Behold He Comes With Clouds: Revelation 1:1-8 Explained

Scriptures for Today

Revelation 1:1-8
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:  2 Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.  3 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.  4 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;  5 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. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,  6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.  7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.  8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

Introduction — The Final Book, the Final Message

The Book of Revelation is unlike any other book in the Bible. It is the final book God gave.

It is the only book promising a blessing simply for reading and keeping it (Revelation 1:3). Revelation is the fullest and most detailed unveiling of Jesus as the risen, ruling, returning King.

This book is not about confusion. It is not about wild theories. It is not about guessing games. Revelation is a revealing — an unveiling — of Jesus Christ in His glory. Revelation means to reveal. This book is not written to hide things but to reveal things. And together, with God, we’re going to learn this book.

The author is the apostle John, my personal favorite apostle. The location is the isle of Patmos, a small rocky island in the Aegean Sea off the coast of modern day Turkey – to the West. The time is near the end of John’s life. The circumstances are persecution. The audience is the seven churches of Asia.

But the message is for every believer in every generation. Revelation 1:1–8 sets the stage for the entire book by giving us: the source of the revelation, the blessing of the revelation, the audience of the revelation, the glory of Christ in the revelation, and the certainty of His coming.

This is not a book of despair for believers. Revelation begins with grace, continues with victory, and ends with Jesus coming again.

Verse 1 — This Is the Revelation of Jesus Christ

Revelation 1:1
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:

This book is not the revelation of the Antichrist, or of judgment, or of plagues — though those are included. It is the Revelation of Jesus Christ.

John is simply the recorder. Jesus is the Revealer. God is the Source. An angel is the messenger. And the purpose?

“To shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass.”

Nothing in Revelation is optional, theoretical, or symbolic only. These things must happen. Revelation is a certainty — not a speculation.

Verse 2 — John Saw It. John Testified. John Recorded It.

Revelation 1:2
Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.

John is doing three things:

1. Bearing record of the Word of God — This message came from God, not man.
2. Testifying of Jesus Christ — Revelation exalts Christ from start to finish.
3. Recording what he saw — This is eyewitness testimony of future events.

Revelation is not imagination. It is not interpretation. It is not John’s opinion. It is divinely revealed truth.

Verse 3 — The Only Book With a Triple Blessing

Revelation 1:3
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.

God gives three commands: Read it, Hear it, Keep it. Blessed is he that does these things!

Every part of Revelation matters. Every word is important. Every prophecy will be fulfilled. And why?

“For the time is at hand.” Christ’s return is not far off. The events are moving quickly. This book is urgent.

Verse 4 — Grace and Peace From the Triune God

Revelation 1:4
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;

Revelation is written to the churches — not to unbelievers. The greeting comes from the eternal God:

• Him which is — present
• Him which was — past
• Him which is to come — future

This is the God who transcends time. And “the seven Spirits” refers to the sevenfold fullness of the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 11:2), emphasizing His complete and perfect ministry.

Isaiah 11:2
And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;

1. Spirit of the Lord
2. Spirit of Wisdom
3. Spirit of Understanding
4. Spirit of Counsel
5. Spirit of Might
6. Spirit of Knowledge
7. Spirit of the Fear of the Lord

And notice these 7 spirits. It’s not the spirit of dancing, yelling, rapping, flopping on the floor, hissing, laughing uncontrollably, beatboxing, crying, or emotional hype. Notice the Holy Spirit and what He brings.

This is the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, in His fulness. The Holy Spirit produces truth, wisdom, holiness, discernment, reverence, and strength. He doesn’t bring chaos, theatrics, and emotional manipulation.

Here’s an example. When people say hymns are boring and we need more emotion, what they really mean is: “We want music that excites the flesh and not music that feeds the spirit.” God doesn’t command us to create emotional stimulation. He commands us to worship in spirit and truth and people are teaching that spirit means all these other things. But take a look again at those seven spirits. The Bible doesn’t describe the Holy Spirit as all these things that the world has created and that worldly churches have created.

Verse 5 — Jesus Christ: Witness, Firstborn, Prince, Redeemer

Revelation 1:5
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. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

This one verse gives us a full Christology:

1. “Faithful witness.” He spoke truth perfectly. Jesus is “THE” faithful witness. When people call Jesus a liar, they will be sorry for that one day.

2. “First begotten of the dead.” He conquered death as the head of the resurrection. He is simply the first begotten of the dead meaning there will be more. There will be a resurrection of the dead, and I don’t mean mummies. I mean a resurrection of believers.

3. “Prince of the kings of the earth.” He rules all earthly authority — presidents, kings, dictators, governments. He is far above all of the rulers of the earth.

