Revelation to the apostle John. (Chapter 1)

Structure

Let's first look at a broad structure to which we will hold during this study.

Prologue (1:1-8)

1.      Title, chain of transmission, promise of blessing (1:1-3)

2.      Epistolary opening (1:4-6)

3.      Announcements about and by the coming King (1:7-8)

Body (1:9 - 22:9)

1.      "The things which are" : Christ is with his churches and knows their conflict (1:9-3:20)

a)     Vision of the Son of Man ("I was in the Spirit") (1:9-20)

b)     His seven letters to the churches (2:1-3:20)

2.      "The things which shall take place after these things" : Christ will defeat and destroy his enemies (4:1-22:9)

a)     Scroll opened: Current and coming woes, precursors of the end (4:1-11:18)

i.                    Vision of the One on the throne and the Lion/Lamb ("I was in the Spirit") (4-5)

ii.                   The Lamb opens the seals: instruments, rationale, and climax of current and coming woes (6:1-8:1)

INTERLUDE: Sealing of Israel, worship by the nations (7)

iii.                  Vision of the incense altar (8:2-6)

iv.                Sounding of seven trumpets: current and coming woes, sound warnings, prefiguring coming wrath (8:7-9:21, 11:14-18)

b)     Scroll delivered: The cosmic conflict of the ages (10:1-22:9)

i.                    Vision of angel with scroll, seventh trumpet, open temple (10:1-11:19)

INTERLUDE: Temple measured, witnesses killed but victorious (11:1-13)

ii.                   The combatants revealed ("a great sign ... another sign") (12-14)

A.      The mother, her child, and the dragon (12)

B.      The beasts (13)

C.      The Lamb and his army (14:1-5)

D.      Announcements and harvests (14:6-20)

iii.                  The end of God's wrath (15-16)

A.      Seven angels of the last plagues ("another sign") (15)

B.      Seven bowls: the last plagues (16)

iv.                The harlot's judgment ("Come I will show you --- he carried me away in the Spirit") (17:1-19:10)

v.                 The last battle ("heaven opened") (19:11-20:10)

vi.                The end of the first creation and arrival of the new creation (20:11-21:8)

A.      The last judgment - "first things" ended (20:11-15)

B.      The new heaven and earth - "all things new" (21:1-8)

vii.               The bride's glory ("Come, I will show you ... and he carried me away in the Spirit") (21:9-22:9)

Epilogue (22:6-21)

1.      God sent his angel; "I am coming quickly," so blessing is promised to the one who keeps the prophecy (22:6-9)

2.      "I am coming quickly," so the book must not be sealed and blessing is promised to those who wash their robes; Jesus has sent his angel (22:10-16)

3.      The Spirit and the bride invite the thirsty to come and petition the Lord Jesus to come; the book must not be altered; "I am coming quickly" (22:17-20)

4.      Epistolary benediction (22:21)

General Introduction (1:1 - 3).

¹The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, ²who testifies to everything he saw--that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. ³Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.

These first verses spell out the character of the book, namely, 'The revelation of Jesus Christ.'  The origin of the book is revealed in the words, 'which God gave him.' The purpose is in, 'to show his servants.' The contents: 'what must soon take place.' The form of this revelation is through images, figures of speech, and signs, made known by sending his angel to his servant John.

Revelation is like drawing back a curtain or a covering to reveal what is beyond or underneath, or to make known what was not known before.  The book of Revelation is fittingly the last book of the Bible and a very important book for the comfort and faith of the believer.  Herein all prophecies have been fulfilled and many of the Old Testament passages clarified.

Matthew 11:25, 26 At that time Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. ²⁶Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure."

Ephesians 3:4 - 6 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, ⁵which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets. ⁶This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.

Here we have the revelation of the mystery of Christ, namely, that it was not known previously that the Gentiles were also to inherit what was believed to be a promise to the physical descendents of Abraham only.  

In the introduction we briefly touched on the Seed of Abraham and that the only Seed is Jesus Christ, not a collection of people or a certain race, but only one Man. We need to understand the importance of this one-Seed-only doctrine.

If the seed of Abraham meant Jesus and even only one other person besides Christ, then the entire salvation history was of no meaning.  It was only through the merits of Christ that the promise of the Seed of Abraham could be fulfilled, because there was no other who could bear the wrath of God, pay with his life the price for the sins of the world, and then live to glorify God in heaven.

If a mortal person had to die for others, he would have no life left to give for his own sins. If a mortal person could die for his own sins, he would not have a life left to give for others. Furthermore, the death that God required as satisfaction for the sins of the world was not only a physical death, it was the death that the reprobate will ultimately suffer, which is eternal death. So, it is a huge understatement to speculate that a human being could suffer eternal death for anyone and that it should account for something towards satisfying for any sin.

