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chapter 1. We'll be focusing 
on verses 4 to 6. God willing, we'll return to 
Deuteronomy next Wednesday night. I do want to read chapter 1 and 
make a few observations and then we'll get right into the text, 
verses 4 to 6. So I'll begin at verse 1 in chapter 
1. 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. 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 near. John, to the seven churches 
which 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, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, 
the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings 
of the earth, to him who loved us and washed us from our sins 
in his own blood, and has made us kings and priests to his God 
and father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever, Amen. Behold, He is coming with clouds, 
and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all 
the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, 
Amen. 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. I, John, both your brother and 
companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus 
Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the word 
of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. I was in the 
Spirit on the Lord's Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, 
as of a trumpet, saying, I am the Alpha and the Omega, the 
first and the last. And what you see, write in a 
book and send it to the seven churches, which are in Asia, 
to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, 
and to Laodicea. Then 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 is the sound of 
many waters. 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. And 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. Write the things which you have 
seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take 
place after this. The mystery of the seven stars 
which you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands. 
The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the 
seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches. Amen. Well, there are unfortunately 
some Christians who avoid the book of Revelation. I know that 
seems odd and zany, but they are out there. And I think at 
times people think that the book of Revelation is sort of filled 
with gloom and despair and epic judgment and all those things 
that we associate with bad feelings, so we try and avoid it. Conversely, 
there's people that are drawn to the book for those very reasons, 
because there's a curiosity. But then there's also Christians, 
again, not everyone, but some who say the book is too mysterious, 
it's too confusing, which is really unfortunate, because in 
verse 1, it is said, it is the revelation of Jesus Christ which 
God gave Him to show His servants things which must shortly take 
place. The whole idea of the book of Revelation is to reveal, 
it is to demonstrate, it is to highlight, it is to set forth 
specifically Christ in all of His glory and majesty and power. Well, there are, as I said, those 
approaches. It's filled with doom, it's filled 
with gloom, it's filled with epic judgment, so we'll just 
avoid it. Or it's so mysterious and it's so difficult to interpret, 
we'll avoid it for that cause as well. But it's important that 
we remember that the book of Revelation was written to real 
Christians living in real places, occupying real space in history. In fact, when you drop down to 
verse 11, when John is given his commission, it is said that 
what you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches 
which are in Asia, to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, 
to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea. Some interpreters 
teach that those churches represent ages in the history of the church. 
No, there are local churches in Asia Minor in the first century. In fact, if you follow those 
particular pattern, you'll see it's basically a circle. That's 
the geography. That's the outlying area. There 
are real people occupying real space in real time and in real 
history. The book was written to deal 
with the various issues that Christians face. For instance, 
tribulation and poverty. Revelation chapter 2 verses 9 
and 10. The people of God unfortunately 
suffer Tribulation. Very often they suffer poverty. As well, the book is written 
to deal with the issue of the imperial cult. In chapter 2, 
verse 13, Pergamos is located where Satan's throne is. Probably a reference to the imperial 
cult. The Roman emperor was looked 
at as lord and savior. And he had an entourage, or he 
had a cult, that promoted the worship of Caesar. Pergamos was 
situated in a place where that cult worship, or that emperor 
worship, was very strong and very lively. As well, it was 
written to combat the influence of heresy. In each of the churches, 
or in a couple of the churches, there are doctrinal heresies 
indicated. Those things affect the people 
of God. We need to be on our guard. We 
need to be watchful. We need to be prayerful. As well, 
doctrinal compromise. Each of the seven letters in 
chapters two and three and with an exhortation, a blessing pronounced 
upon those who overcome. You need to persevere. You need 
to overcome. You mustn't shrink back. You 
must not fall prey to either the imperial cult, or to doctrinal 
heresy, or to Judaism, or any competitor to the glory of Christ. That's why in Revelation 21 verse 
8, when we're given a view of who is in the lake of fire, cowards 
are indicated there. Cowards in Revelation 21.8 are 
not people who are afraid of lions and tigers and bears. Cowards 
in Revelation 21.8 are those who did not overcome, those who 
did not persevere, those who did not press on to the very 
end. They are cowards. But not only 
within the life of the local church are the Christian people 
taught, there are various issues plaguing them, but there is political 
oppression. There's a lot of competing theories 
on who the beast is in Revelation chapter 13. verses 1 to 10. Most people agree that it's some 
sort of a political entity. So whatever your particular interpretation 
of the beast, the idea is clear. The people of God are oppressed 
by political powers. They are oppressed by those things 
that are above them. And as well, there is religious 
oppression. Again, the imperial cult, other 
competitors. And then also, the people of 
God are taught how to deal with weeping, death, sorrow, and pain 
in the book of Revelation. I hope I'm wetting your appetite 