4. “Loved us.” The motivation of the cross. He died for us to save us so that we can be with Him. He wants to be with us. For example, I don’t like to travel for work because I want to be with my wife and my daughters. I don’t like to be away from them. I love them. Jesus died for us so we can be with Him.

5. “Washed us from our sins in his own blood.” This is the means of salvation. This doesn’t mean that physical blood of Jesus must be applied to your skin. This does not mean the blood of Jesus is stored somewhere to be sprinkled on you. This doesn’t mean that salvation requires the literal fluid touching your body. The phrase, “washed us from our sins in his own blood” is spiritual and not physical.

Revelation begins with the blood, because the blood is the foundation of all victory.

Washed us from our sins in His own blood” does not mean we must be physically washed in literal blood. The blood represents Christ’s sacrificial death — His life poured out as the payment for sin. We are washed spiritually, not physically. We are cleansed by His atonement, forgiven through His sacrifice, and justified by faith in His blood. The cleansing is not on the skin — it is on the soul.

Verse 6 — He Made Us Kings and Priests

Revelation 1:6
And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

He DIDN’T say: He will make us, He might make us, He plans to make us. He hath made us — past tense. In Christ, believers are: Kings — sharing His authority, Priests — having direct access to God. No mediator. No temple veil. Revelation begins by reminding us of our identity.

We are kings and priests unto God and His Father. The Father of Jesus Christ is God. God gets all the glory. God has all dominion or the right and power to rule, control, or govern forever and ever. His glory is forever. Amen.

Verse 7 — The Central Theme of Revelation: HE IS COMING

Revelation 1:7
Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

This is not a secret event. This is not an invisible catching away. This is the Second Coming — the day Christ returns and gathers His people. How do we know?

“Every eye shall see him” — the entire world witnesses His arrival, not just believers. This will not be a secret.

“They also which pierced him” — Israel beholds the Messiah they rejected.

“All kindreds of the earth shall wail” — the nations mourn because His coming interrupts their rebellion.

This matches exactly what Jesus taught in Matthew 24:29–31 — after the tribulation, the sun and moon go dark, the heavens shake, the sign of the Son of Man appears, and He gathers His elect. One public event. One return. One gathering. No secret phase.

Why clouds? Because throughout Scripture the clouds represent: God’s glory, God’s presence,  God’s power.

Daniel 7:13
I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.

Acts 1:9-11
And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.  10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;  11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

The Second Coming is visible, global, unmistakable, and undeniable. And I believe the rapture happens at the second coming of Jesus Christ. Here are the rapture verses:

1 Thessalonians 4:15-17
For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.  16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:  17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

We see clouds. We see this matching the second coming and rapture Scriptures. So, we see that Revelation begins by reminding us that the story does not end in defeat for God’s people — the King is coming.

Verse 8 — Jesus Declares Himself Almighty

Revelation 1:8
I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

Alpha = the first Greek letter. Omega = the last Greek letter. He is: the beginning, the ending, the eternal One, and the Almighty God. This verse alone destroys: Mormon doctrine, Jehovah’s Witness doctrine, Islam, Judaism rejecting Jesus, and any view that denies Christ’s deity.

Jesus Himself tells you who He happens to be. He is the Almighty God of all creation. Revelation starts by declaring Jesus is God Almighty.

Application — What the Opening Vision Teaches Us

1. Revelation is about Jesus, not speculation. He is the center of the book.

2. The future is certain. These things “must shortly come to pass.”

3. God blesses those who read and obey this book. It is meant for believers today.

4. Jesus is King over every earthly ruler. No government intimidates Him. No power threatens Him.

5. Our sins are washed in His blood. Revelation begins with redemption before judgment. We, as believers, are forgiven of all sin. They have been washed away. And that happened at the moment of faith “IN” Jesus.

6. Jesus is coming — visibly, powerfully, gloriously. Every eye will see Him.

7. Jesus is Almighty God. You cannot deny Jesus as God and go to heaven. You MUST believe IN Jesus Christ.

The Book of Revelation begins and ends with His deity.

Conclusion — The King Is Coming

Revelation 1:1–8 is the doorway to the entire book. It introduces: the majesty of Christ, the certainty of prophecy, the blessing of obedience, and the glory of His return.

God did not give Revelation to hide the future, but to reveal it. He did not write it to confuse believers, but to comfort them. He did not show us judgment to frighten us, but to anchor us in hope.

Because the closing message of the opening vision is this:

He is coming with clouds. Every eye will see Him. He is Alpha and Omega. He is the Almighty.

Let’s pray.