Revelation 1:5-6 Verse By Verse Bible Study
Revelation Bible Study
*Revelation 1:5-6–
and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father— to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.”
“and from Jesus Christ, the witness faithful, the firstborn of the dead and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To the [One] loving us and releasing us from the sins of us through the blood of Him- and He has made us a kingdom, priests to the God and Father of Him- to Him [be] the glory, and the dominion to the ages of the ages.Amen.”
(Greek-English interlinear)
➡In context:
Revelation 1:1-6-
“The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 2 who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. 3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.
4 John to the seven churches that are in Asia:
Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth.
To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood 6 and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”
➡ Chapter 1 –
Wow!
Can you believe that with today’s study we will have finished SIX verses of Revelation!?
The Apocalypse has begun, and NO ZOMBIES SEEN AT ALL! 😀
It is my hope that the start to this study will have made you a little more confident that we can get through the rest of this Book and actually be excited to know MORE!
Why? Just wait, it gets even better today!
Think about what has been UNVEILED to you so far in verses 1-4.
Leave a few of your thoughts in the comments or in our Gathered Around the Table- Facebook Group!
Just a few “revelations” I’ve seen so far-
+Jesus wants us to know Him (in this case as He is revealed in this Book)
+The Father wants Jesus to show these specific future things to us
+John is a trusted witness because he SAW and TESTIFIED to these words in person
+This Book is FULL of blessings!
+It is important to actually take the time to HEAR and SHARE the words of this Book together, and then to put what we receive from our time studying to use.
+The word “soon” should be an answer to the hope we have, not just a word that mockers use about Christ’s return.
+Grace and peace are some of the sweetest gifts, and they are extended to those reading, hearing, and keeping the words of this Book!
+Grace first. Then peace.
+Peace = Shalom, the gift of the wholeness of God extended in favor toward us!
+Our God IS… He was, and is to come. There was never a moment when He hasn’t been on the throne orchestrating His incredible, flawless plan.
+The Holy Spirit, as perfect and complete as the Father with who He is one, is also extending this same GRACE and PEACE (shalom) to the Church
+We will get to this today, but the Trinity is so fully and beautifully unveiled here!
Can we possibly even be more BLESSED?!
As hard as it is to believe, the answer is YES!
So here we go!
-and from Jesus Christ
This verse connects to the greeting in verse 4, and completes WHO this letter and greeting is coming from.
“Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come [Yahweh, the Father], and from the seven spirits before his throne [the perfect and complete Holy Spirit, in my opinion anyway], and from Jesus Christ…”
If we are holding this to represent the Trinity, then this is completion of the Father and the Holy Spirit, with the Son, Jesus Christ. No matter the interpretations we’ve discussed before regarding exactly WHO was sending the greeting to the church, here “from Jesus Christ” is as clear as it gets!
And once again we are pointed back to the FOCUS of this Book, which is not only the events of the “end” of the world, but of the revealing of Jesus Christ! Therefore, what is coming ahead is recorded on that same authority, the authority of Jesus Christ Himself! There is no doubt that every single piece of this Book will come to pass exactly as He has said it will.
*Matthew 28:18– “And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”
-who is the faithful witness (The Word, The Truth)
∆ faithful- pistos- trustworthy, reliable, believing, sure, true.
∆ witness– martus– an eye or ear witness; of uncertain affinity; a witness (literally (judicially) or figuratively (genitive case)); by analogy, a “martyr” – martyr, record, witness.
Jesus isn’t just any witness. He isn’t “a” witness. Jesus is THE faithful witness!
These words further refine John’s description of Jesus before the throne. Another revealing!
What did Jesus “witness or testify” about exactly?
Every single TRUTH in the Word of God!
*John 18:37- “You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”
Jesus’ testimony isn’t just just because He is a witness of the truth, Jesus IS THE TRUTH!
*John 14:6- “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
And so because Jesus is TRUTH, you can absolutely TRUST His testimony (pistos) and His words, even when they are hard…even when you don’t like them so much… even the ones you don’t understand yet.
