Revelation 1
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This is one of the most avoided book in all the Bible today. Typically congregations will study the New Testament and get to the book of Jude and turn around and start Matthew again, completely avoiding the book. So much has been written and so much has been abused from this book. All sorts of views and all the wildest assumptions have been made from this book. What we need to do is to seek the truth of what this book has to say.
What I really want is two things from you: I want you to wash away all the preconceived notions that you have for this book. If we go into any scripture and try to prove what we want it to prove we will come up with error. We do not want to make the same error. Which leads to the second request. Read this book for yourself. One reason for some much misunderstanding and so many problems is that no one has read it for themselves but are listening to what others say. I do not want you to do that. I want you to read it for yourself and not just take my word or anyone’s word for it. You need to study for yourself. I think I understand it correctly, but I am not arrogant to think that it is impossible for me to be wrong or that I will gain more wisdom in the future.
In eliminating your preconceived ideas, I also want you to eliminate your dating of the book. If we go into the book with a date in mind, then we are going to make interpretations in effort to keep the dating of the book and again fall into error. We are going to read this book and let the interpretations have their way with us and from this we will consider a date. This is especially true because I have found that the external evidences as to the date of the book to be contradictory. As soon as one historian states one thing about John or the dating of Revelation, I can find another that disputes it and it is aggravating. So let us let the book tell us what it is talking about and when it took place.
1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John,
2 who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw.
3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near. (NKJV)
The Unveiling (1:1)
The Greek word for “Revelation” is apokalupsis which is where we get the English word “apocalypse.” The word literally means “to lay bare, disclose, to unveil.” The book that is considered to be so mysterious and difficult is a book that is called the unveiling. Revelation (the Apocalypse) is written to reveal the mystery not create a mystery. People run around saying that you cannot understand this book or that it is so hard that you have to listen to their scholarship. Yet it was the revealing of Jesus Christ. It is the unveiling of the mystery. You can understand it. You can read it and determine its meaning. The Apocalypse should not conjure in our minds warfare and the end times. Rather, the Apocalypse simply means “the unveiling.” Revelation is the unveiling of the mystery of Christ.
There is only one unveiling. It is the revelation. It is not revelations. It is the revelation of Jesus Christ. Nowhere in the scriptures is this called revelations. Just as Paul in Galatians 3:16 argued from the letters that it was to seed and not to seeds that all the nations would be blessed to show the importance of the very words, we need to call this book by what God called it.
Quickly Take Place (1:1,3)
The time frame of the book is given in verse 1 and verse 3. The things that we are going to read about must shortly take place. They are going to occur really soon. This letter cannot be talking about things that would not take place for more than 2000 years. The things that we read are not talking about the rise of the Roman Catholic church. It is not talking about Iraq and Saddam Hussin. Everything that we read about in this must apply to the people who are reading it because all things would shortly take place. Notice it is said again in verse 3, “the time is near.” The book ends saying the same thing, these things are going to happen quickly.
If I told you that something was going to “quickly take place” and “the time was near,” how soon do you think the event would come? Weeks? Months? A few years? You know it would certainly be within your lifetime if the event “was near” and was quickly taking place.
This is the very reason why the things contained in the theory of premillennialism are wrong. Premillennialist take everything in this book after chapter 3 to refer to things that will happen in the future. Most scholars teach that the events of Revelation have not taken place yet. John said otherwise. Does 2000 years sound like something that would shortly take place? No. The Left Behind fiction books by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins commit the same error. They say the events in Revelation have not happened yet. But such a stance violates the very first verse of the book of Revelation. The events in the book must quickly take place.
Signified (1:1)
Verse 1 is very important for our understanding of this book and missing this word can lead you to fail in interpreting the book properly. Notice verse 1 the word “signify.” Unfortunately many of the newer versions do not have this word. Some say “made it known” and some say “communicate.” The word means, “to give a sign, to indicate.” We understand its means by simply breaking down the English word sign-i-fied, to put into signs and symbols. Therefore the things that we are about to read are symbolic and are written in figurative language.
