Revelation 1:1-20

As noted in the Introduction to Revelation, John (along with James and Peter) was considered to be a pillar within the church of holy-people (Christians, sanctified people, saints, children of the only true God) and a minister to the holy-people with a Judean/circumcision background (refer to Galatians 2:9). John was one of the learning-disciples with Jesus before Jesus' death. After the resurrection of Jesus and the giving of the gift of holy spirit on the day of Pentecost (refer to Acts chapter 2), John received holy spirit-life and continued to do what Jesus asked of him.

As we read, we will clearly see that the Lord Jesus Christ revealed this prophetic information to John so that...

• not only the holy-people living during this age
  • (between the giving of holy-spirit on the day of Pentecost and the gathering together of all holy-people with him in the air)
• but also the people living during the next age
  • (between the gathering-together of all holy-people away from the earth and the return of the Lord Jesus Christ back on earth)

...will be able to read and understand what the Lord Jesus Christ is doing now and what he will do in the future with reference to the realm of mankind and the spirit realm. It includes prophecy regarding events occurring during the past, the present, and the future.

The date/time of the gathering of all holy-people (Christians) together with the Lord Jesus Christ in the air away from the earth is under God's own authority. God will give the Lord Jesus Christ the "go ahead" for this event which will also begin the day of the Lord (refer to Matthew 24:36; Acts 1:7; I Thessalonians 4:13 - 5:4). Therefore God and the Lord Jesus Christ made known this prophetic information to encourage God's people so that they would be happy, and to warn those who have not yet believed what God says and thereby giving them the opportunity to believe and be saved (made-safe to God from sins and their consequences, from destruction).

John introduces this writing (book) with an explanation of where the information originated from and a summary of what it contains.

Revelation 1:1 and 2:

^1:1Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to him to point-out to His slaves, which-things are necessary to come-to-pass in quickness, and he signified having apostled by means of his angel to his slave John, ^.2who witnessed the word of God and the witness of Jesus Christ as-many-things-as he saw.

This is the Revelation of Jesus Christ (the information that has been uncovered or revealed pertaining-to and proceeding-from Jesus Christ, as though removing a veil to expose what had previously been hidden)...

• which God gave to Jesus Christ (God was the ultimate source of this information; Jesus Christ received it from God his Father)
  • to point-out to His slaves (to indicate as pointing out this information with his finger to God's bond-servants, the people serving in the capacity of being slaves from the working or service relationship viewpoint),
    • regarding the things which are binding (which must, ought)
    • to happen in quickness (once these things begin they will occur with speed, swiftly),

...and Jesus Christ signified (gave the signal, designated and authenticated these things, as recorded throughout this writing)...

• having apostled (he sent these things forth/away)
  • through his angel (by way of his angel [an angel is a spirit-being whose office and character is one of a messenger in official service via words and/or actions; the word "angel" comes from the Greek word aggello which means to tell or deliver a message and therefore an angel could be called a "messenger"])  
• to his slave John (John was Jesus Christ's bond-servant in the working or service category during the time of receiving this revelation),
  • who witnessed (John attested with information as detailed in this writing, he gave the declaration of knowledge that he personally had and therefore stated and confirmed it on the strength of his own authority) - what did he witness? - he witnessed
    • the word of/from God (the spoken-account of God's inner thoughts, containing individual words constituting what is spoken; the word that God gave to Jesus Christ)
    • and the witness of/from Jesus Christ (the attestation pertaining-to and proceeding-from him, the declaration which is borne bringing to light or confirming as authentic information, knowledge regarding and issuing-from Jesus Christ; the witness that Jesus Christ gave to John via his angel)
  • as much as he saw (John saw to the end of perceiving and knowing these things with his mind; referring to what he saw and which are detailed throughout this writing; he wrote this writing after these things were revealed to him, not beforehand or during the time that he was actually receiving the revelation).

God is the First, Superior or Ultimate One, the One Who has power, executes judgment, and emanates what He is, His power and light; He is the only true God. The name of God refers to the fullness of everything involved with Himself, all that He is and will continue to be, all of His authoritative-power, ability, workings, etc, His distinguishing and distinctive constitution, character, and quality.

