Chuck Smith: The Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ - Chapter 1

In this lesson, Pastor Chuck Smith provides a clear overview of the Book of Revelation, showing it as the unveiling of Jesus Christ and the prophetic forecast of events surrounding His imminent return. Revelation reveals Christ’s authority, power, and His relationship to the Church, Israel, and all of mankind. Ultimately, it declares Him as the future King of kings and Lord of lords for all the earth and all ages.

Pastor Chuck highlights the blessings promised to those who read and hear this book—blessings that also serve as a call to faith and obedience. He explains the difference between God’s timing and ours, emphasizing the Lord’s patience and His desire for all to come to repentance.

The greetings in Revelation reflect the eternal nature of God the Father and the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is described as the faithful witness, the first begotten of the dead, the ruler of the kings of the earth, and the One who has freed us from our sins by His blood. He has made us a kingdom of priests, yet the glory and dominion remain His forever.

Pastor Chuck also explores the powerful imagery of Christ among the seven golden lampstands—symbolizing the churches—and holding the seven stars—representing the churches’ messengers or ministers. These images bring comfort, showing Christ’s personal presence and involvement with His bride, the Church.

Finally, Pastor Chuck outlines the three divine divisions of Revelation:

1. The things John saw (chapter 1),
2. The things which are (chapters 2–3, often seen as an outline of church history),
3. The things which shall be hereafter (chapters 4 onward, pointing to future events before Christ’s millennial reign).

Understanding these divisions is essential to interpreting Revelation. Pastor Chuck concludes by urging believers to trust in Christ as they study this book, remembering His promise to be present, guiding and ministering through His Spirit. As Jesus declared, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

The Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ - Chapter 1

All right, let’s turn to the book of Revelation, chapter one.

At the top of my Bible there’s the heading, “The Revelation of Saint John the Divine.” Somebody—some man—put that in there, but he’s wrong. The first verse tells us what it really is: “The Revelation of Jesus Christ.” That’s one of the keys to the book. Revelation is a revelation of Jesus Christ and the future of Jesus Christ.

The word revelation means unveiling. In the Greek it’s apokalypsis—the unveiling. Some people say, “Well, the book of Revelation is a sealed book.” Nothing could be further from the truth. The name itself declares it is the opening of the truth—the unveiling of the truth. It is not at all a sealed book; it opens the truth to the hearts and lives of those seeking truth.

Throughout the book of Revelation, the central character is Jesus Christ. We will see Him as He relates to the church, as He oversees the church, and then we’ll see Him in the future as He is crowned King of kings and Lord of lords.

So here is the progression of how it came: It is the revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to Him to show His servants the things which must shortly come to pass; and He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John (Rev. 1:1).

Throughout Revelation, an angel guides John in many of the unveilings of the mysteries. There will be elders who speak to John, as well as Jesus Christ Himself. John is receiving this revelation; the angel guides him, the elders direct him, and Jesus Christ speaks to him.

It is the revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to Him, to show His servants things which must shortly come to pass. 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.

John felt that his ministry was to leave a record of Jesus—of the things he saw, heard, and experienced. In the 19th chapter of his Gospel, John said, “He who has seen has testified”—speaking of himself—“and his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe” (cf. John 19:35). He wrote these things in the Gospel so that you might believe that Jesus is the Messiah and, by believing, have life in His name (cf. John 20:31).

In his first epistle he said, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life… that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:1, 3). The Gospel was written that you might believe Jesus is the Messiah. The epistle was written that you might have fellowship with the Father and His Son Jesus Christ, which brings fullness of joy.

In 1 John 4 he says, “We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world” (1 John 4:14). John is always bearing witness to what he saw, heard, and experienced when he walked with Jesus on the earth.

A Built-In Blessing (Rev. 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, for the time is at hand.”

There’s a blessing for reading, a blessing for hearing, and a blessing for keeping the things written herein. As you read, you’ll be blessed. As you hear, you’ll be blessed. But most importantly, as you obey, you’ll be blessed. The time is at hand.