All His words are true.
And just to sneak another little blessing in… His words are working to SANCTIFY us!
Jesus prayed to the Father for US!
*John 17:17– “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.”
+HOW is this greeting an encouragement to the Church?
Again we can see the extension of GRACE & PEACE… this time from Jesus Christ.
The early Church underwent some of the most intense persecution and trials you can image (see Introduction). Jesus warned all those who would choose to follow Him that they would be hated by the world, just as He was. And, fully aware, He still sent them (and us!) out into all the world to do the very thing He had done, namely being FAITHFUL WITNESSES.
To make this point even more obvious, these were the last words that Christ spoke to His disciples as He ascended into Heaven!
Even today we think of the last words that someone speaks as being pretty important ones.
*Acts 1:8-9– “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.”
Ever since that time, His people have responded to His call to be witnesses and have spread out over pretty much every corner of the globe. And just as Jesus said would be the case, the persecution by the world has continued. BUT, after thousands of years, there has remained “a faithful witness” on the earth!
➡More on martyrdom to come, but did you know that there have been more Christian martyrs in the last 100 years than in all the previous centuries combined? (From Gordon-Conwell Seminary 2019)
– the firstborn from the dead (The Resurrection and the Life)
Another name (revelation) here for Jesus, The Firstborn From the Dead!
➡ Don’t forget to jot this name down on your list, or at the top of the page in your Bible! Lots more to come!
∆ first born– prototokos – pre-eminent; refers to “the first among others (who follow)”
*Colossians 1:18 – “And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.”
*John 11:25- “ Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.[a] Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,”
Culturally, the birthright of a firstborn would be the one to receive family inheritance! And a double portion of it! The firstborn son would be not only heir to the material things of the family, but he would also hold the responsibility to continue the care and leadership for the family when the patriarch couldn’t care for them anymore or died.
For the early believers to whom these words were first written, and to all those up till this day, our HOPE is in this name of Christ! He became the FIRSTBORN from the dead!! Lazarus died and was raised back to life. Jarius’ daughter was dead and Jesus raised her, and others like her. All these people would still have to die physically all over again.
Jesus, however, the firstborn from the dead was raised to LIFE FOREVER!
John, the other disciples, and LOTS of other people actually SAW this and were first hand witnesses to it!
For all those who are part of His family up to this day, He eternally lives GLORIFIED with His Father and the Holy Spirit, and so shall EVERYONE who put their faith in Him until He comes again! He was the FIRSTBORN, and we are His siblings! And so, we all share in the inheritance of the RESURRECTION!
*1 Peter 1:3-5– “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.”
–the ruler of the kings of the earth (The King of Kings)
SO MANY revelations of Jesus in these verses!
Add it to the list- He is the RULER of the kings of the earth!
∆ ruler– archón– a first (in rank or power)- chief (ruler), magistrate, prince, ruler.
The early Church- this would have either been a great comfort as one reading this letter in one of the 7 Churches, or something you couldn’t quite understand. ALL the kings of the earth, both good and evil, righteous and pagan, are under Christ’s feet! In times of peace and in times of great persecution. He will forever remain the Ruler of the Kings of the Earth!
➡ Did you know that the Emperor Domitian (81 -96 AD), the one who banished John to Patmos, officially declared himself Dominus et Deus, the Lord and God? The DECLARATION that Jesus is the ruler of the kings of the earth would have meant A LOT to those who read and heard these words!
Today, isn’t it good to know we can go straight to the TOP when we pray for all the craziness in the world right now? Dictators and despots… Presidents and Parliaments … wars and rumors of wars.
You can believe everything He has ever testified to,including the promise of resurrection, AND the fact that ALL authority has been given to Him and so He rules not only over the heavenlies, but over the authorities on the earth as well!
