The Revelation of Jesus Christ

Revelation 1 (NASB) from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

The Revelation of Jesus Christ

The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John, ² who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. ³ Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near.

⁴ John to the seven churches that 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, ⁵ and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood— ⁶ and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father—to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. ⁷ Behold, 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, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

⁹ I, John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. ¹⁰ I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet, ¹¹ saying, “Write in a book what you see, and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”

¹² Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands; ¹³ and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His chest with a golden sash. ¹⁴ His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire. ¹⁵ His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters. ¹⁶ In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength.

¹⁷ When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, ¹⁸ and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades. ¹⁹ Therefore write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after these things. ²⁰ As for the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

I want to be clear again, as I have said before, I am not a Biblical scholar. Over the next weeks as we reflect on some of the passages in Revelation it will not be done from a deep hermeneutical view. There will not be an extensive exegesis of the daily texts. These are both important scholarly skills, valuable for the study of God’s word, its meaning and its interpretation. My desire for “Daily Nuggets” is that it would be an applicable reflection on God’s word, with an emphasis on the application for today more than for historical accuracy or prophetic interpretation. My desire is to be true to the heart of God’s word through a sensitivity to the Holy Spirit. I encourage everyone to seek God, not relying on what I say, but rather seeking the “Revelation 0f Christ” God has for you from His word. 

The first thing that impresses me when I read John’s description of the vision is his frequent use of the words “was like”. Man simply cannot comprehend or describe heavenly and spiritual things in earthly terms. We see this same inadequacy of language and description by others who saw visions or experienced being taken up into the heavenly realm. The limitations of our finite minds and this physical earthly realm we know cannot contain the magnitude and the glory of God. Even as I write this I am reminded of the verses in Isaiah 6, when he too saw into the heavenly realm. Isaiah 6:2-3 says:    Seraphim stood above Him…and one called out to another and said, "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory."    The whole earth is filled with His glory, I have often read that and thought of the difference in perspective, when we view the earth we see the darkness and the evil that abounds. From a heavenly perspective, seeing earth from God’s view, the way He created it to be it is full of God’s glory. When we pray, Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven, we pray to see the realities of heavens perspective manifested here in this earthly realm. On the cross Jesus said “it is finished.” Everything that Jesus came to do, the redemption of mankind, the reconciliation and restoration of all things is complete, finished in heaven. Today though, as I ponder John’s inability to describe the glory that he saw, I also realize that even though the earth is full of the glory of God, the earth cannot contain the fullness of His glory. God’s glory is infinite, unending it fills the earth and the universe and even that does not contain all of the glory of God. God continues to create new and wonderful things, both seen and unseen.

The second thing that impresses me when I read John’s account are his words: “ When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man.”  Of all the disciples, of all people, John was perhaps the one who knew Jesus the most intimately. John refers to himself in his gospel account as the disciple whom Jesus loved. John was the one who laid his head on the chest of Jesus as they shared the last supper.  John was also privileged to witness the transfiguration of Christ. In Matthew 17:5-8, we read:   a voice out of the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!” ⁶ When the disciples heard this, they fell face down to the ground and were terrified. ⁷ And Jesus came to them and touched them and said, “Get up, and do not be afraid.” ⁸ And lifting up their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus Himself alone.    John, who knew the man Jesus as well as anyone fell to his face at His holy, glorified presence in heaven. Just as Jesus did on the mountain, He does and says again to John:  And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid”

The Revelation of Christ, everyone will have a revelation of Christ. The Bible says: at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.  (Philippians 2:10-11) In the last days, when Jesus returns, He will be revealed as King of kings and Lord of lords. He will be revealed as judge as we read in Matthew 25: 31-32.    “But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. ³² All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another      In that day, when Christ is revealed, when every knee will bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord it will be a fearful experience. But just as Christ said to John, he says to everyone: “Do not be afraid”  “ I am the first and the last,  and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.”    Jesus came to earth and was revealed as the savior of the world.  “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:16)      If that is the revelation of Christ we have then we are told we can: come boldly to the throne of grace,  that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:12)  

Thank You heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ and Holy Spirit for giving me the revelation that Christ who is King of kings and Lord of lords also came to be my savior. I gladly bow my knee and I thankfully come boldly to Your throne of grace.   Amen.