Read Revelation 1:4-20.

Introduction⤒🔗

Whenever I returned from the post office, having gone to pick up the mail, my two young sons would always ask, “Is there any mail for us?”

We enjoy receiving mail, especially personal correspondence from a friend or relative who lives somewhere far away. When we find such a letter awaiting us at the post office it thrills our heart. Depending on our personality, we do one of two things: either we drop everything else and immediately tear open the envelope; or, we save that personal correspondence for last so that we can truly savor it.

Proverbs 25:25 informs us that just as cold water refreshes a thirsty soul, so also does good news from a distant country. Here at the very beginning of the Book of Revelation, we find just such a correspondence: greetings addressed to the church of the Lord Jesus Christ; greetings that come to us from the heavenly fatherland; greetings addressed to us by the Lord Himself.

Before revealing the great and awesome events that must take place and that shall usher in the kingdom of God, before addressing the condition of the individual churches with words of counsel or commendation or rebuke, our Lord begins by first conveying His benevolent greeting to the church, a greeting that contains words of assurance and encouragement.

Be Encouraged by Our Lord’s Word of Blessing←⤒🔗

The Apostle John pronounces the benediction, “grace and peace to you” (1:4). “Grace” has been defined as “God’s riches at Christ’s expense;” a definition that is in accord with this present passage: “Jesus Christ...loves us and...released us from our sins by his blood” (Rev. 1:5b). Grace is God’s benevolent favor extended to us in Christ. We may define “peace” as one of the blessings that results from God’s grace: “since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:1).

Grace and peace are extended to us by the Triune God: “Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come.” Here is a reference to God the Father in His identity as the sovereign and eternal God who is Lord over all (note vs. 8). Christian, it is God the Father in His capacity and identity as the Almighty God who extends to you His grace and peace: “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Rom. 8:31b)

This divine grace and peace also come to us “from the seven Spirits who are before His throne.” This is a reference to the Holy Spirit in His character of perfect holiness, (in Scripture the number “seven” is the number that represents perfection), and as He gives us direct contact and communion with the throne of God. From Ephesians 2:18 we learn that as Christians, it is “through [Christ] we...have access to the Father by one Spirit.” Christian, the Holy Spirit in all His perfection and as the One who knows the mind of God (“Who among men knows the thoughts of another man, except that man’s own spirit that is within him? In the same way, no one knows the things of God, except the Spirit of God;” 1 Cor. 2:11), conveys His benediction to you.

Finally, this benediction of grace and peace comes from Jesus Christ, the Son of God (vs. 4-5). In this passage the Lord Jesus is defined in the following terms: He is the One who is “the first born of the dead.” The reference is to our Lord’s own resurrection, as well as the fact that all who believe in Him shall finally participate in His resurrection. The Apostle Paul declares,

²⁰But now [the fact is] Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep [in death]. ²¹Since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead also comes through a man...²³But each in his own turn: the first fruits, [which is] Christ; then those who belong to Christ when he appears [in glory]. 1 Cor. 15:20-21,23

Jesus is further identified as the one who loves (present tense) us. Christ’s love for His people is continuous; the Christian must not allow the clouds of trial and tribulation, which may hide the brightness of Christ’s love, to refute the continuing reality of His great love. Finally, our Lord Jesus is identified as the one who “released us from our sins by his blood.” The supreme expression of Christ’s love was His work of redeeming His people “while we were still sinners” (Rom. 5:8). This redemption is not only from the penalty of sin, but from sin itself, as the angel informed Joseph: Mary would “give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21). Redemption from sin has been accomplished by the shedding of His blood on our behalf, (a death that atoned for our sins), and by the our spiritual connection to that saving death: by virtue of our union with Christ, we have been joined to Christ in His death, thereby dying unto sin, the old sinful nature as the central principle of our life being put to death, and we have subsequently been joined with Christ in His resurrection life, a life He (and we) now live unto God. Christian, the Lord Jesus Christ, the One who loves us and is our Savior, conveys His benediction to us.

Let us be encouraged by our Lord’s benediction. The Triune God in each of His divine Persons bestows His benevolent favor upon us. If men should curse us, let us remember that the Lord our God pronounces His blessing upon us. If men should turn away from us and cast us out of their presence, let us be assured that the Lord our God abides with us and looks upon us with His divine favor. As the LORD assures us: “I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jer. 29:11).

