THE KEY TO HISTORY HAS BEEN AND ALWAYS WILL BE JESUS

Revelation 1:1-8
Bob Bonner
August 14, 2005

For thousands of years, this world has confronted us at every turn with circumstances and situations that cause us to fear, despair, become anxious and feel defeated and hopeless. Take just one snapshot in time, as an example. The one-hundred-year period following the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. What were Christians facing in those days? Wholesale persecution from the government as well as from other religious entities. Natural disasters such as famines hit the nation of Israel. Newly committed Greek and Jewish Christians were facing rejection from family members who disowned them for having committed their lives to Christ. Jobs were scarce for these rejected Christians.

Throughout history, things have been tough for both those who have sought the Lord as well as for those who have not. However, as it concerns our future, there is some good news and bad news, according to God’s Word. The good news is that the pain and suffering, the injustice, disease and death, the sorrow of this world will one day come to an end. But the bad news is, that before it gets any better, it must get worse first.

Knowing this, sometime during the latter years of the first century, Jesus Christ showed up in a vision and met with the Apostle John. Christ’s purpose was to give to John a revelation about the close of history that would enable those who were alive during His lifetime and those who are alive today an antidote to fear, despair, defeatism and hopelessness brought on by living in this world. In turn, those who take this antidote will be enabled to serve Christ more faithfully until they die or until He comes again to establish His physical kingdom here on earth, whichever comes first.

As we return to this introductory section of the first chapter of Revelation, we are going to look at the focus of this book, the person of Christ. In Revelation 1:1-8, John makes several references to Jesus Christ, His character and His role today as well as in the future. Because some of these references are mentioned in the first three verses that we looked at last time, we will be returning to those three verses, just briefly, to look at what they tell us about Jesus Christ.

As I look at these first eight verses in comparison to the rest of Scripture, I know of no other passage that has more references to the person of Christ than these that are found in the first eight verses of Revelation.

Last time, in verse 1, we noted that this particular book is the “revelation of Jesus Christ” not the revelation of John. In stating this, John is telling us more than Jesus was just the source or author of this revelation, but that Jesus is, in fact, the source of all revelation and truth. If you recall, John is also the author of the Gospel of John, and he begins that Gospel with the statement that “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.” John knew then that Jesus is ultimately the source of all revelation, including the Word of God, the Bible. Hence, because what Jesus says is true, it is then worthy of being believed, trusted and followed.

Last time, we learned that this book is introduced with a promise. In v. 3, we are told that if you make it a practice to continually read, hear and heed the words of this book you will be blessed.

This promise to be blessed does not mean blessed in the sense that we won’t experience heartache, but blessed in that even in the midst of a world gone crazy, we will find deep satisfaction, purpose and meaning that will enable us to carry on serving our Lord until He comes. Hence, understanding and applying the truths of this book is to be the lens through which we view how we are to invest the rest of our days here on this earth.

In addition, as you might have figured, according to verse 3, Jesus Christ is also the source of the blessings promised. It is the very nature of God to want to bless His children. We read from cover to cover of the Bible, that our God is first, a God of grace. Literally, our God is a giver of gifts, such as blessings. It is His heart’s desire to honor, provide, protect and bless those who seek His face.

Recently, I came across an Old Testament example of God’s desire to bless those who make Him number one in their lives. In 2 Kings 23-24 and 2 Chronicles 34-35, we read about a King of Judah, named Josiah. In 2 Kings 23:25 we are told that Josiah was the most godly human king who ever lived, including King David and King Solomon. Faced with living in a culture that had succumbed to the worship of various pagan gods and had rejected Yahweh, Josiah, at 8 years of age, sought out to know Yahweh and to honor Him. As a result, God blessed him and held back His discipline upon the nation of Judah as long as King Josiah lived. Yet, God still promised that as soon as Josiah died, Judah would experience the discipline of God for having refused to follow Yahweh. This king’s life illustrates that it is God’s first desire to always bless those who seek His face. Discipline or punishment or destruction has never been His first desire for any of His creation.

Right here in the very beginning of the Revelation of Jesus Christ, He wants us to know that this is Christ’s desire as well, because He is the very source of the blessings promised here.

When we come to verses 4-5, John briefly makes reference to all three persons of the trinity. Here we read, “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, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.”

