Revelation 1:1-3
Revelation Section 1: Introduction (1:1-3)
The book of Revelation was written near the end of the 1st century. The Apostle John was living on the small island of Patmos, exiled to die for his faith. He was the only Apostle left; the others were all martyred and reunited with Christ in Heaven. During this exile, God commissioned the last Apostle to write the last book of the Bible through visions of the future. These visions were written to encourage the church to remain faithful through hardship and worldliness, and to foretell the unimaginable glory of Christ that is still yet to be revealed.
[1] The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, [2] who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. [3] Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.
The book of Revelation starts with its main purpose. This book is about the revelation of Jesus Christ. As the earth trembles, the skies rip apart, the nations war, and satan howls against the truth, you must keep your eyes on Jesus. Because it’s not the end of the story, just the end of this story. And we will find that the end of this world’s story is just an introductory chapter in the story of His eternal glory.
This main purpose is also the Rosetta Stone of this book. Though the book of Revelation may seem incomprehensible, we see in this opening verse the key to understanding its mysteries. The book can only be understood as a revelation of Jesus Christ.
And John has left nothing out from his visions in this book. He has not withheld any secret knowledge or passcode from the Believers. This is a sharp contrast against the false teachers in John’s world. False teachers often claimed to have a hidden, superior knowledge of God which was only accessible to spiritually higher beings. But once again, the God of the Gospel is the great equalizer of humanity. He offers His truth freely to all people, even to the lowly and the weak.
Therefore, blessed is the one who reads the words of this book aloud. Not just for their sake, but for the people who are listening. Go and read these words aloud to those who cannot read, those who have never heard, those who have never known. For God wants to bring all people into knowledge of the glory of God.
And notice how it says blessed are those who read it, hear it, and keep it. This shows us Revelation is not for the sake of gaining knowledge of future times; it is meant to create obedience within us today. The truths of Revelation are meant to guide us into deeper love and obedience to Christ.
Therefore, as we wrap up this Introductory Section of Revelation, we see that Revelation is not a mysteriously frightful book that should be avoided and ignored. Rather, it is a book about the glory of Jesus Christ, meant for all people, and powerful in producing obedience in our hearts today.