REV 1:4-12. The Revelation of Jesus

After the introduction, Revelation begins to tell about the revelation of Jesus, making an emphasis on His characteristics that we need to know in these times:

(Rev. 1:4-8) John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen. I am the Alpha and the Omega, says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.

Let’s look at these characteristics in detail:

“The One who was and is and is to come”

This phrase is repeated many times in this book. It is linked to the name of God: Jehovah. This is how the Lord introduced Himself in Mount Sinai to Moses, saying "I am that I am…This is my name for ever, and this is memorial unto all generations” (Ex. 3:14-15). Jehovah is God’s eternal name that encompasses all of His attributes, at all times (Ps. 90:1-2; Ps. 102:27).

“The seven spirits before the throne”

What are the seven spirits of God? These were revealed to the prophet Isaiah:

(Isaiah 11:1-2) There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. 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 the fear of the Lord.

The shoot from the stump of Jesse is Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus Christ—Messiah, in Greek), and over Him are the seven spirits of God. The vision of the throne in Revelation confirms this:

(Rev. 4:5) From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God.

(Rev. 5:6) And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.

“Jesus, the faithful witness”

A witness is a person who gives testimony of something he witnessed. Jesus testifies of God with His words and works. With His life Jesus tells us of who God is in the midst of a world that has gone astray from Him (John 7:28-29).

(John 8:13-14) So the Pharisees said to him, You are bearing witness about yourself; your testimony is not true! Jesus answered, Even if I do bear witness about myself, my testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going.

(John 8:17-19) In your Law it is written that the testimony of two people is true. I am the one who bears witness about myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about me. They said to him therefore, Where is your Father? Jesus answered, You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.  

Jesus’ words give testimony of what He hears from the Father and He imparts them faithfully.

(John 8:25-28) So they said to him, Who are you? Jesus said to them, Just what I have been telling you from the beginning. I have much to say about you and much to judge, but he who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from him. They did not understand that he had been speaking to them about the Father. So Jesus said to them, When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me.

Jesus was persecuted, even to death, for speaking the truth (John 8:37-59). In the same way, the saints will be persecuted in the last days for speaking the truth and for giving testimony of who God is.

“First born from the dead”

We all know that death is a part of life; every person that is born will eventually die. The good news is that Jesus defeated death. He was the first one to experience the resurrection that leads to eternal life.

(Colossians 1:18) And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.

Jesus also gives us the hope of eternal life. Those who believe in Him will rise again at His second coming.

(1 Cor. 15:20-23) But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. '

(John 11:25-26) Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?

“The ruler of kings on Earth”

John points out that Jesus is the legitimate King of all the Earth. At the right moment, He will come and reclaim His rights, and all power and peoples will be subject to His government (1 Cor. 15: 24-28). Jesus is the King of kings and Lord of lords.

(Psalm 2:6-8) As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill. I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, You are my Son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.

During His first coming, Jesus presented himself as the Lamb of God, humble and obedient to the point of death on the cross; but in His second coming, He will come to claim His place as King of all the Earth. Every knee will bow before Him (Phil. 2:8-11; Eph. 1:20-22; Dan. 7:13-14; Ps. 89:27). Further along in the study, we will see that the moment this is declared will be at the sound of the seventh trumpet (the last one—1Cor. 15:51-52; 1 Thes. 4:16-17).

(Rev. 11:15) Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.

Some will be opposed to His kingdom, but the Lord will have victory over them.

After that, John proclaims that the glory and dominion belong to the Lord forever. In this context, he describes what the Lord has done for us:

(Rev. 1:5b-6) To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

After having received the love of God and His forgiveness, we are able to live as kings and priests (and this is not just a title that we receive, but it is a way of life).

“Behold, He is coming in the clouds, and every eye will see Him”

John describes the way Jesus will return, which coincides with the way He left (that John was witness to):

(Acts 1:9-11) And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.

This was not a new revelation. Daniel and had already prophesied it…

(Daniel 7:13-14) I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.

(Luke 21:27-28) And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.

[Other references: Rev. 14:14; Mat. 24:30-31; Mar. 13:26-27; Luk. 21:27; Matt. 26:63-64; Mar. 14:62; 1 Thes. 1:16-17]

While speaking about Jesus coming on the clouds, John also references a prophecy from the book of Zechariah, “…when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him…” (Zech. 12:10). Many rejected Jesus in His first coming, but everyone will know Him when He comes again.

THE BEGINNING AND THE END

After John says “Amen!”, the Lord speaks and introduces Himself.

(Rev. 1:8) I am the Alpha and the Omega, says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.

“Alpha & Omega” are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. They are equivalent to the “A & Z” (in Hebrew: “Aleph & Tav”). Jesus is saying that He has been since the beginning and will be until the end (Rev. 21:6).

The Apostle John perfectly understood this message. He gave testimony of this in the first verse of his account of the Gospel.

(John 1:1) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

By saying He is “the one who is, and is to come”, Jesus is identifying himself as the eternal God (Is. 48:12-13).

This is exactly the opposite of what the Bible says about the beast:

(Rev. 17:8) The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit and go to destruction. And the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the beast, because it was and is not and is to come.

(Rev. 17:11) As for the beast that was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to destruction.

The beast is related to Satan, who wanted to take the highest place and be like God. But he IS NOT God. He will rise one last time in the last days, but will be defeated once and for all by the Lord.

At the end of Revelation, the Lord introduces Himself again as the beginning and the end.

(Rev. 22:12-13) Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.

Jesus also introduces Himself as: Almighty. The Lord knows that we need to know this: that He can do anything and that nothing is impossible to Him (Jer. 32:17; Job 42:2; Lk. 1:37; Lk. 18:27; Is. 46:9-10). This knowledge will sustain us.

THE DAY OF THE LORD

John mentioned on what day he received the revelation.

(Rev. 1:10) I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet.

In the Bible, “the Day of the Lord” (Heb. Yom Yehovah) refers to the day that the Lord will come to Earth and judge the nations.

(Is. 13:9) Behold, the day of the Lord comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger, to make the land a desolation and to destroy its sinners from it.

[Other references: Is.2:12; Is. 13:6; Joel 1:15; Joel 2:11; Ob. 1:15; Zeph. 1:14; Zech. 14:1; Mal. 4:5]

This is the day of reckoning. Each person will have to decide if they are for or against God. And on that final day, those who repented will be forgiven and those who went against God’s authority will be destroyed.

(Joel 1:15) Alas for the day! For the day of the Lord is near, and as destruction from the Almighty it comes.

(Joel 3:14) Multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.

(Eze. 30:2-3) Son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus says the Lord God: Wail, Alas for the day! For the day is near, the day of the Lord is near; it will be a day of clouds, a time of doom for the nations.

Prophetically, this is the day when the Messiah will come like a judge to the nations, and as a king to reclaim His throne over the earth. This day is linked to the messianic fullfilment of the Day of Atonement (Heb. Yom Kippur).

John explains that he was taken by the Lord in the spirit to witness the Day of the Lord, this day in which Jesus will come back in power and majesty.

AUDIENCE

After pointing out the date of the vision, the Lord also reveals who the message is for.

(Rev. 1:10-11) I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet saying, Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.

The message of this book is for the Church. He mentions a list of seven churches from Asia Minor (now Turkey), which represent the different types of churches there are today.  [See study for chapters 2 and 3]

More posts on the study of: Revelation