Revelation 1:1-3
Introduction
In this post, I present a brief commentary of Revelation 1:1-3. I had originally anticipated discussing through verse eight, but, as I worked through the text, I felt that there was simply too much to address in the opening verses, and that commenting on the remaining five verses would’ve made this post too long. So, the next section will have to wait until a future post.
I hope that, through this post, you will be encouraged not to forsake the opening words of any of the epistles. Many times, they are packed with theology. We just need to slow down and consider that nothing in God’s Word, including introductory statements, is superfluous.
Before I begin the actual commentary, I want to state what I see as the overarching theme of the book of Revelation. In short, I believe that John’s (and ultimately God’s) overarching message to his readers is the following:
The Lamb Who was slain is standing and will have ultimate victory over His enemies, and He will enjoy His Bride, the Church, who does not love her life even unto death, because of Christ’s faithfulness to her.
In a sense, as we embark on this commentary through Revelation, I will be trying to show you how that theme is the message that God wants us to see through the last book of the Bible and why it’s important for us to live in accordance to the glorious realities mentioned therein.
So, let’s begin.
Revelation 1:1-3
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John, who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near.
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, (1:1a)
This phrase could be read in two ways: 1. The book of Revelation discusses events/topics that are communicated (literally revealed) by Jesus Christ or 2. The book of Revelation is an expression (or a literal revealing) of Jesus Christ Himself.
If you read the book, you will see that both are true. However, given the greater context of Scripture as a whole and the overarching theme of the book of Revelation, the latter seems more natural (i.e., The book of Revelation reveals Christ to its reader.).
Why does this distinction matter? Why does it matter if the book reveals Jesus Christ Himself?
Two passages come to mind:
2 Corinthians 3:12-18
Therefore having such a hope, we use great boldness in our speech, and are not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face so that the sons of Israel would not look intently at the end of what was fading away. But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ. But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart; but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit [emphasis added].
1 John 3:1-3
Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure [emphasis added].
Christ is so infinitely glorious that, as we behold (i.e., see) Him, through His Spirit, He conforms us more into His image. This process is completed in part now by the Holy Spirit, while we are still on the earth and have to continue to war against our sin nature, which is why Paul says we are being transformed into the glory of Christ (This is a passive, progressive action: It’s a continuous process that’s being done to us now, but it’s one that isn’t completed yet and will not be on this side of death/Christ’s return.). Also, the present reality of this process being completed in part now is why John says, “And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” The glorious reality of beholding Christ fully is a hope. A sure hope, to be certain. But a hope, nonetheless. Also, it’s a hope that we have at this very moment and will continue to have until death or Christ’s return. Since it’s still a hope, it’s (obviously) not fully realized yet. We know it will be realized fully, since John says, “...We will be like Him…” [emphasis added].
And the most relevant question for the topic at hand is: Why will be made like Him?
“Because we will see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2).
So, in Revelation 1:1, when John tells us that his book reveals Christ, we should eagerly strive to devour it because God’s Word promises us that, as we see Christ, the Holy Spirit will conform us more into His image.
Also, we should rejoice that the prophecy of this book is no longer sealed and hidden, as it has been in the past (c.f., Daniel 12:4). In Christ, the veil has been lifted (c.f., 2 Corinthians 3:12-16), and God has revealed His Son, the universal span of His reign, and the victory we have in Him to us!
which God gave Him (1:1b)
In this passage, “God” refers to the Father, and “Him” refers to Jesus. This Trinitarian theology that John presents is very characteristic of his Gospel as well. Many times, in John, we see that Jesus says and does what the Father told Him to say and do (c.f., John 8:42; 12:49-50; 14:10; 14:31; 17:4, 7-8). The same is true when Jesus gave the words of Revelation to John: The Father gave Jesus the words to give to John (and to us).