We normally interpret the scriptures as every word is literal unless the text demands otherwise. The text has demanded otherwise. The text has told us specifically to understand the things we read as symbols and signs of something else. Premillennialists will make arguments about those who do not interpret this book literally. But do not be fooled by their talk. They do not take the book literally either. They do not expect a literal dragon and literal beasts to walk on the earth, as spoken of in Revelation 13. They understand it to be symbolic. Further, the first verse has told us to understand this book symbolically. Without this direction, we would be forced to take the book of Revelation literally. But we cannot ignore what the first verse says. The message was put into signs by the angel.
4 John, to the seven churches which 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,
5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood,
6 and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. (NKJV)
The Seven Spirits (1:4-6)
Most scholars contend that the seven spirits before the throne is a reference to the Holy Spirit. It is possible that this is a reference to the Holy Spirit. I admit that sounds great and I would like to accept it, but we simply cannot prove the suppositions about these figures.
There are a couple of problems in understanding the seven spirits to be a reference to the Holy Spirit. First, the symbols have not yet begun and so that must be taken into consideration. Verses 9-10 kick of the symbolic message of Revelation, which will be explained in just a moment. Up to this point, we are simply reading the salutation of John’s letter. The second problem concerns the description of the seven spirits. In Revelation 3:1 the seven spirits are possessed and owned by Christ which does not sound like the Holy Spirit. In Revelation 4:5 the seven spirits of God are called seven fiery torches or seven lamps of fire. In Revelation 5:6 the seven spirits of God are the seven horns and seven eyes of the slaughtered lamb. This also does not sound like the Holy Spirit. So we may be in error by dogmatically declaring the seven spirits to be the Holy Spirit. Instead, we may be better suited simply taking the statement at face value. There are seven spirits before the throne of God, just as there are many spiritual beings in the heavenly places (Job 1:6; 2:1). However, since the seven spirits are couched between salutations from Him “who is and who was and who is to come” and from “Jesus Christ, the faithful witness,” we must allow the possibility that this is a reference to the third person of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit.
7 Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.
8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” (NKJV)
Coming With Clouds (1:7)
Typically, when we read language about Christ coming in the clouds we immediately think of the second coming of Christ. However, the scriptures do not support us for reading the words of verse 7 and always applying them to the end times.
For the day is near, the day of the LORD is near— a day of clouds, a time of doom for the nations (Ezekiel 30:3; NIV). When one reads the context of Ezekiel 30, it is clear this is describing a judgment upon the nation of Egypt.
Jesus said, “I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven” (Mark 14:62; NKJV). Jesus said these words while on trial before Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin council. Jesus told those in that trial that they (the word “you” is plural) would see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven. Obviously, the second coming did not take place with the lifespan of those hearing Jesus’ words. Instead, we must understanding the Son of Man coming the clouds to refer to a national judgment, as we saw in Ezekiel 30. Jesus was describing a national judgment against Israel which would happen within their lifetimes.
Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory (Mark 13:26; Matthew 24:30; NKJV). These words of Jesus are also typically understood by Christians to refer to the end times. However, Jesus also said, “Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place” (Mark 13:30; Matthew 24:34; NKJV). The people to whom Jesus spoke would see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power. Jesus could not be referring to the second coming or any event during the end times because he said those alive at his trial and those multitudes alive in the first century would see it happen before they died. Jesus was speaking about a national judgment against Israel that the people in the first century would witness. Therefore, when we read about the Son of Man coming in the clouds, we need to think about a national judgment, not necessarily about the second coming.
Revelation 1:7 is also a reference from Zechariah 12:10-12. Those alive when the judgment comes will be in great mourning because they will realize God’s wrath came because they pierced the Christ. The judgment is so great that it will cause all the people of the earth to mourn.
9 I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.
10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet,
11 saying, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,” and, “What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.”(NKJV)
Beginning the Vision (1:9-11)
John shared in the persecution and was a fellow partaker in the events that were taking place. Those who teach the kingdom of God has not come yet have a problem. John said he was in the kingdom and the saints he was writing to were also in the kingdom. The text says that John was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. We assume by this that this means John was exiled or banished there. History and tradition that tells us that John was banished to an island.
