Revelation Chapter 1

Pastor Matt Davis, Commentary Revelation 1

Introduction

Revelation, written by John the beloved from the Island of Patmos. It is widely accepted that the book was written between 90 and 100ad, with the most likely date for writing about 95ad.

Verses 1-3 – Prologue

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 hthe testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. 3 kBlessed 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.[1]

Verse 1

The revelation of Jesus Christ – Revelation is the Greek word apocalypse, which means to reveal. This is the opposite of the Greek word apocrypha, which means something hidden. The book of Revelation is the revealing of Jesus Christ as the slain Lamb, the Victor of this great battle, the ruler of the New Heavens and New Earth, and His dealings with the world in the end times.

Must shortly take place – Most atheists use this to disprove the Bible and the Christian belief. What is short to us (mere moments for myself) is not short on God’s timeline. God sit’s outside of time and For an eternal being, two thousand years from then to now may be considered short in the grand scheme.

In addition, the Greek word translated shortly, en tachei, means quickly or suddenly. When these things come to pass, it will be quick and sudden. It will be unexpected of the world.

Sent and signified it by his angel – The message was not delivered personally from God to John, but through His angel. The phrase to signify, in the Greek, means to make known through signs. Though it should not be read into too much, we should associate that with the many and various signs within the book.

Naturally many wonder why John did not see nor write plainly what he had seen, and the answer should be fairly obvious. If John was seeing into the future of the world, John was seeing into things that did not yet exist. John was not aware of helicopters, planes, computers, cellular phone, ect… All john could do was understand and explain in signs.

His servant John – This identifies John and the recipient of the vision and the author of the book.

Verse 2

John faithfully records and understands that what He has seen is of and about Jesus, and is Holy Scripture, the Word of God.

Verse 3

There is a blessing in Revelation to all who readeth, to them that hear, and to them that keep the words of this book. I believe we shall be greatly blessed in reading and keeping this book, but I also believe there is specific intention in this blessing to all who read/hear and keep this book in the days of the great tribulation.

Notice that it says reads or hears, but it does not say understand. We can keep the words of the book and Look to Jesus, even those in the tribulation, without complete understanding of all the details within the book.

The time is at hand – From the ascension of Christ forward, the Kingdom of God is at hand. Every generation of Christians from that time until now has expected the rapture of the church. We do not know exactly when Christ shall return, and it could be today, tomorrow, or any day. There should be a real sense of urgency in the message we bear, understanding each day could be the last.

Verses 4-8 – Greeting to the churches

4 John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him pwhich 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 ewith 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, hthe beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.[2]

Verse 4

John to the seven churches – John now addresses the seven churches, of whom he will send individual letters in addition to the book of Revelation. The Roman province of Asia is in the western portion of Modern Day Turkey.

Grace be unto you, and peace – Grace speaks of God’s attitude towards them and peace speaks of our standing with God and our experience of divine peace. In both, John summarizes the Christian experience.

From Him which was, and is, and is to come – God is eternal and ever existing. It is not that God was, or even that He is, but that He will always and has always been. God is the one who sits outside of time, and thus is the God of past, present, and future. In this unusually awkward expression in the Greek, it describes the timeless unchanging God and refers to God the Father.

From the seven Spirits – Refers to the Holy Spirit, of whom, John never describes or names as the Holy Spirit, but usually describes Him as the Seven Spirits of God, or the Seven Spirits before the throne.

Verse 5

And from Jesus Christ – The last person to greet the church in this salutation is the Lord Jesus Christ.

The faithful witness – The word here is martyr. Christ is the faithful witness, who lived to die, and died faithfully according to His purpose, having lived a sinless life. In His mouth was found no deceit. He preached the coming Kingdom of God, repentance, and salvation, and He died that it would be accomplished.

The first begotten of the dead – Christ is the first person to resurrect from the dead, and the only to do so of His own power. This phrase is difficult for many to understand, whereas, we have several accounts of others, before and during Christ’s lifetime, rising from the dead. In each of their cases, they did not resurrected, but were revived, and each had to die again. Christ is the first to resurrect and to not need another death. He is the first begotten of the dead.

Prince of the kings of the earth – Jesus is a figure of authority, and will, by the end of the book, be the King of the Earth and the ruler of the New Heavens and the New Earth.

Verse 6

Unto Him that Loved us – John now directs a moment of praise to Jesus Himself. Loved us, in the past tense, is not to say that He loves us no longer, but is in John’s mind, referring back to the moment on the cross, a particular time in which John remembers Christ loving us.