The Time Is at Hand for the Second Coming

As we’ve mentioned, the early church believed Jesus would return in their time. John is writing around A.D. 96, and there were rumors in the church that Jesus would come back before John died. Note “things which must shortly come to pass” (v. 1) and “the time is at hand” (v. 3).

Peter told us that in the last days scoffers would come, saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were…” (2 Pet. 3:4). But Peter adds: “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise… but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9). And he explains that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day (2 Pet. 3:8). God inhabits eternity; from His perspective, it’s always “at hand.” If we say, “It’s been 2,000 years,” God says, “A couple of days.” He waits so that more might repent.

Seven: The Number of Completeness

Verses 4–8 bring John’s salutation to the seven churches in Asia. The number seven is often used symbolically in Scripture, and throughout Revelation it plays an important role—seven churches, seven seals, seven trumpets, seven bowls. Biblically, seven signifies completeness: seven days complete a week; seven notes complete the scale (the eighth begins a new cycle). Thus eight is the number of new beginning.

It’s interesting that the number associated with the name Jesus in Greek totals 888—new beginning upon new beginning. (In both Hebrew and Greek, letters have numeric values; Jesus’ names and titles often total numbers divisible by eight. Conversely, names for Satan often total numbers divisible by thirteen—long regarded as a number of ill omen.)

So, when John writes to the seven churches, there were actually more churches in the region—Hierapolis, Colossae, etc.—but seven are chosen to represent the complete church.

“Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come” (Rev. 1:4). That describes God the Father—His eternal attribute. In Revelation 4, when John is taken into heaven, the cherubim cry, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come.” It declares God’s eternal nature.

“And from the seven Spirits who are before His throne.” Seven again—completeness—speaks of the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Isaiah 11 portrays the Spirit resting upon the Messiah: the Spirit of the LORD, of wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, and the fear of the LORD—a sevenfold description of the Spirit’s work.

“And from Jesus Christ…” John then lists seven truths about Jesus:

1. The faithful witness—of the Father. When Philip said, “Show us the Father,” Jesus replied, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). He faithfully revealed the Father. We, empowered by the Spirit, are to be faithful witnesses of Jesus (Acts 1:8)—not only in words, but by our lives.
2. The firstborn from the dead—the first to rise in a glorified body. Others were raised (the widow’s son at Nain, Jairus’s daughter, Lazarus), but they died again. Jesus rose in an immortal, glorified body.
3. The ruler of the kings of the earth—King of kings and Lord of lords.
4. He loved us—
5. And washed us from our sins in His own blood (cf. 1 John 1:7).
6. He has made us a kingdom of priests to His God and Father—better rendered “a kingdom of priests.” In the millennial age we will serve as a priestly kingdom under our King.
7. To Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. (Eis tous aiōnas tōn aiōnōn—“to the ages of the ages,” the strongest Greek expression for eternity.)

“I Am the Alpha and the Omega”

Jesus speaks: “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty” (Rev. 1:8). Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet—He is the totality, the A to Z, the first and the last.

John’s Humility and Setting

“I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ…” (Rev. 1:9). Notice the humility. John doesn’t parade titles—no “Most Right Reverend.” He doesn’t even say “John the Apostle.” He says brother and companion. Before the Lord, we all stand on the same level; God is no respecter of persons.

John was banished to the volcanic island of Patmos (about ten miles long and six miles wide) under Domitian’s persecution. He had long since left Jerusalem (destroyed in A.D. 70) and served at Ephesus, likely overseeing the churches of Asia—modern-day western Turkey.

This “tribulation” he mentions is not the Great Tribulation (which we’ll study beginning in chapter 6), but the general affliction Jesus promised: “In the world you will have tribulation” (John 16:33). The church was under heavy persecution. By now the other apostles had been martyred; John alone remained, an old man, exiled for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.

