I’ve been asked to preach various books of the Bible at different times throughout my ministry career. Sometimes, I’m asked to preach on particular topics as well. However, I have been asked to preach the Book of Revelation more than any book during my days as a preacher.
There’s something about the Book of Revelation that captures the curiosity of Christians and even non-Christians.
Have you ever wondered why it captures so many people’s attention?
Perhaps it’s the challenging way that it’s written. Perhaps it’s the graphic description of cataclysmic events. Perhaps it’s the discussion about the new heaven and earth. Perhaps it’s the promise of the return of Jesus. Perhaps it’s all of these things and more.
Well, today, we’re starting a series in Revelation, and by God’s grace, we’ll finish that series sometime in the months to come.
Today, we’re looking at the first eight verses of Revelation in a sermon I’ve entitled “The Beginning of Revelation.”
Before we go any further, let’s pause and ask God to speak to us.
(prayer)
Ok, let’s look at the passage together and read through verse 8, then learn more together.
1 The revelation of Jesus Christ that God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 2 who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, whatever he saw. 3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear the words of this prophecy and keep what is written in it, because the time is near.
4 John: To the seven churches in Asia. Grace and peace to you from the one who is, who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits, before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
To him who loves us and has set us free from our sins by his blood, 6 and made us a kingdom, priests, to his God and Father—to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
7 Look, he is coming with the clouds,
and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him. And all the tribes of the earth, will mourn over him. So it is to be. Amen.
8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “the one who is, who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”
Ok, as we look at this beginning of Revelation, let’s introduce ourselves to three aspects of the book.
First, . . .
I. An introduction to the book.
Ok, let me just get this off my chest right away. I’ve been planning to say this for quite some time.
The book is called “Revelation” not “Revelations.” It’s singular, not plural.
This is a book of the Bible that contains one big singular revelation.
We see that right away in verse 1, “The revelation of Jesus Christ . . . ”
Notice a few characteristics of this revelation that we see in verse 1.
It was “ . . . of Jesus Christ . . . ”
It was “ . . . by God . . .”
It was for “ . . . his servants . . . ”
It was revealed by “ . . . his angel . . . ”
It was revealed to “ . . . John . . . ”
So, here’s a summary: The revelation was given by God the Father, to Jesus Christ, for the servants of Jesus. It was revealed by an angel to John.
By the way, this John is historically and overwhelmingly recognized as John the Apostle.
This would be John, the Son of Zebedee.
This would be the John who wrote the Gospel of John.
This would be the John who wrote the epistles (or letters) 1, 2, and 3 John.
This would be the John known as the disciple whom Jesus loved.
We’re not exactly sure when Revelation was written, but it was likely written during the mid to late first century, during the reign of the Roman emperors Nero or Domitian.
John tells us in verse 9 (which we’ll look at a different week), that the letter was written from the island of Patmos.
Ok, that’s a little bit of the introduction to the book, now let’s talk about . . .
II. An introduction to the message.
Listen very carefully, church:
Revelation is not about puzzles or codes.
Revelation is not primarily about prophecies.
Revelation is not primarily about the end times.
While Revelation does include some of the things I mentioned, what Revelation is primarily about is Jesus.
Look at your Bibles again, toward the end of verse 5. It says,
To him who loves us and has set us free from our sins by his blood, 6 and made us a kingdom, priests, to his God and Father—to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
7 Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him. And all the tribes of the earth, will mourn over him.
So, the message of Revelation is primarily about Jesus.
Yet, there is no doubt that part of the message centers on the return of Jesus.
After all, we just read, “Look, he is coming with the clouds . . . ”
However, let’s also go back to verse 3. Look at the last few words in verse 3. In my translation, it says, “ . . . because the time is near.”
Also, notice that verse 1 says, “ . . . what must soon take place.”
The time for what is near? What is soon? Well, the fulfillment of the words of the prophecy contained in Revelation. The time for that is near or soon.
Now, we must remember that the word near may mean something different to us than it does to God, right?
Have you ever noticed that time speeds up as you get older? If you tell a child that you’ll go to Disney World soon, you may mean in 30 days, but they’re asking you 30 seconds later if it’s time to go.
When you’re a teenager, it seems like forever until you’re an adult. Then, the next thing you know, you’re in your 40s with a grey beard.
You see, the way we process time is relative.
Remember, Peter says in 2 Peter 3:8:
Dear friends, don’t overlook this one fact: With the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.
So, why does John say that the time is near? Because John wants us to pay attention. He wants us to be alert. He wants us to focus on the message that is delivered in Revelation, which is that Jesus is King, and He is coming again!
To God, the time is soon or near. Though it may seem far off to us, we must be ready because it is actually soon.
