Jesus Is Coming (Introduction to Revelation Part 2)

1. The Revelation of Jesus Christ—A Heavenly Commentary

Rev. 1:1-3 — The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending it through his angel to his servant John, who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, all that he saw. Blessed is the one who reads aloud and blessed are those who hear the words of this prophecy and keep what is written in it, for the time is near.

These verses form the title and the introduction to the book, a kind of a back cover summary. God gave this revelation to Jesus. This is the Word of God. It is trustworthy and true (Rev 22:6). This book contains John’s visions. It is his witness of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ, of all that he saw. Revelation is a heavenly commentary on what God has done, is doing, and will do through Jesus Christ. Jesus is the central figure and focus of this book. It reveals his Lordship, his judgment, and his salvation.

It shows us what must happen soon. John patterned verse 1 on Daniel 2:27-30, 45-47 but he replaced Daniel’s “in the last or end days” with “soon.” This is the first of John’s many allusions to the OT prophecies. For him “soon” has a sense of urgency and immediacy. The fulfillment of the OT prophecies has begun with the first coming of Jesus. They are being fulfilled now and they are moving to the final, complete fulfillment at the end. The last or latter days, the end days, have already begun. We are now living in this time. It builds also on Jesus’ words in Mark 1:15, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand (near); repent and believe in the gospel.” The kingdom has come in Jesus. His kingdom rule is happening now and it will be completed when he returns.

TRAIN METAPHOR — the train has already left the station (Jesus’ 1st coming & arrival of the kingdom) on its way to its final destination (Jesus’ return & the new creation, fulfillment of the kingdom. The train, history, the world, and we, are moving towards the end. It is happening now, soon, it is near. But we are not just along for the ride.

2. Blessed Are You When You Hear & Do

Because the time is near we must be ready. We are ready when we hear and keep the words of this prophecy. “Hear and keep” is the standard biblical formula for obedience. “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and obey it. (Lk 11:28). “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Mt 7:21).

Revelation is not merely an interesting book to satisfy our curiosities about the future. It is a practical book telling us how God wants us to live in these end times. We must live Christlike lives that worship and glorify God. And we must do it now because the time is near. Jesus is coming any moment and we should be ready. We must live as if every moment, every day is our last.

3. Grace and Peace to You

Rev. 1:4-8 — 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. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen. “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

In these crazy times, we need grace and peace. We need grace to persevere in our faith in the midst of persecution, suffering, and pressures to compromise. We need peace in the midst of all the turmoil, violence, and hatred happening around us. Only the Triune God can give us this grace and peace. Grace and peace come to us from God the Father, the One who is, who was, and is to come. We will come back to this in verse 8.

Our grace and peace come from the seven spirits before God’s throne, that is, the Holy Spirit. Describing the Spirit as seven spirits comes from Isaiah 11:2-3 and Zechariah 4:1-7. It indicates the fullness of the Spirit’s divine sovereignty, the power that works to accomplish God’s purposes. The Holy Spirit brings grace and peace in us, and so empowers us to obedience and witness in the world.

Our grace and peace come from Jesus Christ. These three titles are a summary of Jesus’ works that bring us grace and peace and so encourage us. Based on Ps 89:27, 36-37 and Isaiah 55:4. Jesus is the faithful witness — He provided the ultimate witness to the Father and the truth (John). He was obedient, and faithful, to death. He suffered and died on a cross because of his witness. We can believe and trust His witness and promises because He is the faithful witness, the ruler of God’s creation (Rev 3:14). As the faithful witness, Jesus calls us to faithful witness, even if it means death. We must follow his example like Antipas, his faithful witness, who was put to death (Rev 2:13).

We can do this because Jesus is the firstborn from the dead. This gives us the assurance that death is not the end for the faithful. Jesus’ resurrection is the guarantee that we also will be raised from the dead. Therefore, we have nothing to fear, even from death itself.

Jesus died at the hands of the rulers of the earth but through his resurrection, ascension, and exaltation Jesus Christ now is the Ruler over the kings of the earth. Their worldly and temporary power is subordinate to his eternal power and authority over all. This calls us and encourages us to give our ultimate allegiance to Jesus Christ and not to human leaders.

