The REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST

which God gave Him

to show to His servants:

things which must shortly take place.

And He sent and signified it
by His angel
to His servant John,
who bore witness
to the word of God,
and to the
testimony of Jesus Christ,
to all things that he saw.                        

Blessed is he who reads
and those who hear .
the words of this PROPHECY
and keep those things
which are written in it;

for the time is near.


TO:    Seven churches which are in Asia

TO:  Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood

FROM:  John and
     Jesus Christ:  
          the faithful witness
                     the firstborn from the dead
                      the ruler over the kings of the earth
            and The Seven Spirits who are before His throne

SUBJECT:  He is coming


GREETING:  Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and
who is to come.

He has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and
dominion forever and ever                                         

Amen.        


BEHOLD, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they
who pierced Him.  And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him.  
Even so.

Amen.


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





    Scripture and Study Notes

    INTRODUCTION AND BENEDICTION

    “The Things Which You Have Seen”
    A Manifesto of the Kingdom of Christ

1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants -- things which must shortly take place.  
And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John,

  • Author:  God Himself. (HBH)
  • Revelation of Jesus Christ – His unveiling of the Divine mysteries (Amp)
  • The Prophet of the church gives this revelation (MH)
  • Our Lord Jesus is the great trustee of divine revelation; it is to Him that we owe the knowledge we have of what we are to expect
    from God and what He expects from us. (MH)
  • God gave it to make plain to His servants what is about to happen (M)
  • The centerpiece of God’s eternal purpose is for Jesus to come back to fully establish His Kingdom rule over all the earth as He
    joins the heavenly and earthly realms together.  God’s purpose has always been for God and His people to live together in this
    way.  This is the interpretive key to understanding the End Times.  Without this foundational revelation, confusion is inevitable
    when studying the End Times.
  • Date written:  about A.D. 95 (NIV)
  • The word “revelation” is a translation of the Greek word from which we derive the term “apocalypse”, and refers to an unveiling
    of God’s secret purposes.    In the Revelation, this involved a command to the author to write about God’s plans for his own day
    and for the future. (NBMC)
  • A revealing...to unfold the future:  to chart the course and destiny of the church (HBH)
  • Apocalyptic - uncovered, unveiled, revealed (LB)
  • Apocalyptic form is a type of Jewish literature which uses symbolic imagery to communicate hope (the ultimate triumph of God)
  • to those in the midst of persecution.  The events are ordered according to literary, rather than strictly chronological patterns. (LB)
  • Jesus Christ executes the commission the Father gave to Him, and this is His part in the whole scheme of redemption. (WNT)
  • The Father reveals Himself and His will in, and by, His Son (JFB)
  • This was not the mind of John – it was the closest to being dictated as any book of the bible.  Who is the author?  John merely
    was the secretary.  There is no other book that came this way.  This is the Revelation of Jesus which God told Him.  God is
    the author and He told it to Jesus, and Jesus passed it on to the Holy Spirit so the letters were what the Spirit was saying to the
    churches.  And the Spirit passed it on to angels, and the angels passed it on to John. (DP)
  • Christ employed an angel to communicate it to the churches (MH)
  • Angels are God’s messengers (MH)
  • John was the apostle chosen for this service. (MH)
  • All the servants must know (MH)
  • The subject matter of this revelation:  the things that must shortly come to pass (MH)
  • MUST -  it is determined to happen (RJ)
  • It is a book about the future and about the present. (LB)
  • These events should come to pass not only “surely”, but “shortly” (JFB)
  • What John saw, in most cases, was indescribable, so he was given illustrations to show what it was “like”. (LB)

References:  John 3:32 (And what He has seen and heard, that He testifies; and no one received His testimony); Revelation 22:6
(Then he said to me, “These words are faithful and true”.  And the Lord god of the holy prophets sent His angel to show His servants
the things which must shortly take place.)



Megathemes: (LB)                                
  • God’s sovereignty         
  • Christ’s return                   
  • God’s faithful people    
  • Judgment                                                         
  • Hope                                                                
  • Jesus Christ is coming again
  • Evil will be judged
  • The dead will be raised for judgment resulting in eternal life or eternal destruction
  • Unveils Christ’s full identity (LB)
  • God’s plan for the end of the world
  • Focuses on Jesus Christ
  • Focuses on Christ’s Second Coming
  • Focuses on His victory over evil
  • Focuses on the establishment of His Kingdom
  • The infinite love, power, and justice of the Lord Jesus Christ

    Attestation of the Prophecy (MH)

1:2 who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw.