So, that’s a bit about the message. Of course, we’ll dive much more into the message as we go through the book.
Finally, let’s look at the . . .
III. An introduction to the interpretation.
We should be very purposeful when it comes to how we interpret the Book of Revelation.
First of all, we need to understand what kind of biblical writing it is.
Revelation is partly a letter, as evidenced in that it is addressed to seven churches.
Revelation is also party prophecy, as it speaks to what will come later.
Finally, Revelation is also apocalyptic literature. The Faithlife Study Bible describes this type of literature this way: “This kind of writing often featured an angel or otherworldly being who revealed heavenly mysteries to a human recipient. These mysteries are delivered in the form of visions that use graphic imagery to symbolize cosmic realities.”
So, when interpreting Revelation, we must keep in mind that some of the descriptions are not to be taken exactly literally. Rather, they are fantastical ways of communicating a real point.
What’s even more challenging is that sometimes there is both a literal interpretation and an apocalyptic interpretation.
For example, look at verse 4 in your Bible. It says, “To the seven churches in Asia. Grace and peace to you from the one who is, who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits, before his throne . . . ”
First, let’s speak to the churches.
There is no doubt that there were churches in these ancient cities in Asia Minor (which is modern-day Turkey).
Yet, many scholars believe that because the number seven is used, which represents a biblical number of completion, the message of Revelation applies not only to these seven churches but to the complete collection of all churches throughout church history, including the church in Bartow.
So, there is both a literal interpretation and a figurative interpretation.
Second, we see the seven spirits.
Some suggest that these are seven angels which stand before the throne of God.
Others suggest this represents seven aspects of God.
Still others suggest that this represents the completeness of God’s Spirit, again by using the number seven.
Sometimes things are literal; sometimes things are figurative or symbolic.
So, we must be careful and curious in our interpretation of Revelation, and we must do so with humility.
Here’s another way of saying it: You don’t have it all figured out, I don’t have it all figured out, and that famous author or TV preacher you heard doesn’t have it all figured out either.
Now, let’s get just a bit more technical here (I hope I’m not losing anyone). There are four major views that speak to how to interpret the Book of Revelation:
1. Preterist (from the Latin praeter, which means “past”): This view believes that most events were fulfilled in the 1st century.
2. Historicist: This view believes Revelation outlines all of church history, from the beginning of the church in Jerusalem, until the Lord’s coming.
3. Futurist: This view believes that most events are still future, especially chapter 4 and onward.
4. Idealist (or Symbolic): This view believes the book represents timeless truths about good and evil.
When we consider these four views, we must be careful not to think that only one of these views applies.
There are likely some things in Revelation that have already happened or started to happen.
There are likely things in Revelation that have not yet happened.
There are likely things in Revelation that are meant to draw our attention to general truths about God.
All of these realities are possible. We must not try to fit God’s Word into a box that requires it to follow our rules or theories.
Rather, we must be careful and curious when interpreting the Book of Revelation.
So, we may not yet know everything perfectly about the Book of Revelation, but we can continue to devote ourselves to the study of it and to the greatness of God, which we’re reminded of in verse 8.
Look at your Bibles again:
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “the one who is, who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”
The Lord God, the Alpha and the Omega (which means “the first and the last”) wants us to know this message. So, He gave this message to Jesus to pass on to His Church to know the central message that Jesus is King.
That takes us to our bottom line:
Bottom Line: Revelation is all about pointing the church to Jesus.
Church, throughout this study, we must be focused on Jesus. Throughout our lives, we must be focused on Jesus.
We’ll learn a lot. We’ll have some fun. We’ll learn how we can prepare for the future God has for the church. More than anything else, we must learn to look for Jesus and love Jesus.
Challenge yourself this week in this one way:
Weekly Challenge: Ask God to make your heart more devoted to Jesus.
Join me in prayer this week to ask God to make your heart more devoted to Jesus.
Do you all remember quinoa? It was popular for a while as a healthy food. It tastes like chewing on bloated pieces of sand. It’s disgusting. You see, I never really made an effort to like quinoa because I’m not sure my life would have been any better if I started eating sand.
However, I know that my life will be better if I get more of Jesus. I want to want more of Jesus. I want my heart to be more devoted to Jesus. I bet you do too.
Challenge yourself this week to ask God to make your heart more devoted to Jesus.
Before we close in prayer, let me point out that Revelation has some good news for us. However, I can tell you the greatest news right now: God loves you, and He gave His Son Jesus so that you could be made new and have true life.
(Gospel presentation)
(closing prayer)
COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER: The text contained in this sermon is solely owned by its author. The reproduction or distribution of this message, or any portion of it, should include the author’s name. The author intends to provide free resources in order to inspire believers and to assist preachers and teachers in Kingdom work.
