INTRODUCTION TO THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST
I. INTRODUCTION
A. The Revelation of Jesus Christ is crucial and essential for the equipping of prophetic messengers. Revelation
Chapter 1 is critical to understanding the rest of the book and is easily overlooked.
15 But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, 16 to reveal
(encounter)His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles … Galatians 1:15-16
B. The book of revelation has been debated so much that it has become trivialized. The prophetic document is
essential to equipping the end-time church and its prophetic messenger and is profoundly connected to understanding
the apostolic gospel proclaimed by the apostles and the prophets. The book of Revelation is vital to the preaching of the
gospel at the end of the age.
C. The heartbeat of this end-time document is the apostolic gospel. There is profound discovery of the gospel to be
found in this book which is the message of God to the nations of the earth. It is important that the book of Revelation is
not separate from our understanding of gospel as it expounds our understanding of the gospel of the kingdom, in other
words this book is not a side subject but is rather an intricate component to the gospel of the kingdom. Jesus in
Matthew 24:14 says that the gospel of the kingdom (the mystery of God) will be preached to the nation and then the
end will come.
“And this gospel of the kingdom (the mystery of God) will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and
then the end will come.” Matthew 24:14
25 Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the
revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began 26 but now made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures
made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith” Romans
16:25-26
II. BASSIC OUTLINE OF REVELATION 1:1-8
A. Introduction and overview 1:1-3
B. Salutation and Blessing 1:4-6
C. Prophetic Oracle 1:7-8
III. THE APOCALYPSE OF CHRIST JESUS- REVELATION 1:1
“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants (in particular the end-time church)—things
which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, 2 who bore witness to the
word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw. 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.” Revelation 1:1-3
A. 1:1 The Revelation of Christ, which the Father gave, contains information concerning things that must shortly take
place. The events highlighted in this book are meant to give the end-time church insight into the knowledge of God
revealed in Christ. The end-time wonders released are meant to give understanding.
“Our fathers in Egypt did not understand Your wonders; They did not remember the multitude of Your mercies, But
rebelled by the sea—the Red Sea.” Psalm 106:7
“As in the days when you came out of the land of Egypt, I will (at the end of the age) show them wonders (clearly seen in
the book of Revelation).” Micah 7:15
B. The opening sentence concerning the revelation of Christ is not so that we can spiritualize the events of the
Apocalypse and conclude introductory insights concerning the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, but rather the
fullness of what was accomplished in the sufferings of Christ. The book of Revelation reveals the fierceness of Christ
literal leadership in the natural and in the spirit culminating with the events of the 2nd Coming as He leads the earth into
fullness of the Father’s plan.
“For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him,
whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.” Colossians 1:19-20
C. This great end-time book is about both the unveiling of events and the beauty of the personhood of Christ Jesus.
Jesus’ divine administrations are powerfully and intricately woven together with revelation of His beauty.
25Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works (including the 21 numbered judgments) that I do in My
Father’s name, they bear witness of Me.” John 10:25
36 But I have a greater witness than John’s; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish—the very works
(including the 21 numbered judgments) that I do—bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me. John 5:36
D. The book of Revelation is Jesus continuing to declare the name of the Father in order to awaken love in the heart
of the end-time Church
26 And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them,
and I in them.” John 17:26
IV. THE THREE-FOLD REVELATION OF CHRIST AND THE BEATITUDE– REVELATION 1:2-3
A. 1:2 (three-fold revelation of Christ) There are three components that make up the revelation of Jesus Christ. All
three components are important to connect with the totality of the message that this book brings to the Church of Jesus
Christ. There is no need to highlight one component over the other. All three factors are intricately woven together
tightly in an eschatological mosaic to equip the church at the end of the age. The Revelation of Jesus Christ consists of:
1. The word of God – the plan of God or the mystery of the gospel.
2. The testimony of Jesus – the witness to the plan of God.
3. Things that John saw – things that must shortly take place (events related to the 1st advent and the 2nd
advent) – the administration of the plan of God.
B. The word of God – the mystery of the gospel. Rom 16:25-27; 1 Cor 2:1-9; Rev 19:9; Rev 21:5; 22:6
25 “Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the
revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began but now made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures (the
word of God) made known to all nations, (Rev 10:7-11) according to the commandment of the everlasting God (this
revelation is given by God), for obedience to the faith— 27 to God, alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever.
