Revelation 1:1-3 - The Exalted Jesus!
Dailene Ashton
Freelance Writer, Photographer, Bible Teacher & Social Media and Internet-based content creation
“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw” (vv1-2)
Revelation 1:1 in the NKJV reads: “The Revelation OF Jesus Christ
Revelation or apocalypse means to uncover or to reveal. When referring to a person it means that one becomes fully or completely visible.
Jesus’ first coming was in humility, but Revelation shows us the exalted Jesus in “blazing glory”.* When He comes the second time, it will be as Lord of His Church; He’ll reclaim the earth from Satan, and He’ll set up His Kingdom. He will be the very light of eternity…
Revelation 1:1-2
John MacArthur Study Bible’s commentary says the following with regard to the first 2 verses of chapter 1: Because of Jesus’ perfect submission and atonement, His Father presented to Him a magnificent reward – it was this record of His future glory – the gift of God His Father, to His beloved Son.
Revelation 1:3
“Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; or the time is near”
A blessing promised: Revelation is the only Bible Book in which there is a blessing promised for the one who reads it and for those who hear it read and explained. If the hearers are obedient to what is instructed in this prophecy, they are blessed.
Verse 3 also reminds us that the time is near for all these things to happen.
Time in Scripture often refers to the ages, epochs and eras. Jesus said that the things He was going to show to John must take place soon or shortly. The return of the Lord Jesus is certainly the next event on the prophetic calendar but [in our time] it is so long ago that He said it, that some people doubt it will ever happen. See what Peter has to say about this in 2 Peter 3:3-4: “… knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, ‘Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation’… “
(* Commentary on Revelation 1:3 paraphrased from The MacArthur Study Bible by Dr John MacArthur, NKJV, Nelson, Nashville, 1997)
[Revelation Explored, Gill Lourens, 2020]