Introduction
A. Before I went into the hospital, I had planned to speak on Psalm 110 after I got home again
1. But, after all the changes in the world direction in the Middle East, I got to thinking about that part of the world and what it means to us
a. Besides the rising gasoline prices
b. The very possible destruction of the world economy
c. And the devastating lost of human life
d. What do these thing in the Middle East mean to you and me?
2. There is a tsunami of rage which began in Yemen
a. It spread to Egypt
b. Has erupted in Lybia
c. Bahrain
d. Iran
e. And Iraq
f. Only God knows where it will end
3. On top of that there is the 6.5 earthquake in New Zealand causing massive destruction in a place that has existed peacefully for the last century
a. All of this has lead me to thinking about God’s plan for the Middle East and the entire world
B. Last Sunday evening I was watching the John Ankerberg show as there began a series with Dr. Jimmy DeYoung on the Revelation
1. If you happen to watch this show, you may begin to understand what just might be driving the series which I will begin today
a. Lets begin by turning to Revelation chapter 1 verses 1 - 4
Revelation 1:1-4 (NKJV)
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants; things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, {2} who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw. {3} Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near. {4} John, to the seven churches which 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,
b. John the beloved Apostle is the human author of this Revelation
(1) Now, you might note that in the Old King James this book is called the Revelation of John
(2) In my New International it is titled the Revelation to John
(3) But, my New King James has got it right, there the title is The Revelation of Jesus Christ
c. In Revelation 1:11 & 19 John is commanded to write the things he is to witness and to pass his writings on to the seven churches
Revelation 1:11 (NKJV)
saying, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last," and, "What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea."
Revelation 1:19 (NKJV)
"Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this.
d. These things were important enough for the Lord to reveal them to God’s people 2,000 years ago
e. Important enough for God to have them included in His Bible chronicled for us today
f. And the promises we see in the Revelation of Jesus Christ are precious enough for us to take serious note of what the Spirit of God has revealed
2. Before we begin I want to start with several Scripture verses, the words of Jesus just to set the stage
a. Matthew 24:36-39, lets read this together
Matthew 24:36-39 (NKJV)
"But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. {37} "But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. {38} "For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, {39} "and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.
(1) Notice no one knows the day or the hours of Christ’s return, only the Father knows
(a) The word day means the time from dawn to sunset
i) It can also mean a special day, in our thinking it might be applied to Christmas day
(b) The word hour means just that an hour, 60 minutes or as shown on a sundial, an hour
i) It can also mean a special hour, perhaps what is often refereed to as the witching hour
(c) No one knows but the Father the day or hour of Christ’s return
b. Acts 1:6-7 gives us an even further idea along these lines
Acts 1:6-7 (NKJV)
Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, "Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" {7} And He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.
(1) The word times in this context means a general time frame or a special time
(a) Daddy always goes to work at 6 o’clock and comes home at 5:30 in the evening
(2) The word season means the season, winter, spring, summer, fall or something like the Christmas season
(3) And so we see that Jesus tells us in these two passages that only God the Father knows to precise time, day, season and hour of Christ’s return
c. But, if you will turn to Matthew 24:42-44 we will see two things
Matthew 24:42-44 (NKJV)
"Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. {43} "But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. {44} "Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
(1) We are told that Christ’s return will be at a time we do not expect at an hour we do not know
(2) But, we are admonished to be watchful
3. Before the Second coming of the Lord Jesus to reign comes a terrible time called the tribulation, seven years of woe
a. In Revelation 6:17 we see these words
Revelation 6:17 (NKJV)
"For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?"
b. The tribulation is a time of great happenings
(1) Natural disasters like the earthquakes, snow and ice storms, floods
(2) Uprisings, wars, and the threat of war
(3) And changes among the major players in the war against Israel, Armageddon
(4) Be watchful, remember Paul’s words in Romans 13:11
Romans 13:11 (NKJV)
And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.
c. Now, I cannot and will not even try to set a date for Christ’s return
(1) But, going back to Revelation chapter 1 let us see who Christ is and we begin with Revelation 1:4 - 8
II. Body
A. The Eternal Christ
Revelation 1:4-8 (NKJV)
John, to the seven churches which 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, {5} and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, {6} and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. {7} Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen. {8} "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End," says the Lord, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."
