The Revelation of Jesus Christ

In this chapter

In this chapter, you’ll:

Read the text: Rev 1

Key takeaways

• Revelation is a book about Jesus. Read it looking for him, and the rest comes into focus.
• It was written to real congregations under real pressure, and its first word to a frightened man was “Don’t be afraid.”
• The Jesus who reigns is the Jesus who died. The wounds and the crown belong to the same person.
• The blessing of Revelation 1:3 is for those who keep its words, not those who solve its images.

Reflect & discuss

• Read Revelation 1:12–18 slowly. List what John sees and hears. Which of those details does the passage explain for you (look at verse 20), and which does it leave unexplained?
• Before you opened this book, what did the word “Revelation” bring to mind, and where do you think that came from? There are no wrong answers.
• Jesus’ first words to John are “Don’t be afraid,” spoken to a man on the ground. What does it tell you about Jesus that he begins there?
• Verse 5 says Jesus “washed us from our sins by his blood,” and verse 18 says “I was dead, and behold, I am alive forever and ever.” How do those two verses belong together?
• (Personal; feel free to pass.) Which title or image of Jesus in this chapter would you want to hold on to this week, and why?

The last question is personal — no one should be required to answer it.