to see how good and practical this book is. Very often when 
we want to know how to live as Christians, we go to Ephesians, 
or we go to Colossians, or we go to Philippians, and that's 
not wrong, but we ought to go to the book of Revelation as 
well. It is practical. It is for us. It is calculated 
to promote in us perseverance, a constant look to Christ, and 
a constant faithfulness in His service. Revelation 21.4, we 
are told that in the New Jerusalem there will be no more weeping, 
there will be no more death, there will be no more sorrow, 
and there will be no more pain. We are to infer from that, that 
while we're not in the New Jerusalem, there is weeping, there is death, 
there is sorrow, and there is pain. Those are the things clearly 
indicated in the book of Revelation. Add to this the common garden 
variety struggles that every Christian in every age always 
has to deal with. Our own remaining sin. Job issues. family issues, relationship issues, 
difficulties playing and affecting the people of God. There is no 
shortage, no scarcity of difficulty in this lower world. And the 
book of Revelation was written to aid those real Christians 
who were facing real issues by setting forth the Lord Jesus 
Christ in all of His glory and majesty." That's what I want 
us to understand about the book of Revelation. Anyone who has 
dipped their toe and waded into this particular book realizes 
there's a whole host of theories on how to interpret it. There's 
a whole host of ways on how to deal with the thousand years 
mentioned in Revelation 20. But I think what is most important 
is that we as God's people realize the practical import of this 
book to help us in difficulty, to help us in trial, to help 
us in sorrow, to help us in pain. And one of the means by which 
the author does this is to exalt the Lord Jesus Christ. And he 
does that at the very outset in this greeting in verses 4 
to 6. So I want to look at, first of 
all, the triune God as the source of grace and peace, verses 4 
and 5. Notice then, secondly, we'll 
look at the threefold office of Jesus Christ, and then thirdly, 
we'll look at the work of Jesus Christ. So at the outset, In 
this greeting to the churches, there is so much theology and 
so much Christology. Again, it is designed to promote 
in us a hopefulness and an encouragement and a zeal to live the Christian 
life, even in the midst of the trials and the perplexities and 
the difficulties that we face. And if you haven't surmised yet, 
this is in no small way connected to the events of yesterday. We need to be encouraged with 
the glory of Jesus Christ in all seasons and in all times. But of course, political events 
in our own situation are probably foremost and are heavy in our 
minds. I think that the book of Revelation offers a helpful 
antidote to deal with those various issues. Notice first the triune 
God as source of grace and peace. John, verse 4, two of the seven 
churches which are in Asia, again, these are specific local churches 
in specific cities in the first century in Asia Minor. We cannot forget that. Again, 
some people have taken these seven churches and say they represent 
various eras in the history of the church. That would have had 
absolutely zero relevance to John's audience. It would have 
had absolutely zero impact upon John's audience to hear that 
this is what's going to happen at the time of Charlemagne, this 
is what's going to happen at the time of Hitler, this is what's 
going to happen at the time of whatever. No, what we find here 
are real churches in a real place needing real encouragement. John 
to the seven churches which are in Asia, notice, grace to you 
and peace. That is what we need as Christians. 
We need God's grace, and we need peace. This is a customary greeting 
in the several epistles in the New Testament. In times of trial, 
in times of tribulation, in times of difficulty, along with times 
of goodness and joy and happiness, God's people always stand in 
need of grace and peace. We are what we are by the grace 
of God. You ever made that statement, 
but for the grace of God, there go I? We cannot take that sentiment 
lightly. It is a reality. If God were 
to remove from us His grace, not that He would do so for the 
true believer, if He did though, however, we would be destroyed. We stand in need of grace. How do we face political oppression? How do we face beasts? How do 
we face religious pressure? How do we face doctrinal compromise 
and heresy? We need God's grace. We need 
peace from on high. Peace to steady us. Peace to 
stabilize us. As Christians, in the midst of 
trial and tribulation, we need to be composed. We need to be 
those who are in control, not in the sense of sovereignty, 
but we can't freak out. If the whole world around us 
is collapsing, we as God's people need to demonstrate there is 
something different about the child of God. Remember that statement 
of Peter in 1 Peter 3 in verse 15. He tells us that we need 
to always be ready. He says in 1 Peter 3.15, sanctify 
the Lord Christ in your hearts and always be ready to give a 
defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that 
is in you with meekness and fear. I think we learn from that that 
there are those outside the church that will be able to see within 
the life of a particular believer that he or she has hope. We don't 
have no hope. We're not hopeless. We're not 
to be fretful. We're not to be worrisome. We're 
not to be anxious. We're not to be paralyzed with 
fear and trepidation. We are to step out in grace and 
peace, having hope from on high. This is absolutely crucial in 
times of distress that we demonstrate what it is to be a believer, 
to be a Christian, to be those who are saved by grace through 
faith in Jesus Christ. Notice the source of this grace 
and peace. This isn't a cheap wish. This 
is something that John genuinely wants the people of God to enjoy. The source of this grace and 
peace is the triune God Himself, the Father, the Spirit, and the 
Son, indicated in that particular order. I take the first reference 
here, grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and 
who is to come. I take that as a reference to 
the Father. This probably harkens back to 
Exodus chapter 3 verse 14 when God identifies himself as Yahweh, 
as I am. It probably harkens back to several 
passages in the prophet Isaiah where God highlights that he 
is the first and the last. What are we, as the people of 
God, supposed to be mindful of in this description of the Father? 
