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Before beginning with verse one, I think it imperative
that I say one thing first. If you are like me in your reading habits, you
probably skipped the introduction and moved straight to the good stuff. While
that tactic is often fine with most books, that is not the case here. I have
included some very important material that will be used as a foundation upon
which I will build as the study progresses. So if you have not read the
introduction, for clarity’s sake, please do so at this time.
1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto
his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and
signified it by his angel unto his servant John.
The word Revelation is from the Greek “apokalopsis,” which Thayer defines as “an
uncovering; properly a laying bare, making naked. A disclosure of truth,
instruction, concerning divine things before unknown.”1 This tells us that the book of Revelation is a making
known of things that God has until now kept to Himself. It is the future that
will be revealed. There should be no doubt that God does indeed know the
future. “Remember the former things of
old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like
me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things
that are not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my
pleasure’” (Isaiah 46:9-10).
“Which God gave unto him.” The book
of Revelation originated with God, who gave it to Jesus
Christ, who in turn related it to John through an angel. John was
nothing more than the penman of this book. The words of this book are the
words of none other than God Himself. But John does not say these things were
intended just for him, but for all of God’s servants. The servants of God are
those who are Christians.
Notice also that this is “a” revelation and not several revelations. Many
people incorrectly refer to this book as “Revelations.” This is incorrect
since John only experienced one revelation, albeit a very
lengthy and detailed one.
The things that were revealed to John were things that he said
must shortly come to pass. This does not mean that all the prophesies of this
book would be fulfilled soon after the book was written. Clearly, passages in
the latter part of the book refer to events that are yet future. For example,
Revelation 20:11-15 refers to the judgment. This is an event that certainly
has not happened yet. What John meant when he said these things must “shortly come to pass” was not that
these things would soon be over, but that they would soon begin to happen.
Soon after the book was written, the prophesies began to unfold, but they
will not all be fulfilled until the end of time.
“And he sent and signified it by his
angel unto his servant John.”
After God had given the message to Christ, He in turn gave it to an
angel who served as a messenger to deliver it to John. John in turn will
write it down as he will be instructed to do later so that God’s people will
have this message to give them comfort and assurance as they pass through the
often troublous times that lay ahead.
The
word signified her is from the
Greek “sēmainō,” which Thayer defines
as “to give a sign, to signify, indicate. To make known.”2
All it is really saying is that Jesus made this message know by sending to to
John through an angel. John function will be to write it down and send it to
seven Churches listed in verse eleven. From there, other Churches of that day
and all in the future would have access to it. Christ told John that “Thou must prophesy again before many
peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings” (Revelation 10:11). John
never did that in person, but he has done it throughout the ages through the
marvelous book he is about to pen.
1:2 Who bare record of the word
of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.
John was chosen above all of the other apostles to
receive and record this Revelation. Although there is no biblical proof of
it, John was almost certainly the longest lived of the apostles. The Lord
waited until the apostolic age was nearly over before He gave this
Revelation. He no doubt kept John alive for this very purpose while all of
the other apostles had met their deaths much earlier. Just before His
crucifixion, the Lord indicated that
John would live a long time. “Jesus saith unto him, ‘If I will that he tarry
till I come, what is that to thee? Follow thou me.’ Then went this saying
abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die: yet Jesus said not unto him, ‘He shall not die;’
but, ‘If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?’” (John
21:22-23). Obviously Christ indicated here that John
would live a very long time. Even if he was only twenty when he met Jesus,
he would have been about eighty-nine when he received the Revelation. This is
what leads me to believe that the Lord kept John around for the specific
purpose of receiving the Revelation. In A.D. 30, He already knew He was going
to give the Revelation and He picked John to be the one to receive it.
Next to the Apostle Paul, John was the most prolific
writer of New Testament books. He wrote five
including Revelation. The others were John, I John, II John, and III John.
[Note: in terms of sheer volume John would rank third among the New Testament
writers. Paul would be second and Luke would be first. The combined volume of
his works, Luke and Acts, being larger than all of Paul’s works combined.
(Unless you are of the opinion that Paul wrote Hebrews, in which case he
would have written more than Luke.)]
John says he “bare
record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ.” The two
clauses in this verse are really redundant. When either God or Christ speaks
in reality both speak. As Christ said, “I
and my Father are one” (John 10:30). They are in perfect agreement and
therefore one can speak for the other.
“And of all things that he saw.”
This just shows us that not everything John will learn will be spoken
by the Lord. Some things he will see and then describe for us.
1:3 Blessed is he that readeth, and
they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are
written therein: for the time is at hand.
Many people erroneously assume that the Book of Revelation is too complex for
them to understand. Some will even say no man can understand it. But why
would God waste His time developing it, John’s time writing it down, and
our time studying it if it could not possibly be understood? God does nothing
without a purpose.
In this verse, John pronounces a blessing on those who read, hear,
and keep the things he is about to reveal. “Keep” means to watch for the
fulfillment of these prophesies and be ready to take action when needed.