We know that the first “Him” to whom John refers in verse 4 is God the Father, because later in verse 5, John adds Jesus Christ. In addition, throughout the New Testament, God the Father has always been mentioned first as the author and source of “Grace and Peace.”

“Grace” refers to all of God the Father’s work on our behalf, such that when people put their trust in His Son, Jesus Christ’s finished work on the cross and understand it as it applies to them, the result is “peace” not conflict in their relationship with God the Father. Once a person turns his life over to Christ as his personal Savior and Lord, there is nothing that person can do from that point on to return to a position of being an enemy of God. Jesus Christ has become our peace with God. Our entire standing of acceptance and approval before God rests on the finished work of Christ on the cross. That’s why the Apostle Paul states in Romans 5:1 “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” That “having been justified” is a past action that is complete, with continuing positive results for the believer.

The third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, is also seen in these verses. Notice the reference to “The seven Spirits who are before His throne.” Some take this to refer to seven angels, even though the word being used here is actually the word for spirits not angels.

However, the word for “spirit” is used throughout Scripture to sometimes refer to “angels,” people, demons and the Holy Spirit. In this case, I take the expression “the seven Spirits” to be an allusion to the Holy Spirit, based on what we read in Isaiah 11:2-4. There, in reference to the Holy Spirit resting on the promised Messiah, Jesus Christ, it states, “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. And He will delight in the fear of the Lord, and He will not judge by what His eyes see, nor make a decision by what His ears hear; but with righteousness He will judge the poor, and decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth; and He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked.”

In this passage, there are seven references to the Holy Spirit resting on Jesus, as Christ fulfills His role as the final judge over all of the earth. If you are familiar with the specific use of different numbers used in the Bible, you probably know that the number seven refers to perfection, completeness and fullness. Hence, I take the reference here in Revelation to refer to the fullness of the Holy Spirit, the complete and perfect, all-wise judge and authority, or Lord over all of the earth, resting upon Jesus, as He reigns upon the heavenly throne which has dominion over all heaven and earth.

As I pointed out last week, this book spends more time pointing out Jesus Christ’s role as a future judge than on any other aspect of His character. Of this observation of Christ’s major role in this book, John Phillips adds, “In this book, wicked men get richly deserved judgment from God. The floodtides of His wrath, dammed back since Calvary, burst all their banks and pour forth in all their fury.”

Once again, in light of the emphasis of Christ’s role as judge, don’t miss the significance of God stating right at the beginning of this book, in verse 4, that He is a God of “grace and peace” to all who seek Him. That’s who God wants to be to all of His creation. But if any of His creation rejects God’s rightful role of being the authoritative figure in his life, then that creature will face His wrath.

Now, let’s return to identifying the unique characteristics and attributes of Jesus spelled out in the rest of these first eight verses of Revelation. Look again at verse 5. We read, “...and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

With verse 4, speaking of God the Father, and the Holy Spirit, John wastes no time in verse 5, returning to his focus of this book, Jesus Christ. In verse 5, John points to three highlights of the person of Jesus Christ.

First, he tells us that Jesus is the “faithful witness.” According to John 18:37, Jesus, standing before Pontius Pilate took on the role of the faithful Old Testament prophet, that regardless of the response of the people, even if they wanted to put Him to death, Jesus still spoke the truth, He bore witness to the gospel to His generation...and He died for it.

Jesus is also called “the firstborn of the dead” which refers to the historical fact of Christ once and forever being resurrected from the dead. Being “firstborn of the dead” presumes that there will be another, or second, resurrection of dead persons and that He has the power to raise others from the dead, just as He did Himself. Hence, those who put their complete confidence in Him can rest assured that once they die, they will be raised from the dead and will live forever, serving Jesus Christ.

These truths must have meant more to the first century believers undergoing intense persecution than it does for some Christians today who live in the relative lap of luxury and peace. It’s my observation that many people today must think that those words are just pie in the sky dreams, because they appear to go about their daily lives as though these truths about Christ have no real impact on them. However, back then, and today, for those who are literally dying for their faith, those words have brought hope and courage to face another tomorrow. And someday, these words will give hope to maybe even you, as persecution of Christians continues to increase around the world.