Be Encouraged by the Assurance of Our Lord’s Dominion←⤒🔗

In verse five, our Lord Jesus Christ is defined as “the ruler of the kings of the earth.” Here is a reference to His ascension and exaltation at the right hand of God the Father:

[God raised Christ] from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, ²¹far above every rule and authority and power and dominion and every title that can be given, not only in this present age but also in the coming age. ²²And he put all things in subjection under his feet, and he appointed him to be head over all things for the church. (Eph. 1:20-22)

At present, Christ employs the divine authority entrusted to Him to protect the souls of His people and to restrain the assaults of the devil against us. At the end of the age when He returns in glory, Christ will employ that divine authority to abolish all the demonic hosts and consign them and the devil himself to the lake of fire forever. That act of final judgment is graphically portrayed in Revelation 20:10, “The devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also. They will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”

In verse six, our Lord Jesus Christ is defined as the One to whom belongs “the glory and dominion forever and ever.” As the eternal Son of God, the Second Person of the Trinity, He forever shares with the Father and the Spirit in the divine glory and dominion. As He was about to go to the cross, knowing that He was soon to return to the Father, the Lord Jesus prayed, “And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world was [created]” (Jn. 17:5).

In verses 12-16, John is permitted to see a revelation of Christ in His glory and dominion. There is a striking similarity between this revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ and the way in which He revealed Himself to Daniel so many centuries earlier. On both occasions He appears wearing a long flowing robe and a golden sash around His chest; the golden sash denotes royalty:

...in the midst of the lamp stands was someone like the Son of man, dressed in a robe that reached down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest.Rev. 1:13

I looked up and there before me was a man dressed in linen; his waist was wrapped with pure gold from Uphaz. Dan. 10:5

On both occasions His eyes are seen to blaze like a flame of fire; the blazing eyes denote the Lord’s absolute purity, His abhorrence to even look upon evil, and His ability to search out wickedness and consume it:

...his eyes were like aflame of fire. Rev. 1:14

...his eyes were like flaming torches.Dan. 10:6

On both occasions His feet are compared to the brightness of polished bronze; the brightness of His feet denotes the absolute glory of the Lord, a glory that is so overpowering one cannot even look at His feet, let alone His face:

His feet were like polished bronze, as if it had been refined in a furnace. Rev. 1:15

...his arms and his feet were like polished bronze. Dan. 10:6

On both occasions His voice has the depth and power of a deafening roar; the power of His voice denotes His divine majesty and authority: “By the word of the LORD were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth” (Psl. 33:6):

...his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. Rev. 1:15

...the sound of his speech was like the sound of a multitude. Dan. 10:6

On both occasions His face radiates with the divine glory; the radiance of His face again denotes the overwhelming and unbearable glory of the presence of the Lord:

His face was like the sun shining in its brilliance. Rev. 1:16

...his face was like the appearance of lightning. Dan. 10:6

The Lord Jesus proceeds to identify Himself to John by declaring, “I am the First and the Last, ¹⁸I am the Living One” (vs. 17b-18a). By revealing Himself to John in the same way by which He previously had revealed Himself to Daniel, our Lord Jesus Christ is declaring: “I AM the sovereign Lord of life. I always have been and I always will be the sovereign Lord of life. For one brief moment I entered into the world and into death for your sake and for your salvation. But My true and eternal identity is that I AM the sovereign Lord of life.”

The Lord Jesus, appearing in His divine glory and dominion, is seen walking among the seven golden lamp stands (vs. 13) and in His right hand He holds seven stars (vs. 16). We are informed, “the seven stars represent the angels of the seven churches” (vs. 20). As the N.T. scholar, G.R. Beasley-Murray writes, we should “regard [the angels] as personifying the heavenly or supernatural life of the churches [i.e. the seven congregations addressed in Rev. 2-3] as they are seen in Christ.”¹ That is to say, “the seven stars” represent the church as it exists in the presence of God in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, secure in the hand of Christ. The Apostle Paul assures the Christian, “you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God” (Col. 3:3). During the days of His earthly ministry, the Lord Jesus comforted and assured His disciples with these words:

My sheep respond to my voice; I know them and they follow me. ²⁸I give them eternal life, they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand. ²⁹My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. ³⁰I and the Father are one. Jn. 10:27-30

We are further informed, “the seven lamp stands represent the seven churches” (vs. 20). The “lamp stands” represent the church in its present earthly existence, with Christ present with us by the person of the Holy Spirit:

