Friday, April 4, 2014

Revelation 1



Above chart from http://chrisedmondson.blogspot.com/2011/05/revelation-endings.html
(1) This is a *revelation **from Jesus Christ, which God gave him concerning the ***events that will happen ****soon. An *****angel was sent to God's servant John so that John could ******share the revelation with God's other servants.
  • *Revelation:
    • The term “revelation” (Greek apokalypsis αποκαλυψις) is placed in the first position for emphasis. Its contents constitute a revealing or unveiling of information from God of things previously unknown. What was hidden or only hinted at in the Old Testament is now disclosed in the book of Revelation. It is not a revelation of events but of a person, Jesus Christ. This is the theme of the book and the meaning of all the events described in it.
    • What is hidden in Daniel is revealed in Revelation:
      • Daniel:12:8-9: "I heard what he said, but I did not understand what he meant. So I asked, "How will all this finally end, my lord?" But he said, "Go now, Daniel, for what I have said is for the time of the end."
      • Revelation 22:10: "Then he instructed me, "Do not seal up the prophetic words you have written, for the time is near."
    • Matthew 16:16-17: Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." Jesus replied, "You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being.
    • Galatians 1:12: For my message came by a direct revelation from Jesus Christ himself. No one else taught me.
    • Ephesians 3:3-5: As I briefly mentioned earlier in this letter, God himself revealed his secret plan to me. As you read what I have written, you will understand what I know about this plan regarding Christ. God did not reveal it to previous generations, but now he has revealed it by the Holy Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets.
  • **From Jesus:

    Above image from www.neverthirsty.org/pp/bible-studies/revelation/Introduction/rev01-introduction-to-revelation.html
  • ***Events that will happen:
    • Daniel 2:29: "While Your Majesty was sleeping, you dreamed about coming events. The revealer of mysteries has shown you what is going to happen.
    • Daniel 10:14: Now I am here to explain what will happen to your people in the future, for this vision concerns a time yet to come."
  • ****Soon:
    • Not written from the standpoint of when John was writing this but from the standpoint of the "...day of the Lord" in verse 10. Time will then be shortened for the elect's sake.
      • Matthew 24:22: In fact, unless that time of calamity is shortened, not a single person will survive. But it will be shortened for the sake of God's chosen ones.
    • Walvoord: "Shortly is the ancient Greek phrase en tachei, which means "'quickly or suddenly coming to pass,' indicating rapidity of execution after the beginning takes place. The idea is not that the event may occur soon, but that when it does, it will be sudden."
    • Revelation 3:11: Look, I am coming quickly. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take away your crown.
    • Revelation 22:7: "Look, I am coming soon! Blessed are those who obey the prophecy written in this scroll."
    • Revelation 22:20: He who is the faithful witness to all these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon!" Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!
  • *****Angel: Many of the signs and visions of the Book of Revelation came to John through the supervision of an angel (Revelation 5:2; Revelation 7:2, Revelation 10:8 to Revelation 11:1, Revelation 17:7 are some examples).
  • ******Share the revelation: This revelation was to be shared with us, God's servants, so we can share it with others.
(2) John faithfully reported the *word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ -- everything he saw.
  • *Word of God: John declared this book was Holy Scripture, the word of God. We often wonder if the apostles knew they were writing Holy Scripture. At least in this case, John knew.
(3) *God blesses the one who reads this prophecy to the **church, and he blesses all who listen to it and obey what it says. For ***the time is near when these things will happen.
  • *God blesses: Revelation 22:7: "Look, I am coming soon! Blessed are those who obey the prophecy written in this scroll."
  • **Church:
    • Notice that John expected the prophecy to be read to the church (by the church leader or minister). I wonder how many preachers do!
    • J. Vernon McGee: "After chapter 3 in the Book of Revelation, the church is conspicuous by its absence. Up to chapter 4, the church is mentioned nineteen times. From chapter 4 through chapter 20 (the Great White Throne Judgment), the church is not mentioned one time. The normal reaction is to inquire as to the destination and location of the church during this period. It certainly is not in the world. It has been removed from the earth."
  • ***Time is near:
    • This clause comes from Daniel 12:4 where the prophet was commanded to “seal up the book until the time of the end.” What was sealed in Daniel’s day is now unsealed and revealed in Revelation (compare Revelation 22:10: "Do not seal up the prophetic words you have written, for the time is near.).
    • Act 1:6-7: When the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, "Lord, are you going to free Israel now and restore our kingdom?" "The Father sets those dates," he replied, "and they are not for you to know.
    • Act 3:19-21: Now turn from your sins and turn to God, so you can be cleansed of your sins. Then wonderful times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord, and he will send Jesus your Messiah to you again. For he must remain in heaven until the time for the final restoration of all things, as God promised long ago through his prophets.
      • Had Israel turned from their sins and turned to God (Jesus Christ), Jesus would have returned then! The primary purpose of Acts is to show the re-offer of Christ as Messiah to Israel, which ended in Acts 28:28 when Israel made its final rejection. As a result, the message was sent to the Gentiles and we are now in the church age until the church is removed by the rapture.