Obviously a person cannot keep what they cannot understand. Therefore, it IS
possible for us to understand it. It is just a matter of taking the proper
approach and putting in a lot of time, but Revelation can be clearly
understood! All who do understand it will be blessed, according to John. He
further adds that the time is at hand. This simply means that these
prophesies were about to begin to be fulfilled. But as pointed out
previously, this gives no indication as to when all of the prophesies will
finally be fulfilled.
1:4 John to the seven churches which are in Asia:
grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is
to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;
Why did John address himself only to seven churches in
Asia? This question is very important to understanding chapters two and
three. This will be discussed at length in verse eleven of this chapter, but
a few things can be said here. Should it be a great concern to us that he
addressed this book to only seven churches? Does this mean that Revelation is
not meant for anyone else? A quick look at the rest of the New Testament will show this idea to be
completely off base. If it were true, then we would also have to cast aside
most of the other New Testament books. For instance, Luke wrote Acts to a man
named Theophilus, and Paul wrote Romans to the Church in Rome. Likewise, I &
II Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and I & II
Thessalonians were all written by Paul to the churches in the cities
corresponding with the names of the books. Paul also wrote I & II
Timothy, Titus, and Philemon to individuals. Hebrews and James were written
to Jewish Christians. I Peter was written to those in “Pontus, Galatia,
Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia.” III John was written to a man named Gaius.
The only books that can be considered general are II Peter, I & II John,
and Jude. Clearly it should not concern us that Revelation was addressed to
specific churches. This does not mean it was not also intended for Christians
of all ages.
The seven Spirits spoken of here are mentioned several times in Revelation.
As mentioned in the introduction, the number seven has special significance,
and we will find it used quite often in this book. Seven always signifies
completeness; understanding this will help to clarify many things. The seven
Spirits refers to the complete and all-encompassing power of God’s Spirit. It
is literally everywhere at once. There is only one Spirit of God (Ephesians
4:4), but it is unlike anything in this physical world to which we belong. It
is not restricted to being in one place at a time. The significance of these
spirits being before the throne of God is that this shows they are subject to
God and do His bidding.
“From him which is, and which was, and
which is to come.” This refers to God and illustrates His eternal nature.
He exists presently, He has always existed, and He always will exist. This
cannot be said of any other person, place or thing that we know of.
1:5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the
first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto
him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
Several items are used here to describe Christ. First He is the faithful
witness. He described himself as a witness in John 18:37: “To this end was I born, and for this cause
came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one
that is of the truth heareth my voice.” Jesus
came to the Earth in the form of a man to bare witness to all mankind of the
power, love, mercy, and many other attributes of God.
He is spoken of as the first begotten of the dead since He is at present the
only person who has ever died and then been resurrected to die no more. The
Bible tells of many others who have been resurrected, but they all eventually
died again. Jesus is the only one who has
been able to conquer death. He is also referred to here as the prince of the
kings of the earth. Three times in the New Testament He is referred to as the
Kings of kings and the Lord of lords (I Timothy 6:15; Revelation 17:14,
19:16). There is no doubt that He is the greatest ruler and leader the world
has ever seen. Whereas there have been many great men to rule mighty empires,
those men died and eventually their empires crumbled. Christ’s kingdom will never
crumble. Daniel described Christ’s kingdom this way: “And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom,
which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other
people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it
shall stand for ever” (Daniel 2:44).
“Unto him that loved us.” Of the
fact that Christ loved man there can be little doubt. The fact
that He washes His people in His own blood is proof of that. “Greater love hath no man than this, that a
man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). This is exactly
what He did for all mankind.
The word “unto,” which begins this sentence is somewhat
confusing. In verse four, John begins addressing himself to the seven
Churches in Asia and then states who this message is from. In that verse he
names God (the Father) and the Holy Spirit. In the beginning of verse five,
he then names Jesus. The intent is quite clear; this message is from the
entire trinity: Father, Son, and Spirit. Verse four has already stated that
this is being written unto the seven Churches in Asia. It would now make no sense
to also say “unto” Jesus, who is the one mentioned in the latter part of the
verse. This is another unfortunate translation from the King James. This
time, for some unknown reason, the majority of other translations, but not
all, roughly agree with the King James.
The
Greek work in question is τω (to) which is defined by Thayer as “1)
the definite article, ‘the’ in its masculine, feminine or neuter gender. 2)
the demonstrative pronoun. Examples: ‘this,’ ‘that,’ ‘these.’ Part of Speech: definite
article or demonstrative pronoun in all their inflections. The specific part
of speech is dependent upon the context.”3
Strong’s defines it as the “neuter form, in all its inflections; the definite
article; the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English
idiom): - the, this, that, one, he, she, it, etc.”4
From this article, the King James translator got “unto him that,” Which I
believe is completely unfounded. If they had only left the first word out the
translation would have been fairly accurate. This part of the verse is just
continuing the description of Christ and anything that connect the previous
part of the verse with the idea that He loved us would be proper. Here is how
the verse should be rendered. “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. The one who loved us, and washed us from our sins in his
own blood.” This way the verse makes sense and says what it was intended to
say.