The eternal, sovereign, glorious God of heaven and earth is the 
source of grace and peace to his tried, plagued, distressed 
people on earth. We're to take comfort, we're 
to take solace, we're to take refuge in him who is and who 
was and who is to come. Remember the way that Moses describes 
God, the One who is from everlasting to everlasting in Psalm 90, the 
Father. We need to draw nigh unto Him 
through the Son by the power of the Holy Spirit. The triune 
God is absolutely crucial. Theology proper, who God is, 
what He's about, is absolutely crucial for the people of God 
to face the difficulties. I mean, if you picked up a book 
today that was written on how to deal with affliction, do you 
think it would start with the doctrine of God? Do you think 
it would start with a description of the Trinity? With the relationship 
between the person's father, son, and spirit? Many of the 
books written today calculated to help Christians in affliction 
bypass the most needful thing. We need God to help us in affliction. We need to know who He is. We 
need Father, Son, and Spirit. We need the triune God to come 
to our aid and to come to our rescue. He describes the Father 
first, and then secondly, the Spirit. Notice in verse 4, "...and 
from the seven Spirits who are before His throne." This does 
not mean that there are seven Holy Spirits. The number seven 
in the book of Revelation, as the commentators tell us, is 
the number of completeness. Probably in John's mind is Zechariah 
chapter 4. The prophet there gets a vision 
of this lamp, this seven-headed lamp, and there are these tubes 
that are bringing oil to the lamp. And what we are to learn 
is that it's not by might, not by power, but By my spirit, the 
Lord God accomplishes his particular will. It's important as we approach 
the Book of Revelation, it is the most Old Testament-ish book 
in the New Testament. The Book of Revelation is the 
most Old Testament-ish book in the New Testament. That doesn't 
mean it has the most quotations, though it does have a lot of 
quotations from the Old Testament. But there is imagery. There is 
allusion. There is in the mind of the Apostle 
John the Old Testament Scriptures as he writes to these churches 
in Asia Minor. And this reference to the seven 
spirits is the spirit of God Most High, the third person of 
the Trinity. Notice in chapter 3 verse 1, 
these things says he who has the seven spirits of God and 
the seven stars. Revelation chapter 4 verse 5, 
And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and 
voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which 
are the seven spirits of God. And then again in 5.6, And I 
looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four 
living creatures, and in the midst of the elders stood a lamb 
as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven 
eyes, which are the seven spirits of God. sent out into all the 
earth. So it's a reference to the Holy 
Spirit, the third person of the Trinity. So the triune God is 
the source of grace and peace. 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 notice thirdly, and from 
Jesus Christ. Notice. There are ands here. There is distinction between 
the persons. There is the Father. There is 
the Spirit. There is the Son. Three distinct 
persons. One divine essence. That is the 
biblical doctrine, the understanding of the triune God. He is the 
source of grace and peace. Again, let's just stop here for 
a moment and consider books on affliction. No, maybe they do. I haven't looked at a recent 
book on affliction. I don't know if they start off with the doctrine 
of God and the inter-Trinitarian relationship. I suspect they 
probably don't. There was a man by the name of 
Francis Bailey. He lived in 1565 to 1631. He wrote a book called The Practice 
of Piety, directing a Christian how to walk that he may please 
God. So it would be a book on the 
pursuit of holiness. Guess where Bailey starts? In 
your devotional life? In your quiet time? In your devotional 
journal, in your prayer closet? No, he starts with God Most High. Listen to the title of the first 
chapter, which was about 25 pages. a plain description of the essence 
and attributes of God out of the Holy Scripture so far as 
every Christian must competently know and necessarily believe 
that will be saved. You see, Bailey understood something. 
