[2] The title of the sermon today is: “REVELATION CHAPTER 1.”
- We’re going to go through Revelation Chapter 1 verse by verse today.
- Let’s start there in verse 1.
[3] Revelation 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:
- This is the Revelation of Jesus Christ which God the Father gave to Him.
- The purpose of the Book of Revelation is to SHOW HIS SERVANTS things which are going to happen.
- God sent this Revelation to His servant John by His angel.
Is this book written to the saved or the unsaved?
- Many churches will teach that Revelation is written to the unsaved people to warn them of what’s going to happen to them.
- This is false teaching.
- The first verse of Revelation tells us it is written to the saved people or God’s servants.
- Revelation is written to the saved people to reveal things to His servants.
This means God is revealing things to us, and it should not be difficult to understand.
- It should be easy to understand. And yes, it takes work.
- And that’s why we’re going through this line by line today.
- If you don’t want to put the effort into it, God knows. He won’t reveal the truth to you.
- If you want to work for it, God will reveal the truth to you.
- - Turn to the very last verse in Revelation chapter 1. So turn to Revelation 1 verse 20.
- Let’s read just the first half of that verse there:
[4] Revelation 1:20a The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks.
- So the Bible is telling us the seven stars and the seven golden candlesticks are a mystery.
- You see: Most churches, most preachers, most teachers, most pastors, and most ministers WON’T TOUCH the book of Revelation.
- They say it’s TOO HARD to understand. Or, it’s too difficult. Or, it’s too much of a mystery.
- So, the first part of Revelation 1:20 tells us it’s a mystery. But, lets put some effort into this and study.
- Let’s read the second half of verse 20. Too many people stop reading verses too early.
[5] Revelation 1:20b The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.
- So God is revealing all of these mysteries to us in the Book of Revelation.
- He doesn’t want this to be a mystery to us any more. This is no longer a mystery!!!
- The entire book of Revelation is not difficult to understand if you’ve accepted Jesus Christ as YOUR ONLY Savior.
- Remember, it’s not about you and what you do. It’s 100% Jesus that saves you.
- Simply believe on Him to save you, and you’re saved.
- You now have the Holy Spirit within you that will guide you and teach you all things.
- If you can’t understand what I’m teaching today, then hear the words of 1 Corinthians 2:14.
[6] 1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
- If you are born again and have the Spirit of God, you can understand the Book of Revelation easily.
- All you have to do is put the work in, pray to God, ask Him to help you understand.
- Hear this verse from the Book of John.
[7] John 8:47 He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.
- So, if you’re having a lot of trouble understanding what I teach today, you need to go back to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and understand that Gospel.
- For many, many years I studied the Bible, and I couldn’t understand it.
- Once I finally realized that all I had to do was trust Jesus Christ 100% to save me, I started to understand.
The first step to being saved and receiving the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is to understand you’re a sinner and you need to be saved or you’re going to hell.
- Understand that Jesus Christ of Nazareth is the only one who can save you.
- Believe that, and you’ll be able to understand all of the Bible much better.
- It’s not going to be a miraculous, “Oh, now I understand EVERYTHING in the Bible!!!”
- You need to study the Bible and work hard. Be a workman. God will reveal things to you.
[8] 2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
- So, we’re going to go through the entire book of Revelation verse by verse.
- We will work hard and understand the Book of Revelation completely.
- We will get rid of any pre-conceived ideas from man.
- If you can’t get rid of those (example is the pre-tribulation rapture which is false) and hear the words of God, then you’ll have trouble understanding the entire Bible including Revelation.
- Let all of those man-made ideas and teachings go. Hear the words of God alone.
- Let everything else go and hear God alone.
- We won’t add anything to the word of God. You’ll see the truth.
- Let’s allow this Book of Revelation to reveal to us the things which must shortly come to pass.
- If you do that, you’ll be able to understand this book.
[9] Revelation 1:1-3 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: 2 Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. 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.
- So look what it says in Verse 3.
- If you aren’t reading this book, you’re missing out on a blessing from God Himself.
- God is saying the time is at hand.
- The things that are written in this book could happen during your lifetime.
- You need to know what’s going to happen, and you need to keep the words of this book.
- So all the churches and all the people who have the wrong bibles and who won’t teach the Book of Revelation are missing out BIG TIME!
- If you don’t have a King James Bible, STOP right here and get yourself a copy.
[10] Revelation 1:4 John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;
- So, here in Verse 4, John is writing to the 7 churches in Asia.
- This fits in perfectly with what we learned earlier. This book is written to God’s saved people.
- Revelation is not a warning to the unsaved. The unsaved don’t even care what Revelation says.
- We must get those people saved first, and then they’ll care what Revelation says.
- Religions and all of them around here that I know of will teach that we won’t even be here for most of the Book of Revelation because God will rapture us away before all of these things happen.