1:6 And hath made us kings and priests
unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever.
Amen.
This verse contains a couple of slight mistranslations in
the King James version. The first is the word kings. Most translations render
this as kingdom not king. The intent of the verse is to say that Christ made
us a kingdom of Priests. All Christians are considered priests, with Christ being their High Priest. “Seeing then that we have a great high priest,
that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our
profession” (Hebrews 4:14). This clearly shows that there must be more
priests. How could Christ be a high priest if there are no other
priests? The old Levitical priesthood was not abolished but rather changed. “For the priesthood being changed, there is
made of necessity a change also of the law” (Hebrews 7:12). The system
where only a few were priests was reformed to a system where all are priests.
“Ye also, as lively stones, are built
up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices,
acceptable to God by Jesus Christ” (I Peter 2:5). “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal
priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the
praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light”
(I Peter 2:9).
The second area for concern is the phrase “God and his father.” Taken literally,
this would indicate that God had a father. This verse can be properly
understood by keeping the same words but moving the word “his” and putting it
before God. For those who may not be familiar with different languages, they
invariably put words in a different order than we do in English. In the
Greek, the word translated as “his” actually occurs before the word for God.
Every verse in an English translation of the Bible will have word in a
different order than the original Greek or Hebrew. Even John 11:35, which
says no more than “Jesus wept,” is
no exception. A literal word by word translation would be “wept he Jesus.”
Yes there are actually three Greek word there. Translation is no easy task
and errors are common. No translation is perfect and there is no substitute
for referring to the Greek.
After all of that, we can finally comment on the beautiful
expression of Jesus made in this verse. He refers to God as both His God and
Father. It reminds me of Thomas, after personally seeing Jesus alive after
the crucifixion, saying to Him, “my
Lord and my God” (John 20:28).
“To him be glory and dominion for ever
and ever.” The sentiment expressed here is that Christ is worthy and deserving of
continued glory and power. He has proven Himself faithful to the Father, and
has shown His great love for mankind. He has humbled Himself and given
Himself to be sacrificed for others. Therefore, He deserves to be lifted up
and exalted above all others.
1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and
every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of
the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, amen.
This refers to Christ’s return to the Earth at
the end of the world. At that time, every person who has ever lived will see
Him. Those who have died will be resurrected at this time and will see Him
just like those who are still living at His return. We also find that He is
to return with clouds. This harmonizes with the statement made by an angel
when Christ was taken back up into Heaven after His resurrection. “And when he had spoken these things, while
they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.
And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two
men stood by them in white apparel; which also said, ‘Ye men of Galilee, why
stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven,
shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven’” (Acts 1:9-11).
He left in clouds and so shall He triumphantly return.
“They also which pierced him” can
refer to those who actually took part in the crucifixion as well as those who voiced
their consent to it. In a larger sense it refers to the Jews as a whole who
rejected Him and sought His death. Ultimately, it can also refer to those who
have rejected His witness. Those who have, in effect, chosen to make His
crucifixion worthless because they have failed to make use of the benefits it
brought to mankind. The Hebrew writer said of Christians, “it is impossible for those who were once
enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of
the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the
world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance;
seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame” (Hebrews
6:4-6). They crucify Christ again by mocking and publicly shaming Him. In a
similar fashion, all those who reject Christ from the outset likewise shame
Him publicly.
“And all kindreds of
the earth shall wail because of him.” There are presently, as there
always have been, many procrastinators, doubters, atheists, fools, and others
who will suddenly come face to face with the reality that they are doomed.
These people will wail when they realize that they have failed to listen to
Christ and have forfeited their chance for salvation.
“When the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his
mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God,
and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall be punished with
everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of
his power” (II Thessalonians 1:7-9).
There will likely be many atheists and fools who cry out
in stubborn opposition at what they still refuse to believe. There will also
be many who proclaimed to be Christians but did not live up to their claim.
They were too weak, or too lazy, or too unconcerned, or too ignorant of His
will to do as the Lord commanded. They will have to stand and hear a
pronouncement of doom from Christ. “Not every one that saith unto me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter into the
kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in
heaven. Many will say to me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied
in thy name? And in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many
wonderful works?’ And then will I profess unto them, ‘I never knew you:
depart from me, ye that work iniquity’” (Matthew 7:21-23).
This verse tells us that “ALL kindreds of the earth shall wail because of
him.” This does not mean that literally every person will view the coming of
Christ with dread. In general this is true, since the
majority of men will be lost (Matthew 7:13). To someone idly observing the
whole scene of Christ’s return, it would appear as if the whole world was mourning.