We cannot pursue piety. We cannot pursue holiness. We 
cannot pursue Christ-likeness without first knowing the triune 
God. You see, John realizes that we 
can't combat doctrinal heresy, we can't fight against doctrinal 
compromise, we certainly can't resist political oppression, 
and we certainly are no match for death, sorrow, pain, and 
suffering, unless we first behold our God. That's the emphasis 
in this greeting. I encourage you, don't just run 
through the greetings to get to what you might consider the 
good stuff. The greeting is the good stuff. We ought not to bypass it. The 
Holy Trinity, as our confession of faith says, is the foundation 
of all our communion with God and comfortable dependence on 
Him. Again, how do we fight those 
several difficulties? How do we engage in the trials 
and tribulations of our generation? It is in comfortable dependence 
upon God Most High. It's no accident that John starts 
here with the Trinity. It's no accident that John starts 
here by saying grace to you and peace from Him, the Father, the 
Spirit, and the Son. Boving, we just recently reviewed 
this information on the Trinity in our study of the Confession, 
so this might be a little repetitious to some of you, but Boving referred 
to the church father Athanasius this way. If you remember your 
church history, there were two men, their names began with A. 
Athanasius, good guy. Arius, bad guy. Arius denied 
the Trinity. Arius has his counterparts in 
what's called today the Jehovah's Witnesses. They deny that Jesus 
Christ is God. They deny the person of the Holy 
Spirit. That, or their forefather, is 
Arius. That doesn't mean the Aryan nation 
that has swastikas and shaves their heads. This was a man by 
the name of Arius. He denied the Trinity. He taught 
that Jesus was subordinate. He taught that Jesus was created. 
He taught that there was a time when the Son was not. Now there 
was the man called Athanasius that fought him. Not physically, 
I know that's the language that I'm using here. They were doctrinal 
fights. Athanasius resisted, Athanasius 
calculated, Athanasius articulated the truth of the Trinity. And 
Bovink, a later Reformed theologian, said this concerning Athanasius. He said, Athanasius understood 
better than any of his contemporaries that Christianity stands or falls 
with the confession of the deity of Christ and of the Trinity. You see, we don't bypass this 
greeting. We don't run into all of the 
trials that face the church without first being grounded in who God 
is, Father, Son, and Spirit. He goes on to say, in the confession 
of the Trinity throbs the heart of the Christian religion. He 
says, every error results from, or upon deeper reflection may 
be traced to, a wrong view of this doctrine. That was what 
Bavinck said about Athanasius. There was a church father by 
the name of Gregory. I think it's Natsianzen is the 
pronunciation. He lived in AD 329 to 390. quite a long life back in those 
days. He says, no sooner do I conceive of the one than I am illumined 
by the splendor of the three. No sooner do I distinguish them 
than I am carried back to the one. When I think of any one 
of the three, I think of him as the whole, and my eyes are 
filled, and the greater part of what I am thinking escapes 
me. I cannot grasp the greatness 
of that one so as to attribute a greater greatness to the rest. 
When I contemplate the three together, I see but one torch 
and cannot divide or measure out the undivided light." That's 
just a devotional response to the Trinity. And this is what 
John wants his readers to be reminded of. Grace and peace 
come from the Father, the Spirit, and the Son. Now notice, he then 
develops what we will call the threefold office of Jesus Christ. He amplifies. He says, and from 
Jesus Christ in verse 5, now he makes these three statements 
concerning Christ. He says, the faithful witness, 
the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings 
of the earth. And these three statements correspond 
to what has been historically known as the three offices of 
Christ. Christ is a prophet. He reveals 
the will of God. Remember that statement in John 
118, no man has seen God at any time. But the only begotten Son, 
the One who is in the bosom of the Father, He has revealed Him. Remember on the Mount of Transfiguration, 
when Moses and Elijah appear, and Peter and James and John 
are with the Lord Jesus, what does God say from Heaven? He 
says, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, and 
then He says, Hear Him! He is the great prophet to the 
church. He is the faithful witness. This is how John describes him 
here. This will play out big time in 
the remainder of this particular book. Christ identifies himself 
in like manner when speaking to the church in Laodicea. He 
is the faithful witness. They are not being faithful witnesses. 
They need to conform to His pattern. This is a crucial theme in the 
remainder of the book. The people of God are to be faithful 
in the midst of all things, as is their Savior. In 2.13, the 
church in Pergamos is commended for holding fast My name. And 
in 6.9, the martyrs are described as those who had been slain for 
the Word of God and for the testimony which they held. In 1211, the 
people of God are those who overcame him, the devil, by the blood 
of the lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did 
not love their lives to the death. So Jesus, as the faithful witness, 
is the prophet to the church. He is the one who speaks by his 
spirit in his word to the churches. His church is to imitate. His 
church is to mirror that witness, that faithfulness. Christ is 
prophet. It's interesting as well that 
each of these three descriptions comes from Psalm 89. If you're 
familiar with the Psalter, you'll know that Psalm 89 is the Covenant 
Psalm. God makes a covenant. God says 
that from David there will come one who rules and who reigns. He is the anti-type of David 
himself. And each of these three descriptions 
is born out there in Psalm 89. Again, John has this in his mind. 
