It's the last book in your Bible, so it shouldn't be too hard to find.
We are starting a series in this book.
We won't be going through the whole book.
We might do that some other time.
This summer we'll be looking at the first few chapters
and at least getting, digging into it,
starting to look into its message.
So let me read Revelation chapter 1,
verses 1 to 8,
and we're looking at tonight.
Revelation chapter 1, starting verse 1.
The revelation of Jesus Christ,
which God...
...by sending his angel to his servant John,
who bore witness to the word of God
and to the testimony of Jesus Christ even to all that he saw.
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.
John,
to the seven churches...
...do and peace
from him who is
and who was
and who is to come
and from the seven spirits
who are before his throne
and from Jesus Christ,
the faithful witness,
firstborn of the dead
and the ruler of kings on earth.
...
kingdom,
priests to his God and Father,
to him be glory.
Behold,
even though
all tribes of the...
...one of him...
...the Alpha
and the Omega,
says the Lord God,
who is and who was
and who is to come.
Well, ever since the early church,
we have had, I think,
two opposite reactions
to the book of Revelation.
On the one hand,
some Christians have been fascinated
by this book.
And on the other hand,
other Christians have kept
their distance from it.
So back in the second century,
early church history,
there was this group of Christians
called the Montanists
who were really into
the book of Revelation.
And they had their own
really special interpretation
of what it meant.
They believed
that the new Jerusalem
was going to come down from heaven
in western Turkey
in two cities
where they set up
their sort of headquarters.
And they were known
for prophesying,
speaking in tongues,
having visions
and ecstatic experiences,
or so they claimed.
Now, other Christians
at the time
didn't like these guys at all.
They sort of looked at them
and they're like,
we don't want to be like that.
And they said,
you know,
these guys are giving Christianity
a bad name
because of their weird behavior.
And so many other Christians
weren't that excited
about the book of Revelation
and some people at that time
even questioned,
should it really be included
in the Bible?
And the same pattern
has sort of continued
throughout history.
Back in the 1970s,
my wife's aunt and uncle
became Christians
here in Connecticut
and they joined this group
called The Move.
and they lived on a farm
in Massachusetts
and they were waiting
for Jesus to come again.
And then they decided
that they should
really go off the grid
and so they went
to the Alaskan wilderness
and went to the middle of nowhere
and lived off the land
and they survived.
I mean,
it was pretty amazing.
Like,
they were able to do it.
They worked really hard
and,
but eventually
the group that started
as sort of an intentional
Christian community
coming out of the Jesus movement,
stuff like that,
sort of turned into something
a little more like a cult
and so thankfully
my wife's aunt and uncle left.
And,
now many of us
look at groups like that
and say,
you know,
we don't want to be like that.
Right?
Revelation's full of
weird imagery
and confusing symbols
and scary visions
and the people
who really get into the book
seem to become weird
and confusing and scary.
And so we sort of
keep our distance,
right?
Now,
Christians have basically
agreed that Revelation
is part of the inspired
word of God.
You know,
yes,
there were a couple,
there were people
who raised questions
about it at the beginning,
but the church has,
I think,
rightly understood
that the Holy Spirit
was inspiring John
and it should be included
in the Bible.
But I think many of us
just don't dig deep
into it.
Right?
You're fascinated
or you're sort of
hesitant.
So I don't know
what you are,
if you fit into
one of those categories
or not.
But tonight,
we're going to dig
into it.
Because we believe
here at Trinity,
we believe that God
did inspire John
to write this book.
And in the Bible
it says,
all scripture
is useful,
is inspired by God
and useful
for teaching,
correcting,
rebuking,
and training in righteousness
so that the man
or woman of God
may be equipped
for every good work.
And we think
the revelation
is part of that.
What God has given us
to equip us
for every good work
that he wants us
to accomplish.
So,
tonight we're looking
at the opening verses
of the book
and I want to ask
three basic questions.
First,
who is this book for?
Second,
who is this book from?
And third,
what's this book about?
Each of these questions
are addressed
in these opening verses.
So first,
who is this book for?
Verse one,
the revelation
of Jesus Christ
which God gave him
to show to his servants
the things
that must soon take place.
So this book is for
the servants of Jesus.
That means everyone
who belongs to Jesus
and who knows him
as Savior and Lord.
Now,
if you're here tonight,
if you're not a Christian,
if you're just
exploring Christianity,
I hope that you'll see
more about who this Jesus is.