Only a few scattered individuals will actually find joy at the return of
their Lord. The Apostle Paul spoke fondly of the coming
of Christ, from the perspective of a Christian. “Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which
the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only,
but unto all them also that LOVE his appearing” (II Timothy 4:8).
1:8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning
and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to
come, the Almighty.
Alpha (Α, α) and Omega (Ω, ω) are the first and last
letters of the Greek alphabet. They are synonymous with our A and Z
in English. It simply means that there is nothing before or after. Christ is the beginning and the
end. He, like God the Father, is eternal. He always has been, He is, and He
always will be. He was even present in the creation of the world. “All things were made by him; and without
him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:3).
It is very interesting to note here that Christ also calls Himself “the Almighty.” This is a term that we
normally think of as applying solely to God the Father. This demonstrates the
shared power between the Father and the Son. In chapter three, Christ tells
us that He and the Father both occupy the same throne. “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even
as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne”
(Revelation 3:21). This again indicates a sharing of power between the two.
1:9 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.
John now puts himself in perspective. Although he
spent a good deal of time with Christ and became one of His
apostles, he is nothing more than a man. He is not “special” in any way, and
he is not to be revered or worshipped. He was just the fortunate one who was
allowed to see this vision. He states that he is the companion in tribulation
to all Christians. In his many years as an apostle of the Lord, he certainly
suffered many things and this is quite often the case with Christians. As the
Apostle Paul pointed out, “and all that will live godly in Christ
Jesus shall suffer persecution” (II Timothy
3:12).
John also states that he is the companion of
Christians in the Kingdom of Jesus
Christ. This verse, along with numerous others,
refutes the idea that the Kingdom of God is yet future. The Kingdom is the
Church, and it was established on the day of
Pentecost in A.D. 30. That the kingdom has already been established can be
quite easily seen in the following passages. “Verily I say unto you, ‘There be some standing here, which shall not
taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom’”
(Matthew 16:28). Do you know of any two-thousand year old men who are still
alive and waiting for the Kingdom to come? “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated
us into the kingdom of his dear Son” (Colossians 1:13). “Hath translated us into” is past
tense. Someone could not have been translated into something that was still
many centuries in the future.
John tells us where he was when he was allowed to
witness this magnificent vision. He was on an island in the Mediterranean Sea
called Patmos (see Map 1). “It is a small, rocky island, one of the Sporades,
in the Grecian Archipelago, and is now called Patino. It lies off the
southwestern coast of Asia Minor about thirty miles south of Samos; and is
about fifteen miles in circumference, and generally barren.”5
Smith’s Bible Dictionary adds that Patmos “was the scene of the banishment of
St. John in the reign of Domitian, A.D. 95.”6 The reason John gives for being on the island is “for the word of God, and for the testimony
of Jesus Christ.” Because
of John’s stand for Jesus, he was forced from the
mainland and caused to dwell on this island where he would be less of a
disturbance to those who were seeking to quell the spread of Christianity. In
its early stages, Christianity was fought against fiercely by many groups,
but especially by the Jews who saw it as a blasphemous
threat to their religion. Early Christians suffered many things at the hands
of their enemies. Many were beaten or even killed. Some, like John were
exiled. Many other cruelties were also employed in an effort to stamp out
Christianity. But all of this only strengthened the resolve of the early
Christians.
1:10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s
day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,
It is here that John begins to relate the visions that he saw. He
gives us the setting when he first noticed something unusual. He says he “was in the spirit on the Lord’s day.”
This leaves us with two questions. First, what does it mean to be “in the spirit,” and, secondly, what is
the “Lord’s day?”
I think it will be easier to answer the former by first understanding the
latter. We do not observe any day as holy or sacred in the New Testament era as did the Jews the Sabbath under the Old Law. However,
one day does “stand out” from the rest; this day is Sunday. Sunday is the day
Christ arose (Mark 16:9). It is the day the Church was established, the day of
Pentecost being fifty days after the first Sabbath after the Passover
(Leviticus 23, Acts 2). It was the day the early disciples met to commemorate
the Lord’s death.
Sunday is a special day to Christians, but it is not a holy day. We are
forbidden to make laws about observing certain days (Galatians 4:9-11). Those
who would tell us that it is wrong to work or do any other type of activity
on Sunday are making a law where there is none. So the term “Lord’s day”
simply refers to Sunday as the day when the Lord’s disciples gathered
together to worship.
Knowing what the Lord’s day is now makes it much easier for us to understand
what John meant by saying he was in the spirit. John
himself had recorded the words of the Lord spoken over sixty years before
when He said, “God is a Spirit: and
they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth” (John
4:24). To worship God in spirit implies that the mental attitude is what is
important and not something physical.
From the earliest times and continuing to this day, men have often sought to
impress the god(s) they were worshipping by using expensive and beautiful
things. This ranges from the practice of building large and elaborate
temples, churches, cathedrals, etc., to wearing very expensive clothing or
ornate jewelry. But frankly, God is not impressed with such things. He made the
entire universe and all of the beautiful things in it. Should we expect Him
to be impressed by the work of men’s hands? God is only impressed by the
humble, submissive, obedient heart of a man, not what he can build with his
hands.
