Rev. 1:4-8

Revelation 1:4-8

1. Starting in verse 4 of chapter one, John identifies seven churches to which he is addressing this epistle. These could have been the churches that had the concern over the persecution they were experiencing and were concerned over when the Lord was going to come and intervene.

• These letters were addressed to seven churches that were located in Asia. The location at that time was not the Asia as we know it today, but instead it was a Roman province that was identified with Turkey.

• Oliver B. Greene, in his book ” The Revelation” points out that there are at least three churches in this same area that were not mentioned in this letter. They were Colosse, Hierapolis, and Troas, and he uses that to prove that these seven that were mentioned were representations.

• Let’s look at this opening to the churches. John starts off by saying “Grace to you”, this is a lot more interesting than one might think at first glance. We, for the most part, are not able to get the full meaning of this word grace. Grace translated from the Greek means, kindness, goodwill, a special manifestation of the divine presence, activity, power or glory, a favor, expression of kindness, gift, and blessing. This is more than we have been able to understand in the past. John is about to give them a word that he received from the Lord, some of which is correction, and he expresses that God’s special blessing is to be manifest to them through this message. In other words, he is saying that you need to listen to these words because God is actively involved in the churches and seeks to bring you in line with Him.

• The next word John uses is peace. This word in the Greek means harmony, and is often used in greetings throughout the New Testament. Harmony in the dictionary can mean, to have an inner calm, or to have tranquility. Now here are the churches that wrote to John, or expressed to John the fear and the upset of persecution and the concern over when the Lord is going to come, and they are told calm yourselves, and know that God is still in control.

• In this verse comes the idea that they need not be concerned over current events, God is still in charge, He hasn’t forgotten or hasn’t lost control, He is with you in the midst of these things, and we will see this shortly as Christ pictures Himself in the church. The idea is that we should not be concerned when our lives seem out of control, because He is never out of control.

• Still in verse four, we find next John expressing the omnipresence of our Lord. All of these things come from the one who is, who was, and who is to come. This is an important part to the comfort of those that believe their lives are out of control, and who think that there is a possibility that they may have missed this coming again of the Lord. Paul dealt with this in one of his letters to the Thessalonians. They were concerned over whether or not those that died in Christ would be risen to meet the Lord, and Paul went on to explain to them the times and epochs. Evidently there were those that were going around stirring up the churches and teaching them that they had missed the coming, that it had already occurred and they missed it. Also, notice that this is going to congregations are about to be corrected, and yet the tone is loving an kind.

• The Holy Spirit uses verse four to calm them, as He explains through John, that the one who was, and is, and is to come is still in control, and they haven’t missed anything. These are very comforting words. They are comforting to know that God is still in control, during all of the stuff that happens in this world. And it is comforting to know that He is still coming and that we haven’t missed the boat.

• Next John writes in verse four, that this is coming from the “Seven Spirits who are before the throne, His throne”. Some say that seven is a very important number throughout the Bible, and that it represents completion. This is to say that God has completed something, or something is made complete.

There is another explanation. Some say that this part of verse four is a reference to the seven fold Spirit of God. In Isaiah 11:2 it says, “The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.”

There is really the theological understanding of both of these understandings, and they really do not conflict with one another. In other words, the New Testament shows Jesus setting at the right hand of God, and this represents the finished work of the Lord. At the time of Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection, Jesus was taken up and took a seat at the right hand of the Father. Even on the cross, Jesus declared it is finished, that all He had come to do was done, and nothing else was left to do. Which would be a comforting thought to us when we are going through struggles of this life.

1. On the other hand, wouldn’t it be comforting to know that the Holy Spirit is so involved with us that He can be not only the Spirit of the Lord, but also of wisdom, understanding, counsel, strength, knowledge, and the fear of the Lord. All of these things are what we need when we are going through the troubles of this life.

1. Verse 5 says that this Jesus is most definitely Jesus the Son of God. He is the faithful witness of what His Father is doing. He was faithful when He walked the earth in proclaiming the Gospel, He was faithful even onto death, which purchased our salvation, and He is faithful in answering the prayers of the saints as they cry out to Him.

1.  He is also the first born of the dead. This is a reference to Jesus being the first  raised from the dead. This is the understanding throughout Scripture, but in Paul’s writings, Jesus is identified as the first born of the dead. He was raised from the dead. This same understanding came from Psalm 2:7 which says, “I will surely tell of the decree of the Lord: He said to Me, You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.” This is the understanding that Paul and the others have of Jesus being raised from the dead. And it is also proof of the Father’s acceptance and proof that Jesus was the Son of God.

1. John goes on to explain that Jesus is the ruler of all of the kings of the earth. This is important for us to understand. At times, without this understanding, it can seem as if the world is in control of things and not Jesus. This is looking through the natural eyes, but still we do it. The Holy Spirit through John is reminding the church that Jesus is the true ruler of all of the kings of this earth, regardless of appearances.

1. This is brought to light in Ephesians 1:18-23 which says, “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.”

1. Understand, the churches that have been addressed here would have known this teaching of Paul’s; Paul and those that were with him started these churches. The Holy Spirit is reminding them of some facts that they need to hold onto about this present age.

1. So in this part of verse five, the Holy Spirit is reminding them that Jesus is on the throne and has actually been placed in authority over them. This is important to remember because that means that Jesus is at work directing history to its consummation in time. If the church could just hold to this and start walking by faith and not by sight they would overcome the things they were experiencing and start experiencing the peace and the grace spoken of in verse four. There is no ruler here on earth that Jesus is not in authority over them.

