Wednesday, August 22, 2018

The Revelation of Jesus Christ (Why are we doing this?)-Rev. 1.1-3


As I have prepared for this study over the last several months I’m been excited to share with colleagues and other local church leaders that our church would be taking an expository journey through the Book of Revelation. This has been met with all kinds of responses. Big eyes, eye roles, and the occasional “wow,…good luck” have betrayed many different sentiments people have about this book and the preaching thereof. One local preacher even said something to the effect of “Woah man! I’ve only preached through chapters 2-3 (covering the seven churches).” Still others have wonder why I don’t spend time on, as they put it, “something more important/applicable.” These comments and inquiries have left me asking, “Why are we doing this?” or “Why are we going to devote all this time as a church to this particular work?” It is an honest question that I am prepared to answer today as we open up our study in 1:1-3. In this opening passage, John answers four important questions that together will help us all justify and/or legitimize our current study of this book.



1. What is it?-1:1a-b

This opening phrase “The Revelation of Jesus Christ” serves as the title of the work and even in this heading so much can be gleaned as we seek to  answer “what is this book?” First, “revelation” is the NASB translation of the word Ἀποκάλυψις (apocalypse) which literally means “unveiling.” Though many today associate the term “apocalypse” with the doom and gloom that some believe will accompany the end of the world (no doubt in part because of what is contained in this book), apocalypse/unveiling also distinguishes a genre of literature in which one would find the following phenomena: heavy symbolism, angelic mediums, episodes of cosmic catastrophe, showdown between good and evil (dualism), and figurative language. If you are familiar at all with the contents of this book then you can probably see why “apocalypse” is a fitting designation. However, all of these characteristics that one would find in an apocalyptic work seek to “unveil” something of great significance—most often an event in which the divine and earthly meet in some radical and culminating episode. In this case, one doesn’t need to wonder what this might be, for John answers this in the genitive phrase that follows “the Revelation,”—“the Revelation of Jesus Christ.” Before we even see the throne room, meet the horsemen, watch the seals being broken, hear the trumpets, witness the beasts, and enjoy the battle of Armageddon, John makes it absolutely clear from the beginning that this work is mostly concerning about a person—Jesus. Even further,  the clever use of the genitive case (of…), suggests that Jesus (and his future coming), is not only the content of the apocalypse/unveiling, he is the source of the revelation itself—i.e. “the Revelation of Jesus Christ” and “the Revelation from Jesus Christ.” In other words, Jesus is not only given the star role in the unfolding drama, he is its playright! This ought not be surprising, for Jesus’ central role in God’s revelation is a theme throughout the Scriptures. Just listen to how John opens another book that he wrote.

John 1:1ff-“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.”

Not only that, but just listen to these words from Hebrews:

Hebrews 2:10-For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings.” 
Added to these considerations is Jesus’ unique capacity as the greatest of all revelations of God Himself.

Colossians 1:15-18-“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.”

These passages and what is found in the opening lines of Revelation suggest that just as Jesus was a central figure in the creation of the world in the beginning so too will Jesus be the principle agent in bringing about the new earth. Not only that, but the same Jesus who proved to be the author of salvation past (justification) in his first coming, will also be the author of salvation future (glorification) upon his second coming. Finally, when it comes to God revealing himself, it should come as no surprise that Jesus would be used to do that even and/or especially at the end of all things. Therefore this work is not just the Revelation/unveiling of Jesus Christ and the Revelation/unveiling from Jesus Christ, it is the Revelation/unveiling that is Jesus Christ. How is that for a loaded title!

Because Christ is Revelation’s ultimate focus, source, and priority, to pick up this book hoping to reach any other terminus but him is misplaced. As I preach through this work, I want you to know that, in keeping with this title, I am hoping that we all come to understand Christ more by how he is portrayed in the end. Throughout our study we will discover why this must be the case.

