Revelation 1: 1-6, The Revelation from the Messiah to His Church

The book of Revelation is a fascinating book.  It is majestic, with a cosmological view of the role of Jesus, the Jewish Messiah. 

Revelation 1: 1-3, Introduction

The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 
2 who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. 
3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.

The revelation is from God through Jesus to John ... and through John to the Church. It is John's obligation to correctly pass on this "word ... and testimony."

The book has a promise to those who read it, hear it, and take it to heart!  Let that be us!

What is "near"?  Why is this revelation given, if Jesus was not going to return for at least 2000 years? (The Greek word translated "soon" may also be translated "quickly", "rapidly", as in quickly – once it starts.  But there are certainly places where "soon" seems to not have this meaning.)

Why are the readers to be blessed? (If readers are blessed, we should read this book more!)

Revelation 1: 4-6, Greeting

John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia:

Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, 
5 and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, 
6 and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.

John is sending this letter to seven church in Asia Minor, now western Turkey.  Here is a map of the seven towns, along with the location of the island of Patmos, where John is exiled.

(This picture is from a Wikipedia article on the seven churches.)

God is described as "is, was, is to come" -- current, past and future (in that order.) This is consistent with God's statement to Moses, that His name is "I Am."

Jesus, the main subject of the book of Revelation, is described as the first to rise from the dead and ruler of all kings. (A secondary theme in the book will be the opposition of all kings to Jesus.) As the killed and resurrected Messiah of the Jews, Jesus provides salvation by his death ("his blood") and invites us into an eternal kingdom, as priests and servants of God.

In the Greek alphabet, alpha was the first letter and omega the last, so "Alpha and Omega" represents the beginning and the end -- and everything in between.  Jesus is the beginning and the end of the Cosmos, of Time, of all things.

John, looking forward into Time, says that Jesus will come again, visible to all humankind.

NIV footnotes: In verse 4 "seven spirits" could be translated "the sevenfold Spirit."