1. John begins his description with these words, Him who is and who was and who is to come
a. Him who is, present tense, existing today, right now
b. Him who was, past tense, having existed from before the very beginning of time
(1) John wrote of Jesus in his gospel chapter one and verse 1
John 1:1 (NKJV)
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
(2) At the time of the beginning of time, Jesus, the Son of God, already existed
(a) The implication is that Jesus existed with God, God the Father, and God the Holy Spirit, for eternity past
(3) Him who was
c. And Him who is to come, Jesus, the Son of God, who will exist in the eternity yet to come
2. This idea of one who has always been and always will be gives a great deal of credence to the promise in the latter part of Hebrews 13:5
Hebrews 13:5 (NKJV)
For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."
a. Jesus the eternal Son of God is the subject of our discussion this morning
b. Now, there are many things to consider in the Revelation passage we began with, but I want to get on to the description of Jesus in the passage yet to come
(1) Let us look at Revelation 1:12-13
B. The Description of the Eternal Christ
Revelation 1:12-13 (NKJV)
Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, {13} and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band.
1. To begin, we see Jesus in the midst of seven golden lampstands
a. Now we are told in Revelation 1:20 just what the vision of the golden lampstands means
Revelation 1:20 (NKJV)
"The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches.
b. The golden lampstands are the seven churches of the Next two chapters of the Revelation, but they are named early on in the first chapter, Revelation 1:11
Revelation 1:11 (NKJV)
saying, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last," and, "What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea."
(1) Ephesus
(2) Smyrna
(3) Pergamos
(4) Thyatira
(5) Sardis
(6) Philadelphia
(7) And Laodicea
c. Many theologians equate the character of each of these seven churches to various church ages
(1) That is the general character of the church during various ages are described as the churches here in the Revelation
d. Other theologians equate the character of individual churches through out the centuries
(1) That is any church and every church can be equated with one of the seven listed and described here
e. Other theologians say that the descriptions fit various individual Christians
(1) As we come to that we will explore these ideas
2. Notice that here in this first chapter of the Revelation the Savior is standing in the midst of the lampstands
a. He is central to the churches
b. He is surrounded by the churches
c. But, for now, remember Jesus is the head of the church
(1) The foundation of the church
(2) The reason for the church
(3) And everything to the church
d. Later in Revelation 3:20 we will see that He will be outside the church
Revelation 3:20 (NKJV)
"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.
(1) Going back to Revelation 1:13, we will see Jesus as John begins to describe Him
3. One like the Son of Man
Revelation 1:13 (NKJV)
and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band.
a. Here we have a translation of the Greek text which might tend to lead us astray, it reads,
(1) The definite article THE is not there is the Greek
(2) Not that THE is wrong
(3) But an alternate reading might well be, one like a son of man
(a) In other words, this apparition might have looked human
(b) And this is a definite possibility as we know that Jesus ascended into heaven in His earthly body
b. The translators probably placed the definite article THE in this text because they knew John was seeing Jesus
(1) So what John saw was The Son of Man, Jesus Christ
(a) In this context, the emphasis is on the humanity of the Savior
(b) The one who was dead, but is now alive
(c) And personally bringing an important message to the churches by John the beloved Apostle
i) Going back to verse 13, we see that Savior’s attire
4. The robe and girdle
Revelation 1:13 (NKJV)
and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band.
a. A Garment down to the Feet
(1) The Holy Garments of the High Priest are extensively described in Exodus, but the description is long and involved, suffice it to say that the High Priest’s robe reached down to the feet
(2) Some believe that the garment is Christ’s High Priestly robe
(a) It is also the robe of righteousness
(b) In this case the perfect, beautiful righteousness of Christ Himself
i) Turn to Psalm 110:4 and Hebrews 5:6
(c) Here we see Christ as High Priest
Psalms 110:4 (NKJV)
The LORD has sworn And will not relent, "You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek."
