‘To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us a kingdom and priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen’ (Revelation 1:5b-6).

Some years ago my wife, Tracy took part in a Ladies’ Bible study group, and they decided to tackle the book of Revelation.  For a number of weeks the group soldiered through the book, until Tracy said “to be honest, I don’t think I’m getting much out of this.” This turned out to be what everyone else was thinking, so a decision was taken to abandon the book, in favour of another. Personally, I would not be surprised if this is a common reaction with people who encounter some parts of the book of Revelation; rather than being encouraged, they come away from it feeling confused and frustrated.

However, this should not be the case,  since John states, in 1:3, the book is to encourage and bless us.  We noted when we looked at the background of the book last month that this would have been important.  The Churches to whom John was writing were facing persecution, or about to face it. Therefore, John proceeds to explain that, first of all this is a message from Jesus to the Church (vs1-4).  Numbers play a big part in the book of Revelation and the number seven was seen as a symbol of completeness in Jewish thinking.  It is a bit as if I said “I have sailed the Seven Seas”– which would mean I have been just about everywhere.  There would have been about ten to thirteen Churches in Asia Minor, but seven are addressed to represent the ‘complete’ Church.

Secondly, it is about what is going to happen soon.  This causes problems for some people as we find ourselves 2000 years from the time Revelation was written.  So, how are we to understand it?  One explanation would be to say that to God all times are ‘soon’ because: ‘one day with the Lord is as a thousand years and thousand years as one day’ (2 Peter 3:8).  But the simple fact is that prophecy always means something to the people who first hear it.  The sequence of events we encounter later in the book, many of which represent persecution, was happening all around these Churches!

Verses 4-8 illustrate Jesus has brought the Church into being.  Jesus and his Holy Spirit[1] offer grace and peace because he is: ‘the firstborn of the dead and the ruler of the kings of the earth’ (v5).  It is through his death that people are made holy or, as the text puts it, become: ‘a kingdom of priests’ (v6).  A day will come when Jesus returns and is acknowledged by all as the Lord (v7).  Using the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet verse 8 describes Jesus again as sovereign and: ‘as being the complete perfect and eternal revelation of God.’[2]  What an encouragement to Christian’s wondering when there might be a knock at the door – signifying that persecution was commencing!  Nothing can happen without God’s consent, as he rules and controls the whole of history!

John wants his readers to understand this, so that they feel encouraged and understand what follows.

Want to listen to a sermon on this passage?  John Explains the Purpose of the Book.

[1]The phrase: ‘the seven spirits’ (v-4) might baffle us.  John knows there is only one Spirit (John 16:13), so it is possible that the number seven represents the completeness of God’s Spirit, and also the seven aspects of God’s Spirit which are referred to in Isaiah 11:2.

[2] William Hendricksen, More than Conquerors, An Interpretation of the Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids, Baker Books, 1940), 54-5.