He describes Jesus as faithful witness, highlighting his prophetic 
role. But then notice his priestly 
office. He calls him the firstborn from 
the dead. What does the death of Christ 
suggest? It suggests his sacrifice. It 
suggests his atonement. It suggests the fact that he 
is the priest of God. He is the one who goes and makes 
intercession for the people, but he goes and he offers sacrifice 
to the Father on behalf of the people. Now the word firstborn 
here does not mean first created. It doesn't mean that at all. 
David is called firstborn in Psalm 89. Does that mean he was 
the first king in Israel? No. Who was the first king in 
Israel? What's that? Saul. That's right. What does firstborn 
mean? It means the great one. It means 
the preeminent one. In fact, if you look at Psalm 
89, the text bears that out. Psalm 89 verse 27, and I will 
make him my firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth. That is clearly the way firstborn 
is being used here in the book of Revelation with reference 
to the Lord Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul uses it in a 
similar manner in Colossians 1, 15 to 18. He is not highlighting 
Christ as firstborn or first created. No, he is highlighting 
Christ as the preeminent one, as the all-glorious one, as the 
one who creates, as the one who upholds, and as the one who redeems. He is not suggesting for a moment 
that Jesus is a creature. Rather, the contrary, he is highlighting 
the fact that Jesus is the preeminent one. G.K. Beale says, John views 
Jesus as the ideal Davidic king on an escalated level, whose 
death and resurrection have resulted in his eternal kingship of his 
beloved children. And this idea is developed in 
verse 6. So what John is doing, he mentions 
the Father, the Spirit, and the Son, and while he's referring 
to the Son, let me just flush that out a little bit. He is 
the faithful witness, he is the firstborn from the dead, but 
then notice thirdly that third office of Christ He is the king. He is the ruler over the kings 
of the earth. He was crucified and buried, 
but he rose again and he ascended to the Davidic throne. You can 
turn to Acts chapter 2. Again, it's very important that 
we emphasize this. It's very important that we understand 
this. It's very important that we realize 
that John in Revelation 1 is speaking of a present situation. Notice that he doesn't say Jesus 
is going to be the ruler over the kings of the earth. There 
is a time in your horizon when Christ will ascend this place 
of sovereign authority. That's not what he says. He says 
that Jesus is the ruler over the kings of the earth. When 
did Jesus take David's throne? He took David's throne at his 
ascension. Notice in Acts 2, after having 
preached the person and work of the Lord Jesus, he comes to 
its conclusion. And in Acts 2.29, Peter says, 
men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch 
David. that he is both dead and buried, 
and his tomb is with us to this day. Therefore, being a prophet, 
and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of 
the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, he would raise 
up the Christ to sit on his throne." Peter is speaking about 2 Samuel 
7, he's speaking about Psalm 89. God had prophesied, God had 
testified, God had said that from David's seed He would raise 
up the Christ to sit on His throne. When did this happen? Notice 
in verse 31, He foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection 
of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did 
His flesh see corruption. This Jesus God has raised up, 
of which we are all witnesses. Therefore, being exalted to the 
right hand of God, and having received from the Father the 
promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now 
see and hear. For David did not ascend into the heavens, but 
he says himself, The Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand 
till I make your enemies your footstool. Therefore, let all 
the house of Israel know assuredly." This isn't something that's up 
for debate. This isn't something that good 
men differ on. No, you know assuredly that God 
has made this Jesus, whom you crucified both Lord and Christ. Christ is prophet. He reveals 
the will of God to his people. Christ is priest. He's offered 
up sacrifice, specifically himself, for the sins of his people, and 
he intercedes on their behalf. But he is as well king. And this 
is located in a particular place in this book to encourage the 
people of God. John says that this is a present 
reality which should serve to encourage the church in the world. 
Do you know that the word throne features about 39 times in the 
book of Revelation? And that's with reference to 
Christ. Now I'm talking about the throne of the devil. How 
in the world did we ever accept this idea that the book of Revelation 
is gloomy and is doomy and is dismal and is bleak? It sets forth the supremacy of 
Jesus Christ. That's the emphasis throughout, 
from Revelation 1 to Revelation 22. Christ on the throne is to 
be the focus of the people in the world. While the church on 
earth is struggling, chapters 2 and 3, we see the travail, 
we see the difficulty. John then in chapter 4 gives 
us a vision of what? throne, where the Lamb of God 
is. The emphasis and the indication 
is simply this, that while there is trial, while there is tumult, 
while there is difficulty on earth, in chapters 2 and 3, the 
throne in heaven is not shaken. Christ is supreme, Christ is 
sovereign, Christ gives grace and peace to his suffering church. Now perhaps you noticed this 
morning, when you woke up, Jesus Christ was still on his wasn't 
it? There was no transfer of power 
in the heavenly court. He wasn't re-elected for a second 
term. He's not voted out of office. He has absolute authority. Matthew 28, 18 to 20 is as true 
on November 8th as it was when Jesus spoke those words to his 
disciples before his ascension. The preeminence, the primacy, 
the glory and the majesty of Christ is all as real for us 
today as it was for John while he himself, notice where John 
was when he wrote. He was on the island of Patmos. 