It can now be concluded that when John said he was in the spirit
he simply meant that he was worshipping God. His mind was concentrating on
spiritual matters. It did not matter that he had been exiled to a desolate
island, he was not going to allow the persecution of men to interfere with
his worship of God.
As John worshipped on that particular Sunday his
worship was interrupted by the sound of a great voice that he described as
being like a trumpet. To John a trumpet was not the shiny brass instrument we
use today, but rather “a loud-sounding instrument, made of the horn of a ram
or of a chamois (sometimes of an ox), and used by the ancient Hebrews for
signals.”7 The voice that John heard was not
actually a trumpet nor did it even really sound like one. What this means is
that the voice was strong, powerful, and distinct, just like a sounding
trumpet. We will find in the next verse that the voice was that of Christ. We cannot actually hear
the voice of Jesus, but you can certainly
imagine how His voice must have sounded to John; a voice of power and majesty
ringing out like a trumpet loud and clear.
I will mention here that some have a very different
interpretation of the phrase “Lord’s
day.” Their contention is that John was referring to the entire
Christian era as the Lord’s day. It is quite true that in the Revelation John
did see the entire Christian era unfold before him. Furthermore, it is also
accurate to refer to the Christian era as Christ’s day or the Lord’s day. We
do often use this type of phrase when talking about the period of someone’s
influence. For example, someone could say, “the Jews suffered great persecution
during Hitler’s day.” This refers not to one literal 24 hour period, but to
the entire time of Hitler’s power and influence in Europe.
While the Christian epoch is the Lord’s day, this is not
what John was referring to. While that interpretation is
technically true, it simply is not logical. John is giving us the setting for
the beginning of the Revelation. He was worshipping, most likely praying,
when suddenly he heard this powerful voice. This voice was the first indication
he had that anything extraordinary was afoot. Several times God has appeared
to men while they were praying. God gave Peter a vision concerning the
Gentiles while he prayed (Acts 10:9-16), He spoke to Cornelius while he
prayed (Acts 10:30), He released Paul and Silas from prison with
a great earthquake as they sang and prayed (Acts 16:25-26), He appeared to
Paul while he prayed to give him instructions (Acts 22:17), and the angel
Gabriel appeared to Daniel as he prayed (Daniel 9:20).
There is an even more compeling argument for the Lord’s
day being Sunday. The Greek word that is translated “Lord’s” here is “kuriakos.” This word
is used only one other time in the Bible. “When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's
supper” (I Corinthians 11:20). Strong’s defines this word as “belonging
to the Lord (Jehovah or Jesus): - Lord’s.”8 The word lord(s) appears over 700 times in the New
Testament. Except for the two verses just noted, it always comes from the
Greek word “kurios,” which Strong’s defines as “(supremacy); supreme
in authority, that is, (as noun) controller; by implication Mr.
(as a respectful title): - God, Lord, master, Sir.”9
This word is almost always translated as lord but a few times as master. John
himself used this Greek Word 78 times: 53 times in John, once in II John, and
24 times here in Revelation. Obviously, John knew this word and knew it well.
Why did he choose to use a different and apparently special word in the
present verse? Why did Paul do the same thing in I Corinthians 11:20? The
answer is obvious; both of these were defining moments. We use the phrase
“Lord’s Supper” all the time. Do you realize that it occurs for the first
time in I Corinthians 11:20? Do you further realize that it occurs for the
ONLY time in I Corinthians 11:20? In what is the only true discussion of and
intruction concerning the Lord’s Supper, Paul established this beautiful
term. To the Greek reader, his intent would have been obvious due to the use
of the special word. Unfortunately, for the King James reader, it is less
obvious.
Here
in Revelation, John uses kuriakos for exactly the same reason; he is defining
a new and important phrase. The term “Lord’s Day” also occurs one and only
one time in the scriptures. John is showing us the beauty and importance of
this day. It is still not a Sabbath, but if it is the day we are supposed to
worship the Lord. then it is special nonetheless.
The
objection many people have to accepting that John referred to Sunday as the
Lord’s day is rooted in their disdain for the way so many people have misused
the phrase. Many have attempted to turn Sunday into what could best be
described as the Christian Sabbath. In fact, you can often
hear people, in their ignorance, refer to Sunday as the Sabbath, which is of
course, the seventh day, or Saturday. I have met many people in my life that
vehemently proclaim that it is a sin to work on Sunday. No scripture can
support such a claim. Only if someone allows their work to cause them to
forsake assembling with the Church upon the first day of the
week (Hebrews 10:25) have they violated God’s commandments. There are still
many laws on the books that reflect the era when it seems most people treated
Sunday like a Sabbath day. The laws are referred to as “blue laws.” Blue laws
are “laws designed to enforce the observance of the Sabbath or to regulate
the details of personal conduct. Most of the states of the United States,
however, still have laws regulating and restricting business, public
amusements, and work on Sunday.”10 Many of
these laws have been removed from the books and others simply are not
enforced any longer, but some still persist. If someone chooses not to
perform certain activities on Sunday, that is their prerogative. However,
Paul clearly instructs that us to “Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or
in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things
to come” (Colossians 2:16-17a). The observance of special days was a part
of the Old Law but not the New.
