Exploring The Revelation: Chapters 1–5 / Part 1

Series – February 2021 – Grace & Truth Magazine

Exploring The Revelation
Chapters 1–5: Part 1

The five books written by the apostle John were all published later than any other writings of Scripture. His gospel is considered to have been written about 85 AD, his three epistles about 90 AD and Revelation about 95 AD. He was likely between 85 and 95 years old during the time of writing, and therefore these books show evidence of a dignity and maturity gained by long experience. Yet, the books have no marks of the infirmity of old age. John has been called “the apostle of love,” and his loving admiration of the person of the Son of God is especially evident in his gospel and epistles. However, God chose him to announce the awesome judgments of the Lord Jesus in this book of Revelation. This reminds us that genuine love is not weak and permissive, but faithful and true.

In this last book of the Bible, God magnificently revealed the outcome of His sovereign counsels and of His ways with mankind. Revelation stands in great contrast to the simplicity of the book of Genesis. The ravages of sin began their course in Genesis. Now, as we are nearing the day when Revelation is to be fulfilled, sin has tremendously multiplied the world’s problems and caused complicated involvements in every direction, whether among Gentile nations, Israel or the professing church. The confusion throughout the world is so great that it has gone far beyond human ability to stem the tide. Therefore this closing book of the Bible is a revelation of how God will discern and judge, with calm deliberation, every evil work and principle together with those who take sides with the evil. God has an end in view which He will accomplish in marvelous perfection, righteousness and love, but He will do so through many great and dreadful judgments.

“Revelation” means just what it says. Though many symbols are used in the book, they are intended to be understood – to be revealed, not hidden. It follows that every believer should be concerned about learning the book well. I therefore urge our readers to keep his or her Bible open and consult it constantly when reading these articles. The comments are not substitutes for the Bible, but merely helps in understanding it. God is not concerned that you should know what the articles say but what His Word says. If a commentary encourages you to learn His Word better, it will serve a useful purpose.

Introduction To Revelation 1
God gave this Revelation to Jesus Christ that He might, as the Son of Man, communicate it to His servants. It is He who has been entrusted with the restitution, or restoration, of all things, and has therefore given this revelation to show to His servants the things soon to take place. Only as servants will we be shown these things. All believers are servants of Jesus Christ, yet we must be servants in practice if we are to properly understand Revelation. A servant above all is obedient. Thus, the measure of our obedience will be the measure of our understanding.

An angel instead of the Lord is used to communicate, or signify, the revelation to John (v.1). This implies that there is some distance between the Lord and the people, for He is seen as judging every action, every principle according to pure truth. A judge while on the bench is not free to show his affections even to his family.

The angel communicated or signified what God revealed by signs, as indicated by the Greek word. Revelation is largely a book of signs, meaning illustrative picture language. This does not mean that we can interpret them as we please, for a sign means what God intends by it; and the meaning of the sign is virtually always explained elsewhere in Scripture, although not every time a sign is used.

In Revelation 1:2, John bore witness to the Word of God – the vital spring from which everything must flow – and to the testimony of Jesus Christ – the manifestation of God’s will in this once humbled but now exalted Man. As to these things John testified of what he saw. There is absolute certainty of its truth.

Verse 3 pronounces a special blessing on those who hear, read and keep the words of this prophecy, which is special because the time of its fulfillment is near. As the time nears we should be more concerned to know better what God reveals as to the future, that it might have a proper effect in our present conduct. Prophecy is not merely for our entertainment, but for our solid, practical benefit in deeper appreciation of Christ and of living for Him.

The Seven Churches In Asia Addressed
John began writing in verse 4 to the seven churches, or assemblies, in the Roman province of Asia Minor. That area comprises most of what is present-day Turkey. They were literal assemblies at the time, chosen by God to represent the entire Church in all its history on earth. This will be more clearly seen in chapters 2 and 3.

He addressed them with a greeting of grace and peace from the eternal God who fills the present, the past and the future; and from the seven spirits before His throne. Consider Isaiah 11:2 (NKJV) where the Spirit of the Lord is said to be “the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.” The lampstand in the tabernacle represented this: the central stem being “the Spirit of the Lord” and the other six stemming from it. Compare this with Revelation 4:5, which says, “And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.”

“And from Jesus Christ” begins Revelation 1:5. He is the unique Man who is God’s fellow, the one faithful witness of God and for God in the world, the firstborn from the dead. As such He is the supreme Head of a new creation. Adam was head of the first creation (Gen. 1:28), but his sin ruined it. Christ has come into it, has died to make atonement for sin and has risen again as the Head of a new creation. Every believer already shares in the blessing of what Christ has done and what He is (2 Cor. 5:17).

Jesus Christ is “the ruler over the kings of the earth” (Rev. 1:5). He has a dignity and honor above all the administrative rule of earth’s kings or authorities. Then, in the same verse, His love and sacrifice for us are mentioned – the means by which we have ourselves become a kingdom, priests to God and His Father. “Kingdom” speaks of public testimony; “priesthood” expresses nearness to God. Well might this blessed Man of God’s counsels be given “glory and dominion forever and ever” (v.6).

The next verse refers to Christ’s coming in great power and glory at the end of the tribulation period. This is not referring to the rapture of the Church, which takes place at least seven years previously (1 Th. 4:13-18), yet the Church bears witness to the world about this great coming of the Lord in power that all the world will have to face. Enoch bore witness to the Lord’s coming in great glory, as recorded in Jude 14, yet he was taken to heaven without dying before the flood of Noah came (Gen. 5:23-24). Noah’s flood is typical, or a picture, of the coming tribulation.

At the end of this awesome tribulation period the Lord Jesus will be manifested and His saints appear with Him (Col. 3:4; Rev. 19:11-16). Every eye will see Him. Gentiles will be awestruck, many with utter terror because of their callous unbelief. Those who pierced Him, the tribe of Judah (Zech. 12:10-11), and all the tribes of the land of Israel will wail in broken humiliation because of their former unbelief toward Him. The book of Revelation centers around the truth of its seventh verse, but the blessing of the Church, of ourselves, is established in the two previous verses (vv.5-6), before this great event is mentioned.

In Revelation 1:8 this blessed Man Christ Jesus is seen affirming Himself as “the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.” He had no beginning, for He is the beginning. He has no end, for He is the end. Christ Jesus is the Almighty from eternity to eternity! Some have claimed that this must refer only to God, not to Christ. However, Revelation 22:12-13,16 proves that this refers positively to Jesus the Son of God and adds its absolute seal to the truth of the great Godhead glory of the Lord Jesus.

By Leslie M. Grant

Look for Part 2 of this Series next month.

This Series has been adapted from “Exploring The Revelation,” a brief commentary on the whole book of Revelation. The entire book can be accessed online at Bible Centre or purchased from Believers Bookshelf USA or Believers Bookshelf Canada.