But you know,
if you have a friend
who's interested
in exploring Christianity,
don't tell them
to start with this book.
Okay?
Start with a book like
the Gospel of John
or the Gospel of Mark
which were actually written
in order,
partly in order
to introduce people
to Jesus
for the first time
and actually explain
who he was,
what he did,
and the central message
of his life.
So start there
and then
when you read the Gospels
and then read the Old Testament,
then you'll be able
to understand
this last book of the Bible
a bit better.
You need some background.
You know,
one of the things
about Revelation
is it has over
300 references
to the Old Testament
in it.
and none of them
are actual quotes.
So that's what makes
it even more challenging.
Okay?
You can't just look
and say,
oh,
here's the quotation
from the Old Testament.
No,
it's just woven
into the language
of the book.
But the way
that you'll understand
what this book means
is by understanding
what he's referring back to.
Right?
Sort of like,
well,
I can't give a good example.
Someone who's,
I was trying to think
of like a song
that quotes another song.
Maybe if you know,
you can give a good example
of that.
But I can't think
of a good one right now.
Anyway,
so,
this book is for
the servants of Jesus.
More specifically,
verse 4 says,
John was writing to
the seven churches
that are in Asia.
Now,
that's not what we think
of as Asia.
It's the Roman province
of Asia Minor,
which is today
Western Turkey.
Now,
chapter 2 through 3,
we have specific messages
for each of these
seven churches.
We'll be looking
at each of those
one by one.
But at the end,
of each of those
messages,
so if you look down
like in chapter 2,
verse 7,
it says,
he who has an ear,
let him hear
what the Spirit
says to the churches.
In other words,
there's a book
for each church,
but we're all
supposed to listen
to all the messages.
In other words,
the messages are relevant.
Jesus wants
all of his servants
to listen to
all the messages.
And, you know,
you might ask,
well,
why does John
write to seven
churches in Asia?
There are actually
more than seven cities
in Asia that had churches.
For example,
we know the city
of Colossae.
Paul actually wrote
a letter,
Colossians,
to that church.
That's also
in that same province.
John doesn't mention
it in Revelation.
Well,
I think he writes
to seven churches
because seven
was the number
throughout the Bible
and especially
in Revelation
that symbolizes
completion.
And so the seven
churches in Asia,
they're sort of
representing all
Christians and all
churches everywhere.
And so, again,
it reinforces that message.
This book is for all
the servants of Jesus
wherever they are
scattered throughout
the world.
And this book is also
for the benefit
of Jesus' servants.
It's not primarily
intended to be
weird and confusing.
In fact,
the Bible says
God is not a God
of confusion
but of order
and peace.
Now, it's true
that Revelation
can be confusing
for a whole bunch
of reasons.
Partly it's written
in a style
that we're,
for the most part,
not familiar with.
Partly it has
some symbols
that we might not
always understand
at the first read.
But God has given
us this book
for our good.
And he's given
us this book
not to just
make things
really mysterious
and unclear
but actually
to show us
something important.
Verse 1 says,
this is
the revelation
of Jesus Christ.
And that word
means
unveiling
or unfolding.
Right?
Opening up.
Disclosing.
God gave
Jesus this revelation
in order to show
something to
his servants.
In order to make
it known to us.
Keep us in the dark.
Not to hide
himself from us.
Not to just
make us
confused and
wondering what
in the world
does it mean.
But actually
he knows our needs
and he's given
us this book
for our benefit.
And verse 3
specifically
reminds us of that.
Verse 3
gives a blessing
to those who
read this book
aloud and those
who hear it
and keep it
or hear and obey.
You might wonder
why does it say
read aloud.
Well most
Christians in the
ancient world
didn't own books.
Books were very
expensive.
You had to copy
them by hand.
You had to preserve
them in the midst
of all kinds of
difficult weather
and leaky roofs
and houses that
weren't as stable
as those that we
have today.
And so most people
didn't own books.
And so the way
that Christians
came together
the way that
Christians read
the Bible
was they met
together and
read it aloud
to one another.
And that's still
even today when
you can read
your Bible on
your phone
or in your
own room
or almost
anywhere in the
world there's
still something
unique and
there's a blessing
that God bestows
on us when we
come together
and read his
word aloud
and hear it
and take it
to heart.
So this book
is for Jesus'
servants and
for our benefit.
second, who
is this book
from?
Well, on a
human level
it's from
John who
introduces himself
as a servant
of Jesus Christ.