    • James 5:7-9: Dear brothers and sisters, you must be patient as you wait for the Lord's return. Consider the farmers who eagerly look for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They patiently wait for the precious harvest to ripen. You, too, must be patient. And take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near. Don't grumble about each other, my brothers and sisters, or God will judge you. For look! The great Judge is coming. He is standing at the door!
(4) This letter is from John to the *seven **churches in the province of ***Asia. Grace and peace from the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come; from the ****sevenfold Spirit before his throne;
  • *Seven:
    • Lehman Strauss: “God completes His work in cycles of seven. Seven colors make a perfect spectrum. Seven musical notes make up the scale. Seven days constitute one week. At the fall of Jericho, there were seven priests, seven trumpets and on the seventh day the people marched around the wall seven times. There are seven set feasts of YWHW (Leviticus 23); seven secrets in the kingdom parables (Matthew 13) and seven sayings of the Savior from the cross. In this chapter in verse four, there is a reference to the “seven Spirits which are before his throne.” This seems to refer to the perfect and complete manifestation of His Holiness about the throne. In Revelation, the number seven appears forty-nine times, or seven times seven.”
  • **The seven churches:
    • The seven “churches” in chapters 2 and 3 of Revelation are Jewish assemblies, not Gentile churches. The language associated with them is wholly Jewish; no Pauline language is there. Everything the Lord says is associated with Israel and concerns judgment and how to gain salvation during these seven years.
  • ***Asia: (Modern day Turkey):
    • During Paul's stay in Ephesus, 54 to 56 AD, " people throughout the province of Asia -- both Jews and Greeks -- heard the Lord's message" (Acts 19:10). That would never have been recorded, except as an explanation of the rapid spread of the new religion and the growth of numerous Churches.
      • Yet, in 2 Timothy 1:15 (KJV): This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me; of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes.
  • ****Sevenfold Spirit: or "Seven Spirits"in the KJV:
    • Revelation 3:1: "Write this letter to the angel of the church in Sardis. This is the message from the one who has the sevenfold Spirit of God and the seven stars: "I know all the things you do, and that you have a reputation for being alive -- but you are dead.
    • Revelation 4:5: And from the throne came flashes of lightning and the rumble of thunder. And in front of the throne were seven lampstands with burning flames. They are the seven spirits of God.
    • Revelation 5:6: I looked and I saw a Lamb that had been killed but was now standing between the throne and the four living beings and among the twenty-four elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God that are sent out into every part of the earth.
    • The idea of the seven Spirits quotes from the Old Testament. Isaiah 11:2 describes seven aspects of the Holy Spirit: And the Spirit of the LORD will rest on him -- the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.
    • It isn't that there are seven different spirits of God, rather the Spirit of the LORD has these characteristics, and He has them all in fullness and perfection. The seven spirits of God represent the Holy Spirit in His completeness.
(5) and from *Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness to these things, the **first to rise from the dead, and the ***commander of all the rulers of the world. All praise to him who ****loves us and has freed us from our sins by *****shedding his blood for us.
  • *Jesus Christ: The Apostle John then speaks a very personal note to the one he loves - Jesus Christ. It is a memory of the writer’s Master, a memory of the time that he had with Jesus when He was on this earth.
  • **First to rise from the dead:
    • Lazarus was raised from the dead as did several others the Bible mentions, but only to die again. Christ rose to die no more as will all believers in Christ. What does "eternal life" mean?
    • 1 Corinthians 15:20-23: But the fact is that Christ has been raised from the dead. He has become the first of a great harvest of those who will be raised to life again. So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, Adam, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man, Christ. Everyone dies because all of us are related to Adam, the first man. But all who are related to Christ, the other man, will be given new life. But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised first; then when Christ comes back, all his people will be raised.
  • ***Commander of all the rulers of the earth:
    • Matthew 28:18: Jesus came and told his disciples, "I have been given complete authority in heaven and on earth.
    • 1 Corinthians 15:25: For Christ must reign until he humbles all his enemies beneath his feet.
    • Revelation 17:14: Together they will wage war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will defeat them because he is Lord over all lords and King over all kings, and his people are the called and chosen and faithful ones."
    • Caiaphas, Cyrus, Darius, Goliath, Herod, Jezebel, Mordecai, Nebuchadnezzar, Nimrod, Pharaoh, Pontius Pilate in the Bible plus Alexander the Great, Hitler, Mao Zedong, Stalin and so many others not directly named in the Bible are included.
  • ****Loves us:
    • Romans 5:8: But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
    • Romans 8:35-39: Can anything ever separate us from Christ's love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or are hungry or cold or in danger or threatened with death? (Even the Scriptures say, "For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep." ) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. Death can't, and life can't. The angels can't, and the demons can't. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can't keep God's love away. Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
    • 1 John 4:16: We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in him. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.
