Revelation 1:1-20

(Revelation 1:1-20)

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:  Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. 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. 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;  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, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.  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.  I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.  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.  I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,  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.  And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;  And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.  And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.  And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:  I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;  The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.

It is said that the book of Revelation was written during the time of Emperor Domitian around AD 95-96. The emperor persecuted Christians to the point of being called the resurrected Nero. The resurrected Jesus sent His disciples, commanding everyone to make disciples. Other disciples were scattered and martyred while preaching the gospel. However, John spends time with Mary, the mother of Jesus, and after Mary dies, he is trapped alone in Patmo, a remote island. Even if he tried to preach the word, he could not tell, and if he tried to die, he could not die.

Tomorrow didn't matter to John, who was frustrated by feelings of defeat and helplessness on Patmo, a small island of 16 km long and 8 km wide, about 63 km off the coast of Asia Minor. Therefore, we must realize that the way we approach the book of Revelation was different from the early churches, including John. In 1:1 verse 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: God gave Jesus Christ as the answer. John received the testimony of the word of God and of Jesus Christ, who is the center of it, and bears witness in all.

『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. 』It is a true blessing to know Christ through the Word. In Matthew 5:3-11, there are eight kinds of blessings that begin with “A blessed person”. ``The blessed are those who are poor in spirit, those who mourn, those who are meek, those who are hungry and thirsty for righteousness, those who have mercy, those who are pure in heart, those who make peace, those who have been persecuted for righteousness, and Jesus. He is cursed, persecuted, and listens to evil words made up by lies.

To avoid the misunderstanding that effort can be justified, the Bible said that a blessed life is "by reading, listening, and keeping." These three words are images depicting "the person in charge of reading the Bible in worship reads the text and receives it as the word of God" (Luke 4:16, Acts 13:15). In other words, it is a promise that applying the word received in worship in your life will make you a blessed person. There is no special listener and keeper. He reads, hears, and obeys the Word Those who listen to the Bible through the word of God must act.

It is only Jesus who accomplishes salvation. Three titles for Jesus appear. He is a faithful witness, the first born from the dead, and the head of the kings of the earth. Being a faithful witness means that the way the saints must follow is a witness. When we stand there, the Bible asks if we can be faithful too. The first birth from the dead is a guarantee that the Lord, who experienced the death (bodily body: the old man) experienced by the saints beforehand, guarantees the resurrection. And, saying that he will be the head of the kings of the earth is a promise that there will be a spiritual battle from the moment we believe in Jesus, but the Lord will fight at the forefront. To pursue self-righteousness means to try to do as much as you can. But we cannot bear it unless we give up our own righteousness and experience Jesus' fight in Jesus Christ, following Jesus, and relying on the guarantee of his resurrection.

When other Christians gathered together to break the bread, John was alone on the island. Then he heard a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet. It was the beginning of war, the coming of the king, the beginning of the festival, the sacrifice, and the proclamation of the word of God. Starting with that sound, he had no choice but to bow his head in front of Jesus' presence, and he experiences the Word strikes John and makes him obedient. John, who receives the revelation, considers it for the community, and begins to testify to the brothers of faith who share in Jesus' tribulation, kingdom, and patience.

He wrote as accurately as possible the Jesus Christ he encountered. This letter is later read when churches in Asia gather on Sunday. John started a ministry that transcends time and space by writing down letters, the best thing he could do at the time. Although the body was separated, the Word was testified and continued to us living in later generations. It can be seen that any adverse condition can be used as a valuable means under the purpose of the gospel.

In the full text of Revelation,

The contents of chapter 1 record what the apostle John sees and what he sees.

The contents of chapters 2 and 3 show what is happening now, the seven churches in Asia Minor, the appearance of serving God in the church, and the appearance of being unable to serve. The appearance of the church is the same as that of the present earth. Some churches call for repentance, and some are praised. Looking at the aspects of the seven churches, we are looking back and moving forward.

In chapters 4 and 5, God took John up to heaven to show and record the appearance of celestial worship in heaven.

Chapters 6 through 22 are records of things that will happen in the future.

In terms of time, the present events from chapters 1 to 3 take place and the future events from chapters 6 to 22 are shown. There is a scene showing the country to John.

If you look at Chapters 6 to 22, which record what will happen in the future, Chapters 6 to 11 refer to two judgments, and the seven seals are broken and the resulting disasters. When the seven seals are broken, angels with trumpets appear. At that moment, the plagues of the seven trumpets emerge, and God's judgment begins. He is saying that on the day the seventh trumpet is sounded, the Lord's Second Coming will take place and the rapture of Christians who have kept faith and faith in this earth will take place.