Most likely
this was the
Apostle John,
the Gospel of
John and the
Three Letters
of John.
Now it's true
John doesn't
call himself an
apostle right
here, but he
writes as someone
who would have
been well known
to his readers.
And it seems
to be this
that, you
know, this
John who
would introduce
himself without
really clarifying
who he is
would have been
already most
well known to
them because he
was that
apostle.
So it's from
John, but in
the bigger picture
it's ultimately
from God.
And verses
four to five
elaborate more
on this.
So look down
at those verses.
He says,
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
and from
Jesus Christ
the faithful
witness,
the firstborn
of the dead
and the ruler
of kings
on earth.
So there's
three clauses
here.
From, from,
from.
Right?
First, from
he who is
and who was
and who is
to come.
And again,
here's one of
these echoes
of the Old
Testament.
It's not a
quotation.
But what do
you think of
the God who
is and who
was?
You might
think back to
when God
revealed himself
to Moses.
And how did
God reveal
himself to
Moses?
In the burning
bush he said,
I am who
I am.
Or it could
be translated,
I will be
what I will
be.
Right?
This God
who has
always
existed
and who
always is.
And who
is eternal.
Glorious.
Who's not
limited by
our space
or time.
And the
one who
is to
come.
So he
emphasizes
just as
God has
come to
his people
in the
past,
he will
come
again.
So,
from God,
who is and
who was and
who is to
come.
Second,
from the
seven spirits
who are
before his
throne.
Now,
here's a
phrase that
you might
read and
you might
say,
hmm,
what does
that mean?
Seven spirits
who are
before God's
throne.
You know,
you might
say,
well,
is that
seven angels
who are
before God's
throne?
There are
seven angels
who come
later in
Revelation,
who blow
the trumpets
and pour
out the
bowls of
God's
judgment
and carry
out God's
judgment on
the earth.
You might
say,
is it that?
Or is it
something else?
So,
let me use
this as an
example,
and I want
to try to
show you
how you can
figure out
what a
confusing
phrase means,
or what a
phrase that
you read it
at first and
you say,
seven spirits
before God's
throne,
what does
that mean?
Let me show
you how to
figure that
out.
And sometimes
you'll have a
clearer answer
than others,
but here's a
few questions
you can ask.
Number one,
does the
book of
Revelation
explain what
this phrase
means directly
somewhere?
So,
look down at
verse 12,
here's another
example.
Verse 12,
John says,
then I turned
to see the
voice that
was speaking
to me.
On turning,
I saw seven
golden lampstands.
You might
wonder,
okay,
what are the
seven golden
lampstands?
Well,
verse 19,
sorry,
verse 20,
gives you the
answer.
The end of
verse 20,
the end of
the chapter,
says,
the seven
lampstands are
the seven
churches.
So,
there are some
symbols in
the book of
Revelation that
the book actually
directly explains
what they mean.
The seven
lampstands are
the seven
churches.
So,
you say,
okay,
that's clear.
Now,
what about the
seven spirits
before God's
throne?
Well,
the same
phrase appears
in two other
places in
Revelation.
Okay,
and if you
want to find
it,
if you have
a computer,
you have a
phone,
go online,
go to
Bible Gateway,
and type
in the
phrase.
It's called
a keyword
search,
and you'll
find the
places that
that same
phrase appears
elsewhere.
So,
if you do
that with
seven spirits,
you'll find
that it
appears in
chapter 4,
verse 5.
So,
look at
chapter 4,
verse 5.
It says,
before the
throne of
God,
there were
burning seven
torches of
fire,
or other
translations say
seven blazing
lamps,
which are
the seven
spirits of
God.
And then
look at
chapter 5,
verse 6,
which is the
other reference.
Now you
might say,
this just
seems to get
more confusing.
What are the
seven spirits?
Are they the
seven eyes of
God sent out
into all the
earth,
or are they
the seven
blazing lamps?
And what does
that mean?
Okay,
see,
so it's not
giving us a
direct answer,
but it's
making a
connection
between three
symbols.
Spirits,
lamps,
eyes.
So,
the first
question is,
does the
book of
Revelation
explain what
it means?
And so we've
seen it makes
this connection,
but we might
say, hmm,
not totally
sure what to
make of that.
Second
question,
does this
phrase appear
somewhere in
the Old
Testament?
Now if you
type in
seven spirits,
it doesn't.
But if you
type in
seven eyes,
or seven
lamps,
it does.