Though many of the earthly rulers today don’t know or believe that Jesus is their ruler, they will “soon” find out! Even though they bow their knees to the prince of this world, who is satan presently, Jesus is working ALL things according to His good purpose… and a day is coming when every knee WILL bow to Him alone, the ruler of the kings of the earth!
➡ I think I forget sometimes that this truth is a RIGHT NOW truth, not just a “when He comes again to make things on earth as they are in Heaven” truth!
*Romans 13:1– “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.”
Some call it a doxology, but as I read it, I imagined it as John having a little praise and worship moment going on… and I have to say, it makes want to join him!
–To him who loves us
Here John inserts what is perhaps spontaneous worship that flows, or in the least a reminder of how WE fit into this whole equation of the IDENTITY of Jesus Christ!
John, the one whom Jesus loved. John KNEW how loved by Jesus he was all along, but can you even imagine how FULL John must have been now with what he’s experienced so far ?!?
∆ loves– agapáō– to prefer, to love; for the believer; wish well to, take pleasure in, long for; denotes the love of reason, esteem.
(The verb use here is constant, and present, and ONGOING! “…To the [One] loving us…)
By definition of the word “love” here- WE are the objects of His preference. HE takes pleasure in US! HE esteems US!
Almost too much to contain!
But WAIT there’s MORE! I keep saying that, but it’s true!
–and has freed us from our sins by his blood,
If that wasn’t good enough news… because of this GREAT agape love that is always toward us, He has ALSO freed us from our sins by His very own blood! It wasn’t His life on this earth that freed us from our sins, and it wasn’t His testimony that freed us, though He came testifying of this sacrifice, and it wasn’t His love that freed us, though it motivated Him to give His own life… it was only in His DEATH and shed BLOOD that we have been freed from our sins!
∆ freed– luó– loose (unleash) let go; release (unbind) so something no longer holds together; (figuratively) release what has been held back (like Christ “releasing” the seven seals in the scroll in Revelation.
∆ sins– hamartia– a feminine noun derived from “not” méros, “a part, share of”; properly, no-share (“no part of”) [with God].
From the Garden of Eden when sin entered God’s perfect creation, blood has always been the requirement for the cleansing of SIN. And Jesus’ blood sacrifice was the only one that would FULLY satisfy that once and for all.
*1 John 1:7– “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”
*John 8:34-35– “Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
*Hebrews 9:26-28– “But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.”
➡ Interesting to see the alignment of Scripture as these verses acknowledge Christ’s testimony and His blood… and we will read in Revelation 12 that it is by the blood of the Lamb and the testimony of the Saints that they will overcome in the end!
(Revelation 12:11)
Jesus, the FIRSTBORN from the dead, has lead the way into ALL life for us to walk in all HIS ways!
We are really going to see this picture come to life when we get to Chapters 5-6 !!
Every word. Every sentence. It all is setting the foundation for what comes next!
➡ What does it really mean to follow “in His steps”?
–and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father
Y’all. ANOTHER “and” ! More!
Can you see why the enemy of our souls would want us to SKIP this Book entirely?!
Jesus, the Messiah, the Faithful Witness, the Firstborn from the Dead, and the Ruler of the Kings of the Earth… Jesus who has, is, and will keep on loving us… the One who has freed us from our sins by His very own blood… has done these things for a REASON!
Have you ever wondered what or who God wants you to be?
Or why He saved you?
+WHY has Jesus made us to be a kingdom and priests ?!
Why did He want a whole entire Kingdom… of Priests?
The Greek to English reads like this- “He has made us a kingdom, priests to the God and Father of Him. “
He has done this so that we will do CORPORATELY (as a kingdom) what priests do! SERVE!
Serve whom? HIS God and Father! Just like Jesus, the High Priest forever (Hebrews 4:14-16)!
And we see once more that He left us the perfect example to continue walking in His ways!
➡ There’s a song about this in Revelation 5:9-10!
+How can we BE a kingdom? What does that look like?
∆ kingdom– basileía– properly, kingdom; the realm in which a king sovereignly rules. A kingdom (932/basileía) always requires a king
To the reader/hearer in John’s day, this must have answered so many doubts!