  • *****Shedding his blood for us:
    • To wash us in His own blood meant the ultimate sacrifice of God the Son. It wouldn't have been done unless it was the only way.
    • Spurgeon: "The priests could only cleanse with blood of bulls and goats; but he has washed us from our sins 'in his own blood.' Men are willing enough to shed the blood of others. How readily they will enter upon war! But Christ was willing to shed his own blood, to pour out his soul unto death, that we might be saved."
    • This is what happened when Jesus us loved us at the cross. He washed us - cleansed us from the deep stain of sin, so that we really are clean before Him. This is worth praising Jesus about!
    • 1 John 1:7: But if we are living in the light of God's presence, just as Christ is, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from every sin.
      Matthew 26:27-28: And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, "Each of you drink from it, for this is my blood, which seals the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out to forgive the sins of many.
      Romans 3:25: For God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy God's anger against us. We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed his blood, sacrificing his life for us. God was being entirely fair and just when he did not punish those who sinned in former times.
      Ephesians 1:7: He is so rich in kindness that he purchased our freedom through the blood of his Son, and our sins are forgiven.
    • Ephesians 2:13: But now you belong to Christ Jesus. Though you once were far away from God, now you have been brought near to him because of the blood of Christ.
    • Colossians 1:20: and by him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of his blood on the cross.
    • Hebrews 9:22: In fact, we can say that according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified by sprinkling with blood. Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins.
(6) He has made us his *Kingdom and his priests who serve before God his Father. Give to him everlasting glory! He rules forever and ever! Amen!
  • His *Kingdom and his priests:
    • Exodus 19:6: And you will be to me a kingdom of priests, my holy nation.' Give this message to the Israelites."
    • 1 Peter 2:5,9: And now God is building you, as living stones, into his spiritual temple. What's more, you are God's holy priests, who offer the spiritual sacrifices that please him because of Jesus Christ. ... But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are a kingdom of priests, God's holy nation, his very own possession. This is so you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.
    • Revelation 5:10: And you have caused them to become God's Kingdom and his priests. And they will reign on the earth."
    • Revelation 20:6: Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. For them the second death holds no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him a thousand years.
    • Notice the "Jewishness" of this and all of Revelation - nothing about the Body of Christ as covered by Paul.
    • In the Old Testament, it was forbidden to combine the offices of king and priest. King Uzziah of Judah is an example of a man who tried to combine the two offices, and paid the penalty for it (2 Chronicles 26:16-23) as did Saul. But, under the New Covenant, Christ is both King and High Priest:
      • Luke 1:31-33: You will become pregnant and have a son, and you are to name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!"
      • Hebrews 4:14: That is why we have a great High Priest who has gone to heaven, Jesus the Son of God. Let us cling to him and never stop trusting him.
(7) Look! He *comes with the **clouds of heaven. And ***everyone will see him -- even those who ****pierced him. And all the nations of the earth will *****weep because of him. Yes! Amen!
  • *Comes:
    • Matthew 24:42: So be prepared, because you don't know what day your Lord is coming.
    • 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18: I can tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not rise to meet him ahead of those who are in their graves. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the call of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, all the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and remain with him forever. So comfort and encourage each other with these words.
    • This is a book about the second coming of Jesus Christ; how it will be accomplished, what will happen on earth that will produce these events, and what will be the result after he comes.
    • Paul calls this event, "the splendor of his coming" (2 Thessalonians 2:8b), literally, "the outshining of his parousia." Then, even the Jews will recognize him - and weep.
  • **Clouds: Greek - nephele. Occurs 7 times in Revelation.
    • Daniel 7:13: As my vision continued that night, I saw someone who looked like a man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient One and was led into his presence.
    • Matthew 24:30: And then at last, the sign of the coming of the Son of Man will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the nations of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man arrive on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
    • Matthew 26:64: Jesus replied, "Yes, it is as you say. And in the future you will see me, the Son of Man, sitting at God's right hand in the place of power and coming back on the clouds of heaven."
    • Mark 13:26: Then everyone will see the Son of Man arrive on the clouds with great power and glory.
    • Luke 21:27: Then everyone will see the Son of Man arrive on the clouds with power and great glory.
    • Acts 1:9-11: It was not long after he said this that he was taken up into the sky while they were watching, and he disappeared into a cloud. As they were straining their eyes to see him, two white-robed men suddenly stood there among them. They said, "Men of Galilee, why are you standing here staring at the sky? Jesus has been taken away from you into heaven. And someday, just as you saw him go, he will return!"
    • 1 Thessalonians 4:17: Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and remain with him forever.
    • Revelation 14:14: Then I saw the Son of Man sitting on a white cloud. He had a gold crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand.
  • ***Everyone will see him: This is not the rapture! It will be on all the cable channels throughout the world - including those in North Korea!
    • Matthew 24:26-30: "So if someone tells you, 'Look, the Messiah is out in the desert,' don't bother to go and look. Or, 'Look, he is hiding here,' don't believe it! For as the lightning lights up the entire sky, so it will be when the Son of Man comes.
