Title: Revelation and the Church
Contents
2006' The pulpit of the tendency to expound on the book of Revelation (3)
"Revelation and the Church"
Revelation 1:4-6
The book of Revelation, a record of what must happen soon, is an inspirational message sent by the Apostle John and given to the seven churches in Asia.
I. The originator of the book of Revelation is the apostle John.
In Revelation 1:4, “John… ' he said.
The meaning of this name is ‘beloved of God’. He is from Bethsaida in Galilee. His father was Zebedee, and his mother was Salome. The older brother was James, the younger brother of Jesus (John 19:25).
At first he was a disciple of John the Baptist, but when John the Baptist testified of Jesus, “Behold, the Lamb of God” (John 1:35), he followed Jesus and became his disciple (John 1:35-39). . He was later in the twelve disciples of Jesus (Matthew 10:2).
He became one of the three chief disciples of Jesus' twelve disciples with Peter and James, and was particularly involved in many aspects of Jesus' gospel ministry.
He was entrusted with his mother Mary by the Lord at the scene of Jesus' death on the cross (John 19:26-27). As a witness of the resurrection of Jesus, he suffered persecution and imprisonment (Acts 4:1-22). He became the representative of the Jerusalem church and inspected the Samaritan churches (Acts 8:1-25). He also attended the Jerusalem Council and served as a pillar in the Jerusalem church for several years before going to Ephesus to preach.
Later, when the Roman emperor Domisian persecuted the church, he was exiled to the island of Patmos, where he met the Lord who appeared there and received a revelation from him (Revelation 1:4, 9-11).
II. The recipients of the book of Revelation were the seven churches in Asia.
Revelation 1:4 says, "John to the seven churches which are in Asia".
The seven churches in Asia were Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. In addition, there were churches in Miletus, Adramudeno, Assos, Troas, Colossae, and Hierapolis.
Of course, it is thought that there were thousands of churches scattered throughout Asia Minor (now Turkey) at that time. The early Christian gospel was spread throughout Asia Minor.
The seven churches are representative of the numerous churches and all the churches of the century.
Then, this book of Revelation is not addressed to any particular individual or local church, but to the community of Christ's church and is a public revelation of Jesus Christ.
Of course, ultimately, all the inspirations of revelation, the Bible, are addressed to those ordained to eternal life (Acts 13:48). Therefore, those who are abandoned in the kingdom of God see the Bible and hear it, but do not understand it as the truth of salvation and do not believe it.
Ⅲ. Blessed were the recipients of the book of Revelation.
First, the blessing of God the Father.
Revelation 1:4 says, “He who is, and who was, and who is to come.” In other words, it is the blessing of God who exists forever.
Next is the blessing of the saint.
What kind of saint were you?
① It is the blessing of Jesus as a prophet.
This is what it says in Revelation 1:5, “as a faithful witness”. In Revelation 3:14, Jesus is referred to as “the faithful and true witness”. In John 18:37 it says, “To testify of the truth.”
② It is the blessing of Jesus as a priest.
Revelation 1:5 says, “He was born first from the dead… ' said. This refers to the fact that Jesus himself accomplished the work of atonement by sacrificing himself and dying on the cross. And now, at the right hand of the throne of God, according to the order of Melchizedek, he has become a priest forever (Hebrews 6:20), making intercession for us (Romans 8:34, Hebrews 7:24-25).
③ It is the blessing of Jesus as King.
In Revelation 1:5 it says again, "Grace and peace to you through Jesus Christ, who is the head of the kings of the earth."
The “head of the kings of the earth” refers to the glory of Christ, who overcame death, rose from the dead, and lived for ever and ever.
I prayed for "grace and peace". “Grace” is the free gift of salvation, and “peace” refers to the joy of salvation obtained as a result of the Lord’s atoning work.
In this way, I prayed for the blessings of the Father, the Holy Spirit and the Son to come to the believers who are the readers of the book of Revelation.
“To him who loved us, who freed us from our sins by his blood, and made us a kingdom and priests to God his Father, to him be glory and power forever and ever. Amen” (Revelation 1:5b-6). .
We prayed that we would give infinite glory to the Lord who loved us, to the Lord who made our atonement, and to Him who made us subjects and priests in the kingdom of God.
In this way, it is said that all believers (churches) in all ages, who are readers of the book of Revelation, must give infinite glory to God as subjects and priests of that nation who have received the grace of redemption from the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
In the end, the readers of the book of Revelation are concluding that they should live 'a life that gives all glory to God, which is the first duty of human beings'. - Amen -