Revelation Churches - Notes

1     The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John,

     2     who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw.

 3     Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near.

Message to the Seven Churches

     4     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,

     5     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 released us from our sins by His blood—

     6     and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father—to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

     7     Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen.

     8     “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

The Patmos Vision

     9     I, John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.

     10     I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet,

     11     saying, “Write in a book what you see, and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”

     12     Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands;

     13     and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His chest with a golden sash.

     14     His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire.

     15     His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters.

     16     In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength.

     17     When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last,

     18     and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.

     19     “Therefore write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after these things.

     20     “As for 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 are the seven churches.

Introduction

Purpose of the letter?

verse 3 "Blessed is the one who reads aloud.... blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near."

The purpose of Revelations is to encourage the persecuted saints

The fundamental perspective of the book is the exhortation to endure persecution on the basis of the transcendent reality of God’s kingdom in the present as grounded in God’s control of the future.

With regard to prophecy, recall that the Jewish scholars of Jesus' day had a lot more prophecy to go on concerning the first coming of Jesus, and they were wrong on most counts.

Themes of book

Soverignity of God

Futility of Satan, great imitation

Cosmic War

Big Idea?

Judgment starts with us?

There is cuddly lovey God, and there is stern I-know-I-am-in-trouble-God.

Author: Good evidence and church tradition for John the apostle

Notes

"blessed are those who hear." Hear means take to heart, in Hebrew "hear" also means to obey.

Seven spirits of God -> Isa. 11:2

Image of Chirst: priestly tradition of Exodus (robe and girdle), prophetic tradition of Ezekiel (feet and voice) and historical tradition of Judges (the face).

Problem of suffering and persecution... are we being persecuted?

To what extent have we watered down our christian testimony in order to be accepted by all. Compromise is a major problem in Western Christianity.

persecution is only one type of trial (1 Pet 1:6-7, James 1:2-4)

formula: "hear what the Spirit says to the churches." To what extent does this situation fit our church>"

Ephesus

From: holder seven stars, walks among seven lampstands

Good: deeds, hard work, perseverance

Bad: forsaken first love

Good: hate the Nicolaitans

Blessing: tree of life

Smyrna

From: First and last, died and came to life again

Good: afflictions yet rich, persecution from "Jews" Be faithful through persecution

Blessing: no hurt from second death

Pergamum

From: sharp double-edged sword

Good: did not renounce in the midst of evil

Bad: sexual immorality, Nicolaitans. REPENT!

Blessing: hidden manna, new secret name

Thyatira

From: eyes blazing fire, feet bronze

Good: deeds, love and faith, service and perseverance, doing more than at first

Bad: tolerate Jezebel

Blessing: authority over the nations

Sardis

From: holds seven spirits and seven stars

Bad: reputed alive, but dead. Repent!

Good: A few worthy

Blessing: never blot out the name, but acknowledge before Father.

Philadelphia

From: holy and true, key of David

Good: deeds, kept word, kept command to endure

Blessing: Pillar in temple, never to leave, write on names

Laodicea

From: the Amen, faithful witness, rule of creation

Bad: Lukewarm: REPENT!

Blessing: sit with me on throne