So go to
Zach 4.
Because that
is the
reference.
It is page
794.
A few
Bible.
So Zachariah
chapter 4,
verse 2.
So Zachariah
chapter 4,
it's a
vision.
Okay,
Zachariah's
having a
vision,
just like
John is
having a
vision.
And he
says,
the angel
who talked
with me,
I'll start
at chapter
4,
verse 1,
the angel
woke me up
like a man
who's awakened
out of his
sleep,
and he
said to
me,
what do
you see?
I said,
I see and
behold a
lampstand,
all of gold,
with a bowl
on top of it
and seven
lamps on it.
Okay,
so we have
seven lamps.
So he's
with seven
lamps.
In other
words,
seven
torches
of fire.
Then as
you go
through the
chapter,
verse 4,
he says,
well,
what are
these?
And the
angel doesn't
answer directly
at first.
He at first
says,
don't you
know?
He says,
nope.
Verse 6,
then he
said to
me,
this is
the word
of the
Lord,
not by
might nor
by power,
but by
my
spirit,
says the
Lord of
hosts.
And he
goes on to
promise that
by the
power of
the Holy
Spirit,
God's
temple will
be rebuilt
and God's
people will
be renewed
and God's
grace will
be poured
out.
Now look
down at
verse 10.
And this
is where
it might
start to
come together
for you.
Verse 10,
he says,
these seven
are the
eyes of
the Lord
which range
through the
whole earth.
Aha!
Right?
So in
Zechariah we
have,
so right,
Revelation,
we have seven
lamps,
seven
spirits,
seven
eyes.
In
Zechariah we
have seven
lamps,
seven
eyes,
and by
my
spirit.
The
spirit of
God.
The
Holy
Spirit of
God.
So that
would seem
to indicate
that the
seven
spirits could
be a
reference to
the Holy
Spirit of
God who
renews God's
people and
pours out
his grace
upon them.
And that
also makes
sense,
if you go
back to
Revelation,
in verse
four and
five.
Because you
have grace
and peace
from God
who is and
was and
will be,
and from the
seven spirits
and from
Jesus Christ.
So you have
God the
Father,
Jesus Christ the
Son,
and God the
Holy Spirit,
so that would
seem to make
sense.
But then you
might say,
well, why does
he say seven
spirits?
Right?
Why does he
make it confusing
for us?
Why doesn't
he just say
from the
Holy Spirit?
Well, look
at verse
four.
John, to
the seven
churches that
are in
Asia.
Right?
The seven
churches are
the servants
of Jesus
Christ gathered
together everywhere.
The seven
spirits, I
think is a
reference to
the spirit of
Jesus powerfully
at work among
his people
everywhere.
the seven
churches
represent God's
people everywhere.
The seven
spirits, it's
sort of an
image of God's
Holy Spirit
resting upon
his people
everywhere as
they gather
together.
Right?
And it goes
along with the
lampstand imagery,
right?
If the seven
lampstands are
the seven
churches, think
of that, think
of our church,
our group of
people who
gather together,
right?
We're a
lampstand.
And on
top of it is
that blazing
torch of the
Holy Spirit's
presence who's
among us.
So that's what
he's saying.
And I think
that's a little
bit of how we
can sort of
figure out some
of these phrases
in Revelation
that seem a
little confusing
at first.
And again, it
takes a little
while, right?
Sometimes you've
got to dig deep
into the Old
Testament and put
some things
together.
But it makes
sense.
that the
Holy Spirit
is that
burning lamp,
that shining
light who
comes among
us, who
descends upon
us, and who
empowers us to
shine with
God's glory as
we faithfully
witness to Jesus
Christ throughout
the world.
So that's the
spirits.
The Holy
Spirit upon
God's
churches.
All right,
going on.
Verse 5,
from Jesus
Christ, Jesus
is described as
the faithful
witness, the
firstborn of the
dead, and the
ruler of the
kings on earth.
And all these
three titles of
Jesus,
characteristics of
who he is,
are going to
come back.
We'll see them
more as we go
through Revelation.
So Jesus is the
faithful witness.
He was faithful to
the point of
death.
And he's the
one who
strengthens us
to faithfully
witness to him
wherever we go.
Jesus is the
firstborn from
the dead.
He's the one
who's the first
one who has
triumphed over
death in his
resurrection, and
he's the one who
promises and
guarantees that
we who believe
in him will be
raised with him
forever.
