This bulletin is going to be the first of many in which we will have a study of the book of Revelation verse by verse.  I hope it will be profitable unto you.  Be sure that you grab a copy of the introduction to this book as well.  – B.A.Y
 

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.”

• We find in John’s introductory words that this Revelation is of Jesus Christ and that God gave it to Jesus.  This point is in agreement with what we read throughout the New Testament (John 6:38 and Hebrews 1:1-2).
• The Kingdom of the Lord stands forever (Daniel 2:44-45; 7:13-14; 18, and Hebrews 12:28), but that does not mean Christians will not suffer (Matthew 5:10-12 and II Timothy 3:12).
• While there is persecution at the hand of the Roman government through the aid of the Jews, Christians are assured that these things will shortly come to pass.
• The message was sent to John through signs.

• The “who” in this passage is identified as John at the close of verse one.
• John is the one who recorded those things revealed to Him.
• The word of God is communicated to men, by God, through men (I Corinthians 2:9-13 and II Peter 1:20-21).

• Those whom read, hear, and keep the words of this book will be blessed.
• We are to be hearers and doers of the word of God (James 1:21-25).
• The time that is at hand is not all things recorded in the book of Revelation being fulfilled, but that time is the comfort the book of Revelation promises to the persecuted saints to whom it is written.  As the kingdoms of men would face problems, God’s kingdom would stand.

• The Seven churches, to whom John is writing, are identified in chapters two and three as Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.
• There were at least three other churches not listed in chapters two and three that were in Asia Minor.  Troas (Acts 20:6-7), Colossae (Colossians 1:2), and Hierapolis (Colossians 4:13).
• He which is, was, and is to come is God.  See notes under verse eight for discussion.
• When looking at the seven spirits we must think of how the number seven is a number of perfection or completion.   Notice the significance of the number seven in the Bible:

o The # 3 is the numerical signature of God [Father, Son, and H.S.] (Matthew 28:19 and I John 5:7).  The # 4 is the numerical signature of nature (four corners of the earth – North, South, East, and West – Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter).
o 7 colors in a rainbow.
o There are 7 days in a week (Genesis 2:2).
o Seven was the basis of the Levitical system.
o Sprinkle the blood of the sacrifice 7 times (Leviticus 4:17).
o Seven Priests, trumpets, seven days, seven times, etc. in the fall of Jericho (Joshua 6:1-6).
o Naaman dipped 7 times (II Kings 5:1-14).
o Seven in the book of Revelation – 7 churches, 7 stars, 7 trumpets, 7 seals, 7 bowls of wrath, etc.  About 54 times in the Book of Revelation we find the number 7.
o Revelation 1:4 identifies “the seven Spirits of God” as one who is directing this message along with God the Father.  While one may wonder why the plural ending to Spirit, one has to also take the whole passage into consideration.  No where in the scriptures do we find a more logical conclusion than this terminology referring to the Holy Spirit.  Christ has control of the Holy Spirit of whom He sent to reveal His perfect and complete will (John 16:12-13).
o Along this same line of thought, if you consider verse four to be showing this letter is from God the Father, the Holy Spirit, and then you notice the next verse adds to that Jesus Christ.

• Jesus is the faithful witness (John 8:14).
• Jesus is the first to be resurrected (I Corinthians 15:20 and Colossians 1:18).
• Jesus is head over all things (Matthew 28:18 and Ephesians 1:20-23).
• Jesus shed His blood that our sins could be remitted (Matthew 26:28 and Hebrews 10:10; 15-22).

• Jesus, through His death, has made us kings and priests (I Peter 2:5; 9) unto God.  Thus, we are servants who offer worship and service to the Almighty (Romans 12:1-2).
• In all things God is to be glorified (I Corinthians 10:31).

• When the Lord returns all will know He has returned (I Thessalonians 4:13-17, II Timothy 4:1, and II Peter 3:10-12).
• This passage destroys the premillennial view that Christ will secretly come and take 144,000 back with Him in a “rapture”.

• God has always been and will always be, Almighty (Isaiah 44:6; 48:12-13, Psalms 90:1-2; 93:2, John 1:1-3, Revelation 1:4; 17-18;  22:12-13).

• Those denying that the kingdom has come have to struggle with what John is saying.
• The saved are added to the kingdom (Colossians 1:12-13), thus John is brethren to all saints.
• This epistle is written from the isle of Patmos where John has been exiled, thus he truly is partaking in the persecution of the saints.  This verse points out that it is for the sake of the word of God that John has been punished.

1. All Scripture quotations are from the King James Version unless otherwise noted.
2. James Orr, John L. Nuelsen, Egar Mullins, Morris Evans, and Melvin Grove Kyle, The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (Hendrickson, 1929),
3. Brian A. Yeager, Textual Sermons on the Seven Churches of Asia Minor, (www.wordsoftruth.net; 2003).
4. Joseph H. Thayer, Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, (Reprint by Hendrickson, 2002, original copyright 1896).