“In the Spirit on the Lord’s Day” — or “Unto the Day of the Lord”

“I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet” (Rev. 1:10). This can also be translated, “I was in the Spirit unto the Day of the Lord.” If he means Sunday, he’s saying that on a Lord’s Day he was in the Spirit, seeing visions. I personally lean toward “unto the Day of the Lord”—that John was carried by the Spirit through time into the Day of the Lord. He describes what he sees in heaven and on earth in that future period—the Great Tribulation—as an observer, describing it as best he can.

In the realm of the Spirit there is no time. Removed from the time domain, John can see things yet future.

The voice said, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last. What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches… Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea” (Rev. 1:11).

John’s Vision of the Glory of Jesus

“I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters” (Rev. 1:12–15).

This is a description of the glorified Jesus. It aligns closely with Daniel’s visions (Dan. 7:13–14; 10:4–6) and with Ezekiel’s vision of the throne (Ezek. 1), including the radiant, rainbow-like glory around the throne—paralleled in Revelation 4.

“He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength” (Rev. 1:16). What an awesome sight it will be when we see our Lord!

“When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, ‘Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death’” (Rev. 1:17–18).

The Key to Revelation (Rev. 1:19)

“Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after these things.”

This verse is the key to the book’s structure—three divisions:

1. “The things which you have seen” — the vision of the glorified Christ (chapter 1).
2. “The things which are” — the letters to the seven churches, i.e., the church age (chapters 2–3). These messages were to real first-century congregations, but they also map remarkably onto major eras of church history and continue to apply to types of churches—and believers—today.
3. “The things which will take place after these things” — beginning at 4:1, which opens with the same Greek phrase meta tauta (“after these things”), repeated twice to signal the third section. From chapter 4 onward we move into the future, after the church’s earthly testimony is complete.

If you see these divisions, the whole book unlocks.

The Vision Interpreted (Rev. 1:20)

“The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels [messengers] of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches.”

What comfort to know Jesus holds His messengers in His right hand! And where is He? Walking in the midst of the lampstands—in the midst of His churches (cf. Matt. 18:20). He is here to minister to needs within His church. He is most attentive to the person with the greatest need—always.

(Regarding the menorah on the platform: it recalls the seven-branched lampstand of the tabernacle and temple—a symbol that God’s people are to be the light of the world. In the church it reminds us of Jesus’ presence among His people. He said, “You are the light of the world.”)

This becomes significant next week in the message to Ephesus. Jesus introduces Himself as the One who walks in the midst of the lampstands, yet warns, if they do not repent, He will remove their lampstand from its place—withdraw His manifest presence (Rev. 2:5).

Closing Prayer and Exhortation

Let’s pray.

Father, we’re grateful for the insight You give us into the future—the glorious work of our Lord, the Prince of all kings, the One who loved us and gave Himself for us. How excited we are when we think of the things You have in store for those who love You.

As we begin this journey into Revelation, give us the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, that we might know the hope of our calling and the inheritance we have as Your children. Minister by Your Holy Spirit among Your people. Touch those in need. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Shall we stand.

As ministers of Jesus Christ—servants—we are His representatives. Paul said we are ambassadors for Christ. We are here to minister the ministry of Jesus to you—to be instruments through which Jesus might touch you. We lay hands as His representatives, that through us He might lay His hand upon you and meet your needs.

If you have a need—physical, financial, spiritual—the ministers are here at the front to pray with you in Christ’s stead.

May the Lord be with you, watch over you, and keep you in His love as we look for the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ—who, when He comes, will change these vile bodies to be fashioned like His glorious body, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. Then shall be brought to pass the saying, “O death, where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory?”

He’s coming soon. I hope before we’re through with this study in Revelation.

“Thank you, Lord, for saving my soul;
Thank you, Lord, for making me whole;
Thank you, Lord, for giving to me
Thy great salvation so rich and free.”

God bless you.