“This is a revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants the events that must soon take place. He sent an angel to present this revelation to his servant John, who faithfully reported everything he saw. This is his report of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. God blesses the one who reads the words of this prophecy to the church, and he blesses all who listen to its message and obey what it says, for the time is near. This letter is from John to the seven churches in the province of Asia. Grace and peace to you from the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come; from the sevenfold Spirit before his throne; and from Jesus Christ. He is the faithful witness to these things, the first to rise from the dead, and the ruler of all the kings of the world. All glory to him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by shedding his blood for us. He has made us a Kingdom of priests for God his Father. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen. Look! He comes with the clouds of heaven. And everyone will see him— even those who pierced him. And all the nations of the world will mourn for him. Yes! Amen! “I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end,” says the Lord God. “I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come—the Almighty One.” I, John, am your brother and your partner in suffering and in God’s Kingdom and in the patient endurance to which Jesus calls us. I was exiled to the island of Patmos for preaching the word of God and for my testimony about Jesus. It was the Lord’s Day, and I was worshiping in the Spirit. Suddenly, I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet blast.”
Revelation 1:1-10 NLT
John sets the stage for this revelation by bringing great attention to the idea that it is not a work of man. Instead, his message is first a message which was given by the Father, to the Son for the benefit of the Son’s people. By this John means the church. By this time, as he points out, the church was in a time of great distress. Though it was a growing underground movement, the leaders of the original church had been all but killed. John was the only remaining disciple. Beyond this, the scriptures had yet to be canonized into a way that could transmit the history and orders to the church after he died. The revelation was an important one for this reason. Beyond this, it was given to John by an angel sent by Jesus. This sets the stage that Revelation is an official transmission with official purposes. God the Father has given Christ the King instructions for his people and delivered through his messengers. We must pay attention. As if to add on to Daniel’s revelations, it begins with the establishment of the fact of God. Whereas most of Daniel’s visions were to establish God over Nebudcheddnezzar, John’s revelation assumes it. After all, the vision was given to a representative of God’s kingdom rather than Babylon, which was man’s greatest kingdom. So let us start with God. He is supreme, he has always been supreme, and he always will be supreme. This revelation is for his churches who will, in official functions, rule with him in his supremacy. We ought to pay attention as the end of earthly kingdoms draws to its conclusion and a new era of God’s kingdom emerges.
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