Verses 1-3
- 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:
- Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.
- 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.
The Revelation of Jesus Christ
Before Christ's crucifixion and death, He spent His last night together with His disciples. He had so many things He wanted to tell them. He desired to disclose to them wonderful truths about the future. Christ was about to go to the Father; He would be away for some time, but He promised to come back one day and take them to His home in Heaven. In the meantime, He would not leave the disciples comfortless, but would send His Holy Spirit to comfort them.
The Gospel of John is the only Bible writer to record the conversation that took place that Thursday night. It is found in John chapters 14 - 17, and it includes Christ's wonderful intercessory prayer.
On that night, Christ could not communicate to them all the things He longed to tell them. The disciples were still slow to understand, and He was a merciful and patient teacher. Christ told them:
12. I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.
13. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
Christ desired to disclose the future to His disciples. The book of Revelation is the fulfillment of Christ's desire and promise. It is called the revelation of Jesus Christ, because it comes from Him, and it is His gift for His church.
- 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 is not a closed or sealed book, so we cannot claim that this book cannot be understood. As the apostle John was writing this book, an angel told him,
10. And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.
As you study the book of Revelation, remember that its message comes from our loving Father and from Christ--our Lord, Savior and Friend. This revelation is not only from Christ, but it is a revelation of Himself--of His character, His love, and His Person. This is especially important in the context of the Great Controversy over God's character.
The principal aim of the book, therefore, is to make Christ known to the reader. As we get to know Him better, we will love Him deeper.
- Revelation of Jesus Christ = A revelation of His character
- Revelation of the future = How God's character is revealed throughout history
God's system of communication
- 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:
God is a God of order. Order characterizes Him and everything that He does. The universe functions according to orderly laws.
40. Let all things be done decently and in order.
The first verse in Revelation reveals God's orderly system of communication in the universe. The following diagram shows the journey of a message:
The Holy Spirit is present at all levels in the communication process.
- The Holy Spirit is before the throne of God (see Revelation 1:4; 4:5).
- Christ has the fulness of the Holy Spirit as He ministers in the heavenly sanctuary (see Rev. 3:1; 5:6).
- The angels have the testimony of Jesus, which is the Spirit of prophecy (see Rev. 19:10).
- The Holy Spirit reveals to the prophets the things that they must communicate (Ez. 8:3; 2 Peter 1:21).
- The church receives the Holy Spirit from Christ (see Matt. 3:11; Acts 1:5,8; Rev. 5:6).
God's manner of communication
Christ "signified" this special revelation and sent it to His prophet through an angel. The word "signify" in Greek is σημαίνω (semaino - Strong's 4591), which means "to make known," "to communicate," often through signs or symbols.
When we study Revelation, we must be aware that the events prophesied are hidden in symbols. Those symbols need to be decoded. The Bible will help us in that process.
Seers
2. Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.
Prophets bear record of the things that they see and hear from God. They are sometimes called "seers" in the Bible, because they see things that are revealed to them by God in a special and supernatural way.
9. (Beforetime in Israel, when a man went to enquire of God, thus he spake, Come, and let us go to the seer: for he that is now called a Prophet was beforetime called a Seer.)
God's Blessing
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.
This is the first of seven blessings found in the Book of Revelation. The blessing is pronounced for all those who:
- Read the words
- Hear the words
- Obey the words
21. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
24. Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
25. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
26. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
27. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.