I. It seems to me that the end of time is fast approaching. The signs of the times are everywhere.

A. It is not just the United States that is creeping into wickedness, but the entire world.

1. Canada has made it illegal to read or speak about Bible passages that proclaim homosexuality (sodomy) is a sin, or an abomination before God.

2. Canada has okayed same sex marriages, as has Massachusetts.

3. The United States approved abortion in 1973, but it is still in the news.

4. Right now, there are 30 states which are poised to make abortion illegal within a year if the Supreme Court reverses its 1973 ruling establishing a woman’s legal right to an abortion. See: http://www.foxnews.com/prindly_story/0,3566,134530,00.html

5. Luke 21:25 states, And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;

a. I believe this verse speaks of a great uproar of all the peoples of this world.

b. Revelation 17:1, 15 defines the waters where the whore sits as peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.

B. The United States was formed as a republic, which means that the government rules by a standard which is unchangeable.

1. Today, most people (and this includes the vast majority of our elected officials, including the current president, George W. Bush) believe the United States is a democracy, which means the government is ruled by the people.

2. The Bible has been discarded as a standard, and is being replaced by the standard of whatever the people think.

3. Politicians (there seems to be no statesmen anymore) vote according to the latest poll, not according to the standard established by the Word of God.

4. Frankly, politicians get into trouble for even mentioning the word "God".

Verse 1 – The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:

I. It is amazing to compare this first verse to the title of this book in the Thompson Chain Reference Bible.

A. This verse states this is the revelation of Jesus Christ.

1. Thompson (and most other publications) state this is the revelation of John the Divine.

2. I do not know if there is an intention of saying that the book of Revelation originated with John, but if that intention is there, it is false.

B. This book is the revelation of Jesus Christ.

1. The word "revelation" means a revealing, a lightening, a manifestation, or coming.

2. The facts of this book are revealed, not hidden.

3. Jesus Christ has written all these prophecies down for us because he wants us to understand what is going to take place.

4. It is wonderful to know that God does not want any of his children to be in the dark about the future, or what his plans are for this world.

5. Anybody that does not know the future hasn’t read the Word of God.

II. God gave this revelation to Jesus Christ, so he could show unto his servants the future.

A. Note the "chain of command" or how the word passes from God to us.

1. God gave the revelation to Jesus Christ.

2. Jesus Christ gave the revelation to his servants by giving it to his angel.

3. The angel gave the revelation to John.

4. John gave the revelation to the seven churches of Asia.

B. God retains the principles of distributing his word.

1. All through the Bible God speaks to one man, who tells the word of God to others.

2. God spoke to Adam, who spoke the word to his family, starting with Eve.

3. God spoke to Noah, who told of the coming flood.

4. God spoke to the prophets of old, who preached the truth of God.

5. God speaks to preachers today, who preach the word of God to all who would hear.

6. This revelation is given by God to Jesus Christ, who speaks to his messenger, who speaks to John, who speaks to all the servants of God.

C. Word meanings:

1. The word "revelation" means that which is revealed, to put light upon a thing, to manifest a thing.

2. "Servants" means those that have subjected their wills to the will of God.

3. "Shortly" means at a fixed position in place, time or state.

a. We understand the word shortly to mean soon, and these things will come to pass soon.

b. The primary meaning is that these things definitely will come to pass.

4. "Signify" means to give a sign, or to make known.

a. I have heard it said that to signify means to give out in signs.

b. There are many "strange symbols" in the book of Revelation, all of which must be interpreted according to the Bible.

c. I believe the proper interpretation is to take everything literally, except that which the Bible reveals to be figurative.

D. This revelation is not meant for everybody.

1. The person who will not put their wills under subjection to God is not meant to have this revelation.

2. This revelation is not meant for the person that is lost.

III. It seems the writer of the gospel of John and the writer of Revelation is the same.

A. This is the half-brother of Jesus Christ and the whole brother of James, who was killed by Herod.

Verse 2 – Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.