So, the Gentiles were part of the promise of eternal life that was made throughout history, which was not that obvious in the Old Testament but it is boldly proclaimed in the New Testament.  It must have been hard for some of the Jews to come to grips with the revelation that their expectations were focused on the wrong things and that the Seed of Abraham was not them, but Jesus Christ, the only way in which anyone could come to the Father.

If Abraham had not enjoyed the merits of Christ and his intercession as Mediator, he could not have come to the Father.  If Moses had not had the merits of Christ's sacrifice, yet to come, he too could not have enjoyed the presence of God.  As we have proven in the introduction, it was Jesus to whom Moses spoke and with whom he conferred for forty days in the tent.

Let's read some passages about this mystery of Christ. Please pay particular attention to the way in which God reached out to all nations to bring the elect to him, which is part of salvation history, as we have shown in the introduction.  Now that we know the outcome, as we will see when we read the New Testament passages and especially the first verses of the letter to the Ephesians, it is more evident that God's outreach to all nations in the Old Testament was meant to draw the elect closer to him and not the nation of Israel, or any other group for that matter.

Isaiah 60:9 Surely the islands look to me; in the lead are the ships of Tarshish, bringing your sons from afar, with their silver and gold, to the honor of the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has endowed you with splendor.

Isaiah 66:18 - 23 "And I, because of their actions and their imaginations, am about to come and gather all nations and tongues, and they will come and see my glory. ¹⁹I will set a sign among them, and I will send some of those who survive to the nations--to Tarshish, to the Libyans and Lydians (famous as archers), to Tubal and Greece, and to the distant islands that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory. They will proclaim my glory among the nations ²⁰and they will bring all your brothers, from all the nations, to my holy mountain in Jerusalem as an offering to the LORD--on horses, in chariots and wagons, and on mules and camels," says the LORD. "They will bring them, as the Israelites bring their grain offerings, to the temple of the LORD in ceremonially clean vessels ²¹and I will select some of them also to be priests and Levites," says the LORD. ²²"As the new heavens and the new earth that I make will endure before me," declares the LORD, "so will your name and descendants endure. ²³From one New Moon to another and from one Sabbath to another, all mankind will come and bow down before me," says the LORD.

Romans 11:7, 25  What then? What Israel sought so earnestly it did not obtain, but the elect did. The others were hardened. ²⁵I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in.

Ephesians 3:2 - 12  Surely you have heard about the administration of God's grace that was given to me for you. ³That is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. ⁴In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, ⁵which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets. ⁶This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus. ⁷I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God's grace given me through the working of his power. ⁸Although I am less than the least of all God's people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ ⁹and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. ¹⁰His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms ¹¹according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. ¹²In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.

So, the evidence is clear in both the Old and the New Testaments that the elect were the object of God's mercy and grace and it never was any nation or group.

We are able to identify three different meanings of the word revelation as it is described in the Bible, such as,

a)  The act of revealing.

Romans 2:5  But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God's wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.

John 3:11 I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony.

Acts 26:16 'Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you.

I Corinthians 14:26  What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church.

b)  The result or contents of revelation.

God gave Jesus his name according to the announcement of the angel to Joseph in Matthew 1:21, in which he also announced the office of Jesus, namely, that he will be the Savior. "...because he will save his people from their sins."  In Matthew 1:16 and 16:16 Jesus is identified as the Christ. "Simon Peter answered: 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.'"

In verse 1 of Revelation, we read that this is a revelation of Jesus Christ 'which God gave him.'  This indicates to us that God authored this revelation out of pure grace and mercy, and in his sovereignty God extended his authority to Jesus to reveal the final result of his mediation, sacrifice, and authority as Head of the church.

John 20:21  Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you."

So, the mystery of Christ is now in the hands of the church and it is proclaimed by the ministers of the Word of God in the church, practiced in the pastoral care of the congregation, confirmed by the sacraments, kept holy by the application of the discipline, and shared during the communion of the saints.

It stands to reason, then, that revealing the mystery of Christ is the duty of the church, not to reveal more of Christ, but to proclaim that which has been fully revealed to those who have not heard it yet.

John is also called God's servant, which literally means 'slave of God' that puts in context God's total authority and ownership of believers, being set apart for the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Read Romans 1:1 and James 1:1.

The prophets are also considered recipients of the revelations of God as they always claimed to speak the very words of God. Jeremiah 42:18 "This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says:" and then the prophet relates to the people the message from God as if God is addressing them personally in the first person.

In Revelation 22:6 the angel of God says the following to John: "These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place."  By addressing John in this way, he is placed in the long line of the Old Testament prophets, causing this book to be a prophecy.

