The Revelation of Jesus Christ – Redeemed By The Blood
by Daniel Burton
Read Revelation 1:1-8
Download Discussions Guide to go through with a friend
What are you looking to learn from studying the book of Revelation? What preconceived thoughts do you have about this study?
“The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John…” (Revelation 1:1, NIV) John penned this words in exile on the island of Patmos, having been sent there to live out his days until his death. John had first-hand witnessed the life, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ and the profound impact that Christ had on the world and would continue to have throughout the course of human history. Yet, John also understood that Christ’s ascension into Heaven was not the end and that He would return during the end of days. Thus, on the Island of Patmos, John received this dream and vision of the supernatural and of the end of days when Christ would return for His people. What follows is the Revelation of Jesus Christ.
For many people, the idea of apocalyptic literature is misunderstood. Our mind have become inundated with zombie apocalypse, dystopian futures, and loyal bands of survivors trying to make it amidst cinematically cataclysmic events. For biblical literature, however, the idea of apocalyptic literature comes form the idea of unveiling or revealing. Thus, the imagery of nuclear winter, war, or end of days type scenarios, while they may be part of what will be to come, are not the purpose. The main point of Revelation is to reveal the nature of God’s Sovereign rule throughout all human history through the empowerment of the church to minister to the world.
Three Major Interpretations of Revelation
Religious leaders and scholars sought to interpret the timeframe of the Book of Revelation since it was first penned. With the nature of the book being both related to the end times (eschatological) and prophetic while simultaneously dealing with vision and dreams of the supernatural, determining how to best interpret the Revelation of John can serve to be challenging for the reader. There are four basic interpretations of how to view the content of Revelation
- Preterist – the views of Revelation reflect primarily the actions and details of the time period that the work was written during while acknowledging a future hope for the circumstances
- Historicist – the views of Revelation present the history of the church from the time of Jesus’ birth to the time of completion of the earth. It is a span of all human history centering on the Jesus Christ.
- Futurist – the views of Revelation present the future history of the return of Christ in His second coming and the events are mostly, if not all, future events that have not yet begun to be realized.
- Idealist – the views of Revelation depict the allegorical struggles of good and evil that all of us experience across the whole span of time and not necessarily a timeline of events.
Each perspective offers various strengths and weakness for interpretation and each would do well to listen to the perspective of the other while seeking to understand and account for our positions own flaws and weakness. However, we interpret Revelation, at the crux, we must understand what it is and what message John sought to communicate. The Revelation of John is a prophetic and apocalyptic ecclesiological eschatology. Or, in simpler terms, it is an unveiling of the church’s role as we await Christ’s second coming given by God through John. It reveals to us all our role in the coming and current age as we eagerly await the return of Christ
Our Role In The Story
We, as followers and believers in Jesus Christ, play a role in the story of Revelation. The focus is undoubtedly on the person of Jesus Christ and His return to save His people, but, nonetheless, as we are united with Christ, we stand with Him in His global mission across all of time. This is clear from the very beginning. God gave the revelation to Jesus Christ, who sent his angels to John who gives it to the whole of the church. There is a profound unification from God to mankind that seeks to make God known throughout all the world. Furthermore, in some capacity or another, God will be seen and known by the end of His return.
The foundational truths of the Gospel provide the basis of the Revelation of Jesus Christ. We, as believers who have made Jesus Lord of our lives, have been cleanses by the blood of Christ as a propitiation of our sins. Christ’s works serve as an act of atonement on our behalf for sins we committed. Furthermore, through our renewal, we have been made Priests of the Kingdom of God and our lives act as ambassadors of the One, True King. All glory belongs to God who restores our soul and establishes our purpose.
Discussions Questions
How are we blessed by the reading and studying of this Revelation? How does this book communicate the will of God for the world? What does it reveal to us about our future hope?
What three terms does John use to describe Jesus in verse 5 and what are their significance?
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What does it mean that we have been made to be a Kingdom and Priests?
The Revelation of Jesus Christ is founded on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. How have we been saved? Why is this foundational to understanding our role as priest?
How does your life reflect your role as a priest? Where are you a good representation of God? Where are you not a good representation of God?
What does it mean that Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega? What comfort comes from understanding God’s role in salvation and His sovereign rule?
Revelation was written during a time of immense persecution. While the situations are different, this passage shows us how we the church reacts to persecution. How should the church react to persecution in this day and age? Why is this difficult or easy? Where do you face persecution for your faith? How should you respond?
