Revelation 1:1-8
The Revelation of Jesus Christ… (vs 1)
If you knew nothing else about the book of Revelation, this would be enough to give you peace and comfort in these last days. The last book of God’s inspired Word is about the revealing of Jesus Christ in full. The overall prediction of this prophecy is a future filled with an even greater knowledge of His love and glory. The book outlines how God will safely navigate His people into the fullness of resurrection life and how he will establish a new heaven and new earth anchored and established in the redeeming, restorative work of Jesus Christ.
In the first eight verses, we see that this Revelation was given to Jesus (vs 1) and Jesus was the source that passed it on to His servants (vs 1-2). We then see it’s Jesus who is the faithful witness and it’s Jesus who defeated death. It’s Jesus who rules over all the Kings of the Earth (vs 5) and it’s Jesus who washed our sins in His own blood (vs 5). It’s Jesus that made us Kings and Priests to God (vs 6) and it’s Jesus who is returning in the clouds (vs 7). He is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, the One who is, who was and who is to come. It’s Jesus who is the Almighty (vs 8).
This whole book is about the revealing and unveiling of His Lordship, His majesty, His justice and His love along with many other facets of His goodness that we will only understand when we see them and behold Him face to face. Maybe now, given that understanding, we can appreciate why there is a unique blessing for those who hear, read and keep the words written in this book (vs 3), because it reveals Jesus and He is in the habit of blessing.
This book is not meant to be confusing or bewildering. It should not fill you with fear or uncertainty about the future or even your today, in fact, the complete opposite is true. The design of this book was to provide clarity for the future He holds, certainty around His plans for your good, boldness in your expectation of His faithfulness and an anchor for your hope in Him.
This is not a new concept, God told His people through Isaiah that He,
From the very beginning
telling you what the ending will be,
All along letting you in
on what is going to happen,
Assuring you, ‘I’m in this for the long haul,
I’ll do exactly what I set out to do,’
Isaiah 46:10 (MSG)
Here’s what you need to know from these first few verses:
- The future is held and planned by a good, all-knowing, all-powerful God.
- No matter what the world looks like around you, or even what your personal world looks like right now, Jesus holds the future. Everything God has planned and spoken will come to pass.
- Jesus is our faithful King who has washed us by His blood and secured our future as Kings and Priests. He is coming to reveal His majesty, justice, goodness and grace in full and to set things right. A future hope indeed.