  • ****Pierced:
    • Isaiah 53:5: But he was wounded and crushed for our sins. He was beaten that we might have peace. He was whipped, and we were healed!
    • Zechariah 12:10: "Then I will pour out a spirit of grace and prayer on the family of David and on all the people of Jerusalem. They will look on me whom they have pierced and mourn for him as for an only son. They will grieve bitterly for him as for a firstborn son who has died.
    • John 19:34-37: One of the soldiers, however, pierced his side with a spear, and blood and water flowed out. This report is from an eyewitness giving an accurate account; it is presented so that you also can believe. These things happened in fulfillment of the Scriptures that say, "Not one of his bones will be broken," and "They will look on him whom they pierced."
    • Acts 2:23: But you followed God's prearranged plan. With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed him to the cross and murdered him.
    • John saw the crucifixion and the piercing of Jesus with his own eyes.
  • *****Weep:
    • This may be what is in Philippians 2:10-11, "so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.". At last men will realize, in the appearance of the Lord himself, where they have stood in relationship to him. They will mourn because they will see how terribly they have treated him and his work for them upon the cross.
    • Matthew 24:30: And then at last, the sign of the coming of the Son of Man will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the nations of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man arrive on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
(8) "I am the *Alpha and the Omega -- the beginning and the end," says the Lord God. "I am the one **who IS, who always WAS, and who is STILL TO COME, the ***Almighty One."
  • *Alpha and the Omega: (the first and last characters of the Greek alphabet)
    • Isaiah 41:4: Who has done such mighty deeds, directing the affairs of the human race as each new generation marches by? It is I, the LORD, the First and the Last. I alone am he."
    • Isaiah 44:6: "This is what the LORD, Israel's King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty, says: I am the First and the Last; there is no other God.
    • Isaiah 48:12: "Listen to me, O family of Jacob, Israel my chosen one! I alone am God, the First and the Last.
    • Psalm 90:2: Before the mountains were created, before you made the earth and the world, you are God, without beginning or end.
    • Revelation 21:6: And he also said, "It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega -- the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give the springs of the water of life without charge!
    • Revelation 22:13: I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End."
  • **Who is, who was, and is to come: The meaning of these Greek words is wonderful because each of these three verbs - “is, was and still to come” - implies continuous action. The idea is that God was always in the past. He continuously existed in the past, and continues existing in the present and will continue to exist in the future - without end.
  • ***Almighty One:
    • As the Almighty, God is in control; He has His hands on everything. Look at the meaning of His name Almighty and how it is used in our text. Almighty is pantokrater, "the one who has his hand on everything" or "All-Ruler" or "He who has all might". This word is used ten times in the New Testament, and nine of the ten occurrences are found in Revelation. (Guzik)
    • Genesis 17:1: When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, "I am God Almighty; serve me faithfully and live a blameless life.
    • Isaiah 9:6: For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. And the government will rest on his shoulders. These will be his royal titles: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
(9) I am *John, your brother. In Jesus we are partners in suffering and in the Kingdom and in patient endurance. I was **exiled to the island of ***Patmos for preaching the word of God and speaking about Jesus.
  • *John: It was over 60 years since Jesus had walked among His people. Jerusalem was gone, the Temple burned, leaving the Jews defeated. Paul was dead, beheaded in Rome nearly 30 years earlier. Peter was dead. Of all the disciples, only John was still alive. He had written his gospel 25 years earlier, his 3 letters 15 years after that, and had served for a time as the Bishop of the church in Ephesus, having moved there about 70 AD, possibly with Mary, the Lord's mother.
  • **Exiled:
    • John was exiled to Patmos. Only Roman provincial authorities could have ordered this. This infers he was a person of recognizable standing both within and without the churches of Asia (banishment was normally employed for individuals of some importance). He may have been banished rather than killed to avoid making him a martyr.
    • It was in exile that Jacob met God at Bethel. It was in exile that Moses met God at the burning bush.
    • Elijah heard the still quiet voice of God while he was running for safety.
    • Daniel was also in exile when he saw the Ancient of Days.
    • Sometimes God must get us alone before He can reveal Himself to us.
    • Titus Flavius Domitian, the Roman Emperor at this time, reigned when the empire was making great bloodthirsty strides. By this stage, they had conquered parts of Germany and England. Domitian demanded of every member of the empire that they should worship him as Lord and God, and if you refused to do it you were severely persecuted - even executed. Tradition tells us that Domitian sent John to the Isle of Patmos and condemned him to work in mines on that island which was a Roman penal colony off the coast of Asia Minor in the Greek Aegean Sea.
    • Revelation frequently contrasts the injustice of the age by emphasizing the future governing role of both the Messiah and the saints.
  • ***Patmos:
(10) It was *the Lord's Day, and I was worshiping *in the Spirit. Suddenly, I heard a loud voice behind me, a voice that sounded like a **trumpet blast.