Amen.”
C. The testimony of Jesus – the witness to the plan of God – He is the faithful witness.
4 “I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus, 5 that you were
enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge, 6 even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you,
7 so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ…” 1 Corinthians 1:4-7
D. Things that John saw – the administration of the plan of God. Rev 1:1; 4:1
“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place.”
Revelation 1:1
E. 1:3 (the beatitude) there is a blessing for those who give themselves to this book, believing it and obeying its
exhortations. The book of Revelation calls for the faith of Noah in that he obeyed God even though the divine warnings
were unseen. Just in the reading of this book there is a release of divine blessing upon the heart. Matt 16:17; Heb 11:7
V. GREETINGS FROM THE DIVINE COURT – REVELATION 1:4-5
4John, 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, 5and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from
the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. Revelation 1:4-5
A. 1:4 (Salutation) John bestows the blessings and the greetings of the Holy Trinity upon the churches. It is
customary for the apostles to start their epistles with a greeting from the Godhead. The authors of the epistles have
been in the place of prayer and encounter and have stood in the counsels of the Lord from which they were sent forth
as messengers of Christ to the people of God. The greetings and the content of the book of Revelation come from a
God who desires to bestow grace and peace upon His people in the midst of the coming crisis. God has thoughts of hope
and peace towards His people (Jeremiah 29:11-14) and it is from that heart that the exhortations and warnings of flows.
All three Transcendent Divine Members of the eternal counsels of the Godhead are present in John’s salutation:
B. The Father (who is and who was and who is to come). The Father is the ancient of days. God is the One who
continues throughout all eternity. God is eternal in the present, past and future. God is the same yesterday, today and
forever, whom is all encompassing. Rev. 1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 16:5.
C. The latter part of the title is because the Father is coming to the earth. The whole earth is and will be full of His
glory. The 2nd advent of Christ Jesus is Him being the ultimate forerunner preparing the way of the Lord (Isaiah 40:3,
Hebrews 6:19-20). The great climax of the book of Revelation is 21:3 as the tabernacle of God will be among men. The
Father will gather all things in heaven and on earth in His Son and there dwell with redeemed humanity forever.
D. The Holy Spirit (the Seven Spirits who are before His throne). The Seven Spirits is speaking of the seven-fold or the
manifold operation of God. Seven denoting completion, the Seven Spirits speaks of the fullness of God’s operation. The
prophet Isaiah prophesied concerning the Seven Spirits of God as the Spirit without measure resting upon the Messiah;
1) The Spirit of the Lord, 2) The Spirit of Wisdom, 3) Spirit of Understanding, 4) The Spirit of Counsel, 5) The Spirit of
Might, 6) The Spirit of Knowledge, 7) The Spirit of the Fear of the Lord. Isaiah 11:1-3.
E. 1:5 The Son. (Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead and the ruler over the kings of the
earth) Emphasis here is the 2nd Person of the Trinity in His glorified humanity.
1. The faithful witness - Jesus is the only faithful witness is that His testimony alone is true. Jesus is the only Man
who held the line for truth and died for it (martyr). Jesus testimony is the Spirit of Prophesy. Christ faithfully testified to
the mystery of God. He is faithful in that He is trustworthy and reliable. Jn 3:11-12; Jn 8:18; 37
11 Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our
witness. 12If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?”
John 3:11-12
2. Firstborn from the dead - Jesus is the 1st born from the dead in that He is ranked 1st in being the premiere
inheritor of the worlds to come. From among the company of the resurrected and those who are members of the New
Creation Christ is preeminent, He will supreme in honor and glory. Rom 8:29; Col 1:15; Heb 1:6
3. The ruler over the kings of the earth - the gospel is more then a proclamation of the forgiveness of sins but it is
the proclamation of the coming rule and reign of God’s appointment King who will bring all nations under God in a
theocratic kingdom. The Man Christ Jesus is a spiritual, social, economical, political and a military king. Jesus is not
just a spiritual king, He provides in part and will provide in full leadership over all the affairs on earth as it is in Heaven.
