Revelation 1 - Bible Commentary on the Book of Revelation

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Book of Revelation

By Brian Pepper

Chapter 1

1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:
2 Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.
3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.
4 John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;
5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.
9 I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.
10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,
11 Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.
12 And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;
13 And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.
14 His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;
15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.
16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.

17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:
18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
19 Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;
20 The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.

Bible Commentary

REVELATION 1:1
THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST, WHICH GOD GAVE UNTO HIM TO SHEW UNTO HIS SERVANTS THINGS WHICH MUST SHORTLY COME TO PASS: AND HE SENT AND SIGNIFIED IT BY HIS ANGEL UNTO HIS SERVANT JOHN:

The Revelation of Jesus Christ

The key phrase is 'The Revelation of Jesus Christ.' It is a glowing portrait of the Lord Jesus for in this wonderful Book; Christ is pictured in a number of ways. We are introduced to Him as the Lamb of God, slain from the foundation of the earth. No less than twenty-six times is Christ's sacrificial title 'The Lamb' used.

He is presented as the 'Faithful Witness', a title that can only apply to Christ who came from the Father to reveal Him to mankind. He is also called the 'First Begotten of the Dead', the 'Prince of the Kings of the Earth', the 'Alpha and Omega', the 'Son of Man', the 'Lion of the Tribe of Judah', the 'Root of David', and finally as 'Lord of Lords' and 'King of Kings'.

Revelation is an unveiling; God is revealing great events that will take place in the future. Some people say that the Book of Revelation is a sealed Book and that it cannot be understood. However, the word revelation shows that this is not so. And what is more, it is a Revelation of Jesus Christ and is complimentary to the Gospels. The Gospels record Christ's ministry on earth, His teachings, acts of healing, miracles and example of life or living. The Revelation records His work in the plan of redemption since that time and His intimate association with the Church here on earth.

All along the communication between heaven and earth has been through Christ. It was Christ who spoke to our first parents in the Garden of Eden. Genesis 2:16 says: "And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:" It was Christ who spoke to Abraham. Genesis 18:1 says: "And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day." Again in Exodus 6:3 we are told that Christ appeared to not only Adam and Abraham, but also to Isaac, and Jacob and Moses. Exodus 6:3 says: "And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name Jehovah was I not known to them".

There is no question that this was Christ, for Paul writing in 1 Corinthians 10, says that it was Christ who accompanied the people of Israel in their wilderness wanderings (Exodus 33:9-11). 1 Corinthians 10:4 says "And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ". It was Christ who was Israel's leader not only in their wilderness wanderings but throughout their entire history as a nation. In fact, all of God's dealings with fallen humanity have been through Christ (Patriarchs and Prophets by EG White 311, 366, 373, 396; Desire of Ages by EG White 52).

Which must shortly come to pass

The thought expressed throughout the Book is that these events were to take place in the not too distant future:

ch. 1:1, 22:6	"...things which must shortly come to pass,"
ch. 1:3	"...the time is at hand,"
ch. 3:11	"...behold I come quickly,"

The Second Coming of Christ is the great climatic event of the age long conflict between good and evil, and all the events portrayed in the Book of Revelation are a background to this great event. It is so that God's people may not be deceived as to the approximate time of His return that Christ has pictured very clearly, the events that lead up to this great event. Some might say, "The Lord delayeth His coming", but as we study the Book of Revelation it is quite clear that this is not so. These prophecies are planned to reveal how far ahead lies the actual day of His Coming.

And He sent and signified it by his angel

The angels are God's messengers and the Angel mentioned here is Gabriel, who is God's chief messenger.

Unto His servant John

It is rather interesting to notice that the Book of Revelation is the only Book written by John in which he identifies himself by name.

REVELATION 1:2
WHO BARE RECORD OF THE WORD OF GOD, AND OF THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS CHRIST, AND OF ALL THINGS THAT HE SAW.

John was given a great privilege in being selected as the one chosen to reveal to God's people these wonderful visions, special messages that were designed to bring great encouragement to the Church through the long ages from his time to the end.

And of the testimony of Jesus Christ

The Book of Revelation is a message from Jesus Christ about Jesus Christ. The Revelation is a factual, eye and ear witness report of what John saw and heard while in vision.

REVELATION 1:3
BLESSED IS HE THAT READETH, AND THEY THAT HEAR THE WORDS OF THIS PROPHECY, AND KEEP THOSE THINGS WHICH ARE WRITTEN THEREIN: FOR THE TIME IS AT HAND.

In John's day not everyone could read and write so there was a special person appointed to read the Sacred Scrolls in public. The fact that this Book was to be read in the churches of Asia suggests that its messages were timely even in those days.