for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus. Now, do not 
make a mistake here. Patmos wasn't like Sandals. It wasn't some beach resort community 
where John spent the latter years of his life engaging in golf. He wasn't, after all, the President 
of the United States. The island of Patmos was a rock 
out in the middle of the sea where John was exiled. History 
tells us he was ultimately boiled in hot oil to death, is how John 
met his end. But he was exiled. He was in 
tribulation. Notice in verse 9, I, John, both 
your brother and companion, in the tribulation. But notice, 
and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ. Tribulation on exile 
does not render null and void the kingdom of Jesus. Difficulty 
in the churches in Asia Minor does not invalidate the present 
reign of Christ. We know that Jesus has his purposes 
for the trials and the difficulties that plague his people. He is 
sovereign. We know, according to Romans 
8, that God causes all things to work together for good to 
those who love Him, to the called according to His purpose. Now, 
we take that passage and we interpret it this way. Well, good things 
God uses for our good. That's not what the text says. 
He causes all things to work for good. That means bad things 
That means hard things, that means tribulation, that means 
difficulty, that means trial. He overrules those things to 
work in our lives to learn the lessons that we need to learn 
so that we can imbibe that patience of Jesus Christ that John highlights 
there in verse 9. I, John, both your brother and 
companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus 
Christ. This particular statement to 
the ruler over the kings of the earth in the language of the 
commentator's suite says the words stand appropriately at 
the head of a book that represents the glorified Christ as presiding 
over the destinies of nations. You see, by the time you get 
to Revelation 13, and you see this beast from the sea, and 
this beast from the land, you cannot conclude that these two 
fiends are running amok on their own. No! John's already told 
us, Jesus is the ruler over the kings of the earth. Just like 
when you jump into the Old Testament, and you see men like Sennacherib, 
or you see men in heathen nations, or you see Israelite kings living 
like heathen. God's sovereign over those men. 
God is accomplishing His purposes through Ahab. God is accomplishing 
His purposes through Manasseh. God is accomplishing His purposes 
on this earth for His glory and for the good of His people. We 
mustn't ever lose sight of that. It doesn't matter what our physical 
eye perceives. What matters is what the truth 
of God's Word reveals. So this morning, when we woke 
up, Jesus Christ was still at the right hand of the majesty 
on high. Isn't that encouraging? No matter 
what happens in our future, that doesn't change. Jesus is the 
ruler over the kings of the earth. I personally find this greeting 
to be a balm, a tonic, and a great help in the midst of the days 
in which we live. and I'm sure that they did in 
the 1st century, they did in the 2nd century, in the 3rd century, 
in the 4th century, all the way up until our time. The people 
of God have gone to the Book of Revelation not to satisfy 
their eschatological curiosities, not to develop weird charts, 
not to speculate on whether or not Kissinger was the beast. 
What they came to the Book of Revelation for was to see the 
Lamb enthroned on high overruling all things for his own glory 
and for the good of his church. That's the take-home message 
in the book of Revelation. And as well, there is movement. 
The last two chapters, what does it do but summarize the entire 
Bible? If you don't know the sort of 
great narrative that the Bible is about, what we have in the 
very beginning is paradise lost and we have paradise restored. 
There are two men that feature in the Bible that you need to 
reckon with. the first Adam and the last Adam. The first Adam 
was given dominion, the first Adam was told to extend that 
garden temple, to multiply image-bearers in the earth, and to promulgate 
the glory of God in the world. Adam the first fell. He plunged 
the race into sin. Adam the second did not fail. Adam the second, according to 
Paul in Romans chapter 5, by this man's one act of righteousness 
the many are made righteous. And so what the second Adam does 
is consummate. The second Adam does all that 
Adam the first was supposed to do. And that's what Revelation 
21 and 22 describe for us. It's interesting. Adam was planted 
in a garden temple. When John sees the new Jerusalem 
coming down out of heaven, it has the shape of a temple. The 
idea is clear. God and sinners, redeemed by 
grace through faith in Christ, dwelling together for all eternity. The book of Revelation, I can't 
say enough good about it, not that God needs me to plug the 
book, but I hope that you will be encouraged to read. So we see the person of the Lord 
Jesus Christ developed, the threefold office of Christ, and then notice 
finally, in this blessed greeting, the work of Jesus Christ. Notice 
in the latter half of verse 5, to him who loved us and washed 
us from our sins in his own blood, and has made us kings and priests 
to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever 
and ever. Amen. So he's not only prophet, priest, 
and king, but look at what he does for his people. He redeems 
us in His blood." It's a blessed statement there, to Him who loved 
us, or it could be the present, to Him who loves us, either way, 
the Bible highlights both, to Him who loved us and washed us 
from our sins. Not only is the throne, does 
the throne feature predominantly in the book of Revelation, but 
also this reference to the Lamb. About 29 times, Jesus, as the 
Lamb of God, is referred to in the book of Revelation. What 
does John want you to get? He wants you to understand something 
about Christ's rule and reign at the throne, and he wants you 
to understand something about redemption through his blood. 