Third, we are told in this verse that Jesus is “the ruler of the kings of the earth” and in verse 6, that He will have “dominion forever.” In essence, John is telling us that Jesus is sovereign. What does that mean, that He is sovereign? It means that Jesus has no equal. When you and I turn to Him, there is none greater or higher than Him.

It means that Jesus has never been nor will He ever be outranked, overthrown, or undermined.

It means that Jesus knows no limitation, experiences no frustration and faces no threats. Hence, when you pray to Jesus during difficult times or times which are confusing to you, He will never respond with, “Er, uh, I’d sure like to help, but I just don’t know how or what to do.” Jesus is always in control, He always knows what’s best to do and He will always accomplish His will.

Why? Because being sovereign means that Jesus is absolutely invincible! Right now, Jesus has chosen not to exercise His sovereign authority here on earth. But the message of this book is, that soon He will.

As we live in a world that is deceived, confused, and appears to be spinning out of control, overrun by injustice and evil, knowing that Jesus is sovereign means that we can rest in God’s peace, rather than be controlled by our fears. According to this book, we know how the world ends and who wins. If we are rightly related to Jesus Christ, we do not fear...even for our own lives, because those on His side ultimately will be resurrected and live with the other winners who claim Jesus Christ to be their Savior and Lord!

But to presently experience that peace and rest, I must daily acknowledge that He is the King, my king and master. I must dethrone myself and my wishes and enthrone Him and His wishes.

When I look at the rest of verses 5 and 6, I stand amazed and humbled. For here we read to what lengths Christ has gone that we might have a relationship with Him. We read, “To Him who loves us [literally, “keeps on loving us”] and released us [aorist tense = once and for all freed us] from our sins by His blood—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.”

To those who have finally come to the place were they were willing to admit to God, “Look God, I have ignored you, I have done what I know to be wrong. I need your forgiveness and acceptance. I need Jesus to rescue me, to deliver me from the ultimate consequences of my sin and I put my sole trust in Him” to them has He given acceptance and eternal forgiveness. He has become their Savior. But only as we continue to give our lives and allegiance to Christ, does He grant us freedom from the control of or enslavement to our sins. He makes it possible for us to find freedom from the shackles of destructive habits and hangups that lead to selfish attitudes. He brings healing to the hurts of our past that have harassed most of our lives.

Many Christians have yet to experience this freedom because they have not yet learned how to submit or to completely turn over the control of their lives to Christ. Yet, those who have learned how to submit, sing from their hearts the words of that age-old hymn:

• · He breaks the power of cancelled sin,
• · He sets the prisoner free;
• · His blood can make the foulest clean;
• · His blood availed for me!

• And why has Jesus done this for us? Watch this! The three answers parallel Christ three attributes mentioned in these verses: That we, in turn, might become His faithful witnesses even unto death; that we would be raised from the dead by His same resurrection power, so that we would rule with Him in eternity. He did it first. He did it all, that we might follow after Him!

And then we are told in verse 7, “Behold, [or, keep alert, watch for, take note that] 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.”

This verse states that “all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him.” At the end of the world as we know it, and before Christ establishes His kingdom on this earth, the human race will be engaged in the evil and foolishness that will lead to the final war of the world, known as the battle of Armageddon. Suddenly, as the battle is raging, Jesus will show up. Dazzled by His presence, those alive at the time will look up and see Him. At that moment, they will throw down their weapons and weep or mourn. For at that moment, they will realize the damnable foolishness of their ways, and that what God had promised in His Word for thousands of years was true. And because they had refused to believe it, because they had ignored it, because they have rejected Jesus Christ, they are without hope. They will shortly experience the consequences of eternal judgment, being separated from God and everything that could be considered good. And that’s a very legitimate reason for persons to weep and mourn.

And when John adds, “So it is to be. Amen” he is not delighting in the damnation of others, but rather, he is acknowledging that such judgment is due them. For by such kind, Jesus has been ill-treated ever since His conception. Men sought to murder Him as a child, scorned and then wrongfully executed Him as an adult. What else should be expected from the judge of all the earth?

Finally, in verse 8 we read, “I am the Alpha and the Omega ,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come , the Almighty .”

