Charles Spurgeon Commentary Revelation 1

The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.

John was one who was of the same spirit as his Master. He lived in very intimate communion with his Lord, and, therefore, to him the choicest revelations were made. The Lord does not reveal his secret to uncongenial minds. He who will do his will shall know of the doctrine, and he shall know all secret things. Oh! if we lived nearer to God, if we walked more in the love of Christ, how much more we might know and see; or, if we saw not visions, yet there are inward perceptions to the heart which God would grant us if we lived more in the light of his countenance.

Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep these things which are written therein: for the time is at hand (Revelation 1:3).

It is not a book to be put on the shelf. There is practical teaching in it. It is not intended to lead us into vagaries of speculation, but it is meant for practical purposes. We are to keep those things which are written in it, for the time is at hand.

John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven spirits which are before his throne; and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. (Revelation 1:4–5)

Think, dear friends, how this benediction may be fulfilled.

"Grace be to you," he says, "and peace." And what are to be the fountains and springs of this peace? It is to come from God first, from him which is. All that God is, is a fountain of peace and grace to us. And from him which was—all that he has ever been, the eternal past, the changeless purposes, the divine predestination of the Infinite. There are springs of peace and grace here. And from him which is to come.

All that God will ever be—all the manifestations of his power, his justice, his love, which the ages are yet to see—all these are wells of grace and peace to God's own people.

I want you to think of this. And when your minds are disturbed and you need peace, and when your heart is sinking and you need grace, come to God for both of these things, regarding him as him which is, which was, and which is to come.

And there are seven spirits which are before his throne.

The Holy Spirit, in whatever way he operates in any of his divine works—in all these he is the Comforter, the source of grace and peace to us. You need not be afraid of the Holy Spirit, even though he is the Spirit of judgment and the Spirit of burning, for he will burn up nothing in us but what ought to be consumed, and will judge nothing but what ought to be judged and condemned. So peace may come to us from the seven spirits which are before the throne. But grace and peace flow especially from Jesus Christ as the Faithful Witness.

Whatever he bears witness to, it is full of grace and peace to believers, and he himself is the first begotten from the dead. Oh! his resurrection! What a wondrous fountain of grace and peace that is to us! And then his divine sovereignty—his rule over all providence and nature, the Prince of the kings of the earth—what grace and peace may every one of you who love him find there! At the thought of this, the divine writer turns from his benediction to a doxology.

The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.

John was a most suitable person to see and to bear record of the Word of God, for in his gospel (John 19:35) he describes himself at the cross as both seeing and bearing record. So now that his once-crucified Lord is in his glory, it seemed fitting that the same beloved disciple should both see him and bear record concerning him. No eyes were so fit to see the glory of Christ as those which had looked with so much love into the eyes of Jesus of Nazareth in the days of his humiliation.

The head that had rested upon his Master's bosom at the supper table was prepared by that for all the glory that should afterwards be revealed. The nearer your communion with Christ is, the more will you be permitted to know of him. Our perceptions of Christ, if they are true, will be spiritual; and in proportion as our spiritual life is in a right condition, will we be able to know more and more of him.

Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

I do not perceive that John says, "Blessed are those who understand this Book," for, surely, they would be very few. I do not doubt that there are portions of Scripture which are not meant to be understood yet—things concerning the future that are wrapped up in a phraseology which will be plain enough when that future arrives, but which for now are not intended so much to gratify our curiosity as to stimulate our watchfulness. To keep us constantly on the lookout is the main object of every revelation concerning the future. So far, then, we have the preface of this great Book of the Revelation.