Revelation 1:9-20

Image 9-14-24 at 1.34 PM

Revelation
The Lamb of God: 
On His Throne And Among His People
The Son of Man
Revelation 1:9-20

Read Revelation 1:9-20 and discuss your impressions – impressions given to you by the seven spirits (The Holy Spirit).

  •  Jesus will identify himself – or be identified – with approximately 20 different names, titles, or descriptions. How do you think of Jesus (Savior, Redeemer, Friend – soothing or frightening)? How does the description of Jesus in our text impact your thinking? How does this compare with what was said of Jesus in Revelation 1:4-6?
  • Connect the dots from Daniel 7:13-14 to Matthew 26:62-66 to Revelation 1:12-16 – all the verses are written out in the Extra Notes section below. What say ye about the consistency and authority of Scripture?
  • Much of my time near the end of this week (when sermon and notes come together) has been taken up communicating with people (including family) in Western North Carolina. We have many connections there as a church. Would you please take time to pray for all those in the areas devastated by winds and floods and who are without power, internet connection, and fresh water? Many of these (not our connections, necessarily) are cut off by washed out roads.

Extra Notes

If you are new, here, we have just begun a series on the book of Revelation that will last anywhere from 9 to 12 months. A few things you need to know about this series:

  • I think we all agree that Revelation is an important book, but we also agree that it is a difficult book to understand.
  • This will not be a series in which a hard and fast position about the end times will be given. It is a closed-fist, open-hand issue. Three things we agree on about the Second Coming are 1) Jesus is coming again, 2) We hope it is soon, and 3) We better be ready
  • Other than those three points, we must keep our beliefs about Revelation and the details about life on earth before Jesus returns with an open hand for two reasons – 1) There are good arguments for positions that we do not take, and 2) We might learn something if we are not too closeminded about the meaning of Revelation.
  • When I say, “we” might learn something, I am including myself. I would hate to need to say, “You know what I said three weeks ago? Well, I have changed my mind about that.” Since that would be embarrassing, I am going to try to limit that to 10-12 times. Once a month would be okay!
  • Now that you know how difficult this book is, I want to encourage you to hang in there! If I preach at a level that you cannot understand at all, that is not a good thing. If everything I say is what you have heard before and is at a level that makes complete sense without you doing any work, that is not so good, either.
  • In other words, if we begin this study and we are all at a 3 on a scale of 1-10 and I stay at 3, is that what we need? Probably not. First, I think this is a biblically literate church, so we begin at a higher rate than 3! But let’s say that we are, collectively, at a 4, but as I study, I rise to 7 in my understanding. Where should I preach? I would prefer to preach at 5-5.5. Okay, I would prefer to preach at 6-6.5, but we know that 6 is a bad number, so you will need to jump from 5.5 to 7!
  • If you feel like you are at a 2, hang in there! You know a lot more than you think you know, and you are much more capable of learning than you might think. If you don’t understand something about Revelation, ask others. Home group conversations should help clear up a few things in your thinking.

John 16:33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.

Acts 14:21 When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, 22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.

2 Timothy 3:12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 

Compare John hearing a voice that sounded like a trumpet in verse 10 with Exodus 19:16-20:

Exodus 19:16 On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled. 17 Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain. 18 Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the Lord had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly. 19 And as the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in thunder. 20 The Lord came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain. And the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.

Exodus 25:31 You shall make a lampstand of pure gold. The lampstand shall be made of hammered work: its base, its stem, its cups, its calyxes, and its flowers shall be of one piece with it.

Exodus 27:20 You shall command the people of Israel that they bring to you pure beaten olive oil for the light, that a lamp may regularly be set up to burn. 21 In the tent of meeting, outside the veil that is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall tend it from evening to morning before the Lord. It shall be a statute forever to be observed throughout their generations by the people of Israel.

2 Chronicles 4:7 And he made ten golden lampstands as prescribed, and set them in the temple, five on the south side and five on the north.

The seven churches in Revelation 2-3 represent all churches of all time. How do we know? We are the temple of the Holy Spirit, both individually and corporately as the church. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 is speaking to individuals, while 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 is speaking about the church (Do you not know that you (plural) are the temple of the Holy Spirit?).

Connect the dots:

Daniel 7:13  "I saw in the night visions,
and behold, with the clouds of heaven
    there came one like a son of man,
and he came to the Ancient of Days
    and was presented before him.

14  And to him was given dominion
    and glory and a kingdom,
that all peoples, nations, and languages
    should serve him;
 his dominion is an everlasting dominion
,
    which shall not pass away,
 and his kingdom one

Matthew 26:62 And the high priest stood up and said, “Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?” 63 But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to him, “I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” 64 Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” 65 Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy. 66 What is your judgment?” They answered, “He deserves death.”

Compare Daniel 7:13 with Revelation 1:12 Then I (John) turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, 15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.

The sharp two-edged sword probably is taken from Isaiah 49:2:

He made my mouth like a sharp sword;
    in the shadow of his hand he hid me;
he made me a polished arrow;
    in his quiver he hid me away.

Jesus as the first and the last (Revelation 1:17) in the OT:

Isaiah 41:4 Who has performed and done this,
    calling the generations from the beginning?
I, the Yahweh, the first,
    and with the last; I am he.

Isaiah 44:6 Thus says the Yahweh, the King of Israel
    and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts:
I am the first and I am the last;
    
besides me there is no god.

Isaiah 48:12 "Listen to me, O Jacob,
    and Israel, whom I called
I am he; I am the first,
    and I am the last.

G.K. Beale: The scope of Revelation deals with all the events of world history commencing with the death and resurrection of Christ and concluding with His final return. The events recorded in it will recur throughout human history and thus remain relevant to readers of all times, though they also point to a final climax at the time of the Lord’s return.