However, while some are tempted to delimit the Book of Revelation to merely an apocalyptic work, it is important to understand that it is also epistolary.  Epistolary means letter-like and, to be sure, the Apocalypse of John does suffer similarities with other letters from the first century. After all, don't chapters 2-3 consist of 7 letters to individual churches? Is not John named as the author (much as Paul identifies himself in his many letters)? Is not John commanded to write things down in letter form (1:19)?  The epistolary quality of Revelation is hinted at as early as verse 1 when John continues by saying “which God gave Him to show to His bondservants.” God gave Jesus Christ a message to be shared to his servants—a letter to be circulated among the early churches and the global church thereafter. When one considers the gracious nature of God’s Revelation in general and this book in particular, it is clear from the beginning of this work (with the inclusion of this verb didwmi) that God was not obligated to provide what we know as “the Apocalypse of John” today. Instead, he gave it freely. This he did in order (as the text says) “to show” something of some significance. In fact “show” (deiknumi) is defined “to make known the character or significance of something by visual, auditory, gestural, or linguistic means.” Revelation fits this definition to a tee, perhaps more than any other work in the canon, as it’s contents reveal God’s revelation in highly visual ways (by means of its many figures, descriptions, and symbols), auditory ways (in the recorded worship services that are throughout the work), gestural ways (as the placement of characters proves significant in the action that is described), and in linguistic ways (as witnessed in some of the most sophisticated literature ever produced). Show also reinforces the apocalyptic nature of the work which, at is core, is an unveiling of things once left to mystery. So, one might say given what has been discussed thus far, that the Book of Revelation is an Apocalyptic letter.

However, even this is incomplete as verse 1 continues by making known what is being shown/revealed—“the things which must soon take place” (1:1c).  This highlights the prophetic element inherent within the book. John solidifies the prophetic nature of the book when he says in verse 3 “blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy.” Prophecies, especially biblical prophecies, are given in order to tell us what is going to happen (concretely, not purely figuratively). In other words, there is a “there there” to biblical prophecy. Though prophecies do persuade and provide moral instruction, they do this by predicting what is really going to take place (and with great precision).

Applied to the Book of Revelation verse 1 indicates that what is found in this work is highly sophisticated. Everett Harrison concludes that Revelation “is apocalypse with respect to its contents, a prophecy in its essential spirit and message, and an epistle in its form.” To understand what it has to say well, one must take into consideration the unique form it possess (unique in the panoply of ancient literature, even all literature ever produced). 

2. Where did it Come From?-1:1d

Alright, then “where did it come from?” Like many apocalyptic works, there is an angelic medium delivering the message to the recipient—“and He sent and communicated it my His angel” (1:1d). This is not unusual as God often delivers important messages through angels (See Daniel, Mary, etc.). When divine revelation is of some significance, a special messenger is called for. Though an angel fits the bill often in this work, sometimes (as we will soon see), Jesus Himself will play the part of messenger and speak directly to John the apostle.

From God’s mind, revealed through Jesus, delivered by an angel, the message of Revelation was unveiled “to His bond-servant John” (1:1e). Which John? It might surprise to learn that as many as seven different Johns have been proposed by different people throughout history. However, many of these suggestions are easily dismissed (John Mark, John the Baptist, Cerinthus, some other John, and someone using the name of John the Apostle as a pseudonym). The two most likely possibilities are John the elder (an early church leader) and John the young apostle of Jesus Christ (author of the Gospel of John and the Johannine epistles). Those who argue for the elder cite differences between John’s gospel and Revelation (grammatical, linguistic, and otherwise). However, when one takes into consideration the differing genres, time that separated the production of the Gospel and Revelation, and the content presented, there is little reason why this is a real problem for those who believe the apostle wrote it. Not to mention, there is widespread early church support for apostolic authorship (Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Origen, Tertullian, et al). At the end of the day the best evidence suggests that John, the last surviving apostle, wrote this incredible work while exiled on the island of Patmos.

And who better to write this book than the one who made the most compelling case for Jesus’ divinity in his gospel? In fact, both Revelation and the Gospel of John share at least one common theme: God is revealing himself through Jesus Christ as Savior of the World. In John’s Gospel, Jesus is shown to be the incarnate Logos that ushered in the church age. In Revelation, Jesus is depicted as the victorious ruling Savior who upon purging a sinful world and vanquishing enemies, ushers in an eternal heaven.