And this is fitting, because it was John who wrote John 1.29, 
Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. I 
already read that passage in John 5. Look there for just a 
moment. Verse six, I looked and behold 
in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures 
and in the midst of the elders stood a lamb as though it had 
been slain. A lamb having been slain. But look back for just a moment 
to verse four. So I wept much because no one 
was found worthy to open and read the scroll or to look at 
it. But one of the elders said to me, do not weep. Behold, the 
lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has prevailed 
to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals. Isn't that interesting? 
the lion of the tribe of Judah, and when John looks at him, he 
is as a lamb who had been slain. The lion of the tribe of Judah, 
the king of kings and lord of lords, is also the sacrifice 
for his people. We truly have a great savior. I met my niece's husbands. Whenever we're together, they 
like to ask questions about the Bible. And they brought up some 
movie that showed how Christianity and the story about the virgin 
birth and some of the particular events that we know about Jesus 
have many parallels in other religions. And many other religions 
have sort of a virgin birth narrative. And there's a hero figure and 
all that sort of thing. not having been familiar with 
that particular movie or not having been familiar with all 
those particular religions. I was able, though, with confidence 
to say, yeah, but in this one thing, I know for a fact they 
differ. Those other competing systems 
do not have blood atonement at their root. That's why Jesus 
came. It was to live and to die and 
to rise again so that we might have redemption through his blood. 
There may be a hero figure in those other religions, there 
may be an exemplar, follow him and be like him, but we have 
a crucified Savior because we are so sinful and we are so polluted 
and we are so at odds with God He sent his son to redeem us 
through his blood. That differentiates Christianity 
from every other religion. It is a redemptive religion. It's not just example. It's not 
just a few steps for a better life. At the very core of Christianity 
is Christ and his cross work on behalf of his people. John 
says, not only should we consider Him as faithful witness, as firstborn 
from the dead, and ruler over the kings of the earth, but we 
ought to praise Him, because He loves us. Isn't that beautiful, 
too? Him who loves us. You may not 
be loved by many people in this world, and that's sad. I hope 
that you'll meet more people that love you. But there is one 
that loves you if you're a believer in Jesus Christ. And there is 
nothing better than that. No matter what your station, 
no matter what your lot, no matter how few friends you have, there 
is one in heaven who is for you. He loves you. And not only does 
he love you, he has washed us from our sins in his own blood. This image features predominantly 
as well. We've already seen there in chapter 
5, notice dropping down in verse 9, when they praise the Lamb. 
Notice in verse 9, you are worthy to take the scroll and to open 
its seals for you were slain and have redeemed us to God by 
your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation 
and have made us kings and priests to our God and we shall reign 
on the earth. Notice in chapter 7, Chapter 
7, verse 13, Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, 
Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come 
from? And I said to him, Sir, you know. So he said to me, These 
are the ones who come out of the great tribulation and washed 
their robes and made them white in the blood of the land. It's 
great imagery again. Do you dip a fabric into blood 
and it comes out white? Well, if you're a sinful wretch 
and Jesus cleanses you, you come out white. Therefore, they are 
before the throat of God and serve Him day and night in His 
temple. There's that priestly function. 
He makes us priests, not to sacrifice, but to offer up the sacrifices 
of praise and worship and adoration to our God. And He who sits on 
the throne will dwell among them. Notice in verse 16, "...they 
shall neither hunger any more, nor thirst any more. The sun 
shall not strike them, nor any heat. For the Lamb who is in 
the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to 
living fountains of waters, and God will wipe away every tear 
from their eyes." So already at the outset, John is basking 
in the glory of Christ as the one who loved us and washed us 
from our sins in his own blood. And not only that, but he has 
also made us kings and priests to his God and Father. How do 
we reign? It's by virtue of our union with 
Christ. That's how it is said that the 
saints reign. It's because we are legally joined 
to Him. He is the victor. He is the king. He is the royal authority. And 
because we are in union with Him, it is said that the saints 
of Christ reign as well. So we are kings and praise to 
His God and Father, and then John ends with doxology, or praise. This is obvious. It ought to 
go without saying. But what we know concerning God, 
what we understand about the person and work of the Lord Jesus, 
ought not just end with us having a bit more knowledge. We shouldn't 
leave here saying, wow, now we know the three offices of Christ. 