I
will now stray a little further from the topic to explain a little more about
the Sabbath and Christianity. Most people misunderstand
the whole purpose of the Sabbath. Its purpose was not to make people rest.
The people had six days to do as they wished (within God’s commandments), but
the seventh day belonged to God. The purpose of the Sabbath is explained most
clearly in the book of Isaiah. “If thou
turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from
doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy
of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor
finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words” (Isaiah 58:13). The point should be very
clear. God was forcing the people to pause from their busy lives and remember
Him; remember what he had done and continued to do for them.
We
have a similar thing in Christianity today to help remind us of God’s part in
our lives, but it is not Sunday; it is the Lord’s Supper. “For I have received of the Lord that which
also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my
body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same
manner also he took the cup,
when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this
do ye, as oft as ye drink it,
in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's
death till he come” (I Corinthians 11:23-26).
The
death, burial, and resurrection of Christ is the focal point of all
Christian worship. Without this, our hope would be vain. Therefore, God has
established the only real ritual in the Church. It is a ritual intended to
remind us weekly of God’s love and why it is so important that we serve Him.
This points out a serious error on the part of the denominations that choose
to partake of the Lord’s Supper sporadically (monthly, or just once or twice
a year), instead of weekly according to the pattern established by the
apostles in the early Church (Acts 20:7).
I
have strayed purposely to show that there is no Sabbath or any thing resembling it
in the Christian era. Therefore, we have nothing to fear from the phrase
“Lord’s day.” In reacting to the abuses of the term mentioned above, many
people overreacted and tried to explain it away completely but in doing so we
lose a beautiful scene. Just imagine John, the last remaining
apostle, probably about 90 years of age, persecuted in various ways for over
60 years, now exiled to a small island because of his beliefs. Still
undaunted, however, by age or trials, he is praying earnestly to God one
Sunday when all of a sudden the voice of his Lord, and one-time earthly
companion, sounds powerfully but warmly in his ears. This is the final
earthly reward for a tired and weary soldier.
1:11 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.
Alpha and Omega were first mentioned in verse eight and were explained to be
the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. This just refers
to the eternal nature of Christ. Nothing was before Him or
shall be after Him.
John was instructed to write the vision he is about
to see in a book. This book was then to be sent to seven churches that he
names. These seven churches were all on the western end of an area then known
as Asia Minor (see Map 1). Asia Minor is basically the area that is currently
called Turkey. But these seven were not the only churches in that area. I do
not believe for a moment that God meant for this book to be read only by
those seven churches and no one else. Most things contained in the book could
not be understood until after they had happened. So those seven churches
would not have been able to understand the majority of the book since the
events depicted in it had not occurred. This leads to the conclusion that God
intended for Christians of all times to have and study this book.
Also, what about the seven letters found in chapters two and three? Why would
Jesus send letters to only seven
of the churches in the area when more were present? When we study these
letters we will see that they are much more than what they may appear to be
at first glance. While those letters certainly reflected the conditions at
those particular churches at that time, they also had a deeper meaning. The
conditions of those churches paralleled the conditions of the Lord’s Church as it progressed through
history. In other words, the conditions at Ephesus depicted the Lord’s Church
in the early years, and the conditions at Laodicea are synonymous with the
conditions of the Church near the time of the end of the world. The other
five churches fill the intermediate period following one another in the order
in which the letters were written. The specifics of each letter and the time
periods they cover will be discussed individually at the appropriate places
in the next two chapters. It should again be remembered that the number seven
signifies completeness. So when Jesus
sent these letters to the Seven Churches, He was actually writing to all
Churches of all time.
1:12 And I turned to see the voice that
spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;
When John heard the majestic voice of
Jesus speaking to him, he
naturally turned toward the source of the sound. When he did, he saw seven
golden candlesticks. These candlesticks are reminiscent of the ones in the
Temple. God commanded Moses to “make a candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work shall the candlestick
be made: his shaft, and his branches, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers,
shall be of the same. And six branches shall come out of the sides of it;
three branches of the candlestick out of the one side, and three branches of
the candlestick out of the other side” (Exodus 25:31-2). Obviously, these
are not seven separate candlesticks but are all made into one piece (see
Figure 2). These candlesticks, as we will see in verse twenty, represent the
Seven Churches that were just discussed in the previous verse.