So, the transmission of the contents of the book of Revelation is as follows: the mind of God—revealed through Jesus Christ—delivered (mostly by means of an angel)—to John the apostle.

3. How was it put together?-1:2

Once delivered to John, how was it put together? John answers this in verse 2—“who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw.” In writing this book, John is simply reporting words and visions of God. Though all Scripture is inspired by God and a product of God’s Spirit revealing divine content to human writers who then, in concert with his direction, write the message down in their own hand, John’s apocalypse, more than many of the other works of the Bible, leans more heavily on the side of dictation.

Compare the writing of this work to say a Pauline epistle. In one of Paul’s letters the apostle is sitting down and thinking through what he would like to say to a particular church after carefully deciding how it ought to be organized and presented for a specific agenda as best fits the needs of a particular community of believers (all, once again, under the control of the Holy Spirit). In Revelation, God is revealing exactly what John needs to record via visions and specific verbiage. While Paul was motivated to write his letters from personal concern and then granted permission to do so under the Spirit’s authority, John’s retirement (exile) on Patmos is interrupted by Christ himself and he is then told “sit here, watch this, and write down what I tell you to record.”

As verse 2 closes, the Christo-centric focus of this book is once again on full display—“and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw.” Ultimately, through all that John would witness (glorious and hideous, wonderful and terrible, awe-inspiring and tear-jerking), the message is predominately concerned with Jesus Christ—His person (God the Son, Revealer, Savior, and Victor), and his work (past present and future).

4. Why was it created?-1:3

You might imagine that such a Christo-centric (Christ-heavy) book would get a lot of attention in the church today. However, unfortunately, many are afraid of this book, believe it is beyond their grasp, or have acquired a bad taste in their mouths left over after witnessing those who abuse and misuse the text. This is why we must ask and answer this last question, “why was it created?” It is high time that the church return to this work after having established Christ as the aim of its study and glean all that it can from this final installment of the canon. If you won’t take my word for it, consider what John says in verse 3—“Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy and heed the things which are written in it.” In other words, this book was created to be read, heard, and applied rightly.

All three of these activities associated with this text (reading, hearing, and heeding) are present participles, indicating ongoing activity. It was John’s desire that the church preoccupy itself with the contents of this book and consistently read it, hear it preached, and heed (obey/apply) it rightly in their context. If this was true for the church in the late first century, it certainly remains true today.
After all, as John mentions at the end of verse 3—“the time is near.” Capping off this brief but profound opening comment of his introduction, John adds a sense of urgency. As the apostle observed the world around him and the pressure and persecution the church faced in his context, he was convinced that the day was near when the prophecies in this book would come to pass. Truly, people in every generation have believed that theirs is the last generation to see the last days. In at least one way, they are correct. Everything post-resurrection fits the “last days” designation. However, whether or not we are yet in the very last of the last days remains to be seen. All I can say with any certainty is this, “It is later than it has ever been” (Ron Dickson)—i.e. “the time is near.”

So What?

It is for these reasons that we enter this study. We pick up this book to read, come to this church to hear it preached, and seek to apply it to our lives because we are called by the apostle to do so (1:3). Out of devotion to our Lord and Savior, we approach this work because of its preoccupation with Jesus Christ (1:2). Out of love for our heavenly Father, we gladly accept this revelation that God has graciously made available to his bondservants (1:1). In other words, studying revelation is an exercise of obedience, theological investigation, and deepening relationship.  There is so much to be excited about as we get going.

However, to fully enjoy this study, one must ask these preliminary questions of himself/herself: “Are you living a life of obedience to Spirit?” “Is Jesus the center of your life?” “Do you yet have a relationship with the heavenly Father?” Friends, what John is going to reveal to us in this book is a two-edged sword—a bipolar message that is meant to on the one hand inspire, encourage, and strengthen the church (those who already have a relationship with Jesus) and, on the other hand, warn, challenge, and even frighten the lost (those who do not yet have a relationship with Jesus). If you happen to fall in the latter category, the time is near and there is no time like the present to accept what Jesus provided when he first came so that you are ready when he returns.

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