- This is false teaching. Revelation disproves that teaching VERY easily.
- They’ll tell you that you don’t need to know most of Revelation because you won’t be here. False.
Why would God give us the book of Revelation with the purpose “to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass?”
- Yes, there are parts of Revelation in which we won’t be there because God is pouring out His wrath on the unsaved.
- BUT there’s much of Revelation in which we’ll be right there in the middle of it IF it happens during our lifetime.
- So again, this is being written to the 7 churches which are in Asia. Verse 11 tells us the seven churches.
[11] Revelation 1:11 Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.
- These are 7 actual churches that existed in Asia at the time of this writing of the Book of Revelation.
- Many false teachers and preachers will try to say these churches represent different things like different church ages.
- This is made up and false. Some will say we’re living in the Laodicean church age.
- Where do they get this stuff? The Bible is very clear. Look at the map.
[12]
- So these 7 churches consisted of people who believed the Bible and these existed in what we call Asia Minor today and the modern day country of Turkey.
- And then you see Patmos there on the map too and this is where John received the words for the Book of Revelation.
- This is where he was located as you can see in verse 9.
[13] Revelation 1:9 I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.
- How do we know these 7 churches were actual churches?
- Paul mentions, as an example, the Church of Laodicea 4 times within the book of Colossians.
[14] Colossians 2:1 For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh;
[15] Colossians 4:13 For I bear him record, that he hath a great zeal for you, and them that are in Laodicea, and them in Hierapolis.
[16] Colossians 4:15 Salute the brethren which are in Laodicea, and Nymphas, and the church which is in his house.
[17] Colossians 4:16 And when this epistle is read among you, cause that it be read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and that ye likewise read the epistle from Laodicea.
- Another example is the Church at Ephesus.
- We have the entire book of Ephesians written to that Church so that’s obviously an actual and literal church.
- All of these 7 churches in the Book of Revelation are congregations of believers. These are saved people.
- John is writing this book to the 7 churches, and he’s sending them all a copy of this book.
- He had to write it 7 times. They didn’t have computers, printers, and copy machines.
- He wrote it 7 times and sent each church a copy.
- He has a personalized message for each of the 7 churches which we’ll see in Chapters 2 and 3 of Revelation.
- Why would he write to 7 different churches?
- One of the possible reasons can be seen in Revelation 22, which has this warning.
[18] Revelation 22:18-19 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: 19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
- If you have 7 copies and someone changes one of the copies, you’ll know that those words have been changed.
- You’ll know which one is the fraud.
- If you have 500 baseball cards printed and 3 of the very rare cards have printing errors on them, you’ll know the frauds very quickly because 497 are correct and say the same thing.
- The same thing goes for the entire Bible. There have been many attempts to corrupt and change the word of God.
- So, why did John write to 7 different churches and send 7 copies, one to each church?
- Here’s another possible reason in the Book of Psalms.
[19] Psalm 12:6 The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.
- Let’s continue in verse 4:
[20] Revelation 1:4 John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;
- What’s this mean about the writing being FROM the seven Spirits which are before His throne?
- Let’s turn to Revelation 3:1 quickly. This is Jesus speaking here.
[21] Revelation 3:1 And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.
- Jesus is saying that He has the 7 Spirits of God. So, what are these 7 spirits?
- The Bible tells us in Isaiah what these 7 spirits are that Jesus Christ Himself has.
[22] Isaiah 11:1-2 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: 2 And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;
[23] There are 7 Spirits listed there in Isaiah 11:
- In Verse 1 it also directly states this is talking about Jesus Christ and the 7 Spirits resting upon Him.
- The rod that comes out of the stem of Jesse is Jesus Christ Himself.
- Jesus comes out of the seed of David and David is the son of Jesse.
[24] John 7:42 Hath not the scripture said, That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was?
- Let’s continue in verse 5 of Revelation 1.
[25] Revelation 1:5-6 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, 6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
- These verses give us the Gospel of Jesus Christ right here.
- Many “Christian” religions today will say that we can only reach heaven if we’re good people who do good things.
- They say that we must live good lives to make it to heaven. This is what man says. In the Bible, God says:
[26] Romans 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
[27] Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
[28] Matthew 19:17a And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God:
- Man says one thing and God says another.
- God says the ONLY reason we can be made kings and priests unto God is because our sins have been washed away by the blood of Jesus Christ Himself.
- That’s it. Nothing we do of ourselves is good enough to save us, and Revelation 1:5-6 is telling us that yet again.
[29] Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
- Let’s look at the end of verse 6.
[30] Revelation 1:6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
- When John uses the word Amen here, this means he is closing a thought and starting a new thought next.
- The Bible does the same thing in many, many spots.
- We do the same thing when we pray and say “Amen“ to close.
- 24 of 27 New Testament books close with the word “Amen.” See the table.
- Only the Book of Acts, James, and 3 John do not close with Amen.
