Revelation Chapter 1 - The Lamb is all the Glory

Updated: 26 June 2012

A hard, mysterious book?

Easy to think it is a hard, mysterious book. "Revelation" - NOT SO! Its purpose is to reveal and not to hide!

In Elizabeth Gaskell's book "North & South" Bessy Higgins, a poor mill girl in a 19th century English cotton town, is dying of lung disease brought on by the cotton dust in the mills; the movie doesn't show that she was a Christian, and her great comfort was this book of Revelation, which she knew almost by heart! To her it was a book of hope, not terror.

Quick tour of the quick tour

Click here for my Real Revelation Code overview

Chapter 1 is itself an overview

Revelation is about Jesus Christ and by Jesus Christ (Man-Messiah)
via John - he is in prison, but Jesus is not; the King is not in prison, His Word is not in prison;
it is to Church - His people, who trust in Him;
when? - verse 1 "soon" verse 3 "time is near" verse 7 "coming!" verse 19, it covers the whole period from Jesus' first to second comings;
1. not ALL PAST, nor ALL FUTURE, John's "soon" extends to the end of age;
The Lord Jesus Christ revealed - Lord, Revealer, Redeemer, Husband & Judge;
It is truth revealed in Signs & symbols;
1. Sharp 2-edged sword in His mouth;
2. 7 spirits, 7 stars, 7 churches, 7 lamps (fullness, completion);
3. stars & lamps explained (they are symbols!);
4. stars=messengers, probably pastors, in His hand (sent, protected, empowered); stars give a little light ("then the traveller in the dark thanks you for your tiny spark" - a rarely heard second verse to "Twinkle twinkle little star"). Note: some translations have "angels". The actual word in the original Greek is aggelos meaning "messenger". Now angels are messengers of God, but so were the apostles, and so are pastors and teachers today. I'm inclined to see it here as human messengers. In chapter 2 John is told to write letters to 7 churches, addressed to their "angels". Same word aggelos - it is hard to see how John could write (as he obviously did) to angelic spirit beings;
5. lamps=churches - to show His glory and gospel in the world (not just pastors!).

The Lamb is All the Glory!

Lord - Jesus - Christ:

He is Himself the heart of all God's revelation.
He is the launch-pad and destination of all history.
He is the beginning and ending, 1st and last, Alpha and Omega (A-Z). He IS GOD!.

Lord
- of angels - verse 1;
- of church - verse 4 (to churches) , verse 6 (made a kingdom), verse 13 (in midst), verse 20;
- of all men, nations - verse 5 King of kings, verse 7, "all the peoples" tremble;
- of death & the grave v18, and over the devil who wields these as weapons (Hebrews. 2:14);
Victor! - verse 7.

Revealer

it is His revelation - verse 1 ;
He reveals it to John - verse 1, verse 5, verse 11-12;
it is the Word of God - verse 2;
it is for His church - to comfort, to warn, to teach, to guard - "take heart; I have overcome the world" John 16:33;
He sends out His gospel messengers - verse 16, 20 (7 stars).

Redeemer

He faithfully obeyed God - verse 5;
He is raised from dead - verse 5, "Living One" verse 18 - fountain of life;
He freed us by His blood -verse 5 (and who is "us"? - not all, some mourn verse 7);
He was pierced for us - verse 7;
He suffered - verse 9 (and now our pattern);
He is the mighty redeemer - verse 17,18 ("Do not be afraid.").

Husband

He blesses us - verse 3;
He loves us - verse 5;
He comforts us - verse 4, verse 17;
He never leaves us - verse 13;
He protects us - even from death - verse 18;
He is the lovely One - verse 13-16 (Daniel's vision too, in his 10th chapter, with same swoon as John experiences, such is the ravishing sight of Jesus the Son of God and Son of Man).

Judge

He will come at the end of the age - verse 7;
His eyes see all - verse 14;
He carries the sword, verse 16, to bring justice (none will "get away with it" then - the Judge will know, and speak, and punish);
He has the keys of death & the grave.

Where am I? Where are you?

longing to fall at His blessed feet, to see the Lamb in all His glory?
fearing His coming - you need not - come to Him and seek forgiveness and receive His sure comfort and hope. "this man receives sinners" - thank God He does!
"I'll worry about that later" - maybe you will, and maybe you won't!. You can leave it until it is too late. Why would you?

Click here for the next Revelation article Revelation Chapters 2 & 3 - Tough Love Letters

Home... Help... Search... Revelation...

This page tardus.net/revelation01-theLambIsAllTheGlory.html Last refreshed: 04 Oct 2023

About Tardus

Contact me, "Tardus" Copyright powered by txt2tags

Search tardus.net

Search...