|
B. The Great Announcement to the Churches, 1:5-6 b. |
|
a.
From God: The eternal & unchangeable God b.
From the Holy Spirit c.
From Jesus Christ |
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; |
a.
He
is the faithful witness b.
He
is the first to arise c.
He
is the Prince over all rulers of the earth d.
He
has redeemed us |
5 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,
|
|
e.
He
has exalted us |
6 And
hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion forever and
ever. Amen. |
a.
He is to be seen by all b.
He is to be seen by those who killed Him: They
will mourn because of Him |
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. |
a.
The Alpha & Omega b.
The One who is, was, & is to come c.
The Almighty God |
8 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.[1] |
5. The Praise in the Preface (Revelation1:5–6)
This part can be connected to the
source of the salutation as a further description of one (Jesus Christ) of the
greeters in the salutation. But we have made it a separate point to better note
the praise given to Jesus Christ here. As we noted at the beginning of this
chapter “The book of the Revelation, above all other books, directs our whole
being to the one grand Person of history, the preeminent and peerless Christ”
(Strauss). Therefore we make a special point of the praise that is given Him in
this text and note some of the things said in the praise given Christ.
• His dependability. “Faithful witness” (Revelation 1:5). The emphasis here is upon “faithful.” If you are faithful in your
words, you are extremely faithful. Christ never failed. He was perfectly
faithful in witnessing the truth.
• His deliverance. “First begotten of the dead” (Revelation 1:5). “First begotten” means He was the first rank in Gospel
resurrection. It does not refer to the chronological sequence.
• His dominion. “Prince of the kings of the earth” (Revelation 1:5). Christ is “King of Kings, and Lord of Lords” (Revelation
19:16).
• His delivering. “Loved us, and washed us from our sins in
his own blood. And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father”
(Revelation 1:5, 6). Christ’s delivering of
sinners from condemnation consists of four important things. First, the passion in the
deliverance. “Loved us.” The Gospel is
motivated by love (John 3:16). Second, the purifying in the
deliverance. “Washed us … in his own
blood.” Sin defiles. Salvation purifies. Third, the price of the delivering. “His own blood.” Salvation is free but it is not cheap. It cost
Christ His life. Fourth, the promotion
after the delivering. “Made us kings and
priests unto God.” Salvation lifts the redeemed.
• His doxology. “To him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen” (Revelation 1:6). This is sort of a summation of the praise. First, the splendor in the doxology. “To him be glory.” The splendor for Christ will be greater than that for anyone else. Second, the sovereignty in the doxology. “Dominion.” We have already seen in Revelation 1:5 that Christ is over all in rule and authority. Third, the season of the doxology. “Forever and ever.” The praise will never cease. Fourth, the sureness of the doxology. “Amen.” This is an affirmation that says the exaltation of Christ will indeed occur.[2]
2 (1:5–6) Jesus Christ—Redemption: Announcement Two—Jesus Christ is the great Savior, the great Redeemer. Five great things are declared about Jesus Christ in these two verses.
1. Jesus Christ is the faithful witness. He is the one Person we can depend upon. We can trust what Jesus Christ tells us. Jesus Christ came from God, out of heaven itself, to reveal the truth to us—the truth about God and man and man’s world. What Jesus Christ has revealed can be trusted. He is the faithful witness.
V
“Verily,
verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have
seen; and ye receive not our witness” (Jn. 3:11).
V
“Jesus
answered and said unto them, Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true:
for I know whence I came, and whither I go; but ye cannot tell whence I come,
and whither I go” (Jn. 8:14).
V
“Pilate,
therefore, said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest
that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the
world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Everyone that is of the truth
heareth my voice” (Jn. 18:37).
2. Jesus Christ is the first to arise from the dead. That is, He is the first to arise who never again had to die. The words “first-begotten” or “firstborn” mean to be the first in rank; to be supreme and preeminent in the resurrection. Of all the people who have arisen from the dead, Jesus Christ is Supreme. It is He who is the Son of God; therefore, it is His resurrection that is the supreme and preeminent resurrection. All other people arise because He arose. All believers shall arise to live with God eternally because He arose and conquered death for us. Because He arose, we too shall arise if we believe that He died and arose for us.
3. Jesus Christ is the prince of the kings of the earth. Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead and exalted to the right hand of God’s throne. He and He alone has been given the seat of Sovereign rule over the earth. The world may seem chaotic and the problems too enormous to be handled. But Jesus Christ is in control, and He is able to handle it all. However, man may legitimately ask: Why does God not go ahead and come and straighten out the chaotic mess and evil of the world? God tells us as plainly as human language can say it:
V “[God] is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Pe. 3:9; see vv.3–10).
Jesus Christ is delaying His return so that more people can be saved and live eternally with God. But someday, and from the weight of the evidence the day will be soon, Jesus Christ is returning to take over the rule of the world. He and He alone is going to rule and bring the reign of righteousness to earth. He alone is the prince of the kings of the earth.
V
“The
earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell
therein” (Ps. 24:1).
V
“Lift up
your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King
of glory shall come in” (Ps. 24:7).
V
“Now unto
the King eternal, Immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory forever
and ever” (1 Ti. 1:17).
V
“Which in
his times he shall show, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of
kings, and Lord of lords” (1 Ti. 6:15).