  • *The Lord's Day: (Literally, the Day of the Lord)
    • (Weymouth New Testament): In the Spirit I found myself present on the day of the Lord, and I heard behind me a loud voice which resembled the blast of a trumpet.
    • In John's time, Sunday was known as "the first day of the week" and not "the Lord's day," thus John must not be speaking of Sunday.
    • John is spiritually transported through time to the "day of the Lord," when the judgments fall, and after that comes the millennium.
    • The coming "Day of the Lord" is mentioned directly or indirectly in more than 50 passages in the Old and New Testaments.
    • Isaiah 2:12: In that day the LORD Almighty will punish the proud, bringing them down to the dust.
    • Isaiah 13:6,9: Scream in terror, for the LORD's time has arrived -- the time for the Almighty to destroy. ... For see, the day of the LORD is coming -- the terrible day of his fury and fierce anger. The land will be destroyed and all the sinners with it.
    • Joel 1:15: The day of the LORD is on the way, the day when destruction comes from the Almighty. How terrible that day will be!
    • Joel 2:1,31: Blow the trumpet in Jerusalem ! Sound the alarm on my holy mountain! Let everyone tremble in fear because the day of the LORD is upon us. ... The sun will be turned into darkness, and the *moon will turn bloodred before that great and terrible day of the LORD arrives.
    • Zephaniah 1:14-16: "That terrible day of the LORD is near. Swiftly it comes -- a day when strong men will cry bitterly. It is a day when the LORD's anger will be poured out. It is a day of terrible distress and anguish, a day of ruin and desolation, a day of darkness and gloom, of clouds, blackness, trumpet calls, and battle cries. Down go the walled cities and strongest battlements!
    • Zechariah 14:1-5: Watch, for the day of the LORD is coming when your possessions will be plundered right in front of you! On that day I will gather all the nations to fight against Jerusalem. The city will be taken, the houses plundered, and the women raped. Half the population will be taken away into captivity, and half will be left among the ruins of the city. Then the LORD will go out to fight against those nations, as he has fought in times past. On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives will split apart, making a wide valley running from east to west, for half the mountain will move toward the north and half toward the south. You will flee through this valley, for it will reach across to Azal. Yes, you will flee as you did from the earthquake in the days of King Uzziah of Judah. Then the LORD my God will come, and all his holy ones with him.
    • 1 Thessalonians 5:1-2: I really don't need to write to you about how and when all this will happen, dear brothers and sisters. For you know quite well that the day of the Lord will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night.
    • 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4: And now, brothers and sisters, let us tell you about the coming again of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we will be gathered together to meet him. Please don't be so easily shaken and troubled by those who say that the day of the Lord has already begun. Even if they claim to have had a vision, a revelation, or a letter supposedly from us, don't believe them. Don't be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed -- the one who brings destruction. He will exalt himself and defy every god there is and tear down every object of adoration and worship. He will position himself in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God.
    • Revelation 6:17: For the great day of their wrath has come, and who will be able to survive
  • **In the Spirit:
    • There are four references to John being in the Spirit in the Book of Revelation. First at Patmos (Revelation 1:10), then in heaven (Revelation 4:2), than in the wilderness (Revelation 17:3) and finally on the mountain of God (Revelation 21:10).
    • The literal rendering of the Greek in this passage would say "I came to be in spirit." It would appear that John was spiritually transported in the same manner that Ezekiel was, in his vision of the "dry bones" in Ezekiel 37:1: The LORD took hold of me, and I was carried away by the Spirit of the LORD to a valley filled with bones.
  • ***Trumpet blast:
    • The first mention of a trumpet sound in the Bible is at
      • Exodus 19:16-19: On the morning of the third day, there was a powerful thunder and lightning storm, and a dense cloud came down upon the mountain. There was a long, loud blast from a ram's horn, and all the people trembled. Moses led them out from the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. All Mount Sinai was covered with smoke because the LORD had descended on it in the form of fire. The smoke billowed into the sky like smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain shook with a violent earthquake. As the horn blast grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God thundered his reply for all to hear.
    • In the Old Testament, Jews used trumpets to gather everyone together into an assembly, to announce war or to proclaim special days.
    • In the New Testament, God’s trumpet will call the church home (1 Thessalonians 4:16), gather Israel (Matthew 24:31) and announce war on the world. (Revelation 8:2)
      • 1 Thessalonians 4:16: For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the call of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, all the Christians who have died will rise from their graves.
      • Matthew 24:31: And he will send forth his angels with the sound of a mighty trumpet blast, and they will gather together his chosen ones from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.
      • Revelation 8:2: And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and they were given seven trumpets.
(11) It said, "*Write down what you see, and send it to the **seven churches: ***Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea."
  • *Write down what you see:
    • Habakkuk 2:2-3: Then the LORD said to me, "Write my answer in large, clear letters on a tablet, so that a runner can read it and tell everyone else. But these things I plan won't happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed.