Hebrews 5:6 (NKJV)
As He also says in another place: "You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek";
b. The Golden Band Around His Chest
(1) The golden band has little to distinguish it precisely
(a) However, many pictures show a wide golden band around Jesus’s chest
(b) Some believe that this is much like the golden chain worn by kings and governors
(2) This seems to be a depiction of Christ in His office as King of Kings
c. So in this passage we see Jesus Christ as a man, the Son of Man
(1) As the High Priest, after the order of Melchizedek
(2) And as the King of Kings
(a) But, lets continue in John’s description, Revelation 1:14
C. His white hair and fiery eyes
Revelation 1:14 (NKJV)
His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire;
1. The white head and hair is like the description given in Daniel 7:9
a. In this Daniel passage, we have a description of the Ancient of Days
Daniel 7:9 (NKJV)
"I watched till thrones were put in place, And the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as snow, And the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, Its wheels a burning fire;
b. The Ancient of Days, is God
(1) We have in Daniel, God on His throne, white hair and white garments
(2) And we have in the Revelation, Jesus Christ described in like manner
(a) We have this in Proverbs 16:31 concerning gray, silver or white hair
Proverbs 16:31 (NKJV)
The silver-haired head is a crown of glory, If it is found in the way of righteousness.
(b) So, Christian, don’t be ashamed of your gray, silver, or white hair
2. The eyes like a flame of fire
a. Again, in Daniel 10:6, we have the description of an angelic massager with eyes of fire
Daniel 10:6 (NKJV)
His body was like beryl, his face like the appearance of lightning, his eyes like torches of fire, his arms and feet like burnished bronze in color, and the sound of his words like the voice of a multitude.
(1) Ryrie’s note concerning the eye’s of fire says, Piercing and penetrating in holiness
(2) All seeing and all knowing
(3) Seeing the things done in secret and darkness
(a) Now going to Revelation 1:15
3. We see the feet of the Lord
Revelation 1:15 (NKJV)
His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters;
a. Brass or bronze speaks of judgment
b. But also of stability
(1) Brass being the most durable metal of the day
(2) And feet being the platform of our human body
4. The voice of many waters
a. I can imagine a voice like Niagra Falls
(1) Power raw power
(2) But this is a voice
(3) The voice of the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings
(4) A voice of authority and power
b. And what do we hear the voice saying, Revelation 1:17-18
Revelation 1:17-18 (NKJV)
And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, "Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. {18} "I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.
(1) And now let us consider Revelation 1:16 as we conclude this segment of our Savior’s message to the churches
5. The seven stars and the sharp two edged sword
Revelation 1:16 (NKJV)
He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength.
a. We saw earlier that the seven stars were the angels of the seven churches, verse 20
(1) The Greek word for angel is the word aggelos and it means messenger
(a) In this context I believe that these stars are the pastors of the churches
(b) At the beginning the Lord had the pastors in His right hand
i) A place of security and honor
ii) The position every pastor should desire
iii) To be completely in the will of God
b. The sharp two-edged sword is the word of God as described in Hebrew 4:12
Hebrews 4:12 (NKJV)
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
(1) Now John describes the Lord’s face as the sun shining in its strength
(2) In Revelation 21:23 we read that the New Jerusalem, home of the saints, will have the Lamb as it light
Revelation 21:23 (NKJV)
The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light.
(3) Barns notes closes this passage with this comment: There could be no more striking description of the majesty and glory of the countenance than to compare it with the overpowering splendor of the sun. This closes the description of the personage that appeared to John. The design was evidently to impress him with a sense of his majesty and glory, and to prepare the way for the authoritative nature of the communications which he was to make.
(a) Now turn to Revelation 1:3
6. This will conclude our introduction to the Revelation of Jesus Christ
Revelation 1:3 (NKJV)
Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.
a. In these perilous times we must discern the person of Christ Jesus and the blessing He promises those who read and heed the words of this prophecy