4. Glory and Power to Jesus Christ

Through his death and resurrection, Jesus has accomplished God’s purpose. He has accomplished God’s full salvation and final judgment. His kingdom has come and is coming. All glory is due to God. Therefore, John now bursts out in worship, “To Him be glory and power forever and ever.” This is how the faithful respond to Christ. He gives the reasons for this praise.

He loves us — so much that He freed us from our sins by his self-sacrifice. But he did not just rescue us from our sins and from eternal judgment. He saved us for a purpose, for service in his kingdom. As I said earlier, we are not just along for the ride on this train.

He made us a kingdom, priests for his God and Father. This reflects Ex 19:6, “you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” We are God’s chosen and holy people. We are called to mediate God’s salvation by witnessing to all the nations and so be a blessing to them. We are kings and queens. We are rulers. Christ restored God’s image in us. We represent God to the world. We reflect his presence. We are his light shining into the world. We are rulers of his creation. We rule with Christ already now. We are his ambassadors.

We are also priests. As priests, we are to be Christ’s faithful witnesses in the world. We proclaim his gospel to the world so that they can hear, believe, and repent. As priests we offer ourselves as living sacrifices to God. 1 Peter 2:5,9 states our twofold calling very well — “you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ … you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

John’s praise ends with a climax. Jesus is coming. Not he will come. This is not a wish. This is a certain promise and hope. He is coming. It is already happening. The train has departed the station and is on its way to that final destination, his final return. This will be the fulfillment of Daniel 7 and Zechariah 12. On that day, every living being on planet earth will see Him when He comes. His coming will be visible and universal.

All the people of the earth will mourn because of him. With Jesus Christ there is no sitting on the fence, no neutral position. You either mourn in repentance and surrender to Him as Lord. Or you reject Him and on that day you will mourn in anguish and in fear. On that day, you will either join in the praises of the faithful or suffer the anguish of the rest of the world.

5. “I Am …”

And now to affirm the authority and truth of this revelation the Lord God speaks saying, “I am.” This echo Ex. 3:14 — “I am who I am.” The Lord God says, “I am the Alpha and the Omega. I am the One who is and who was and who is to come. I am the Almighty.” He is present at the beginning of history. He is in the middle of history, and He is present at the end of history. He is the sovereign Lord over all history who brings his prophecies and promises to fulfillment and who is able to save his people. God the Father is also the One who is to come because He has come and will come again in his Son, Jesus Christ. Being the Alpha and the Omega, the one who is, and who was, and who is to come, shows us just how Almighty God is. He is the all-powerful Creator who created and rules over the entire universe. He holds everything in his hand. Human rulers come and go. Nations, empires, and governments come and go, but God rules the cosmos. He sets them up and takes them down. Long after they have come and gone, God will still rule and guide the course of history to his new creation. This gives us the strength and courage to persevere.

The train of God’s mission and Story is moving to its final destiny. Nothing can stop it. Of course, along the way, Satan will try to derail and stop this train but to no avail. We will experience opposition and persecution. We will face death but God’s love for us, Jesus’ triumph over death, and God’s sovereign rule over history assure us of God’s presence and help in our trials and troubles.

God has a plan larger than the details we can see and we fit into his plan. The church of all ages and the church from all nations and tribes are part of his plan. We, SUCC, are part of a purpose and a story that is bigger than us individually, bigger than our church, and it will not fail.

Because we live in this world and we have to deal with the realities of every day, we struggle to see beyond the moments we are experiencing now. This causes us to become short-sighted and self-consumed because these moments, this reality, is what we feel and experience daily. We become preoccupied with our moments, focused on this life and world. Revelation helps us to lift up our heads and eyes to look beyond the current moments. It shows us God’s glory and his salvation. It shows us his new world, a world that is real and eternal. God calls us to bring that new world into this world and into our current moments. We do so by living the kingdom life in this world. God’s vision of his new creation encourages and inspires us to live that new life already here and now.

In this world and in this life, we follow Jesus. We live like Him, love like Him, and talk like Him so that we can show Him to others. Because on this train with us, there are many unbelievers, broken sinners who are lost without Jesus. The train is moving quickly to its final destination and once there it will be too late. So our mission is urgent. We must be his witnesses, and proclaim the gospel. We must tell them that God’s kingdom has come and is coming. Repent and believe! Because Jesus is coming.