And the ruler of
the kings on
earth, Revelation
was written to
people who were
persecuted under
the Roman Empire.
And he says to
them, Jesus
Christ is the
ruler of the
kings on earth.
He is more
powerful and
more enduring, and
his authority will
endure forever more
than any human
government, more than
any human leader,
more than any
regime that's
persecuting you.
So it's, it's, he's
giving a word of
comfort, but also a
call to be faithfully
and unswervingly loyal
to Jesus above
everything else.
All right.
So who's this book
for?
It's for all the
servants of Jesus
everywhere.
Who's this book
from?
God the Father, Son,
and Holy Spirit.
And third, what's
this book about?
All right.
Now, verse one
says, God gave
Jesus this revelation
to show to his
servants the things
that must soon take
place.
Now this is sort of
one of the big
debates in the book
of Revelation is,
what are these things
that must soon take
place?
And what does that
mean since John was
writing almost 2,000
years ago?
I mean, he said it
was supposed to be
soon.
As he, you know, so
some people say,
John was talking
mostly about events
that were just about
to happen in his
time, in the first
century.
In the book, we
really have to
understand the
ancient context and
ancient history and
the world that John
lived in.
So that's the main
interpretation of
Revelation.
Most people, I
think, take another
view and say
Revelation is mostly
about future events
and particularly about
the things that are
going to happen
immediately leading up
to the return of
Jesus.
Right?
We all agree how it
ends, right, with
Jesus comes again.
Right?
But many people say
most of Revelation is
about those things
that are in the
generation or so
before Jesus returns.
And so people often
try to be guessing,
and people have
always done this
throughout history,
is try to say,
hmm, maybe the
beast is this.
Or maybe 666 is,
you know, this
political leader today.
Other people say
Revelation is more
symbolic.
And it sort of
reflects patterns that
often happen throughout
history.
And so it's not
meant to be a sort
of chronological thing
and it's not to be
only for one time
or another.
So you might say,
well, what one of
those views is the
best one?
In some sense, I'm
going to say there's
some truth in all
three of them, right?
John was writing to
people in the first
century.
And God inspired him
to write a letter
that would be
encouraging them to
stand firm and
stand fast despite
persecution and
hardship.
And so whatever
Revelation means,
it has to be
something that
would have meant
something to the
people back then
and that would
have encouraged
them and pointed
them to be
faithful to Jesus.
And so that's the
truth in the first
view.
Truth in the second
view is
Revelation, it has
to be not only for
the first century but
also for God's people
throughout history.
Right?
Not only in
John's time, not
only in the last
generation before
Jesus returns, but
for all God's
people throughout
history.
And of course it
will be for the
last generation of
Christians who see
Jesus return in
person.
So some of you
are like, ah, he's
avoiding the question.
He's just saying
there's some truth in
all three views.
We'll get into this
more.
You can ask in the
we'll have Q&A
tonight so you can
ask more questions.
But again, there's a
verse from the Old
Testament that sheds a
little bit more light
on this.
So John talks about
the things that must
soon take place, or
if you look at
chapter 4 verse 1, he
uses a similar
phrase.
I will show you
what must take
place after this.
If you go back to
Daniel chapter 2,
I'm just going to do
this as the last
Old Testament
reference.
But Daniel is
pretty key in a lot
of things.
Daniel chapter 2,
page 739, if you're
looking at a few
Bible.
So basically, King
Nebuchadnezzar has a
dream about four
successive world
empires.
His own, the
Babylonian, and then
the Persians, and then
the Greeks, and the
Romans.
And if you look at
verse 44, it says,
in the days of those
kings, particularly the
fourth kingdom, the
God will break in
pieces all these
kingdoms, and bring
them to an end, and
it shall stand forever.
And then at the end
of verse 45, it says,
a great God has made
known to the king
what shall be after
this.
So what he's talking
about, first of all,
he's talking about the
coming of Jesus Christ.
Christ came into this
world, 2000, at the
time of the Roman
Empire.
And so Daniel was
prophesying and looking
forward to the coming
of Jesus Christ, who
established God's
kingdom on earth.
But he also says that
that kingdom that Jesus
established is going to
endure forever, and
that it will bring all
other kingdoms to an
end, and it will stand
forever.
And verse 45 uses that
phrase, what shall be,
God has made known to
the king, what shall be
after this.
And that's the same
phrase that John uses in
the book of Revelation.
So you might say, well,
what's the connection, and
why does he make that
connection?