I must comment briefly on the Trinity here, as I don’t want there to be any misunderstanding. Jesus is equal with God the Father. In fact, as we see Jesus, we see the Father (John 14:9), for He (Jesus) is the radiance of the Father’s glory and the exact representation of His nature (Hebrews 1:3). Jesus isn’t just a mere errand boy, who begrudgingly goes around doing the Father’s bidding. In deity and glory, etc., Jesus and the Father are completely equal. However, in the economy of the Trinity (i.e., the roles which each member of the Trinity takes in the redemptive history of man), there are distinctions between them (See R.C. Sproul’s commentary on John.). The paradox is that, while there are distinctions within the Trinitarian economy, no such distinctions exist between the Trinitarian essence. So, when John tells us that the Father gave Jesus the words of Revelation, we should not be alarmed; we should see the Trinitarian essence and economy on display. Jesus says and does what He receives from His Father, and as we behold the revealed Christ, we see the Father, for they are One.
As a brief aside – For one of the clearest pictures of how the Trinitarian essence and economy work, see Hebrews 1. A very simplified theme of the book of Hebrews could be, “Christ is better than, and fulfills, all things.” In chapter 1, the author of Hebrews argues that Jesus is superior to the angels. How does he do so? Using words of the Old Testament, given by the Holy Spirit (2 Timothy 3:16a; 2 Peter 1:20-21), he shows the Father talking to the Son, making the case that there are certain truths that are only realized in Christ, and have never/will never be realized in any angel. Essentially, we are welcomed into a dialogue between the Trinity: The Father talks to the Son through the words of the Holy Spirit. In this dialogue, we see that the Father assigns words to Jesus, and these words are communicated through the Holy Spirit.
to show to His bond-servants (1:1c)
The word that we see translated to English as “bond-servants” is actually “slaves” in the original language, which, obviously, has a stronger connotation – and one that was intended.
In John 14:15, Jesus says, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” Similarly, in Matthew 16:24-25, He states, “...If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” Followers of Christ are not merely hired hands who complete certain tasks for the Lord and then have a life outside of their duties to Him. Quite the contrary. They belong to Christ and find their identity in Him. The wonderful news is, just as Jesus said in Matthew 16, those who lose their lives for Him will actually find life.
This reality is vitally important to keep in mind throughout Revelation, as we see that those who enjoy Christ and His presence forever are those who, because of the blood of Christ, did not love their lives even unto death (c.f., Revelation 12:11). So, as you see “bond-servants” used, I encourage you to think of the stronger, intended word: “Slave”. We must die to ourselves and endure faithfully, no matter the cost, remembering that the joyous presence of our Lord and Savior awaits us.
the things which must soon take place (1:1d)
I will not elaborate too much on the following comments at this time, as they will be fleshed out significantly throughout the rest of the commentary. For now, suffice it to say that I do believe the so-called Tribulation is imminent, as it was during the time in which John wrote Revelation in the first century (Consequently, I don’t believe the Tribulation is a 7-year period of time.). When I say “imminent,” I mean that it’s already upon us and has been since the first century. When we make it to the end of Revelation 3, and before I approach Revelation 4, I will dedicate a post to discussing Daniel 9 and the 70 weeks mentioned therein, which will shed light on this matter. Also, the way that Paul, in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 and 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10, and John, in Revelation 19:7-21, discuss the end of the present age, I don’t see a delay that would allow for the so-called 7-year Tribulation. Further, in Revelation 1:3b, John says that “the time is near”, and, in 1:9a, John identifies himself as a “fellow partaker in the tribulation”.
and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John (1:1e)
The “He” mentioned here is Jesus. What He received from the Father, He, in turn, gave to an angel to present to John. This type of transaction, if you will, is not abnormal in Scripture (Daniel 9:20-23; Luke 1:26-38; Luke 2:8-15; Acts 12:6-10). Also, the author of Hebrews says that angels are “ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation…” (Hebrews 1:14). Could there be a clearer way of rendering service to believers than administering a book that would be included in Scripture from God to John, our fellow believer?