  • **Seven churches:
    • There were more than seven churches in the Roman province of Asia (modern-day Turkey), but these seven were selected because they are representative, not only of that day, but also of all churches of any day, and of the whole age of the church, from beginning to end. The Word of God clearly teaches us that there were at least three other churches in that area: The church at Colosse (Colossians 1:2), the church at Hierapolis (Colossians 4:13) and the church at Troas (Acts 20:6-7).
    • The order in which the Seven Churches are listed in 1:11, as well as the order of the seven messages in chapters 2-3, is most easily explained geographically. Ephesus was a leading city and port in Asia. It was the first city where a messenger from Patmos would arrive by ship on the mainland. Beginning in Ephesus, a messenger carrying a letter would then travel in a circuitous route on the major Roman road to Smyrna, then to Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and finally Laodicea.
  • ***Ephesus: The church of Ephesus was founded by Paul (Acts 20) and wrote the Epistle to them. However, in Revelation, while Paul's apostleship was primarily to the Gentiles, Revelation is strongly Jewish. Did the church fall from pure grace so quickly or is this looking much further in the future?
(12) When I turned to see who was speaking to me, I saw *seven gold lampstands.
  • *Seven gold lampstands:
    • Exodus 25:31-32,37: "Make a lampstand of pure, hammered gold. The entire lampstand and its decorations will be one piece -- the base, center stem, lamp cups, buds, and blossoms. It will have six branches, three branches going out from each side of the center stem. ... Then make the seven lamps for the lampstand, and set them so they reflect their light forward.
    • Exodus 37:23: He also made the seven lamps, the lamp snuffers, and the trays, all of pure gold.
    • Zechariah 4:1-2, 10b: Then the angel who had been talking with me returned and woke me, as though I had been asleep. "What do you see now?" he asked. I answered, "I see a solid gold lampstand with a bowl of oil on top of it. Around the bowl are seven lamps, each one having seven spouts with wicks. ... For these seven lamps represent the eyes of the LORD that search all around the world."
    • In the tabernacle, there was one menorah with seven lamps (Exodus 25). In Solomon's temple, there were ten menorahs, each with seven lamps:
      • 1 Samuel 3:1-3: Meanwhile, the boy Samuel was serving the LORD by assisting Eli. Now in those days messages from the LORD were very rare, and visions were quite uncommon. One night Eli, who was almost blind by now, had just gone to bed. The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was sleeping in the Tabernacle near the Ark of God.
      • 2 Chronicles 4:7: Solomon then cast ten gold lampstands according to the specifications that had been given and put them in the Temple. Five were placed against the south wall, and five were placed against the north wall.
(13) And standing in the middle of the *lampstands was the **Son of Man. He was wearing a ***long robe with a ****gold sash across his chest.

Image from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menorah_(Temple)
  • Kretzmann: "In the midst of the cressets stood He that was like a Son of Man, Daniel 7:13. The congregations are inseparable from their Head and Center, Jesus. This is indicated by the long robe reaching to the feet, which was a mark of dignity in the Orient, Isaiah 6:1, as well as by the gold girdle about the breast, which showed the flowing garment to the best advantage and added to the majesty of the wearer. He possesses a true human nature, but with this is combined the majesty of His eternal Godhead. He is both our High Priest and our King."
  • *Lampstands:
    • The light doesn't come from the lampstands. The light comes from the oil lamps themselves. The stands merely make the light more visible. Therefore, the lampstands are a good picture of the church. We don't produce the light, we simply display it.
    • These candlesticks were not just seven isolated singular candles as one might suppose at first glance, but they are seven (Jewish) Menorahs - God's idea of a lampstand.
    • One of the duties of the Old Testament priests was to tend the golden lampstand in the tabernacle. Every day they had to fill the oil, clean the soot and trim the wicks. They had to closely inspect and care for the lamps so they would burn continually before the Lord. Here is Jesus, our High Priest, in the midst of the seven lampstands, carefully inspecting and caring for the lamps.
  • **Son of Man:
    • Daniel 7:13 (KJV): 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.
    • Ezekiel 8:1-2: Then on September 17, during the sixth year of King Jehoiachin's captivity, while the leaders of Judah were in my home, the Sovereign LORD took hold of me. I saw a figure that appeared to be a man. From the waist down he looked like a burning flame. From the waist up he looked like gleaming amber.
    • Matthew 24:27-30: For as the lightning lights up the entire sky, so it will be when the Son of Man comes. Just as the gathering of vultures shows there is a carcass nearby, so these signs indicate that the end is near. "Immediately after those horrible days end, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of heaven will be shaken. And then at last, the sign of the coming of the Son of Man will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the nations of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man arrive on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
    • Matthew 25:31: "But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne.
    • Mark 13:26: Then everyone will see the Son of Man arrive on the clouds with great power and glory.
  • ***Long robe: Typically, high priests wore long robes as they ministered in the holy place in the temple.
    • Hebrews 3:1: And so, dear brothers and sisters who belong to God and are bound for heaven, think about this Jesus whom we declare to be God's Messenger and High Priest.