Washed us from our sins in His own blood – Jesus died for the purpose that we might be made clean. It was the blood of the Lamb in which our sins were atoned for and we were redeemed from the fallen. It is in this way that He showed His love for us, that He gave His perfect blood as a cleansing agent for our filth.

Please notice that Christ first loved us, and then washed us in His blood. “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8.

Who made us kings and priest unto our God – A couple of thoughts here: We are kings because we are adopted into the Royal Family of God. We are heirs along with Christ. We are priests, because we no longer need the temple and high priest to intercede for us, but Christ is our King and High Priest forever. Pay attention that it is the ordinary Christian who is called the priest, not special or designated people. The Kingdom of God will be full of priests who worship and serve the King Almighty.

To Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever – Christs love and work on the cross to redeem us prompted John into praise and worship of the Lord. John ascribes glory and dominion to Christ for ever and ever. The repetition of ever and ever denotes an unending to the glory and dominion.

Amen – The so be it, it is done.

Verse 7

Behold, he cometh with clouds – On Jesus return, He will come surrounded by the clouds. This is true in the literal sense, and not figurate. When Jesus left, He left surrounded by clouds. According to Acts 1:9-11, Christ shall return in the same manner as He ascended.

Clouds in the Old Testament are often associated with divine activity, God’s presence, and His glory.

Every eye will see Him – His coming will not be secret, and every eye shall see His return. As Guzik said it, “at His first coming, Jesus was somewhat obscure. During His earthly ministry, He never made front-page news in Rome. But when Jesus comes again, every eye will see Him. The whole world will know.”

They also which pierced Him – This is specifically referring to the Jewish people, who chanted, “Crucify Him, Crucify Him,” however, it is not only the Jewish people who pierced Him. The Romans pierced Him physically when they nailed Him to the cross, and we all pierced Him spiritually by our sin. For, if we were without sin, Christ would need not to be pierced.

All kindreds of the earth shall wail – They shall wail and cry “why did this to Him.”

Verse 8

I am Alpha and Omega – Alpha and Omega were the first and last letters in the Greek alphabet. This communicates the is none before, and none after Him. The beginning and the ending, As the first and last letters of the alphabet are the beginning and the endings, so too, is Christ. Christ is the source of all creation, and He is the ending of the current order of the Heavens and the Earth. He will be the beginning of the New Heavens and the New Earth, and there is none to be after Him.

Saith the Lord – Jesus Christ Himself spoke these words.

Which is, and which was , and which is to come – Now the threefold, awkward phrase is also applied to Christ. This designates Christ as eternal and in the same standing as God the Father.

The Almighty – The word almighty is the sense of the sovereign one. The one who is in control. The idea is that Christ has His hand on everything, and nothing happens without His allowance, and nothing escapes Him.

Verses 9-11

9 I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle 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 heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, 11 Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.[3]

Verse 9

Companion in tribulation – John writes to churches that at this point, have become frequent targets of persecution and discrimination. John writes to them that he, too, is acquainted with these tribulations. As we can see, John is writing from the Island,

Patmos – Patmos was a Roman prison likened to Alcatraz Island. A rocky, desolate island about ten miles long and six miles wide, it was here that Rome would send it’s prisoners to be held without bars. Prisoners would often enter forced labor in the marble quarries, working long days.

For the Word of God – Where many would feel pity for John, banished to the Isle for His beliefs, He sees it as a furthering the Kingdom of God. Perhaps he may see himself there as a missionary to the other prisoners, or perhaps, it is here where John has enough time to receive these visions and write this book.

Verse 10

In the Spirit – Refers to more than simply walking in the Spirit, but carries a more significant meaning, where, John describes the act of receiving a the vision He will soon report.

On the Lord’s Day – The Lords Day is the first day of the week (Sunday), the day Christ rose from the grave, and the day on which we, as Christians, traditionally hold worship and fellowship services.

Heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet – John hears a great (loud) voice that He describes as sounding as the trumpet. It is, or should be, understood that John does not recognize the voice as Christ’s. This is not the voice that John remembers as being the voice of His Lord.

Verse 11

I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last – We see this title show up again, a title that clearly refers to God. It is here, as several other passages, that Christ Himself claims to be, God.

What thou seest, write in a book – John will see a vision, and he is commanded to write it down and Send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia. Why these seven churches were selected is unclear. Some have speculated that in each of these churches, they represent different church ages. Another speculation is that all churches match the character of one of these seven selected. Seven churches shows us that Christ has the completeness, the fulness of the churches in mind. In chapters two and three, each church will receive an individual letter, in which, Christ will reveal Himself, compliment (in most cases) the church, rebuke the church (in all except two), call to repentance, and offer promise of reward to the overcomers.

