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Lesson 3  Revelation 1

     As we open the book of Revelation, most people want to go right to chapter four. The reason I believe they do this is to get right to the meat of the book. As we have learned in the last lesson, we must read everything closely to get the best understanding that we can. What does the word Revelation mean? In Greek, it means the uncovering.
     As we read the first three verses in chapter 1, we see some keys to the rest of the book. In verse 1: “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:” What do you see in this verse? Remember it is a major part of the foundation of this book. Also, remember that the word revelation means the uncovering. Therefore, what we have here is God uncovering His Son and the things to come before Jesus is to bring the KINGDOM into reality.

     In verse 2, we see that John is a twofold witness of this Jesus. The first witness is that he walked with Jesus here on earth and was in the inner circle of Jesus. This is important for he would know if he was in the real company of Jesus. Secondly, he is about to become a witness to the things to come. Yet who is this John? He was a man who wanted more of God in his life! Therefore, he became a disciple of John the Baptist, then of Jesus Christ. In fact not only did he become a disciple, but also he became part of the inner circle (Peter, James, John). Therefore, we see that we have a man bent on knowing God and leading others to God. So, do you think he would deceive the church? Knowing this read verse three slowly.
    
In verse 3, the Greek meaning for the word blessed means happy.  So why are people afraid to read it or even talk about it? God has given us His word to encourage our hearts and we have let Satan turn it into something else. We are to be happy reading His word and hearing it. Ultimately, we are to be happy doing it. This means there are some things we are called to do in this book.The rest of this chapter deals with Christ as the Head of the seven churches and His relationship with them. This speaks to our relationship with Him too; at least, what it should be. If it is not a right relationship, then what are you going to do to get it right? Maybe that is why some Christians do not like this book, because their relationship with God through Jesus is in question. In verse three it reads in part “…peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come…” We need to know that we have an intimate relationship with Him.

     Look at verse 7, those that pierced Him are going to see Him come back in the clouds. Think about this!  How is this possible? Where are we to meet Jesus? Read Ephesians 2:2, this should bring a smile to your face.
In Revelation 1:9 and 10, we have a glimpse into John’s location and condition. We are told that he is on Patmos, an island. From history, we know that this island is about 35 miles off the coast of Turkey in the Aegean Sea. We know that he was suffering from persecution for the proclaiming of the word of God and from the pressure of his circumstance, which affected his spirit. Yet, even in this condition, he knows that he needs to spend time with the Father. Remember, he was part of the inner circle and was with Jesus in the Garden. So all he does is imitate Jesus (being a disciple). Even in the middle of his storm, he had the peace of mind to go to the Father. So where do you go in your storm?

     For the rest of this chapter Jesus is in the middle of seven candlesticks, each of which stands for a church. Remember the word church means called out. These churches are real in more than one way. They can represent us at the level of our relationship with God through Jesus Christ. We will cover this more as we discover more about these churches.

     Read very closely, the description of Jesus in verses 13 through 16. He is said to be like unto the Son of man. Why is this description given? Let us go back to Daniel 7:12-14. Here we see that this title stands for the final King. Also in the book of Luke, Jesus is portrayed as the Son of Man. Therefore, he will be King and judge of the churches and world.  His garment is that of a priest. His hair is white not from old age, but it is white because it stands for purity, and glory, and justice. Here you have in the middle of these churches a person Who stands for the final king and judge, Who is full of purity and glory and is going to judge you. How would you feel and what would be going through your mind now if you were John?

     Let us add some more to the description; his eyes are like a flame of fire. This means he is able to burn through the truth (which means a lie will not hold up). So none of those reasons or excuses that we would give Him for not doing what was asked of us will work.  His feet were like fine brass as if they were burned in a furnace. Why is this description given? Most Christian have not studied the Old Testament to understand the layout of the temple and the items that were used and their placement.  Read Exodus 27:1-7. Here you see that burnt offerings were made before entering the main courtyard. Therefore, sins had to be forgiven before coming close to God. Read Revelation 10:2. What do you think is happening? The voice was that of many sounds of water, which can stand for power.  This power of His voice comes in two ways 1) to move anything it wants; and 2) the ability to calm people. Then there is the description of His tongue as a two-edged sword. The two-edged sword represents His word. Think on how this word affects you.
Behold that in the right hand are the seven stars. These stars go with the seven churches, yet in this case they are in His hands. Why?  The stars represent seven angels (messengers). Some believe these are pastors who are placed there by God (Jeremiah 23:1-8). His appearance was so bright that it was like looking at the sun in the middle of the day.

     In verse 17, we see John falling as if dead. However, look at what hand the Son of man lays on him. Is there anything important about that hand? In verses 18, what does Jesus control?