  • He was an eyewitness - and concealed nothing that he saw (MH).
  • As he added nothing to it, so he kept back no part of the counsels of God (MH)
  • The word of God constitutes His testimony (JFB)

References:  1 Corinthians 1:6 (even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you); 1 John 1:1 (That which was from the
beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled,
concerning the Word of life)


    God
    to
    Jesus
    to
    Holy Spirit
    to
    Angels
    to
    John

    Apostolic Blessing (MH)

1:3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for
the time is near.

  •    A blessing on those who should give a due regard to this divine revelation (MH)
  •    It is a blessed privilege to enjoy the oracles of God. (MH)
  •    It is a blessed thing to study the scriptures.  (MH)
  •    The first of seven beatitudes in the book (NIV) (See General notes, end of this chapter)
  •    It is a privilege not only to read the scriptures ourselves, but to hear them read by others. (MH)
  •    John encourages churches to read this book aloud so everyone can hear it and be assured of the fact that God will triumph,
  •   and that even though they may experience terrible persecution, God will vindicate them (LB)
  •    Read - means to read aloud.  Will get more out of the words if read aloud if you have to put meaning into the words - take
  • it to heart - get it into your very being and become part of your heart. (DP)
  •     It is not sufficient to our blessedness that we read and hear the scriptures, but we must keep the things that are written. (MH)
  •     They that hear and keep those things - not two classes, but only one is meant:  they who not only hear, but also keep
  • those things (JFB)
  •     Revelation is a book of prophecy that is both “prediction” (foretelling future events) and “proclamation” (preaching about who
    God is and what He will do).  Prophecy is more than telling the future.  Behind the predictions are important principles about
     God’s character and promises.  Each prophecy in this book has present implications -- the reader is urged to trust God more
    and “conquer” sin) (LB)
  •     Time is near:
  •     Last days - for last 2,000 years
  •     End of age - final time before age ends
  •     These are the things when they start happing will happen suddenly - shortly.
  •      We do not know when these events will occur, but we must always be prepared.  They will happen quickly, and there will be
    no second chance to change sides.  (LB)
  •     John 16:33 “I have told you these things....that in Me you will have peace.”  So we can be overcomers.
  •     Time is just about up.  (M)

References:  Luke 11:28 (But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”); James 5:8 (You
also be patient.  Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.)

    GREETING THE SEVEN CHURCHES

1:4 John, to the seven churches which 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,

  •       Seven = complete; perfect (JFB)
  •       Not that there were not more churches, but the number seven is fixed on as representing totality (JFB)
  •     The letters were addressed so that they could be read and passed on in a systematic fashion, following the main Roman road
    clockwise around the province of Asia. (LB)
  •      Churches about 50 miles apart (NIV)
  •       They were perhaps postal centers serving seven geographic regions. (NIV)
  •     What the blessing is: (MH)
    1.  Grace - the goodwill of God towards us and his good work in us
    2.   Peace - the sweet evidence and assurance of this grace
  •        The blessing is from: (MH)
  •  God the Father - Who Was, and Is, and Is To Come
  •   The Holy Spirit - the seven Spirits - in whom there is a diversity of gifts and operations
  •   The Lord Jesus Christ
  •     From him which is, which was, and which is to come - this phraseology is purely Jewish, and probably taken from the
  • Tetragrammaton (AC) -- Yehovah; which is supposed to include in itself all time, past, present, and future.
  •   The God about to arrive (M)

References:  Exodus 3:14 (So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and
said, “Moses, Moses!”   And he said, “Here I am“.; John 1:1 (In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and
the Word was God.); Isaiah 11:2 (The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit
of counsel and might,
The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.)