Verses 12-20

12 And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; 13 And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and ggirt about the paps with a golden girdle. 14 His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; 15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. 16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. 17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: 18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. 19 Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter; 20 The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.[4]

Verse 12

I turned to see the voice – John doesn’t recognize the voice, although, he knew the description of the title used by the voice, but He turns to see who is talking to him.

Seven Golden candlesticks – The English translation is somewhat awkward in the rendition candlesticks. These are not candlesticks, but free standing lampstands. In addition, this should not be seen as one lampstand with seven candle holders, but as seven separate, all free standing, stands.

Lampstands to do give off light, but they provide a way to get the light into a place to be better seen. Such is the way the church should act. Christ produces the light, but we should display that light so the world can see.

Pastor Poole says “In the Jewish tabernacle there was one golden candlestick, and seven lamps, to give light… John here seeth seven. God had but one church of the Jews, but many among the Gentiles.

Verse 13

In the midst, one like unto the Son of Man – Among the seven golden lampstands, there stood Jesus Christ. Jesus is the center of and the light of the church.

Clothed with a garment down to the foot – The long robe signified a person of status or authority. Only those who did not have much physical labor or did not have to be ready to fight wore long garments.

Girt about the paps with a golden girdle – The high priest of Israel wore a band around the chest that had a few golden threads throughout it, but the band of Christ is solid gold.

Verse 14

His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow – An image of the ancient of days and wisdom. The white as snow is a picture of the antiquity of His reign. White is also a picture of glory, representing purity and splendor.

His eyes were as a flame of fire – His eyes displayed penetrating and soul searching judgement.

Verse 15

Feet like unto fine brass – Brass is a highly purified allow and the strongest known metal of the ancient days. Brass must pass through the refiners fire and this signifies that Christ has been through the fires and come forth with purity (the cross). Feet of brass also represent stability and permanence.

His voice the sound of many waters – His voice carried authority and force, such as that of a great waterfall. I remember visiting Niagara falls, hearing the waters roar and the sound and power of the water as it rushed towards the bottom of the horseshoe.

Verse 16

In His right hand seven stars – The meaning of the stars will be interpreted in a few verses as the leaders, the pastors of the churches. With seven as the number of completion, this shows that Christ has the completeness of the church and His leaders in His hands.

Out of His mouth a sharp two edged sword – This is a heavy sword designed for killing in war. This is the same sword the is said we carry in the armor of God, which is the Word of God.

Charles Spurgeon said “There is no handling this weapon without cutting yourself, for it has no back to it, it is all edge. The Word of Christ, somehow or other, is all edge.”

His countenance like the sun in strength – His glory was so bright and magnificent that He was difficult to look upon. To describe in what way He is difficult to gaze upon, John likens Him as to looking directly at the sun.

Verse 17

John was so overwhelmed by what he had seen that he just fell over. Christ’s appearance is no more what John was familiar with during his three and a half years with Christ.

Laid His right hand upon me – The voice and appearance of Christ is not what John is familiar with and he was not prepared to see and hear. Perhaps then, he needed something he would be more familiar with, and that is the touch of His masters hand.

Fear not – Christ has already revealed Himself several times throughout this vision, and will reveal Himself with three more descriptions once again. John need not fear because he is in the presence of Jesus Christ.

I am the first and the last – The God of all eternity, there were none before and shall be none after.

Verse 18

I am he that liveth, and was dead – John would clearly remember when Christ died on the cross and will remember the resurrection. Christ is He who was slain and then eternally risen from the grave, described by alive for evermore.

Have the keys of hell and death – Because Christ lived perfectly and settled the debt of sin, He alone would determine who entered hell and tasted the second death and held the power to raise from the grave. Christ says, “whosoever shall confess me before his fellow men, I will confess before my Father above.”

Verse 19

Write – John is now given a second command to write. The structure of this command will help us structure the book.

The things which thou hast seen – This is chapter one of Revelation. This is the vision that he just now had.

The things which are – This is chapters two and three in Revelation. These are things regarding the seven churches in Johns present day.

The things which shall be hereafter – This is chapters four through twenty-two. These are the things which shall take place in the great tribulation in some future point in the world’s history after John’s life. We are, today, still in the in between period.

Verse 20

The mystery of the seven stars and seven golden candlesticks – Christ is now going to interpret for John, and us, the meaning of these symbols.

The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches – The stars then represent the completeness of the churches leaders.

The seven candlesticks are the seven churches – The candlesticks represent the completeness of the churches.

[1] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Re 1:1–3). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

[2] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Re 1:4–8). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

[3] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Re 1:9–11). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

[4] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Re 1:12–20). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.