age, and it is still destined for us today.
Revelation 2:7 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches…”
•”HIM WHO IS AND WHO WAS AND WHO IS TO COME“ John describes the divine author as God. When he says “of him” he refers to the Father. This attribute of God does not appear in any other part of the bible other than Revelation and it is primarily about the events of the future. It highlights the continuity of God’s sovereign treatment of humanity.
In v.8 it is repeated that it is the Almighty Father that writes: “’I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God [gr. Kurios] [God gr. Theosl], “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty”
• “AND FROM THE SEVEN SPIRITS WHO ARE BEFORE HIS THRONE” This description refers to the Holy Spirit in His fulness, which inhabited Christ as was prophesied:
Isaiah 11:2 “And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him[1], the Spirit of wisdom [2] and understanding [3], the Spirit of counsel [4] and might [5], the Spirit of knowledge [6] and the fear of the Lord [7].
The phrase is repeated two more times:
Rev. 5:6 “And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.
Rev. 4:5 “From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings[a] and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God,”
These eyes/spirits of God reflect the fullness of the omnipresence of the Lamb and the Trinity itself throughout the earth.
• “AND FROM JESUS CHRIST” It is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit who are behind all of these coming events. Jesus is described here as Christ, the Anointed One, the promised Messiah. Jesus came to fulfill the promises God had made to His people. We can only receive this if the Father reveals it to us, which brings a whole new glorious perspective about our salvation.
Matthew 16:16-17 “ Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.”
• “THE FAITHFUL WITNESS” Jesus is a witness in the legal, historical, and ethical sense. Jesus is the one that faithfully testifies about the Father. He relays all the messages that the Father wants to share. He declares all the things that are on the heart of the Father. And he lived as a man, faithful in all things. He is the true witness in the sense that he shows us the true nature of all things.
John 12:49 “For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak.”
Rev. 2:2 “‘I know your works…” (2:9, 13, 19; 3:1, 8 y 15)
John 7:7 “The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its
works are evil.”
Proverbs 25:13 “Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest is a faithful messenger to
those who send him; he refreshes the soul of his masters.”
• “THE FIRSTBORN OF THE DEAD” Jesus not only resurrected for himself but is proclaimed as the first of many that he himself would resurrect with glorified bodies in His time.
John 6:40 “For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son
and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
Rom. 1:3-4a “concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead…”
1 Thes. 4:16 “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command … And the dead in Christ will rise first.”
This title shows the culmination of Jesus’ earthly ministry, the moment when God resurrected Him and placed Him at His right hand in the heavens to make Him Lord of all humanity.
Romans 14:9 “For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.”
Colossians 1:18 “And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.”
• “THE RULER OF KINGS ON EARTH” As we have mentioned before the Book of Revelation is a book of the total victory and vindication of Christ not just in heaven but also here on earth. The fact that He is called the ruler of the kings on earth, makes us comprehend why the conflicts here on earth will be so great because the reign of Christ will be established with authority over the government of the earth.
Psalm 89:27 “And I will make him the firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth.”
That is His future ministry after His Second Coming (Matthew 2:6). Some commentaries have said that this is a key title or attribute of Jesus Christ in the Book of Revelation. All of what we are going to see is the beauty of Christ.
On another hand the New Testament speaks a lot about believers governing with Jesus Christ during His millennial reign.
Revelation 5:9-10 “And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”
This will be the privilege of the faithful and obedient Christians.
2 Timothy 2:12 “if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us”
Revelation is primarily the book of the Kingdom of God that overcomes the kingdoms of this earth. All of this sovereignty and authority over the governments of this earth Jesus obtained it legally as a man.
Hebrews 5:5-8 “So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him,“You are my Son, today I have begotten you”… And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.
Philippians 2:6-10 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Revelation 11:15 Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.”
Chapter 1 is key to interpret all of the occurrences in this book, it is called my many the most mysterious book of the Bible but in reality it is not a mystery, but rather all that God is capable of doing does not fit in the un-renewed mind nor in the heart of man without God. God has designed a plan since the beginning in which He will remove all that hinders love and will exalt Christ as supreme King over Jerusalem.
Psalm 2:1-12 Is a piece divided into three acts:
1st Act: The opposition of the kings: is about trying to eliminate the influence of the Word in
society (2:1-3)
“Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying, “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.”
2nd Act: The response of the Father: Exalting Jesus as King and confront the rebellion against Jesus (2:4-6).
“He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, “As for me, I have set my King
on Zion, my holy hill.”
• The response of Jesus: Interceding in agreement with the decrees of the Father (2:7-9)
“I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”
• The exhortation of David: Calling the people to serve the God in the fear and joy of the Lord (2:10-12)
“Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.”
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
- What is your response before the exaltation of Christ that the Father has done and will continue to do forever?
- How does this a ect your way of living? How does this affect your view of what is happening in the world today?
Other Sermons In This Series
Revelation 1:1
May 21, 2015
Revelation 1:5b-8
April 19, 2018
Revelation 1:1-7
April 19, 2018