The Day Is Near / Revelation 1:1-3
You Asked For This
The overwhelming response to our survey was the book of Revelation. So, I just want to make a disclaimer right off the bat: you asked for this. I didn’t vote for this! This was not on my personal list, but you wanted it. In all honesty, we are going to look tonight at one of the most majestic books in your Bible—a book that is going to be absolutely profound in its impact on your life if you will allow the Word of God to do what only the Word of God can.
There is a story told of a seminary student who was in a New Testament survey class. The professor was moving at a snail’s pace, and the student started doing the math. He raised his hand one day and said, “Hey, Prof, at the rate we’re going, we’re not going to be able to finish. In fact, we’re going to miss the book of Revelation.” The professor responded with a very interesting comment. He said, “Son, I’ve read everything written on Revelation, and I’ll assure you, after reading it all, nobody understands what that book means.”
I have to be honest with you: I disagree on both counts. I doubt that he truly has read everything written on the book of Revelation, and I also disagree that nobody knows what it says. Would it make any sense to you if I told you that God inspired a Bible of sixty-six books, sixty-five of which could be understood, but one that was so cryptic that we should just give up? Would it make sense that God would reveal a Bible and include a book that He didn’t mean for us to understand or that wasn’t practical for us?
It is true that over the centuries this book has been misunderstood, neglected, attempted, and abandoned. Even the most solid of New Year’s resolutions, when tackling the Everest of the book of Revelation, eventually grows fatigued at the twenty-two chapters of prophetic literature laid out for us. But we’re going to take a shot at this, because I think it’s one of the most important books of your Bible.
The Anchor of the Bible
If you pull the book of Revelation from your Bible, your Bible splinters. It becomes a conglomeration of loose ends. You have no closing. Without the book of Revelation, sin is never judged. Without this book, there is no end to a wicked world and no hope for the righteous. Christ never reigns, the kingdom is never established, and there is never a summing up of all things in Christ.
The word “revelation” comes from the Greek word apocalypsis, which is where we get the word apocalypse. It literally means to reveal or to become visible. This is the revealing of the Lamb of God worthy to open the scrolls. It’s the revealing of the throne room in heaven and the tribulation period where God will focus once again on the nation of Israel, fulfilling the covenants of land, seed, and blessing. It reveals the Davidic king who reigns forever on the throne in Jerusalem, where the government rests on His shoulders.
Revelation reveals the Second Coming of Christ, where Jesus is pictured not just as the suffering servant, but as the King who rides in on a white horse. It reveals the man whose name is King of Kings and Lord of Lords, followed by a thousand-year reign of Jesus physically on this earth. It reveals Satan being bound, cast into the lake of fire, and defeated for eternity. Without this book, we are left to anybody’s theory or opinion on how the whole thing goes down in the end.
John wrote at the end of the book in chapter 22:
Revelation 22:18 (NASB)
I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book;
John finishes the book with a stamp of approval and says, “Don’t you dare add to this book.” I’ve had conversations with people who bike up to my door talking about “further revelation.” When I show them that verse, they say, “Well, that only applies to Revelation.” I don’t have a problem with that, because Revelation speaks into eternity future. I don’t need anything else.
How do you take on a book of this magnitude? You just slow down and hit it one verse at a time.
A Prayer for Wisdom
Before we dive in, let’s pray together.
Father, as we embark on this journey, we pray that You would grant us wisdom to understand what is written in these pages. Grant us wisdom to accept what is written and to ponder the things You revealed to Your servant John. As a pastor, I pray for wisdom beyond my years, that I would speak with great clarity and conviction. May Your Word come forth as a clarion call of response to the risen Christ, that in a day of pluralism, we might find how the end is, who the Lord Savior is, and what our response ought to be. Bless us as we look inside. In Christ’s name, Amen.
The Structure of the Vision
There are three divisions to this book. Chapter one contains the things which John has seen. Chapters two and three are the things which are—the seven churches. Then, chapters four through twenty-two are the things which will take place after this. Let’s look at the prologue in verses one through three.
Revelation 1:1-3 (NASB)
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.
Some of your Bibles might list the title as “The Revelation of John.” I think that’s a bit incorrect because it’s not a revealing of John at all; it’s the revealing of Jesus Christ. In these twenty-two chapters, you find the completion of the picture of who Jesus is.
If you were to speed-read your New Testament up to this point, you would see Jesus as the servant pictured in Isaiah 49. You would see Him humbling Himself to the point of death on a cross, or coming to seek and save the lost. You see the Beatitudes: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, the gentle, the merciful.” If we don’t look at Revelation, we only get part of the picture: the meek, mild, tender Savior. Revelation gives us the other side of that coin. It completes the picture of Christ our King, who is both a loving, gracious Lord and a righteous, just Judge.
Signified and Communicated
Notice in verse one that this revelation was “communicated” or “signified” by His angel to John. This is unique. The other sixty-five books of your Bible were inspired in a way where the Spirit of God superintended the authors. Paul told Timothy that all Scripture is “God-breathed.”
2 Timothy 3:16 (NASB)
All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;
But Revelation is communicated differently. The Greek word is semaino, which means to signify or give a sign. It’s as if an angel gives John a slideshow of what will take place. As John sees these pictures, he writes down what he sees. He doesn’t just see seven churches; he sees them represented by seven lampstands. He doesn’t just see a false religion; he sees a great harlot. He doesn’t just see Satan; he sees a dragon.