    • Hebrews 7:26: He is the kind of high priest we need because he is holy and blameless, unstained by sin. He has now been set apart from sinners, and he has been given the highest place of honor in heaven.
  • ****Gold sash (belt):
    • Daniel 10:5: I looked up and saw a man dressed in linen clothing, with a belt of pure gold around his waist.
    • Revelation 15:6: The seven angels who were holding the bowls of the seven plagues came from the Temple, clothed in spotless white linen with gold belts across their chests.
(14) His head and his hair were *white like wool, as white as snow. And his **eyes were bright like flames of fire.
  • *White like wool .. white as snow:
    • Isaiah 1:18: "Come now, let us argue this out," says the LORD. "No matter how deep the stain of your sins, I can remove it. I can make you as clean as freshly fallen snow. Even if you are stained as red as crimson, I can make you as white as wool.
    • Daniel 7:9: I watched as thrones were put in place and the Ancient One sat down to judge. His clothing was as white as snow, his hair like whitest wool. He sat on a fiery throne with wheels of blazing fire,
    • Psalm 51:7: Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
      • Psalm 51:7 was preached by a missionary in my little Methodist church when I was about 9. Although I didn't fully understand it, all day long and for months after, I asked God to make me whiter than snow. That's when I was saved as a little boy.
  • **Eyes:
    • Daniel 10:6: His body looked like a dazzling gem. From his face came flashes like lightning, and his eyes were like flaming torches. His arms and feet shone like polished bronze, and his voice was like the roaring of a vast multitude of people.
    • Revelation 19:12: His eyes were bright like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on him, and only he knew what it meant.
(15) His feet were as bright as *bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice **thundered like mighty ocean waves.
  • *Bronze:
    • Bronze was used in the tabernacle for the altar and its utensils, for the laver, for the framework of the tabernacle and used extensively in the temple.
    • Exodus 30:18-19: "Make a large bronze wash basin with a bronze pedestal. Put it between the Tabernacle and the altar, and fill it with water. Aaron and his sons will wash their hands and feet there
    • Daniel 10:6: His body looked like a dazzling gem. From his face came flashes like lightning, and his eyes were like flaming torches. His arms and feet shone like polished bronze...
  • **Thundered:
    • Daniel 10:6: His body looked like a dazzling gem. From his face came flashes like lightning, and his eyes were like flaming torches. His arms and feet shone like polished bronze, and his voice was like the roaring of a vast multitude of people.
    • Ezekiel 43:2: Suddenly, the glory of the God of Israel appeared from the east. The sound of his coming was like the roar of rushing waters, and the whole landscape shone with his glory.
(16) He held *seven stars in his right hand, and a **sharp two-edged sword came from his mouth. And his ***face was as ****bright as the sun in all its brilliance.
  • *Seven stars: Revelation 1:20: This is the meaning of the seven stars you saw in my right hand and the seven gold lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches...
  • **Sharp two-edged sword:
    • Isaiah 49:2: He made my words of judgment as sharp as a sword. He has hidden me in the shadow of his hand. I am like a sharp arrow in his quiver.
    • Ephesians 6:17: Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
    • Hebrews 4:12 (KJV): For the word of God is quick , and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
    • Revelation 2:12,16: "Write this letter to the angel of the church in Pergamum. This is the message from the one who has a sharp two-edged sword: ... Repent, or I will come to you suddenly and fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
    • Revelation 19:15,21: From his mouth came a sharp sword, and with it he struck down the nations. He ruled them with an iron rod, and he trod the winepress of the fierce wrath of almighty God. ... Their entire army was killed by the sharp sword that came out of the mouth of the one riding the white horse. And all the vultures of the sky gorged themselves on the dead bodies.
    • A sharp double-edged sword (Greek rhomphaia, the type the Romans used to kill with (2:12, 16; 6:8; 19:15, 21), proceeded from His mouth. His word will judge His enemies (Isaiah 11:4; 49:2; Ephesians 6:17; 2 Thessalonians 2:8; Hebrews 4:12; Revelation 19:13-15).
  • ***Face:
    • Exodus 34:29-35: When Moses came down the mountain carrying the stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant, he wasn't aware that his face glowed because he had spoken to the LORD face to face. And when Aaron and the people of Israel saw the radiance of Moses' face, they were afraid to come near him. But Moses called to them and asked Aaron and the community leaders to come over and talk with him. Then all the people came, and Moses gave them the instructions the LORD had given him on Mount Sinai. When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face. But whenever he went into the Tent of Meeting to speak with the LORD, he removed the veil until he came out again. Then he would give the people whatever instructions the LORD had given him, and the people would see his face aglow. Afterward he would put the veil on again until he returned to speak with the LORD.
    • Matthew 17:2: As the men watched, Jesus' appearance changed so that his face shone like the sun, and his clothing became dazzling white.
    • Luke 9:28-29: About eight days later Jesus took Peter, James, and John to a mountain to pray. And as he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothing became dazzling white.
