April 19, 2020

Revelation 1:1-8

Sunday Sermons

The last book of the Bible is the book called Revelation. It is God’s final word to the church and to the watching world. Revelation engages the mind and stirs the imagination to the beauty of who Jesus is, and the glorious gospel of God‘s grace on offer through faith in Christ Jesus. Join Pastor Jim for this inspiring introduction to our study called Revelation: The Hope of Glory and a look at the first 8 verses from the first chapter.

Speaker

Jim Thomas

Series

The Hope of Glory

Go to Series

Scripture

Revelation 1:1-8

Topics
Big Questions General Worldview & Culture Worship

Sermon Notes

Revelation 1:1-8

The Hope of Glory

NT Era Roman Emperors:
  • 31 BC-14 AD: Augustus
  • 14-37 AD: Tiberius
  • 37-41 AD: Caligula
  • 41-54 AD: Claudius
  • 54-68 AD: Nero
  • 68-69 AD: Galba, Otho, Vitellius
  • 69-79 AD: Vespasian
  • 79-81 AD: Titus
  • 81-96 AD: Domitian

 

Revelation is at one and the same time three different genres of literature:
  1. Apocalyptic
  2. Prophecy
  3. Epistle/Letter
Three difficulties facing the church both then and now:
  1. Persecution
  2. Error
  3. Sin

“First time a Lamb. Next time Lion.
First time to redeem. Next time to reign.
First time to die. Next time to raise the dead.
First time crown of thorns. Next time crown of glory.
First time in poverty. Next time in power.
Frist time in meekness. Next time in majesty!”
– @LRavenhill

Vision             Chapters          C o n t e n t
1                         1 – 3                   7 churches
2                        4-8:1                  7 s e a l s
3                        8:2-11                 7 trumpets
4                        12 – 14                Battle against Satan
5                        15-16                   7 bowls
6                        17 – 19                Downfall of Babylon
7                        20 – 22               New Heavens & New Earth

 

Revelation is God taking the initiative
to reveal something we could never know
on our own. Revelation is about that which
is beyond the reach of human knowledge,
reason, or discovery.

4 popular approaches to interpreting Revelation:
  1. Preterist
    • The text describes events that correspond
      to the time of the writing or in its recent past;
      i.e. persecution of Christians throughout the
      Roman Empire, presumably under Emperor
      Domitian [8I-96 AD].
  2. Futurist
    • The text describes events yet to happen
      in the end times.
  3. Historicist
    • The text describes events during the ongoing
      history of the church, between the first
      and second comings of Christ.
  4. Idealist
    • The text describes events fulfilled in all
      of the time periods identified in the other
      three views. This is often called the Idealist
      view.

 

“Though Saint John the Evangelist saw many strange monsters in his vision,
he saw no creature so wild as one of his own commentators.”
G. K . Chesterton, Orthodoxy

 

“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God
gave Him [Jesus] 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.”
Revelation I : I
emphasis added

 

7 characteristics of Jesus:
  1. Eternal
  2. Faithful
  3. 1st begotten from dead
  4. Sovereign Ruler of kings of the earth
  5. Loves us
  6. Sets us free from [penalty, power and one day, presence]
  7. Made us a kingdom and priests to God

 

“People who do not take these opening words
at their full value will very likely end up using
the Revelation as a Rorschach test rather than
a religious text, reading more into the ink than
they read out of it.”
– Eugene Peterson
borrowing from Ellen Goodman
Baltimore Sun, I5 June, 1979

“There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind.”
C . S. Lewis, Collected Letters