“Yet I have set My King On My holy hill of Zion. (Jerusalem)”7“I will declare the decree: The LORD has said to Me, ‘You
are My Son, Today I have begotten You. Psalm 2:6-7
7“Jason has harbored them, and these are all acting contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying there is another king—Jesus.”
Acts 17:7
VI. PROPHETIC SONG ACKNOWLEDGING THE PASSION OF CHRIST – REVELATION 1:5-6
To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and
Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Revelation 1:5-6
A. 1:5 continues a prophetic song of declaration and praise concerning the love of Christ revealed on the cross.
Christ is the supreme leader of the Father’s empire because He shed His blood for the sins of the world. This reality gets
expounded upon in Revelation 5. The Cross of Jesus is also center stage in the book of Revelation in keeping with Paul’s
apostolic determination to proclaim Christ and Him crucified. Christ and Him crucified is the central issue in the book of
Revelation. In this book of prophesy Christ is referred to as the Lamb.
B. There are 29 occurrences of the Lamb in the book of Revelation. Each time when the Lamb is mentioned it
referring to the great end-time event – The Crucifixion.
C. The crucifixion has great end-time implications, as it was necessary for Christ to suffer to bring the redeemed into
fullness. This was the greatest demonstration of love that God from eternity past would fashion a plan so glorious that
included and necessitated the bruising and the crushing of the Son of God. Jn 15:13; Rm 5:8; Heb 2:10.
8All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the
Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world. Revelation 13:8
D. The convergence of heaven and earth is made possible through the cross of Christ. Heaven and earth are
reconciled through Christ shed blood. The book of Revelation is about Jesus bring into culmination this glorious plan
of the Father. Eph 1:9-10; Rev 10:7
“For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, 20and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him,
whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.” Colossians 1:19-20
E. 1:6 Not only is Christ the supreme ruler in God’s empire but He shed His blood for our sins and invites us to rule
and reign with Him in eternity. The kingdom reality of God will be made manifest through the priestly office (worship
and intercession).
VII. ORACLE CONCERNING THE CONSUMMATION OF ALL PERFECTION- REVELATION 1:7-8
7Behold, 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. 8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the
Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” Revelation 1:7-8
A. 1:7 The culminating theme is the 2nd coming of Christ which inaugurates the millennial kingdom. John breaks forth
into a prophetic oracle. This oracle will fill our spirits at the end of the age as we declare it with understanding, conviction
and authority. We will feel the reality of His return in our inner man and be energized with adoration. We will love His
appearing (2 Tim 4:8). With longing we will understand the Lord’s Prayer. (Matt 6:8-13).
B. Behold: Sudden in breaking and exhortation to pay attention to the certainty of this event
C. He is coming with the clouds: Christ’s appearing will be glorious. The clouds are seen as God’s mode of
transportation (Matt. 24:30; 26:64; Mark 13:26; 14:62; Luke 21:27).
D. Even they who pierced Him: He is coming to Israel (Rom 11:25, Isaiah 59:19-60:2) this portion of scripture is
referencing the prophecies of Zechariah. Israel is mentioned 1st because the gospel is to the Jew 1st and then to the
Gentile. God still has specific dealings with Israel as a centerpiece in His purpose on the earth.
10 “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then
they (Israel) will look on Me (Jesus) whom they pierced (Rev 1:7). Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only
son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn. 11In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem, like the
mourning at Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. 12 And the land shall mourn, every family by itself: the family of
the…” Zechariah 12:10-12
E. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him: He is also coming for the Gentiles and they will mourn.
F. 1:8 The sovereign leadership of God is once again put before us (Isaiah 40). He is from everlasting to everlasting, the
Beginner and the Object of all human history. All things will be made subject to the Father even Jesus that God maybe all
in all and have the full manifestation of all things having their movement, being and existence in Him. Christ is the Author
and Finisher of our faith. God is the A and the Z everything is contained by Him, in Him and nothing is outside of Him or
besides Him.
G. God stands alone and His Christ will come to manifest His power, His victory of the gods and the idols of the
nations of the Lord and fill the earth with the Father’s glory. Isa 41-43
…but truly, as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD. Numbers 14:21
And blessed be His glorious name forever! And let the whole earth be filled with His glory. Psalm 72:19
For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea. Habakkuk 2:14