Further, in a later section, I will return to John’s reference to himself as a bond-servant (See the section on “and heed the things which are written in it…”).
who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ (1:2a)
This section, as well as the next, is another reason why I believe Revelation is actually a revelation of Jesus Christ Himself. As is characteristic of John, he refers to Jesus as “the Word” (John 1:1; John 1:14; 1 John 1:1). Words reveal mysteries. They bring to light what is hidden. And since no one has seen the Father at any time, we need to see Jesus to be able to see the Father (John 1:18; 1 John 4:12a). Like we’ve already discussed, as we see Jesus, we see the Father, for Jesus is the radiance of His (the Father’s) glory and the exact representation of His nature. Also, testimonies give an account of, or make a proclamation about, something. In Revelation, particularly, these testimonies seem to be a combination of both: Believers face persecution from the enemy because of their proclamation (i.e., testimonies) that they believe in Jesus as Lord (Revelation 12:17), but they are able to overcome this persecution, even through death, through the recounting (i.e., testimonies) of Who Jesus is (Revelation 12:11). Therefore, when John says that he testifies “to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ”, I believe that he is reiterating the truth that his letter reveals Who Christ is.
even to all that He saw. (1:2b)
This, undoubtedly, refers to many of the visions that John sees throughout the book, but, remember, these ultimately point the reader to Christ, as we will see in upcoming discussions. Also, I believe this refers to the person of Jesus Christ Himself, Whom John sees multiple times in the book, again, as we will see. It’s quite amazing that the Word of God can be seen. And as we see Him, we see the Father!
Blessed is he who reads, and those who hear the words of the prophecy (1:3a)
We should be encouraged and challenged by John’s words here. Through the Holy Spirit, he pronounces a blessing on those who read and hear the words he has written. The book of Revelation can seem intimidating, with its symbolic language and numbers, but John (and ultimately God) intends for believers to read and hear the words of the book, and as we’ll see below, he intends for us to understand them, too. While I don’t know all of the blessings that will come from reading, hearing, and heeding this book, I do know that you will see Christ, and as has been discussed, as you do, the Holy Spirit will conform you more into His image. I know that you will be reminded of the glorious reality that we serve a risen Savior and Lord, Who has all authority in heaven and on earth; that He will have ultimate victory over His enemies; and, that we will get to enjoy His presence, as His Bride, forever, for we are clothed in His righteousness. We need to be reminded of these truths, for Hebrews 11:1-12:1-3 teaches that we must look to the joy that is set before us to endure faithfully to the end. Finally, I encourage you to read the book aloud, so you can also hear it yourself.
and heed the things which are written in it (1:3b)
Again, John (and ultimately God) expects for us (and those in the first century!) to understand what we read. Think about that. This book was given to Christians in the first century, and they, without ready access to the complete canon of Scripture, commentaries, or the Internet, were expected to read, hear, and understand the book. How much more so should we, who have the completed canon of Scripture, and can access it at any moment, and who have writings from Christians who have gone before us, most of which can be accessed at any moment as well via the Internet, study to understand the words of Revelation? It’s imperative to remember that God has given us His Holy Spirit, the ultimate Author of the text of Scripture, to live within us and to help us understand His Word. Readers constantly strive to understand what an author meant through a book, and, unless they are close friends or happen to meet the author, they must live in their speculation. However, we have constant access to the Author of Scripture. He is willing, and eager, to help us see Christ. Further, while John certainly held a title that we do not hold, namely an Apostle, may God encourage us that this revelation of Jesus was given to His bond-servants (Revelation 1:1c), with whom John also identifies himself (Revelation 1:1e). Those who are in Christ have the same Holy Spirit Whom John, the human author, had.
Finally, when we are told to heed the words of this book, this should stir us to be bold in completing the Great Commission, which has a strikingly similar basis on which Jesus commanded His disciples to make disciples that John expresses in the book of Revelation. Jesus told His disciples to make disciples of all nations on the basis that He has all authority in heaven and on earth and that He is with them always (c.f., Matthew 28:18-20), and John tells us to heed the words of Revelation because the Lamb Who was slain is standing and will have ultimate victory over His enemies.
for the time is near. (1:3c)
As I discussed in the section on Revelation 1:1d, I will elaborate on my belief that the events of Revelation are imminent as we make our way through the text in future posts.
Conclusion
I pray that this brief discussion of Revelation 1:1-3 will cause you and me to read, hear, and heed the words of Revelation, for our Lord has been revealed to us, He will bless us as we seek Him, and the time is near!