The Jews had been waiting for Messiah to come and restore the physical Kingdom in Jerusalem, taking it back from the Roman rule. And most of the early Church were made up of Jews who would have been building on this deeply held belief. Jesus’ teaching on the Kingdom of God was likely still somewhat cloudy to their understanding. Remember it hadn’t been very long ago that the disciples sat arguing about who was going to get to sit beside Jesus when He took His place on the throne!
They believed that indeed Jesus was the long awaited Messiah, and that He was coming right then to set up HIS KINGDOM! Which He did. But as we’ve learned in our study of the Book of John, there’s almost always a spiritual/physical side to Jesus’ teachings! The Kingdom Jesus set up at His first coming, was a spiritual Kingdom. But don’t worry. He’s coming again and He will physically sit on the throne in Jerusalem, where He will literally rule and reign over the earth (Millennial Kingdom– more on that later).
*Luke 17:21– “nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.”
And so today we read knowing that WE have become part of the spiritual kingdom… a place where KING JESUS sovereignly rules and reigns over our hearts and lives! Jesus had told His disciples that they didn’t belong to this world any more than He belonged to this world. So if we can’t be a part of the kingdom of this world, we can thank Him for giving us the keys to another Kingdom! The Kingdom of the Beloved Son! The Kingdom starts as each one of us independently enters in, but then it becomes a community… the Kingdom right now is where we live corporately as the Body of believers, ALL of us sitting beside our King!
And someday, we will experience the fullness of the physical and spiritual coming together into one glorious Kingdom !
*Revelation 11:15– “…The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.”
*John 18:36- “Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.”
*Colossians 1:13-14– “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
*Luke 4:42-43– “The people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them. But he said, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.”
+How can we BE priests? What does that look like today?
∆ priest- hiereús– (from hierós, “sacred because belonging to the Temple”); one who offers sacrifice to a god
It is a solid rule that the Old Testament is the best place to go to interpret Bible prophecy.
So, who were the priests of the Old Testament and what did they do?
*Just a few examples taken loosely from Leviticus 21
-First, a priest had to be born into the priestly line
We are born again into Jesus the Great High Priest’s line
*John 1:12-13– “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-– children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.”
-Priests had to be pure and set apart
We are set apart by God and made pure by the blood of Jesus
-Priests belonged to the Temple
The Temple signified the place where the presence of God dwelt… WE are that temple today
*1 Peter 2: 5; 9– “You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ… But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”
-The work of a priest was to continually offer sacrifices to God
Today we are called to offer constant praise and sacrifices to God
*Hebrews 13:15-16– “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. 16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”
+HOW in the world could WE be priests with those requirements?!
Go back a few words…
Jesus is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, the ruler of the kings of this earth, and HE LOVES US, and has freed us from our sins by his blood !! He’s made us READY !
–to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.
All of that ends with John’s PRAISE! These past words were not just good news, they are GREAT news!
To WHOM does the praise belong? All to the Father of course!
Though He has made us into a kingdom and into priests, all the GLORY goes to the Father!
∆ glory- doxa– honor, renown; glory, an especially divine quality, the unspoken manifestation of God, splendor.
∆ power– krátos– (from a root meaning “to perfect, complete,”) properly, dominion, exerted power.
For how long is this glory and power HIS? For ever and ever!
And we all say it together, Amen! So let it be!
+What description of Jesus stands out to you most in these verses? Why?
+What responsibilities or privileges might come with being part of God’s kingdom?
+How might being called a “priest” influence the way you see your relationship with God and with other people?
+How do these verses challenge the way you currently think about worship, service, and purpose?
+How might these verses give hope to someone who is struggling, suffering, or uncertain about the future?
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I’m learning how to take my notes and put them into bite size studies. It’s more challenging than I thought it would be.
I really would love to hear your ideas of any ways you can think of to make this study more concise or engaging!
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