The candle of the first century was nothing like our wax
candles of today. They were, in fact, lamps burning pure olive oil. Moses was given very specific
instructions for making the golden candlestick that was placed in the
Tabernacle (Exodus 25:31-35). It was located outside the veil just across
from the table of shewbread (Exodus 26:35). When Solomon built the Temple, he
made ten golden candlesticks and placed five on each side of the temple (II
Chronicles 4:7). The priests were commanded to “cause the lamp to burn always (Exodus 27:20), which signified
God’s continual presence among His people.
Jesus used candles to illustrate
the intended effect of righteous men on the world, during His Sermon on the
Mount. “Ye are the light of the world.
A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle,
and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all
that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see
your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew
5:14-16). A candle’s purpose for being made and used is to produce light.
Likewise, God intends His people to shed spiritual light on the world. That
is, to be an example of God’s love, mercy, and grace to the sinful masses.
Through their manner of life, the positive influence of Christians on the
world should be just as consistent and steady as the burning of a lamp.
 1:13 And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son
of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with
a golden girdle.
As John beheld the candlesticks, he saw something even
more impressive in the middle of them. It was the person who had been
speaking to him. It was a person whom John said looked like the Son of Man.
It in fact was the Son of Man. John had spent a little over three years with
Christ while He was upon the earth. Although that
time was now almost sixty years past, John would still remember what He
looked like. But here Jesus is not in the form of an
ordinary man. Nevertheless, John sees a great resemblance between this figure
before him and Jesus whom he had known as a man
upon the earth. The fact that Jesus
was in the middle of the candlesticks, that represent the Seven Churches, and
by extension all churches of all time, shows His continued presence among His
people.
“Clothed with a
garment down to the foot.” The clothing Christ was wearing was probably some type of
flowing robe that reached down to His feet. This type of attire was common in
the Middle East at that time, and indeed still is today. “And girt about the paps with a golden
girdle.” The paps is the region of the breast or chest. The girdle was
“an essential article of dress in the East, and worn by both men and women.
The common girdle was made of leather, like that worn by the Bedouins of the
present day. A finer girdle was made of linen, embroidered with silk, and
sometimes with gold and silver thread, and frequently studded with gold and
precious stones or pearls. Girdles were used as pockets, as they still are
among the Arabs, and as purses, one end of the girdle being folded back for
that purpose.”11
1:14 His head and his hairs were white
like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;
With this description, we can see why John apparently was not sure that is
was actually the Son of Man he was seeing. The face may have been the same
but several features were markedly different than the man John knew as Jesus.
The white color of His hair does not denote the aging of
the body, but rather it represents some of the characteristics often
associated with those of many years: wisdom, knowledge, understanding, and
patience. It also represents such things as purity and innocence. All of
these are attributes of Christ.
Fire is often used to test the worth and purity of certain materials,
especially precious metals such as gold and silver. The fire will burn away
all impurities and leave only that which is of true importance. Native gold
always contains silver, which is of course a less valuable metal. If someone
gave you a piece of gold claiming it was pure, and therefore quite valuable,
fire would easily determine the true worth of the metal without damaging it.
When subjected to very high temperatures, silver will melt at 960ºF12 whereas gold will not melt until 1045ºF.13 This means the sample of supposedly pure gold
can be heated to see if it contains silver, which would melt out first. If
this indeed was the case then the fraud would be revealed without damaging
the gold.
The depiction of Christ’s eyes being like a flame
of fire shows His ability to see through anything. There is nothing that is
not open to His sight. “Fear them not
therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid,
that shall not be known” (Matthew 10:26). “Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but
all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do”
(Hebrews 4:13).
Christ can burn away all barriers and even see into the
hearts of men. He can determine the true worth of a person, without the
prejudices that influence man’s judgments. This is what the Apostle Paul was referring to when he
said, “Every man’s work shall be made
manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire;
and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is” (I
Corinthians 3:13). This also illustrates the fact that there is no where to
hide from the Lord where He cannot see your every move and hear your every
thought.
1:15 And his feet like unto fine brass,
as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.
Feet of brass shows the foundation upon which Christ stands is pure, solid, and
strong. As the Apostle Paul told all Christians, they
should likewise have a firm footing in truth. “And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace”
(Ephesians 6:15). The fact that His feet were burned in a furnace shows that
they had been tried of fire to again show the strength and soundness of the
foundation upon which He stands. There were no impurities present in His
foundation that might serve to weaken it. It was completely pure and as
strong as possible.
His voice was like the sound of “many
waters.” This has the same implications as the trumpet in verse ten;
namely that His voice is strong and powerful. This same symbolism was used in
the Old Testament to describe the voice of God. “And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his
voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory”
(Ezekiel 43:2). All one needs to do is spend a few moments near the sea shore
on a day when the waves are high or near a large water fall to understand
this verse. The sound of large quantities of water crashing about is
extremely powerful and deafening. It is a roar that is hard to describe. This
is how powerful the voice of Jesus
sounded to John.