1. Then John begins to praise the Lord Jesus Christ and in doing so he states things that are so important for us to remember. Jesus loves us! All that He does in our lives is based on His love for us, and that is something that we need to hang onto. The other thing we need to hang onto is the fact that He and He alone has cleansed us from our sins by His blood. We are no longer stained by sin, but instead we have been cleansed completely from all marks that sin has caused in our lives.

1. This would be enough, but John doesn’t stop there, he reminds us that because of Him we are also brought into His Kingdom, and we are no longer part of this world order that is passing away, but instead we are of His Kingdom which is eternal in nature and will be when this world is no longer. John starts this theme in verse six.

1. Citizens of the Kingdom of God would be one thing, but here John takes things to the next level. Jesus made us somebody. To be a citizen of the United States is really good, but that really doesn’t mean anything beyond freedom from slavery and communism. One can easily get lost in the United States and just be another citizen. But not so as a citizen of the Kingdom of God. Jesus has made us priest’s that serve Him directly. The very King of the Kingdom knows us personally and we will know Him personally, because we will serve before Him as His priest’s.

• John finishes this verse in prayer praising the Lord for who He is. This is interesting and we ought to take notice of this. John has just talked about all that Jesus has done and all that He is and the natural response for him is to glorify God for all of these things. It ought to be our natural response as well. When we think about all that the Father has done for us through His Son Jesus Christ it ought to lead us to a praise session before God, praising Him for His awesomeness and wisdom in all things.

• In verse seven come the affirmation that the churches have been looking for and the answer to their questions. John says, “BEHOLD”. This is a strong word in the Greek. It means: Look! See! Listen! It is as if John is telling and pointing as if the church could see him, Look over there, there He is. He could have said Jesus will be coming in the clouds. But John points and says, Look! as if to say there He is, can you see Him?

• The point of this is He is coming with the clouds. This went back to Jesus’ ascension into heaven. In Acts 1:9-10 it says, “And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. They also said, Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you watched Him go into heaven.”

• John was saying that it is the same thing that was told to Him on the day of Christ’s ascension. That this is what is still being told to him now, He is coming in the clouds and all will see Him come. Before it was just a select few, those that followed Him that saw Him go into heaven, but this time all are going to see Him.

• John describes the ones that will see Him. John says that the whole world will see Him, even those that pierced Him. Some would say that “those that pierced Him” would be those that had nailed Him to the cross back in the first century. But if that were so then His second coming would have to have been in the first century. But the Bible makes it clear that those that do not accept Him as Lord and Master are guilty of the crucifixion as well. Sin is what nailed Jesus to the cross, and it is the sins that causes the world to be apart of that crucifixion. So it doesn’t have to be just those of the first century, but all who have practiced sin without coming to the Lord Jesus and making Him master of their lives.

• Then John says that all of the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. This is not hard to understand in light of the fact that all that have not accepted Him, as Lord and Savior of their lives will see Him. This will prove all of their speculations and philosophy’s to be wrong, and they are about to face the truth of the matter. They are about to face judgment that has been prophecies about and they rejected. They know at this point the all is lost for them, they have nowhere to turn. That would most certainly bring mourning, as they realize they have lost their lives for a short period of doing things their way.

• It is hard to imagine what that would feel like. To think that at that moment of clarity, the moment where all see beyond a shadow of a doubt, that they were wrong, and that all of these Christians that had told them about judgment coming were right. Now they face judgment that determines their eternal future. Think for a moment what that would be like. One’s torment would begin at that point in their life and would continue for eternity.

• John’s comment as he understands the devastation that is about to take place in the lives of those that have refused Jesus, is so be it. Actually in the Greek New Testament the word used means: yes, or yes indeed, certainly so, surely. This is difficult to understand really, one would ask how John could be so unfeeling as to express, and yes I am glad this is going to happen to these people. One could say that because of the persecution that they were under, one would feel like this, but I don’t think that is what is being said here.

• John is certainly glad and comforted that he will be vindicated here, but he is resolute in the nature of God. God knows the heart of those that will be mourning at this time, and He knows that all had been done to try and change their minds to the truth, and their refusal to do so is their own doing, and it is their own fault that they are to face this judgment to come. John just turns it over to Jesus the righteous judge and says yes you are the righteous one.

• This understanding becomes clear as John then speaks the words spoken to him by Jesus Himself. Jesus proclaims Himself to be the Alpha and the Omega. Interestingly enough, in the Greek alphabet Alpha is the beginning character and Omega in the last character. Jesus is saying that He is the beginning and the ending of all things. Some versions of the Bible state that He is the beginning and the end. It was put there to clarify the Greek understanding.

• What is being said here is that, Jesus was a creation and He is at the consummation of times. This goes along with John the Gospel 1:1-5, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”

• He is the beginning and the end, and He is declaring that in verse eight of chapter one. And Jesus affirms what was said earlier about being who is and who was and who is to come. Then He claims Himself as the Almighty. There is no one more mighty as He is. What a comforting thought for all who have put their trust in Him. Jesus, when He talks and when He brings comfort to us wants us to know that it is Him who is talking. And that is exactly what He is doing here in this first chapter. Jesus went through the first eight verses of this chapter letting the church know that it is the same Jesus that died on the cross, the same Jesus who was raised from the dead, and the same Jesus who ascended into the clouds.

• This is important for us to know because at the time of this writing, which most scholars agree is around A.D. 95, there was a group that began to infiltrate the church. They are known as the Gnostics. These people believed that the Christ and Jesus were two different things. They believed that the Spirit of Christ was on Jesus and left Him at the crucifixion.

• That would be a different Jesus than we know, different from the one that rose from the dead and ascended into heaven and promised He would return for His church. Jesus wants us to know that it is Him talking, and not some Gnostic idea of a philosophy. Jesus wants His people to know that He is in charge at this time and will always be in charge. He wants the church to know that He will return for them.