I. John had already done three things.

A. He had given record that the Word of God was true.

1. Verse 9 –This is one of the reasons he is exiled to Patmos.

2. The enemies who exiled John to this island believed they had gotten rid of their problem, but God will use John’s exile to show even more people more truth.

3. We should never be discouraged when things do not go as we wish – God will always bless us if we will continually submit to him.

B. He had given witness that Jesus Christ is the son of God.

1. Verse 9 – This is another reason he is exiled to Patmos.

2. The witness that John will give concerning Jesus Christ in the book of Revelation is entirely different from the witness he gave face to face, but I am very thankful for this witness to me.

C. He had given witness of all that he had seen.

1. Verse 9 – This is yet another reason he is exiled to Patmos.

2. What John did he will continue to do.

II. A person does not start to do something for God because he has the title or position.

A. It is wrong to give a person responsibility for a thing, if he has not already taken responsibility for other things.

B. There is nothing "beneath" us as far as being responsible is concerned.

C. God will give us more to do when we do what is before us.

Verse 3 – Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

I. There are at least three things mentioned in this verse.

A. Blessed is the person who reads this prophecy.

B. Blessed are those that hear the words of this prophecy.

C. Blessed are those that keep the words of this prophecy.

II. This is the only book in the Bible with these promises.

A. We do not have to understand.

B. God will bless us if we read, and consider well the things mentioned in this book.

Verse 4 – John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;

I. John to the seven churches which are in Asia.

A. This book of Revelation is written only to the seven named churches which are located in Asia.

1. There is no doubt there are more churches than these seven.

2. The church at Jerusalem and Antioch are still alive and active.

B. There is no doubt John was well known to these churches.

1. He did not introduce himself to them,

2. nor make any proclamation of his authority to write.

II. Grace and peace to those seven churches from God, the holy Spirit of God and Jesus Christ.

A. All grace and peace comes from the holy trinity; none comes from this world.

B. Verse 8 gives additional descriptions of the godhead.

III. The trinity of God gives salutation.

A. From him which is and was and is to come – God Almighty – God the Father.

1. The phrase "was, is and is to come" appears only three times in the entire Bible.

a. Revelation 1:4 – John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;

b. Revelation 1:8 – I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

c. Revelation 4:8 – And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.

2. All of these times refer to God the Father, but it is also clearly understood that the trinity is also referred to.

B. From the seven spirits, which is the Holy Spirit of God.

1. Old Testament revelation of the Holy Spirit.

a. Isaiah 11:2 states, And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD

b. The Spirit of wisdom

c. The Spirit of understanding.

d. The spirit of counsel

e. The spirit of might.

f. The spirit of knowledge.

g. The spirit of the fear of the Lord.

2. New Testament revelation of the Holy Spirit of God.

a. John 16:7 – the Spirit of comfort for the churches of Christ.

b. The Holy Spirit is all the Old Testament blessings, plus the New Testament blessings of comforter.

Verse 5 – And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

I. There are two who are writing this book to the seven churches of Asia.

A. John and Jesus Christ.

B. God almost always uses human instrumentality to accomplish his will in this earth.

II. Jesus Christ is:

A. The faithful witness.

1. Jesus Christ came into this world to do the will of the Father, not his own will.

2. John 5:30 – I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.

3. Everything Jesus did, he did to honor and glorify his father, and this he will continue to do.

B. The first begotten of the dead

1. There is some controversy over this passage, because some folks say those Old Testament saints raised from the dead were before Jesus Christ.

2. All Old Testament saints raised from the dead before Christ (in time) were raised by the power of God.

3. Jesus Christ was raised from the dead in eternity, before time was established, so it is not right to say Old Testament saints were raised before Christ.

C. The prince of the kings of the earth.

1. Ephesians 2:2 – It is true that Satan is now the prince and power of the air, but he will not hold that position forever.

2. Revelation 11:15 states that at the end of the great tribulation all the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of God.

3. Revelation 19:16 – Jesus comes as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

4. Ephesians 1:21 states that Christ will be placed far above all principalities, all power, all might, all dominion, and every name, not only in this world, but also in the world to come.