Our interpretive approach to this book will be futuristic. The events in chapters four through twenty-two have not happened yet. The catching away of the church, the tribulation, the millennial kingdom, and the new heavens and earth are all future. This world is not as good as it gets; the best is yet to come. We will also take a normative, literal approach. I’m not smart enough to allegorize everything. I believe the Bible says what it means and means what it says unless it clearly communicates otherwise.
To His Bondservants
John notes that these things must “soon take place.” The Greek word is takos, which refers to the rapidity of the execution. It doesn’t necessarily mean the events will occur tomorrow, but that when they do begin, they will happen quickly, like the twinkling of an eye.
He also says this message is for His “bondservants.” The word is doulos, which means a “willing slave.” In Exodus 21, Moses describes a slave who loves his master so much that he refuses to go free. The master would take him to the doorpost, pierce his ear with an awl, and he would serve that master permanently.
Exodus 21:5-6 (NASB)
’But if the slave plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife and my children; I will not go out as a free man,’ then his master shall bring him to God, then he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him permanently.
This revelation is for the “pierced-ear” crowd. It is for believers. There are all kinds of people fascinated by this book. I remember as a frat guy in the Sigma Chi house, my buddies would sit around and read it because they were curious or amused. But they didn’t understand it, because this book was written for bondservants.
Paul said that the natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit because they are foolishness to him. If a person cannot come to grips with the Lamb of God who died for them, how will they understand the Lion of Judah who comes to judge?
The Two Pictures of Christ
To understand this judge, look at the description of His return in chapter 19:
Revelation 19:11-16 (NASB)
And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it [is] called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. His eyes [are] a flame of fire, and on His head [are] many diadems; and He has a name written [on Him] which no one knows except Himself. [He is] clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white [and] clean, were following Him on white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, ‘KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.’
This is the King of Kings. Verse three of chapter one promises a blessing to those who read, hear, and heed this prophecy. It is the only book in your Bible with such a specific promise, yet it is often the most avoided. The blessing is for those who continually read and observe it. In John’s day, since they didn’t have printing presses, a pastor would stand and read this aloud to the congregation. Blessed is the one who reads, and blessed are those who hear and put it into action.
The Time is Near
John concludes verse three by saying “the time is near.” The Greek word for time here is kairos, meaning a season, an epoch, or a set period. We live in the reality of imminency. Prophetically speaking, nothing else needs to happen before Jesus Christ returns. He could return in the middle of this service.
Romans 13:12 (NASB)
The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.
We often presume upon God, but the biblical paradigm is that He could come at any time. Look at Isaiah 61, a passage Jesus quoted at the start of His ministry in Nazareth.
Isaiah 61:1-2 (NASB)
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, Because the LORD has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives And freedom to prisoners; To proclaim the favorable year of the LORD And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn,
When Jesus read this in the synagogue, as recorded in Luke 4, He stopped in the middle of the sentence. He read, “to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord,” then He rolled up the scroll and sat down. He left out the next phrase: “and the day of vengeance of our God.”
Jesus inaugurated the year of God’s favor, and we have been enjoying that grace ever since. But the “day of vengeance” is what John reveals in the book of Revelation. For a believer, this book is like a fire warming a cold heart because we know that, in the end, God wins. But for those who haven’t placed their faith in Christ, this book is an omen.
The Day of Vengeance
Paul warns us not to think lightly of God’s patience. The kindness of God should lead us to repentance, but many use that patience as an excuse to stay unrepentant, storing up wrath for the day of revelation.
Romans 2:4-6 (NASB)
Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who WILL RENDER TO EACH PERSON ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS:
In Psalm 32, David speaks of a time when God may be found.
Psalms 32:3-6 (NASB)
When I kept silent [about my sin], my body wasted away Through my groaning all day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was drained away [as] with the fever heat of summer. Selah. I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I did not hide; I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the LORD’; And You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah. Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You in a time when You may be found; Surely in a flood of great waters they will not reach him.
We need to call to God now, while it is the “favorable year.” There is a day coming when the grapes of wrath will be trodden, and in that day of vengeance, your voice will not be heard.
We look at the tragedies in our world today, like the recent tsunamis that claimed 120,000 lives, and our hearts break. But in Revelation chapter nine, we read that one-third of the earth’s population will be destroyed—two billion people. That is the population of North and South America combined, gone instantly. Yet we still shake our fists at God.
Revelation 6 gives us a glimpse of the desperation of that day:
Revelation 6:15-17 (NASB)
Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?’
People will beg for mountains to fall on them rather than face the wrath of the Lamb. God has stayed His wrath and poured out more grace than we deserve. If He had ended everything forty-five minutes after the cross, it would have been forty-five minutes more grace than we earned.
I used to look at Christians and wonder why they got so fired up. It freaked me out. But now I’ve read the book. I know how it ends. I care for you enough to recognize that I am not a good steward if I don’t beg you, on behalf of Christ, to be reconciled to God.
Come to Him now in the favorable year of the Lord. Do not wait for the day of wrath.
Closing Challenge
Let’s pray.
Father, as we interact with this difficult truth, we know it has been said that this book grabs you by the throat in the first chapter and doesn’t let go. I pray that as we engage this text, You would help us find favor and grace. For those who don’t know You, our prayer is simple: we beg that they would come to know You. As we look through the revealing of Jesus Christ, King of Kings, may many come to know Him as Savior.
Lord, if there are folks here who want to put their faith in You, give them the courage to speak to us or reach out. Without manipulation, we want to provide an open door. As we leave in the silence of this place, having interacted with a heavy word, grant us grace for the journey ahead. In Christ’s name, Amen.