1:16 And he had in his right hand seven
stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword: and his countenance
was as the sun shineth in his strength.
The seven stars will be found in verse twenty to represent seven angels. The
angels correspond to the Seven Churches first mentioned in verse eleven. The
fact that they were in His hand shows that He had power and authority over
them. The significance of their being in His right hand is that it is
considered the side of honor. This lets us see that these angels occupied a
position of honor and respect with Christ even though they were under His
authority.
The sword that came from Christ’s mouth was His words.
Christ is the Word of God made flesh. “In
the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory,
the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth”
(John 1:1,14). The Word of God is also a spiritual
sword. “The sword of the Spirit, which
is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17). “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any
two-edged sword” (Hebrews 4:12). So the words of Christ, which also are
the words of God, are a spiritual sword that Christ and all of His followers
use to fight against Satan.
This sword is no ordinary sword but is a “two-edged sword.” This means that
regardless of which way the sword moves it has the ability to cut. It takes
less effort to inflict harm with a two-edged sword than one that is only
sharpened on one side. With such a fine weapon the one who wields it need not
be extremely proficient in its use; the sword will do most of the work. This
is indeed true of God’s Word. It is much more powerful than any person who
proclaims it to others. There is one draw back to a two-edged sword, however.
It also provides twice as many opportunities for the inexperienced or
unqualified user to inflict unintended harm to himself or innocent
bystanders. Likewise, the Bible, if handled improperly, can be used for great
evil and multitudes can be harmed. This fact will be made exceedingly clear
in the course of this book. Even today, the two-edged sword is synonymous
with anything that is potentially beneficial and harmful at the same time.
Countenance means the appearance; especially the face. Jesus’
countenance was as bright as the sun. There is nothing in the natural world that
any man has ever beheld with his eyes that is brighter than the sun. In fact,
staring at the sun for only a few moments can lead to permanent eye damage
and even blindness. But Jesus, in His power and glory,
easily out shines the sun and all other celestial bodies.
1:17 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:
John was so overwhelmed at the man who was standing
before him that he immediately fell down before him frozen in fear. Then
Jesus gently touched him and
assured him that there was no reason to be alarmed. Once again a point is
made to mention that the right hand is used denoting Jesus’
respect for John. Jesus followed the reassuring
touch by telling John His identity. First and last is the same as Alpha and
Omega which points to His eternal nature. No one else could truthfully make
this statement so John knew who the speaker was. This leaves no doubt as to
the identity of the person standing before John. Later on, on two separate
occasions (Revelation 19:10, 22:8-9), we will see John fall down before an
angel and be severely rebuked for it. Both angels tell John that only God is
to be worshipped. Therefore, this cannot be an angel here but must be Christ Himself.
1:18 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.
Jesus then proceeds to give
further indication of who He is. He is the only one who has ever been
resurrected from the dead that has not had to die again. “Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more;
death hath no more dominion over him” (Romans 6:9). But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward
they that are Christ's at his coming. Then cometh the end, when he shall have
delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down
all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all
enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death
(I Corinthians 15:23-26). Christ will continue to reign in His Kingdom until
death is finally conquered, which will be when he resurrects all who have
ever died.
All others who have ever been resurrected in the past have
later died again. But having conquered death, Jesus
now has the keys of Hell (Hades) and death. When He raises the dead in the
last day, no one will ever die again. Hades is where the souls of men go to
await their sentencing at the end of time. In other words, since He now
enjoys dominion over death, having overcome it Himself, He has the power to
raise people from the dead such that they will never die again.
1:19 Write the things which thou hast
seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;
Jesus now instructs John to record what he has
already seen, the things that he is currently seeing, and the things he will
soon see. In short, He is telling him not to leave anything out. Jesus had
already told John, “What thou seest,
write in a book, and send it
unto the seven churches which are in Asia” (Revelation 1:11). Possibly
John was so awestruck with his surroundings that he was forgetting to take
notes and Jesus just gave him a friendly
reminder. We do know that John did do some writing while receiving this
vision because it is mentioned in chapter ten.
1:20 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.
Now having John in a slightly more
receptive state, Christ begins to explain some of the things John has
seen earlier. The seven stars that John told us about in verse sixteen represent
the seven angels of the Seven Churches of Asia to which the seven letters in
the following two chapters are addressed. In Revelation, and indeed
throughout the entire Bible, heavenly bodies are used as symbols of powers,
governments, authorities, and such like. It could easily be said that God is
the sun, Christ the moon, and the angels are the stars.
The seven golden candlesticks of verse twelve are said here to be the Seven
Churches. Just as the purpose of candles is to shed light upon their surroundings,
so too the Church is intended to shed spiritual light upon its
surroundings. The symbolism of the stars and candlesticks serves to prepare
us for what lies ahead. Christ has used these symbols and
then told us what they mean. Throughout the rest of the book He will use
symbols but will not tells us what they mean. So He was just giving us a
little warm-up exercise here on interpreting symbols.
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