III. Beginning here and continuing into verse 6, a description is given of some of the things God has done for us.

A. Unto him that loved us.

1. When there was no cause for him to love us.

a. I John 4:10 – Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

b. I John 4:19 – We love him, because he first loved us.

2. The beginning of our salvation and faithfulness to God originates with God, not with us.

a. Deuteronomy 7:7-8 – The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: 8 But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

b. Ephesians 2:4-5 – But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

B. Washed us from our sins in his own blood.

1. Our cleansing from sin is not by works of righteousness which we have done, but we are clean by the blood of Jesus Christ.

a. I Corinthians 6:11 – It is very remarkable that the very wicked sinners described in these verses have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ.

b. Even those that have not sinned after the physical manner of these of I Corinthians 6:11 are the same kind of sinners, and have been washed of their wicked sins by the precious blood of Jesus Christ.

2. No other blood would do, because all other blood is contaminated with sin.

a. Hebrews 10:4 explains that it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sin.

b. Romans 5:7 – it might be that a person would die for another, but their death would not grant eternal life, because all blood (except the blood of Jesus Christ) is polluted by sin.

c. I Peter 1:18-20 – Our redemption is not with corruptible things as silver and gold, or good intentions, but we are redeemed with the precious blood of Jesus Christ.

3. The blood of Jesus Christ has no sin because he is God.

Verse 6 – And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

I. This verse continues the statement began in verse 5.

A. God has made us kings and priests unto God and his Father.

1. A king is a material ruler and a priest is a spiritual ruler.

a. These are not separate positions, but joint positions.

b. As Moses was the government and spiritual leader of Israel, so believers chosen from the churches of Jesus Christ will be government and spiritual leaders in eternity.

2. Consider that God makes us kings and priests, but we must prepare.

a. In the parable of the pounds, Luke 19:11-28, Christ gave the faithful authority over various numbers of cities. He gave nothing to the unfaithful, but took away that which they had.

b. In the parable of the talents, the same thing happened.

c. The bride of Christ, Revelation 19:7,8, made herself ready for Christ, and it was granted that she should be arrayed in linen, clean and white, for the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints.

d. Salvation and rewards are the result of grace, mercy and the kindness of Christ toward us, never because we deserve it.

3. Before we are made kings and priests, we are saved.

a. It is a very great blessings to have our sins washed away in the precious blood of Jesus Christ, but the blessings from God do not stop with salvation.

b. It is good not to go to hell, but salvation is much more than a fire escape.

c. We do not deserve salvation, and we do not deserve any other good thing God does for us.

4. A king.

a. Matthew 25:14-30 – In the parable of the talents, the faithful are rewarded by being a ruler over many things.

b. Luke 19:11-28 – In the parable of the pounds, Christ rewards the faithful by giving them authority over the number of cities their faithfulness indicates.

c. In this world, we may be not a king, or have authority over anything, but this world is not our home, we are just passing through.

d. People follow a king, and in eternity all will follow those whom Christ has made king.

5. A priest.

a. A position of continual dedication to God.

b. In the book of Genesis, fathers were the priest in their own family.

c. Beginning with Israel, God chose special men to be the priests of Israel.

d. Jesus Christ is the high priest of all time.

e. When we correctly represent Christ to the world, and in eternity, we must also have the position of Priest.

B. God and his Father.

1. This verse plainly states that Jesus is God and we are made kings and priests to Jesus Christ and his Father, God the Father.

2. Once again, Jesus is confirmed to be God, equal to his father.

II. Continual glory and dominion.

A. These are given to "him".

1. I believe "him" is God, as in all the trinity; Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

2. I Corinthians 15:26-28 makes it clear that in eternity, the son shall be in subjection to his father, but in a different way that during his personal ministry.

3. Jesus will be in such subjection to his Father than there will be no difference at all, and we will have spiritual bodies, so we will not need the difference.

B. Glory.

1. All praise will be directed toward God.

2. There will no none to take any glory away.

C. Dominion.

1. God will be the king of kings and Lord of Lords.

2. He will be the perfect dictator.

3. His universe wide government will be perfectly established and nothing bad will every happen again.