I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever, ¹⁷the Spirit of truth. The world cannot receive him, because it does not see him, nor does it know him. But you know him; because he abides with you and will be in you. ¹⁸I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Jn. 14:16-18

Be Encouraged by the Promise of Our Lord’s Return←⤒🔗

John declares, “Behold! He is coming.” We are to take heed and take comfort from the fact that our Lord will, indeed, return, as the angels testified to the disciples at the time of His ascension:

They were looking intently up into the heavens as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. ^11'Men of Galilee,' they said, 'why do you stand here looking into the heavens? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.'Acts 1:10-11

Do we live our lives with the awareness and the assurance of Christ’s triumphant return? If not, let us from now on do so.

John elaborates: our Lord Jesus is coming “with the clouds.” Here is a reference to the vision recorded in Daniel 7:13-14,

In the vision [I received] at night, I looked and there before me came one who was like a son of man on the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and he was brought into his presence. ¹⁴He was given authority and glory and a kingdom, so that all the peoples, nations, and [men of every] language should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that shall not be destroyed.

John is made to see that our Lord’s return at the end of the age is identified with the triumphant coming of the majestic and divine Son of Man. Conversely, the divine Son of Man revealed to Daniel is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

Furthermore, John declares, “every eye shall see him, including those who pierced him.” Here is a reference to our Lord’s universal vindication: God will cause all the world to see the One whom they rejected, the One whom He has exalted to supreme honor and glory. The prophet Isaiah foretells this great event:

In Isaiah 52:14-15 the LORD promises that His servant’s exaltation shall be in direct proportion to His previous humiliation: “Just as many were appalled at you...so shall he cause many nations to be shocked.” (Note: The primary meaning of the Hebrew word הזָנָ  is “to leap” or “to spring.” In the hiphil form it usually means “to spurt” or “to sprinkle.” But given the present context, the word as used here is best understood to mean “to be startled,” or "to be shocked.”) What is in view here is a leaping or spurting of the emotions when men behold the once battered Christ when He appears in His divine glory at the end of the age. Whole nations “will tremble with astonishment within themselves, being electrified, as it were, by the surprising change that has taken place in the servant of the LORD.''²

At the first, the suffering that befell the LORD’s servant caused many to look upon Him in astonishment and shock; because His body was so battered and bloodied He presented an appalling sight, having been beaten, scourged and crucified. But at the last, the honor bestowed upon Him shall cause the nations to once again look upon Him, this time in speechless astonishment at His glory. He, in His incarnate state as the servant of the LORD, shall appear in the very glory of God, He shall bear the very Name of God, He shall truly be the visible manifestation of the great God Himself in incarnate form (cf. Phil. 2:8-11). Isaiah goes on to report, “Kings shall cover their mouths at [the sight of] him.” At the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, the very rulers of this present world will be confronted with the unspeakable and indefinable glory of God as it is revealed in the Person of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

John goes on to say, “and all the peoples of the earth shall mourn because of him.” On that day, the long-suffering patience of God over the world will give way to the justice of God, vindicating His Son and condemning the world. On that day, the words of Jesus will be fulfilled in all their awful fullness: “I told you that you shall die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am he, you will die in your sins” (Jn. 8:24).

John concludes with the exclamation, “Even so, Amen.” As Christians, we are to desire and pray for that day when, in the words of the hymn writer, Frances R. Havergal, our Lord is “vindicated and enthroned, unto earth’s remotest ends glorified, adored and owned.”

Let us be encouraged by the promise of our Lord’s return. At the very end of the Revelation, the Lord Jesus will speak one more word of assurance: “He who bears witness about these things says, ‘Yes, indeed, I am coming soon!’” On behalf of the entire church, the Apostle John responds, “Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev. 22:20)

Conclusion←⤒🔗

At the very beginning of the Revelation, our Lord addresses to us His own word of encouragement and assurance.

Such a word was needed by those who first received the Revelation. The Apostle John, the recipient of the Revelation, was exiled for Christ on the Isle of Patmos (vs. 9). The seven churches of Asia, the original churches to whom the Revelation was addressed, suffered great pressures to deny their Lord and to conform to this present world (Rev. 2-3).