V
“And the
seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The
kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ;
and he shall reign forever and ever” (Re. 11:15).
V
“These
shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord
of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen,
and faithful” (Re. 17:14).
V “And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King of kings, and Lord of lords” (Re. 19:16).
4. Jesus Christ has redeemed us. He “loves us and has washed us from our sins in His own blood” (v.5). The word love is in the present tense in the Greek. This means that Jesus Christ always loves us. He loves us today just as He has loved us in the past. The word “washed” (lusanti) means to be loosed, set free, and released from sin. How did the blood of Jesus Christ set us free from sin?
Ø Jesus Christ took our sins and died for them. He had lived a sinless and perfect life as a Man upon earth. Therefore, He was able to present Himself as the Ideal and Perfect Man before God. He was able to die as the ideal and perfect sacrifice. He was able to take our sins—the guilt and the judgment of our sins—upon Himself and bear the punishment for them. He was the Ideal and Perfect Man; therefore, God is able to accept His death as the ideal and perfect sacrifice for sin.
The point is this: Jesus Christ died for our sins. He actually took our sins off of us, removed them, and died for them. Therefore, we are free and loosed from sin. Sin has been removed from us. We stand before God free of sin and acceptable to Him. But remember how: by the shed blood of Jesus Christ upon the cross. It is the shed blood of Christ upon the cross—His dying for our sins—that frees us from sin.
V
“Who gave
himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world,
according to the will of God and our Father” (Ga.
1:4).
V
“In whom
we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the
riches of his grace” (Ep. 1:7).
V
“In whom
we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins” (Col. 1:14).
V
“Forasmuch
as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and
gold, from your vain conversation [behavior] received by tradition from your
fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish
and without spot” (1 Pe. 1:18–19).
V “And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation” (Re. 5:9).
5. Jesus Christ has exalted us. He has actually made us kings and priests.
Ø By kings is meant a kingdom, a rule, some authority and responsibility that involves overseership, management, supervision, and governing. Believers shall rule and reign with Christ. We shall oversee and administer the affairs of the universe for Christ throughout eternity.
V
“And he
saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the
baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left,
is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of
my Father” (Mt. 20:23).
V
“The
Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so
be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together” (Ro. 8:16–17).
V
“Do ye
not know that the saints shall judge [oversee, have authority over] the world?
and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest
matters?” (1 Co. 6:2).
V
“And hath
raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ
Jesus: that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace
in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus” (Ep.
2:6–7).
V
“If we
suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us” (2 Ti. 2:12).
V
“And he
that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power
over the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of
a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father” (Re. 2:26–27).
V “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years” (Re. 20:4).
Ø By priests means that we have open access into God’s presence any time. Believers no longer need human priests or mediators. Believers are themselves made priests before God—all by Jesus Christ. Believers are now to offer their own prayers, praises, worship, thanksgiving, and offerings to God.
V
“I
beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your
bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable
service” (Ro. 12:1).
V
“By him,
therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is,
the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name” (He.
13:15).
V “Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ” (1 Pe. 2:5).[3]
1:5b–6 To him
who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be
a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power forever
and ever! Amen. NIV This doxology concludes the prologue to
this book. John was writing to believers experiencing persecution; yet he
assured them that Jesus not only continuously cared for and loved them but also
had set them free, no matter how they might feel. Jesus had set them free from
their sins by his blood, that is,
through his death on the cross. Through that blood, he had made his people to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God
and Father. Israel had been called to be “a kingdom of priests, [a] holy
nation” (Exodus 19:6 NLT). This saying
describes the Christians as the continuation of the Old Testament people of
God—his kingdom and priests (see also Hebrews 13:15;
1 Peter 2:5, 9). Together believers make up
a kingdom in which Christ is their King; individually they are priests because
each has direct access to God because of the sacrifice of Christ on the cross.
Their whole purpose, of course, is to serve God.
The doxology ends with words of praise: to him be glory and power forever and ever! “Amen” means “let it be so.”[4]
STAR WITNESS
Many hesitate to witness about their faith in Christ because they don’t think the change in their lives has been spectacular enough. But you qualify as a witness for Jesus because of what he has done for you, not because of what you have done for him. Christ is seen throughout the whole book of Revelation as the Lamb who was slain. He demonstrated his great love by setting his people free from their sins through his death on the cross (“freed us from our sins by his blood”), guaranteeing them a place in his kingdom, and making them priests to administer God’s love to others. The fact that the all-powerful God has offered eternal life to you is nothing short of spectacular. Testify about his wonderful gift![5]
Revelation 1:5–6 Christ is the Great Savior, the Wonderful Redeemer
[1] Leadership Ministries Worldwide. 1996. Revelation.
The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible. Chattanooga, TN: Leadership
Ministries Worldwide.
[2] Butler, John G. 2010. Analytical Bible
Expositor: Revelation. Clinton, IA: LBC Publications.
[3] Leadership Ministries Worldwide. 1996. Revelation. The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible. Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide.
NIV
Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®.
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission
of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.
[4] Barton, Bruce B. 2000. Revelation.
Edited by Grant R. Osborne. Life Application Bible Commentary. Wheaton, IL:
Tyndale House Publishers.
[5] Barton, Bruce B. 2000. Revelation.
Edited by Grant R. Osborne. Life Application Bible Commentary. Wheaton, IL:
Tyndale House Publishers.
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