“The Alpha and the Omega” is Greek for “the first and the last,” the beginning and the end, the eternal one who rules from eternity past through eternity future. This phrase carries with it the concept that Jesus is the complete and continuous acting power in the world. This title is used only in the book of Revelation and is used three times. Once, it clearly refers to God. Once, it clearly refers to Jesus Christ alone. And here, I believe that it also refers to Jesus Christ. This phrase signifies that Jesus Christ is the eternal source, the origin, the one from whom all life began; He is also the ultimate goal toward whom all of life is moving.

Hence, when we are rightly related to Jesus Christ, when we focus on the truth of who He is, then we realize that we are not a by-product of chance; we are not left here alone to fight for survival and then pass into oblivion. But rather, our lives have purpose and meaning that is attached to the eternal God of the universe. Jesus, as the Alpha and the Omega is the answer to the loneliness that many in our world feel today. As we seek after Him and seek to do His will, our loneliness is replaced with being drawn closer to Him. Our emptiness is transformed into fulfillment and deep, eternal satisfaction.

But how can one grasp that kind of life, here and now? The answer is also mentioned in verse 8 as another title of Jesus is mentioned. Jesus is called, “The Lord God.” This expression means that we view Jesus as who He really is to us. He is the only one who has the right to declare Himself as the sole authority over individual’s lives.. We must individually submit our lives to Jesus and recognize Him as our “Lord God.”

Well, how do we do that? Here are four suggestions that someone else coined as the “A, B, C’s of Lordship.”

First, we must daily affirm our allegiance to Jesus Christ as our master. Our master is not our jobs, our search for financial security, or someone with whom we have a special relationship. Our allegiance is to be to Jesus, and Jesus first.

Once I recognize to whom my allegiance belongs, then I willfully bow to Christ’s authority over my life. When He tells me to forgive someone, whether I feel like it or not, I forgive. When He calls me to walk with Him through a tough time, rather than taking matters into my own hands because I’m tired of the situation, I bow to His authority. I wait upon Him and His timing.

When I bow to Him, I commit to Him all that I am, have, and hope to be. I yield to Him my dreams, my reputation, my assets, my accomplishments and even my future potential to do with as He sees best.

The final step to granting Jesus Lordship in one’s life is to dethrone our own will and way; and put Jesus on the throne of my life, ready to fulfill His purposes.

This morning, we have taken the time to look at only 7 titles and or attributes of Jesus Christ found in these eight verses. We have deliberately skipped one or two, which I hope to touch upon later as we work our way through the book, such as the commissioner over the angels, in verse 1, and the Almighty one, in verse 8

At this point, I offer a suggestion to you who desire to worship and live for Christ in this crazy world. As you go through trying times, focus upon who He is. There are many ascribed attributes and names for Jesus that reveal who He is. But if you are not familiar with them, then begin a list as you read your Bible, of the attributes of Jesus. Start with the seven that we have looked at this morning. As you face those daily challenges that tend to bring up fears, a sense of hopelessness and despair, remind yourself that Jesus is walking right there along beside you. He has not abandoned you. As you think about who He is and what He is about, and as you ask Him to live His very life out through yours, He will replace that despair with hope, courage and desire to continue on serving Him, no matter what this world serves up. You will find that your faith will grow and your commitment will increase to live as one set apart for a significant purpose here on earth, in Grants Pass, OR. You will find that considering Christ’s names and attributes and weighing how they relate to your present-life situations, will produce positive faith-strengthening actions in your life.

Acknowledging these names and attributes of Jesus Christ on a daily basis is necessary because we face an insidious enemy, who continually will try to lie to us, but Jesus is greater and can handle the enemy. For, “Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.” (I John 4:4) When you declare that, you resist the devil and he must retreat. He must flee from you, and you in turn will experience Christ’s freedom.

Let’s pray. Lord Jesus, thank you for caring enough to stoop and meet us in our need. For so loving us that you died that we might be cleansed of our sin and rebellion against you. We acknowledge your authority over us and your right to reign as King over our lives. Thank you for your enablement to live our lives such that we fulfill your purposes. Teach us to let go of those things we clutch so tightly. We commit ourselves to you and your purposes. We turn over to you all of the struggles of our lives, our weaknesses, inadequacies and fears. As we dethrone our wills to you, we count on you, Lord Jesus, to hold us near to you, to defend us, to provide for us, and to use us to your ultimate good purposes. We look forward to the day when we will see you face to face. Until that time, may you find us faithfully at work in your service. Amen.

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