Regarding the name of Jesus Christ, it includes all that the name of "Jesus" and the name of "Christ" represent and stand for – such as all the authoritative-power, and ability, etc, that God gave to Jesus when he raised him up out-from the dead-people, and gave him the name that is above every other name, designating the resurrected Jesus being Lord and Christ (refer to Acts 2:21 and 38; 3:6 and 16; 4:7-12, and 30; Romans 1:3 and 4; Ephesians 1:19-23; Philippians 2:9 and 10; II Thessalonians 3:6; Hebrews 1:1-4). Also, it emphasizes his obedience and service to God on a horizontal level to benefit people.

A slave is a servant who is bound to serve his master. This service as a slave (bond-servant) means that the slave's whole being is at the service-of or in service-to that one master, not serving anybody or anything else! During the time-period of the writing of the Bible, a master was obligated to take-care of his slave and the slave was obligated to do all his master would ask of him; it was a mutually-beneficial relationship between the master and his slave.

 To be a "slave" was quite an honorable and responsible position to hold. However, today in the minds of some people the word "slave" has been changed from God's original design of a working-relationship to what mankind twisted, corrupted and perverted it to mean as a position of demoralization or degradation, etc. But we who are students of God's Word must consider this word "slave" as God considered it at the time of John's writing of this letter.

In the spirit relationship viewpoint as regards John and all holy-people (true Christians) - we are brothers of our Lord Jesus Christ and we are sons of God our Father by seed, by birth, because we have received the gift of holy spirit which is the spirit of Christ in us. We are servants in the work-relationship category, and as we speak and/or do what our holy spirit-life communicates to us then we are carrying-out our service appropriately.

[Reference: John 5:19-23; Acts 1:8, 2:18, 4:29, 11:28; Romans 9:28; I Corinthians 1:6-8, 7:22 and 23, 12:10, 14:26; II Corinthians 12:1; Galatians 1:12; Ephesians 3:3; II Timothy 1:6-10; Titus 1:1; Hebrews chapter 1; James 1:1; I Peter 2:16, 3:22; II Peter 1:19-21, 3:8 and 9; I John 1:2, 5:6-12; Revelation 19:10, 22:6 and 16.]

Verse 3:

^.3Happy (is) the (person) reading and the (people) hearing the words of the prophecy and keeping the-things having been written² in it, for the time (is) near.

The word translated "happy" means that the one spoken about is pronounced happy, felicitous; he is a happy person from God's viewpoint, not that he feels happy at that time necessarily, but because of the reason that John explains.

Happy is...

• the person who is reading (so as to personally know what is written, and also speaking out loud so others can hear what he is reading)
• and the people who are hearing (listening to what is being read by the reader, which are)
  • the words of the prophecy (the information originally from God via Jesus Christ concerning the past, present and/or future that John received to speak-forth to, before, or in front of another person or people, and which he wrote down in this writing)
• and keeping (as keeping an eye on, having in safekeeping, and therefore not neglecting or violating but watching over, taking care of, maintaining, and observing)
  • the things that were written and continue written in the prophecy,

...why? - in truth, the time is near (the specific time, precise period, opportune occasion, the season detailed in this writing is close).

Each second and minute and hour and day and month and year that goes-by brings all holy-people (every Christian including John) nearer in time to the event of Christ's coming to gather us all together with him. When we will be gathered-together with Christ we will receive into full-manifestation the salvation which God has promised us in Christ. The fulfillment of all the prophecies regarding the day of the Lord will come to pass after our gathering-together with our Lord Jesus Christ.

[Reference: Romans 13:11; I Corinthians 12:10, 14:22; II Corinthians 3:12-16; I Thessalonians 4:13-18, 5:1-3 and 20; II Peter 1:19-21; Revelation 19:10, 22:7-10, 18 and 19. Note: verbs with a superscript 2 (²) immediately following them indicate the "perfect" tense - details are provided in the "Relevant Notes" link of this study.]

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