Week One • Chapter One
Revealing the Mystery of Things to Come
Opening Prayer: God of heaven and earth, you are the Alpha and the Omega. You hold the beginning
and the end of our world in your hands. Help us to understand something of the mystery of the book of
Revelation. Give us strength to be faithful to you amidst the challenges of life. Remind us that you are with us
always. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Key Verse: “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come,
the Almighty. —Revelation 1:8
Note: Please bring a Bible to future gatherings.
Check-In: Share your name and something you like to do in the fall.
What comes to mind when you think of the book of Revelation?
Section Summary: The book of Revelation often elicits a good deal of fear and trepidation. The chapters are full of intrigue
and mystery. We’re not sure what to make of them. We might even wonder what will happen to us if we cannot unlock the secrets—will
we somehow miss out on the unfolding events? The word “revelation” comes from the Greek word apocalypse. The book is actually a letter
written by an apostle named John. He is being detained on the island of Patmos, perhaps because his teachings were considered subversive
by local government officials. John intends for his letter to encourage the Christians in Asia Minor to remain faithful to God in the midst
of tough times.
After chapter 3, the book contains a variety of bizarre images and symbols. This apocalyptic style was very common in the first century.
Within the Bible, the book most like Revelation is Daniel (chapters 7-12). Apocalypses are often written as a revelation of a heavenly
reality. They are passed on by an angel to a human recipient. Usually the revelation unveils a supernatural world and points to salvation at
the end of time.
How one reads and interprets the book of Revelation is a matter of considerable debate. A number of people down through the centuries
have understood it as pointing to future predictions. As such, its visions offer glimpses into events that will transpire in days to come. In
stark contrast are those who read the book as timeless truths that might apply to any generation. As such, its visions would have spoken
primarily to Christians in the first century, and would speak to us today only in secondary fashion. The “future predictions” reading has
been made popular in the Left Behind series. The “timeless truths” reading has been much more common among Lutherans.
Note: If you missed the sermon on Sunday, you can find a copy on the website at
www.zumbrolutheran.org, pick up a copy at the ushers’ stand, or hear the podcast version on itunes.
Revelation 1:1-20 (New Revised Standard Version)
The revelation of 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, who testified 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 the 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 that 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 of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and freed us from our sins
by his blood, and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever
and ever. Amen. Look! He is coming with the clouds; every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and on his
account all the tribes of the earth will wail. So it is to be. Amen. “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who
is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.
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I, John, your brother who share with you in Jesus the persecution and the kingdom and the patient endurance, was on
the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. I was in the spirit on the Lord’s day, and
I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet saying, “Write in a book what you see and send it to the seven churches, to
Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamum, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.” Then I turned to see whose
voice it was that spoke to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands I saw
one like the Son of Man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash across his chest. His head and his hair were
white as white wool, white as snow; his eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined as in a
furnace, and his voice was like the sound of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and from his mouth came
a sharp, two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining with full force. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though
dead. But he placed his right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living one. I was
dead, and see, I am alive forever and ever; and I have the keys of Death and of Hades. Now write what you have seen,
what is, and what is to take place after this. As for the mystery of the seven stars that 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 are the seven
churches.”
What questions do you have as you listen to the text?
What words or images stay with you?
Many New Testament authors wrote that the end is near (1 Thess. 4:15; Mark 13:30; James 5:8). John continues in
this same vein: ”The time is near” (1:3). This belief has led Christians in almost every generation to interpret that
they are living at the end of time. Their task is to remain faithful to the end. A key to faithfulness is to interpret
the signs all around them.
Do you think we’re living at the end of time?
Notice what it says in verse 4: “John to the seven churches that are in Asia.” What clue does
this give us about how to read this book—does it point more to future predictions for those
living at the end of time or timeless truths for a church in any generation?
Revelation is a subtly subversive book. It tries to make sense of persecution and the oppressiveness of Roman
rule by challenging the supremacy of the greatest political power the world had ever seen. Notice in 1:5 where it
says that Jesus is “the ruler of the kings of the earth.”
Why would this be a revolutionary or even treasonous thing to say in the ancient world?
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Outside of the book of Psalms, Revelation has inspired more hymns and liturgies than any other book of the
Bible. We see an example in 1:8: “’I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord Almighty, who is and who was
and who is to come, the Almighty.” This phrase shows up in the hymn, Of the Father’s Love Begotten:
Of the Father’s love begotten
Ere the worlds began to be
He is Alpha and Omega.
He the source, the ending He.
Of the things that are, that have been,
And that future years shall see. Evermore and evermore.
Imagine that you are a Christian living in tough times.
What feelings does this song evoke in you?
John employs a wide variety of images and symbols. Some of the images are rather straightforward: the lamb
who was slain refers to Jesus (5:6). Some of the images are more complicated: the beast with the seven heads
and ten horns (13:1) is most likely a reference to the Roman Empire. We will do our best to explore what these
symbols might have meant to first century readers. We’ll also explore what they might continue to mean today.
Read verses 13-15. Notice how many times John uses the words “like” or “as” in his description of the
divine being.
What does that tell you about the images he is trying to describe?
What are the seven lampstands in chapter 1 (see v. 20)?
In verse 13 we read that one like the Son of Man (Christ) is in the midst of those lampstands.
What does this communicate to the churches?
What does this say to churches now?
Group Prayer: God, thanks for being present in our lives, especially as we…
Closing Prayer (in unison): O God, the Alpha and the Omega, you raised up Jesus as your faithful
witness and first-born of the dead. By your Holy Spirit, help us to witness to him so that those who have not yet
seen may come to believe in him who is, and was, and is to come. Amen.
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Homework: Read Revelation 2-3