1:5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth.  To Him
who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood,

  •       Faithful witness -He taught the way of God in truth, and cared not for man, nor regarded the persons of men.  (JFB)
  •       Jesus was the first who rose from death “to die no more“. (LB)
  •       The account of Christ: (MH)
  •       The Faithful Witness - upon His testimony we may safely depend; He cannot be deceived and cannot deceive us.
  •       The Firstborn From The Dead
  •       Ruler Over The Kings Of The Earth
  •        What Jesus Has Done: (MH)
    1.   He loved us
    2.   Washed us from our sins in His own blood
    3.   Loved us - the oldest MSS read the present - loves us.  It is His ever continuing character, He loves us, and ever shall
    love us. (JFB)
  •      Loved us - His ever-continuing character shall ever love us.  His love rests evermore on His people (JFB)
  •      Christ was willing to shed His own blood
  •      Washed us - the oldest MSS read “freed” - loosed as from a bond (JFB)
  •      Sins leave a stain upon the soul.  Nothing can fetch out this stain but the blood of Christ (MH)
  •     The priests before putting on the holy garments and ministering, washed themselves; so spiritually believers as priests unto
    God, must first be washed in Christ’s blood from every stain before they can serve God aright now (JFB)

References:  John 8:14 (Jesus answered and said to them, “Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I
came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going.); Isaiah 55:4 (Indeed I have given
him as a witness to the people, a leader and commander for the people.); Colossians 1:18 (And He is the head of the body, the
church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the pre-eminence); Revelation 17:14 (These
will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him
are called, chosen, and faithful); John 13:34 (a new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that
you also love one another); Hebrews 9:14 (how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself
without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?)

1:6 and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

  •       As kings they overcome the world (MH)
  •       A kingdom  - a kingdom of priests - a royal priesthood .  The emphasis falls more on the kingdom than on priests.      (JFB)
  •     They are kings because they are priests:  the priesthood is the continuous ground and legitimization of their kingship; they
    are kings in relation to man, priests in relation to God, serving Him day and night in His temple. (JFB)
  •     This OT designation of Israel is applied in the NT to the church (NIV)
  •     Priests have  pre-eminently the privilege of near access to the king. (JFB)
  •     Priests who have pre-eminently the privilege of near access to the king. (JFB)
  •     Priests - to offer to God spiritual sacrifices through Christ
  •     God and His Father - there is but one article to both in the Greek, therefore it means “Unto Him who is at once God
  • and  His  Father.” (JFB)
  •     For these high honors and favors they are bound to ascribe to Him dominion and glory forever
  •     Doxology occupies the prominent place above, which prayer does below.  (JFB)
  •     Forever and ever - unto the ages (JFB)

References:  1 Peter 2:5 (you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual
sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ), 9 (But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own
special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light); 1 Timothy 6:16
(who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and
everlasting power. Amen)

    Judge of the World

1:7 Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him.  And all the tribes of the earth
will mourn because of Him.  Even so, Amen.

  •       John speaks as if he sees it happening (MH)
  •       John is announcing the return of Jesus to earth.  His Second Coming will be visible and victorious.  All people will see him
           arrive and they will KNOW it is Jesus.  When He comes He will conquer evil and judge all people according to their
            deeds. (LB)
  •       He will be the Judge of the world (MH)
  •       He comes - to put all His enemies out of the way and to establish His millennial reign (WNT)
  •       Clouds - His chariot and pavilion (MH)
  •       Every eye:  the eyes of His people, the eyes of His enemies (MH)
  •       Those who pierced Him - a prophecy yet future (WNT)
  •       John is the only one of the Evangelists who records the piercing of Christ’s side (JFB)
  •       This book begins and ends with a prediction of the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ (MH)
  •        Even so. Amen - a double affirmation (NIV)

References:  Matthew 24:30 (Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn,
and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory); Zechariah 12:10-14 (And I will pour on
the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they
pierced.  Yes, the will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.  In that day
there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning at Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.  And the land shall mourn,
every family by itself:  the family of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by
itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Levi by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of Shimei by
itself, and their wives by themselves; all the families that remain, every family by itself, and their wives by themselves.)

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 and Omega - First and Last - title used only in Book of Revelation; the cause and the end of all things - essential
           Deity (WNT)
  •        This is the Father saying He is the Alpha and Omega
  •        This account of Christ is ratified and confirmed by Himself (MH)
  •       The Almighty - Nine of the 23 occurrences of this term in the NT are in Revelation (NIV)

References:  Isaiah 41:4 (Who has performed and done it, calling the generations from the beginning?  ‘I, the Lord, am the first; and
with the last I am He.’”); Revelation 4:8 (The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within.  And they
do not rest day or night, saying:  “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!); 11:17 (saying:  “We give
You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was and who is to come, because You have taken Your great power and
reigned); Isaiah 9:6 (For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder.  And His name
will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.)