Why does he use that?
Well, he's using that
phrase because what he
wants to say is, first of
all, Daniel's prophecy has
come true.
That Jesus Christ is the
Messiah, he's come into
the world, and by his
life and death and
resurrection, he's
established God's kingdom
on earth among his
people.
And John's also saying
that that kingdom that
Jesus established, where
he rules and reigns and
brings life and healing
and salvation to his
people, that kingdom is
going to remain forever,
and it's going to be
established in his
fullness when he comes
again.
And right now, we're
living between that
first coming of Jesus,
and that second coming
of Jesus.
And what John is saying
is, it's sort of like
we're living in sudden
death over time.
Okay, I grew up playing
ice hockey.
The way it goes in the
playoffs of ice hockey is
you play, and if you're
tied, you go into sudden
death over time.
And sudden death over time
could actually go on for a
long time, but the minute
somebody scores a goal, it's
all over.
The game's over.
And it could be over at
any time.
And so whenever you go out
there, you play your
hardest, because you know
that the end could come
any time, and the end is
near, and you're in sudden
death.
And that's basically what
John is saying.
All right, at the end of
verse 1, he says the time
is near.
In 1 John, John's first
epistle, 1 John 2, 18, he
says, children, this is the
last hour.
He doesn't even say it's the
last day or year.
He says this is the last
hour.
And he says, as you've heard
that Antichrist is coming,
so now many Antichrists have
come, therefore we know it's
the last hour.
So he sort of, you know,
there's going to be a lot of
things that are going to be
happen sort of in this,
between Jesus' first coming
and his second coming, but
the end is always near.
And we need to live knowing
that that's true.
And live giving our full
allegiance to Jesus, and
trusting that he's in
control, and living our lives
fully and unreservedly for
him.
And that's, you know, that's
sort of the main point of
Revelation.
He's saying, things are in
God's hands, and Jesus is
going to win, so stand firm,
and don't waver.
And don't grab onto something
else as your ultimate hope.
But stand firm and hold onto
Jesus, because he's going to
win.
And he says he's brought us
into his kingdom.
This is verse 5 in Jesus.
He's freed us from our sins by
his blood.
He's that ultimate Passover lamb
who's the sacrifice, who's paid
the price for us.
He's made us a kingdom and
priests, just like God made
Israel in the Old Testament a
kingdom and priests, just as
God called Adam and Eve to be
rulers and priests, rulers over
his creation, and priests
worshiping before his throne.
Christ has come and through him,
we can fulfill that.
And verse 7, so again, verse 6
talks about what Christ has done in
establishing his kingdom.
Verse 7 talks about that he's going
to come again.
He'll come with the clouds, every
eye will see him, even those who
pierce him.
All tribes of the earth will wail on
account of him.
He will reign over the nations, and
the response is, even so, amen.
Amen.
So what's Revelation about?
It's about the time between Jesus'
first and second coming.
But it's not just about a time, or
about events, or about things that
are going to happen, it's about the
person of Jesus himself.
It's about the person of God, the
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
And that's what shines through, right,
in this introduction, and really
throughout the book.
And so I want to encourage you, you
know, if you're someone who's
fascinated by Revelation, maybe you're
sort of wondering, ooh, what does he
think about the rapture?
What does he think about the
tribulation?
What does he think about the
millennium, and the mark of the beast,
and 666, and let me remind you, this
book is primarily not about the
details, but the book is primarily
about King Jesus.
And it's meant to lead us to worship
at his throne.
So we can talk about the details, but
don't lose the forest for the trees.
It's about King Jesus, and leading us
to worship at his throne, and to say
praise and glory be to the only God who
is and was and who is to come, to him
be glory and dominion forever and ever,
amen and amen.
Amen.
Let's pray.
Father, we thank you for this book.
Lord, we thank you that for how you've
revealed yourself to us in your word, and
how this book just wraps up your great
revelation throughout the Bible, and how it
shows us your glory.
Lord, we pray that you would open our
eyes as we study it.
Lord, we pray that we would not shy away
from it out of fear, or out of past
confusion, or even bad experiences, or...
But Lord, we pray that we would not be
fascinated in an unhealthy way with the
details, and miss the main point.
As our Savior, as our great God.
Lord, we pray that we would also see your work
more fully, the work of the Father, and the
Son, and the Holy Spirit, and the way that you
work in harmony, as one God in three persons.
And Lord, we pray all these things in Jesus' name.
Amen.