John says he was in the spirit. Some have tried to make this mean that he was in worship, but this is not congruent to other apocalyptic literature. Throughout this book, like Revelation 4:2, 17:3, and 21:10, John speaks of being in the spirit and it refers to having a vision. We can compare this scene to Ezekiel 37:1 who was in the spirit and received a vision. John is saying that his vision is beginning. If that is not what John is saying, then we must accept the things that we read after this in the rest of these chapters as literal. For example, we will be forced to understand the seven gold lampstands, the eyes like a flame of fire, and the tongue that is a two-edged sword as literal depictions (Revelation 1:12-14). Instead, we can see John is telling the reader that what we are about to read begins the vision he saw. We know from Revelation 1:1 that the prophecy is in figurative or symbolic language. Verse 10 is the point at which the vision begins.
Some suggest that “the Lord’s Day” in verse 10 is not referring to Sunday but means the day of the Lord. However, the phrase “day of the Lord” uses a different Greek word for the Lord than what occurs in this text. The phrasing found here occurs only in one other place, and that is in 1 Corinthians 11:20 where Paul speaks of the Lord’s Supper. There is no other day that could be the Lord’s Day but the first day of the week.
12 Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands,
13 and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band.
14 His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire;
15 His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters;
16 He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength.
17 And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last.
18 I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.
19 Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this.
20 The mystery of the seven stars which 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 which you saw are the seven churches. (NKJV)
The Son of Man (1:12-20)
John looks and sees seven golden lampstands and One like the Son of Man in the midst of the lampstands. Before we look at the details of this image, we need to be careful that we do not fall into the trap of overanalyzing the image. We have the tendency to put more information into the details than was originally intended. For example, what is the meaning of the sign that says “stop?” Obviously, the sign means to stop the car. We are not supposed to ask why there are eight sides to the sign. We are not supposed to ask why the letters are white on a red background. If we were to describe a stop sign to someone who had never seen it before, we would tell them about the eight sides and the white and red colors. But that is not the point of the sign. There is one point to the stop sign: stop the car.
The overall point of the description of the Son of Man is to visualize strength and power. The Son of Man is described with such strength that it instills fear into the heart of the reader. John’s response in verse 17 was to fall down as though dead in fear. But the image of fear switches to an image of comfort as the Son of Man tells John, “Do not be afraid.” Christ is described as being in the midst of the seven churches. The power of the Son of Man instills comfort to the readers who are in his midst and presence.
The seven stars are defined in verse 20 as the angels of the seven churches. This description has caused some writers to speculate that every local church has an angel watching over it. But there are difficulties with such an interpretation. At the beginning of each letter in Revelation 2-3 we read, “To the angel of the church in ____________ write.” How can John write this letter to the angel of each church, since an angel is spiritual being? If the angel was to receive the letter, how was the physical local church in that city to read the letter sent to them? It becomes clear that the word “angel” is not to be understood as a spiritual being over each church. We must remember that the same word can be translated “messenger,” like in Matthew 11:10. A messenger would carry the letter to each city and it would be read to the congregation. This is the most natural understanding of the text when we consider that John was to write to each “angel” or “messenger.”
The scope of the book is also given to us in verse 19. John is to write the things which he has seen, the things which are, and the things which will take place after this. John has already written down what he has seen concerning the Son of Man. Now he will write down the things which are taking place and then write down the things which will take place after those things. This scope should show a great problem with the premillennial view. Most premillennialists assume that from every thing in the prophecy is in the future, still unfulfilled. Some, like Tim LaHaye, teach that chapters 2-3 represent the future conditions of the church. If so, what did John write that were the things “which are?” Verse 19 clearly teaches that some elements of this prophecy were currently taking place in John’s day. Premillennialism wrongly ignores this scope and suggests the whole prophecy is in the future. Any view of Revelation that does not have some aspect of the prophecy fulfilled in the first century cannot be reasonably accepted because of verse 19. If the whole book describes events hundreds or even thousands of years away from being fulfilled, then not only is verse 19 void, but so is verse 1 and verse 3 which said the things in the book would quickly take place and the time was near. We must take these words at face value and not try to get around them so we can keep a particular view. This study of Revelation will unveil what things were going on at that time in the first century and then unveil what must take place after those things.