The moment this trumpet is sung, the book of Revelation is divided into two parts. The holy people of God who believe in Jesus Christ no longer remain on this earth, and the rapture takes place, and they ascend to the heaven that God has prepared. Thus, chapters 15 and 19 reveal the wedding feast of the Lamb, chapter 20, the Millennium Kingdom, and chapter 21 and 22, a new heaven and a new earth.

Chapters 12, 13, and 14 give an explanation of the overall situation after the rapture. Two witnesses came out and summarized it. Chapters 16, 17, and 18 explain the judgment of the seven bowls of sinners who do not believe in Jesus left on the earth, and Satan who made them sin is judged by God and destroyed.

In 1:10, we can see that John on Patmos Island was touched by the Holy Spirit and heard a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet. John expressed it as loud as the sound of a trumpet. Turning around and trying to find out what it was like, God spoke to him and told him to write what you see and send it to the seven churches. And God showed John a picture, and it is the Book of Revelation that wrote it and sent it to seven representative churches.

Through hard trials and for the moment of glory to come, the seven churches repent to the end and keep what they keep, so that they can run toward the kingdom of God and gain the final victory without failing their faith. Can be divided into Record what you have seen, what you have now, and what will be in the future.

The words alpha and omega refer to the first and last of the Greek consonants, meaning the first and the last, meaning that God is in charge of the beginning, progress, and end of history and a new beginning. God said that He is now, He was in the past, and He is the one who will come. The word He will come means that He will come back to this earth to judge the world, and will rule the whole world as King of Kings thereafter.

『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. 』This is the saying that Jesus will return to this earth in the same way as when he ascended into heaven. Before Jesus revealed to John what would happen in the end, he revealed that it is Jesus Himself who is in charge of and accomplishing all these things.

When John began writing letters to the seven churches, he said that the place to write the letters was Patmos Island. It is also revealed that the reason he came to Patmo Island was that he was captured while preaching the Gospel and was exiled to Patmo Island. The Lord's Day (Sunday) is, in other words, Sunday, and the members of the early church gathered and worshiped the day after the Sabbath (Saturday) in honor of the Lord's resurrection on the first day (Sunday) after the Sabbath. In the early church, according to the Jewish tradition, there was a slight doctrinal conflict between those who gathered on the Sabbath (Saturday) and those who gathered on Sunday (Sunday).

John heard someone speak in a loud, loud sound like the sound of a trumpet, and as he turned to see its master, he saw the Lord among the seven golden candlesticks. The seven golden candlesticks represent the body church of the Lord throughout the world. Jesus is with all the churches in the world and cares for all the churches. John said that he was like the Son of Man because it was a glorious, glorious, and majestic appearance that was very different from the image of the Lord that John saw when the Lord was in the world. The church is a candle (lamp) that lights up the world. Gold means the word of God. Jesus wore a garment that was attracted to his feet and had a gold belt around his chest.

Clothes show the identity, power, and glory of the person wearing it. The naked body represents shame. Jesus wore a long robe that covered himself, and on his chest was adorned with a gold sash representing nobility and eternity. The clothes of Jesus are the rulers of history and the judges. Jesus' head and hair (beard) were pure white. Jesus' eyes were like intense, bright flames that light up the dark and reveal everything hidden in it. Nothing in this world can hide in darkness before Jesus' eyes. John saw Jesus' feet and said that it was like a shining tin forged in a furnace fire.

Tin is a metal that does not corrode. It has been used to make bronze by alloying with copper since 3,000 AD, and even today, it is used in various ways, such as alloying with other metals or used for plating. The feet of Jesus that John saw looked as hard and polished as freshly cast tin heated in a furnace fire. This shows that Jesus is the powerful and strong judge who tramples on enemies. Jesus' voice, like the sound of many waters, was loud and roaring, resounding far and wide.

In the right hand of Jesus there were seven stars, which are the messengers of the seven churches, representing all the servants of the Lord in the world. From the mouth of Jesus, a bladed sword came out on the left and right, and the bladed sword on the left and right represents the word of God as the Lord's judgment tool that judges accurately and sharply. God, who created the heavens and the earth with the Word, also works judgment through the Word. The face of Jesus was shining bright and strong as if the sun was shining with power. John was afraid to see the splendid and majestic image of the Lord, and fell before him like a dead man.

This phenomenon was experienced by Daniel and the apostle Paul. When Peter, James, and John saw the glory of the Lord directly on the Mount of Transfiguration, they fell prone to fear, and Jesus laid his hands on John, who fell down and became like a dead man, and said, ``Do not be afraid.'' And Jesus said, "I am the first and the last, and that is, I am alive." This means that Jesus is the Creator God, the ruler of history, and the person who will end history and open a new era, who lives forever. Jesus also had the keys of death and hell, and death is an absolute gateway to life that no one can escape from, but death is only a temporary law under the authority of Jesus.