Wow, we've heard something about the triune God. It ought to lead 
to doxology, theology proper, the doctrine of God, who He is 
in His being. who He is in His persons, ought 
to result in us saying, to Him be glory and dominion forever 
and ever. Amen. If our theology does not 
thrill, if our theology does not entice and incite from us 
worship of the triune God, then we need to repent. We shouldn't 
know all this good stuff and not be worshipers. I have a quote, 
I hope it's written in my Bible, by a man by the name of Donald 
MacLeod. And he makes a statement concerning 
this, with the idea being when Moses saw the burning bush, he 
saw a great sight there. He saw a bush that was burning 
and not being consumed. Well, McLeod, picking up something 
of that imagery, says, God is not simply a great sight, the 
object of speculative curiosity. The revelation of His glory and 
the whole theological process which follows from it is holy 
ground. We cannot stand as superiors 
over God or His Word. We may not coldly and detachedly 
analyze and collate the great self-revealing deeds and utterances 
of Jehovah." You know, if somebody collects bugs, they might, you 
know, pin them to a court board and they sort of analyze, they 
collate, they just study them as a bit of a curiosity. He's 
saying theology is not meant to be done that way. You don't 
put God on your court board and say, yes, one substance, three 
subsistences, Father, Son, Holy Spirit, not modalism, not subordinationism, 
but one triune. You do that, you analyze the 
data of scripture, but here's what he goes on to say. He says, 
we may not theologize without emotion and commitment. He says, 
the doctrine must thrill and exhilarate. It must humble and 
cast down. He says, theology has lost its 
way, and indeed its very soul, if it cannot say with John, I 
fell down at his feet as dead. And may I dare say, we are not 
to study this and then enter into tomorrow freaked out. Not 
to say you can't grieve and be sorrowful, but get over it. March 
onward. Look to the King of Kings. Look 
to that throne that is displayed and worship Him and serve Him 
and walk in faith by the grace of God. I read a blog post by 
a Reformed Baptist pastor today. He had some good reflections 
upon what happened yesterday. He highlights that America has 
become, not become, but it is a culture of sin. In other words, 
we have gravitated toward a president that sees no problem in the death 
of babies whatsoever. He has no problem in homosexual 
marriage. He has no problem in all manner 
of perversion and wickedness. So he says it's a culture of 
sin. He says it's also a culture of stupidity. He justifies that 
language. He says that Folly, foolishness 
is obvious when men see a record that's dismal and nevertheless 
vote in favor of it. And then he highlights that it's 
a culture under judgment. God gave them over, Romans 1, 
24, 26, and 28. When men reject God, when they 
do not honor God as God, nor are they thankful to God, God's 
response is to give them over. It is the worst form of just, 
or the worst type of abandonment. When God gives men over, we're 
not in good shape. This is not a time for rejoicing. 
And so having mused on those three things, he then ends with 
this statement. He says that policies can address 
political circumstances, but they cannot address the fundamental 
weaknesses of the American soul. He says, where we stand today 
is not so radically different from where we stood, say, in 
1980. We don't need another Reagan. 
We need the Holy Spirit. Now, arguably, on one level, 
yeah, we ought to pray that God raise up good men. But he's ending 
this article with the emphasis that the church has what the 
culture desperately needs. We don't have the political candidate. 
We can't make Ronald Reagan come back from the dead. But by the 
power of the Holy Spirit and the faithful proclamation of 
his word, we have specifically what a culture of sin, a culture 
of stupidity, and a culture under judgment desperately needs. He 
says, if men are to turn from their sin and discover the wisdom 
that comes from serving God, they do not need better government 
but the message which has been entrusted to the church. And 
I think that's a great statement, one that encouraged me, one that 
gave me great hope in the task that is ahead of us. Our task 
as the Church doesn't change. We preach Christ and Him crucified. Whether President Obama's on 
the throne, whether the Beast of Revelation's on the throne, 
the response from the Church is to be the same. We are to 
proclaim the glorious truth of the everlasting gospel. Well, 
let us pray. Our Father, we thank You for 
Your Word, and we thank You for this wonderful description and 
this greeting of the triune God, the amplification of our glorious 
Christ in His person, in His work, in all that He has accomplished 
on behalf of His people. How we thank You that He is the 
faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and how we thank 
You that He is the ruler over the kings of the earth. that 
He rules, that He governs by that sword that proceeds from 
His mouth, by His Holy Word. We pray that You would fill our 
hearts with Your Spirit, fill our hearts with hope, fill our 
hearts with grace so that we may persevere and bring glory 
to You. And we ask in Jesus' name, Amen.