  • ****Bright as the sun:
    • Ezekiel 1:27: From his waist up, he looked like gleaming amber, flickering like a fire. And from his waist down, he looked like a burning flame, shining with splendor.
(17) When I saw him, I *fell at his feet as dead. But he laid his right hand on me and said, "Don't be afraid! I am the **First and the Last.
  • *Fell ... as dead:
    • John was overwhelmed by this awesome vision, even though he knew Jesus on this earth. Even the three years John spent with Jesus on this earth did not really prepare him to see Jesus in His heavenly glory.
    • Ezekiel 1:28: All around him was a glowing halo, like a rainbow shining through the clouds. This was the way the glory of the LORD appeared to me. When I saw it, I fell face down in the dust, and I heard someone's voice speaking to me.
    • Ezekiel 3:23: So I got up and went, and there I saw the glory of the LORD, just as I had seen it in my first vision by the Kebar River. And I fell face down in the dust.
    • Ezekiel 43:3: This vision was just like the others I had seen, first by the Kebar River and then when he came to destroy Jerusalem. And I fell down before him with my face in the dust.
    • Matthew 17:3-6: Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared and began talking with Jesus. Peter blurted out, "Lord, this is wonderful! If you want me to, I'll make three shrines, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." But even as he said it, a bright cloud came over them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my beloved Son, and I am fully pleased with him. Listen to him." The disciples were terrified and fell face down on the ground.
  • **First and the Last:
    • The Greek word translated first is protos, from which we get "prototype". It's the original to which all subsequent copies will be compared for accuracy. And the word for last is eschatos, the superlative, the perfect example, the highest and best that can be achieved.
    • Isaiah 41:4: Who has done such mighty deeds, directing the affairs of the human race as each new generation marches by? It is I, the LORD, the First and the Last. I alone am he."
    • Isaiah 44:6: "This is what the LORD, Israel's King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty, says: I am the First and the Last; there is no other God.
    • Isaiah 48:12: "Listen to me, O family of Jacob, Israel my chosen one! I alone am God, the First and the Last.
    • Revelation 2:8: "Write this letter to the angel of the church in Smyrna. This is the message from the one who is the First and the Last, who died and is alive:
    • Revelation 21:6: And he also said, "It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega -- the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give the springs of the water of life without charge!
    • Revelation 22:13: I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End."
(18) I am the living one who died. Look, I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of *death and the grave.
  • *Death:
    • Isaiah 25:7-8: In that day he will remove the cloud of gloom, the shadow of death that hangs over the earth. He will swallow up death forever! The Sovereign LORD will wipe away all tears. He will remove forever all insults and mockery against his land and people. The LORD has spoken!
    • Philippians 2:8: And in human form he obediently humbled himself even further by dying a criminal's death on a cross.
    • Hebrews 2:14: Because God's children are human beings -- made of flesh and blood -- Jesus also became flesh and blood by being born in human form. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the Devil, who had the power of death.
    • Jesus alone has power over life and death. Christ demonstrated His mighty power over the grave by raising the dead to life and through His own resurrection. Death is not God’s original plan; it was the result of the sin of Adam and Eve. Jesus plans to restore things to the way He meant them to be. He promises to destroy this curse (1 Corinthians 15:26; Revelation 20:14) so that no one will ever die again.
      • 1 Corinthians 15:26: And the last enemy to be destroyed is death.
      • 1 Corinthians 15:54-55: When this happens -- when our perishable earthly bodies have been transformed into heavenly bodies that will never die -- then at last the Scriptures will come true: "Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?
      • Revelation 20:14: And death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death -- the lake of fire.
(19) Write down what you have seen -- both the things that are now happening and the *things that will happen later.
  • Verse19 is the outline of the book. In this way, the Lord divides the Book John will write into three sections. The things John has seen, contained in chapter 1; those that are, which will fill chapters 2 and 3;, and those that will take place after this, chapters 4-22.
  • *Things that will happen later: After the church is removed.
(20) This is the meaning of the seven stars you saw in my right hand and the seven gold lampstands: The seven stars are the *angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
  • Angels (literally, messengers): (Greek aggelos)
    • Revelation 8:2: And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and they were given seven trumpets.
    • Hebrews 1:14: But angels are only servants. They are spirits sent from God to care for those who will receive salvation.
    • The word "angel" occurs over 70 times in Revelation! In the four gospels and Acts, it together also occurs over 70 times.
    • Lenski: "These 'seven stars' are the pastors of the seven churches. Both the lamp stands and the stars belong to the Lord, both shine with the light of faith and of confession kindled by the Word, both have a beauty and a glory from above. The right hand symbolizes majestic authority, the Lord's will, purpose, intent, and the power back of them. He is their authority, his purpose they serve, his will they execute, his Word they speak, his power is back of all that they rightly do in his name."
    • The seven stars are the messengers (not angels because angels are never leaders in the church). These messengers are the key elders or ministers representing each of those churches.
NOTES:
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