Such a word of encouragement is needed by the church of Christ in all the ages of history, as we seek to live for Christ in a world that is hostile to Him. Despite what we may encounter from the world and what we may encounter as we live in the world, may our hearts be encouraged by: 1) our Lord’s word of blessing: “Grace and peace to you;” 2) the assurance of our Lord’s dominion: “I am the Alpha and the Omega, says the Lord God...the Almighty;” and, 3) the promise of our Lord’s return in power and great glory: “He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him.”

Discussion Questions←⤒🔗

1. What benediction does the Apostle John pronounce upon the seven churches? See Rev. 1:4-5a. From whom do we as Christians receive this unmerited divine favor (i.e. grace), and how is He defined in Revelation 1:4; see, also, Rom. 11:36. In conjunction with the Father, from whom else do we receive this unmerited favor (cf. Rev. 1:4), and what is He presently doing on behalf of Christ’s people? See Rom. 8:26. Who is the third Person mentioned? See Rev. 5a. What position does He occupy? See Rev. 1:5a; see, also Acts 2:36. What wonderful assurance does this provide for us in the midst of a world that is hostile to us?

John, to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace and peace to you from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before his throne, ^5aand from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the first born of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. Rev. 1:4-5a

...from him, and through him, and unto him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen. Rom. 11:36

...the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself makes intercession for us with groanings that cannot be uttered. Rom. 8:26

...let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ. Acts 2:36

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? Rom. 8:31

2. On behalf of the church universal, what word of adoration and praise does John ascribe to Christ? See Rev. 1:5b-6. As a Christian, do you appreciate Christ’s present and on-going love for you? Do you appreciate what He has done for you? Do you appreciate that He has made us subjects of His Father’s kingdom and has given us the privilege of offering priestly service unto God?

To him who loves us and who released us from our sins by his blood, ⁶and made us to become a kingdom and priests for his God and Father, to him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever! Rev. 1:5b-6

3. How does John describe Christ’s atoning work on our behalf? See Rev. 1:5b. What unexpected word do we find where we would expect to read “washed”? What does this mean? What happened to you when you put faith in Christ? Cp. Titus 3:5-6. What is the result of this Holy Spirit-administered baptism by which you have become a Christian? See Rom. 6:3-4, 11,

To him who loves us and who released us from our sins by his blood... (Rev. 1:5b)

...according to his mercy he saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, ⁶whom he abundantly poured out upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Tit. 3:5­-6

When a man takes a shower, he emerges clean; but when the Holy Spirit plunges us under the “shower” of the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, we not only have our sins washed away, we emerge from this “shower” as a new creation, united to Christ Jesus in His resurrection life. This is “the baptism of the Holy Spirit,” which every person who comes to Christ experiences, it is nothing other than conversion, sovereignly produced by the Holy Spirit.

Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ⁴Therefore, we were buried with him through baptism into death, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life...¹¹Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Rom. 6:3-4, 11

4. At the very outset of the Revelation, this book that foretells the severe tribulation that the church of Christ will suffer at the hands of the world, what are we told? See Rev. 1:7. Do you pray for our Lord’s return? Do you realize that the day of His appearing will also be the day of your vindication? See 2 Thess. 1:6b-10,

Behold! He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, including those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth shall mourn because of him. Even so, Amen. Rev. 1:7

...it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, ⁷and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels. ⁸in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power,¹⁰when he comes, on that Day, to be glorified in his saints and to be marveled at by all those who believed... 2 Thess. 1:6-10

Note: To “not know God” means to not have a saving relationship with Him.

5. How does John describe his situation at the time of writing the Revelation (cf. Rev. 1:9a), and why does he find himself to be a prisoner of Rome exiled to the penal island of Patmos? See Rev. 1:9b. John himself is an example to us, not only of the tribulation we encounter in this world and the kingdom we shall inherit, but of what else? What does John mean by the “perseverance in Jesus”? See Jn. 15:18-20. But does John also mean our security in the midst of tribulation (cf. Jn. 6:37-39) and strength to persevere are all found in Jesus and derived from Him? See Phil. 4:13,

I, John, your brother and a participant with you in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos, because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. Rev. 1:9

If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before you. ¹⁹If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own; but because you do not belong to the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore, the world hates you. ²⁰Remember what I told you, A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they kept my word, they will keep yours also. Jn. 15:18-20

All whom the Father gives me will come to me; and he who comes to me I will by no means reject; ³⁸for I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. ³⁹And this is the will of him who sent me, [namely], that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but should raise it up at the last day. Jn. 6:37-39

I am able to do all things by him who strengthens me. Phil. 4:13