Sermon text: Revelation 1:1.

Sermon text: Revelation 1:9-20.

When you’re facing major trouble in your life, you want to know 2 things: when will it end, and will you survive it.

The story is told of a British submarine that sank while on a mission. While the sub sank in water reachable by divers, it could not be raised. When the divers reached the submarine, they heard tapping on the hull from inside. Once the survivors heard the divers tap back, they sent a message: “Is there any hope?” One diver sadly tapped back, “Hope in God alone.”

This describes the feeling of the first century Christians to whom St. John wrote. The Roman emperor — either Nero or Domitian, depending on the dating of the book (we’ll cover that later) — had begun an intense persecution of the Church. Christians everywhere had cause to fear for their lives. Would the persecution end, and would they survive it? Did Jesus know their plight, and did He care?

Just when the Church needed the message the most, they heard words of encouragement: Hope in God. While this sounded the death knell for the poor sailors, Christians found great comfort in this news. Help is on the way. Here He Comes!

The book of Revelation opens with words that told its audience of important things to come. First, the word “revelation,” or “apocalypse,” told the audience they would receive very important news that the world would not understand. Secondly, the word for “show” in the Greek implies a “clearing up” or clarifying a situation. Jesus would reveal His plan to His saints, and He would give them a clear understanding of that plan. He would use His servant John to reveal the plan to the Church. John had witnessed “the word of God” and “the testimony of Jesus Christ.” John had accompanied Jesus throughout His ministry, including His trial and crucifixion. John had seen the empty tomb, the risen Lord, and Jesus’ ascension. The Church recognized John as a “faithful witness;” after all, he was one of the first followers of Jesus and the author of a Gospel.

Verse 3 tells us “blessed” are those who read and hear this book. Remember that the first audience would have heard the book read in its entirety, probably at one sitting. However, it’s not enough merely to read or hear this book; the audience was charged to “keep” what they heard. The word for “keep” implies diligence. In fact, this word is also used to refer to the Roman guards at Jesus’ tomb. It is not enough to merely read or hear the words of Scripture; we must keep them in our lives as well. The Psalmist said, “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you” (119:11).

St. John then reported who gave him the revelation, both in his greeting (“grace and peace,” the typical Christian greeting) and by the attributes of the Sender (“who is and who was who is to come”). Only God could meet these qualifications. John then specified that Jesus Himself, “the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth,” had sent Him. These titles identified Jesus to the Church. “Faithful witness” referred to Jesus’ sayings in the Gospel of John (cf. John 5:31-36). “Firstborn of the dead” referred to Jesus’ resurrection. “Ruler of kings on earth” points to Jesus’ control of all human activities. While evil may seem triumphant at times, remember that Jesus always stands ready to exert His authority on behalf of His saints.

Verses 6 and 7 could come straight from the Old Testament; in fact, they do! “Kingdom of priests” reminds us of God’s statement to Moses in Exodus 19:6, where He stated His desire to make Israel into a “kingdom of priests.” Verse 7 reminds us of Daniel’s vision in Daniel 7, where Daniel records,

1. I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed. (7:13-14)
   

John also would have remembered Jesus’ statement before Caiaphas at His trial, where Jesus said, “…you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven” (Mark 14:62). One day, Caiaphas and those “who pierced Him” will see Jesus return in judgment.

At this point in the chapter, John tells us the circumstances behind the book: His exile (the island of Patmos because of “the word of God and the testimony of Jesus”), the day of the week (“the Lord’s day”), and his attitude. Notice John was in worship, even while he suffered for his worship of Christ. John was in an attitude in which God could speak to him.

And what John heard! He was to write to 7 churches in Roman Asia, or modern-day Turkey. As always in such circumstances, he heard, “Fear not.” (This is typical for any appearance of an angel or of Christ in His glory.) He heard the identifying characteristic of Jesus: “I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.” Jesus victory over death was total. Death no longer has any power over those who believe in Jesus’ name. Lastly, John heard the interpretation of the 7 stars and lampstands: these represented the “angels” (Greek “messengers”) to the churches and the churches themselves. Everything John would write would affect those churches, as well as the Church as a whole. These 7 churches would represent the Church in this book.

And what John saw! He saw Jesus in His glory, in a way he had seen Him only once before (on the Mount of Transfiguration, cf. Matthew 17). No wonder John needed to hear Jesus comfort him! Anyone who saw Jesus would remember Daniel’s vision. Undoubtedly, Daniel saw Jesus in His triumphant return to the world.

This chapter truly serves as a glorious opening to a glorious book. What would Christians have understood from it in the first century, and what should we see today?

I believe we should understand that regardless of our circumstances, Jesus can and will use us to minister to His Church and His world. Although John was in exile, he still received a great vision for the Church as a whole. Jesus knows your circumstances, and He can use them to serve others through you.

We should also understand that Jesus always keeps His promises to us. Jesus had promised His disciples in His last discourse (recorded in John 14-17) that although persecution would come, He would not forsake them. The Church needed to hear that Jesus knew of their sufferings and would work on their behalf. Jesus, as the Almighty, can and will work to bring us through what we suffer and actually, as St. Paul reminds us in Romans 8:28-39, turn our sufferings into strength for us.

We also need to understand something about this book. We are told that the true blessings come to those who “read” and “hear” this book — and then “keep” the words. Christians, our blessings come only when we obey Our Lord. Jesus blesses obedience, but as the book will go on to inform us, He also punishes disobedience. When we remember everything Jesus has promised us in this book and in the rest of the Bible, we should gladly obey His call to tell others of the good news of salvation: Christ has come, Christ has risen, Christ will come again.

Are you ready for Christ to return? Don’t be lured into false comfort that “quickly” hasn’t happened yet. God has a totally different time scale from us. As Revelation will tell us, Christ came at first to serve as our sacrifice before God. Christ will come again, but to judge the world for disobedience and unbelief. Read the book, and keep the words. The words of Revelation, with the words of all Scripture, are words of life for all who will believe in the name of Jesus Christ.