[31]
|
Book |
End w/ Amen |
Book |
End w/ Amen |
Book |
End w/ Amen |
|
Matthew |
Yes |
Ephesians |
Yes |
Hebrews |
Yes |
|
Mark |
Yes |
Philippians |
Yes |
James |
No |
|
Luke |
Yes |
Colossians |
Yes |
1 Peter |
Yes |
|
John |
Yes |
1 Thessalonians |
Yes |
2 Peter |
Yes |
|
Acts |
No |
2 Thessalonians |
Yes |
1 John |
Yes |
|
Romans |
Yes |
1 Timothy |
Yes |
2 John |
Yes |
|
1 Corinthians |
Yes |
2 Timothy |
Yes |
3 John |
No |
|
2 Corinthians |
Yes |
Titus |
Yes |
Jude |
Yes |
|
Galatians |
Yes |
Philemon |
Yes |
Revelation |
Yes |
- John is closing his thought in verse 6 and starting new in verse 7.
- Verses 1 through 6 of Revelation are an introduction to the Book of Revelation.
- The next verse, Verse 7, is the number ONE KEY verse in the entire book of Revelation so hear this now.
[32] Revelation 1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
- NOTICE: There’s an AMEN right before verse 7 and an AMEN at the end of verse 7.
- This MUST be a KEY VERSE, and we better pay attention to this verse.
- This verse is telling us that the SECOND COMING of Jesus Christ is the FOCUS of the Book of Revelation and God’s Judgement upon the wicked is another major FOCUS of the Book of Revelation.
- Notice where verse 7 says:
[33] Revelation 1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
- Wailing means to cry out with pain, grief, anger, and anguish.
- This verse is telling us that Jesus is coming and His judgement is coming upon the wicked.
[34] Matthew 13:42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
- Jesus Himself tells us in Matthew 13:42 that there will be wailing in hell.
- Revelation 1:7, again, is telling us Jesus is coming with clouds at His second coming.
- Every eye shall see Him, and judgement will be poured out on the wicked.
- Understanding Revelation 1:7 completely is the way to understand the entire book of Revelation.
- If you do not understand verse 7, you will not understand the entire Book of Revelation.
- Really, it comes down to that.
Let’s spend some time on Verse 7 so we fully understand it because it’s THAT important.
- The Bible put an Amen before verse 7 and at the end of verse 7 so we’ll take that hint and spend some time on that verse.
- GET THIS CLEAR: Verse 7 says HE COMETH WITH CLOUDS.
- So, this obviously talking about JESUS COMING BACK. This is HIS SECOND COMING.
- This is what all the saved people in this world want to see. We want to see Jesus come back.
- The Book of Revelation is going to reveal many things about His Second Coming.
- What about the first coming of Jesus Christ? When did this happen?
- This happened when he was born in the manger of Bethlehem over 2,000 years ago.
- This is when He came to Earth the first time.
[35] John 1:11-12 He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
- Jesus was conceived of the Holy Ghost, born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, died on the cross.
- His soul went to hell because of our sin and not His own, He defeated death and hell.
- He arose in His body, He appeared to over 500 witnesses at once in His body
- Stayed on Earth for 40 days in His resurrected body.
- And then He ascended into heaven to sit on the right hand of God the Father.
- I want to look closely at Acts Chapter 1. Jesus is with his disciples in this Chapter.
- I want to start in Verse 9 where Jesus is about to ascend into heaven to be with His Father.
[36] Acts 1:9-10 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. 10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;
- His disciples watched Him very intently. They looked upon Him as He went up toward heaven.
- Notice there are 2 men standing by them in white apparel as Jesus is ascending into heaven.
- Notice what these 2 men in white apparel say to His disciples in verse 11.
- Hear this as this is very important.
[37] Acts 1:11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.
- Jesus will come in like manner just as He ascended towards heaven that day.
- And remember that they were watching Him as He ascended towards heaven.
- For Christ’s second coming, people will be watching, people will see Him, and He will be coming back with clouds just as clouds received him out of their sight during His ascension into heaven.
- Just as Revelation 1:7 tells us: “Every eye shall see Him” as He comes with clouds.
- This will be the second coming of Jesus Christ.
Let’s look at other parts of the Bible that mention Jesus coming with clouds. Let’s see what the Bible has to say.
- Remember, this is very important to understand today.
- We’re simply taking what God says in His Bible and understanding the Book of Revelation.
- The HUGE majority of Christians today have Verse 7 wrong and most of Revelation and other books wrong too.
- We’ll make sure we get this right today. Let’s turn to Matthew 24 verse 21:
[38] Matthew 24:21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
- This is Jesus speaking here, and He’s talking about Great Tribulation.
- The Book of Revelation talks about great tribulation.
- And we’ll learn more about that later, but let’s keep going. Move down to verse 29 in Matthew 24.
[39] Matthew 24:29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, a