In verse 1 of this book we read that God gave Jesus Christ this revelation "to show his servants," which means through images, figures of speech and signs, but also through the spoken word, "what must soon take place."  This reveals to us the contents of this revelation, which speaks about the events that must "soon" take place according to God's eternal, and divine purpose.

We should pay particular attention to the words of the first verse of this book as it contains the basis upon which we ought to consider the things that are mentioned in this book. Let's look at the first words again more carefully: "The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place." This passage speaks about things in the future, so we cannot expect John to experience physical things and events according to the rules of time, space, and place.  John further "testifies to everything he saw..."  He was shown things and heard words that were given to him in the spirit.

After Jesus gave John instructions he was invited to "come up here" to be shown what must take place after this. And John recalled that he was at once in the spirit after which he saw strange things, expressed in common terms, so that we can form an image of what John really saw.  The words that John wrote are sufficient for us to understand what was revealed to us, but we will never be able to fully comprehend what it was that John actually experienced.  Not yet, at least.

Because of this we have no option but to consider the contents of this book in a figurative sense. We are admonished not to take things literally but the revelation given to John was given in this way so that it can be preached in the worship service and passed on from generation to generation by the spoken word. John was able to pen his experiences in such a gripping manner that they maintain their vivid imagery and their powerful message.  It was done in this way specifically to adhere to the precept that faith comes by hearing the word of God.

It is, therefore, with great care that anyone should endeavor an exegesis of this book. Intellectual capital should be borrowed from scholars and professors who labored many years over the exact understanding and meaning of difficult passages.  Which is what I have done also.

Verse 1 gives us the four authorities upon which this book is based, namely, God, Jesus Christ, the angel, and the apostle John.  As we have seen during the introduction to our study, when we dealt with the truth in Scripture, one of the components that proves Scripture is the truth was the testimony of two or three.  Here we see that principle at work. There is the authority of four in the account of this book, which makes it trustworthy and truthful.

c)  The written revelation. 

Revelation 1:3 Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.

In the previous paragraph we mentioned that the book of Revelation is based on four authorities, namely, God, Jesus Christ, the angel, and the apostle John.

God's role in the book of Revelation is obvious: He is the Giver of the revelation, the Author of it all, the One who foreordained it from before creation.  God is also the One who determined the exact moment and way in which the church would be informed of the mysteries of the gospel.

Jesus' role in the revelation touches his offices as Prophet, Priest, and King.  His sacrifice, which purchased the elect from eternal death, is depicted as a slain, yet victorious Lamb, as we will see during our study.  Jesus' testimony is given in exact instructions in the letters to the seven churches, and also in images and figures of speech to convey to the church information beyond what the spoken word alone can accomplish.

He is the revealer of what the Father gave him. It is around Him that all things revolve. He has all the power on earth and in heaven. He is the central figure. He is the King. He is the Head. And if it is about the Head, it is also about his body, the congregation, the elect. And if it is about the elect, it is also about you and me.

The angel's role is conforming to what the word 'angel' means, namely, messenger.  He interacts with John, informing him of events that are taking place during the revelation.  The angel is presented to John with such glory, as a heavenly citizen, and authority to speak the very words of God, that at one time John fell down at his feet to worship him. As one would expect, the angel rebuked him and made this astonishing statement: "Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." Revelation 19:10.  The angel is not only talking to John, but he is also talking to the church of all times, warning them not to worship anyone but God. Not angels, dead departed souls, saints or anyone but God himself. Jesus also taught us not to pray to him but to the Father in his name. 

If there had been any desire by the angel to take some of the credit for what's happening, or an inkling to do what Adam and Eve did, he couldn't have said what he said at the time he said it: with the apostle John at his feet. Remember that's what Satan wanted Jesus to do, nothing more. Just to fall down at his feet. But the angel set John straight in short order and put the glory that John had seen in perspective. As a member of the elect, John would ultimately have even more glory than the angel.

John's role is only to report what he saw and testify about it. It tells us that John did not invent anything nor did he describe his own fantasies or desires.  He merely testified about that which God told him to write.

Revelation 22:6, 16, 18, 19  The angel said to me, "These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place." ¹⁶"I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star." ¹⁸I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. ¹⁹And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.

Jesus is the subject of the book because the revelation is by him and about him. The prophecy was given in spoken words, as we have said before, so that it could be passed on to future generations while maintaining the power of its imagery and message, as we have it now in the Bible.

In verse three there are promises of reward. "Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near."

These Scripture passages give us an indication of the kind of man that will be blessed as they are put in context with verse three.

Psalm 84:12 O LORD Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you.

Psalm 112:1 Praise the LORD. Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who finds great delight in his commands.

Psalm 119:2 Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart.

Psalm 128:1 Blessed are all who fear the LORD, who walk in his ways.

Isaiah 66:2 Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?" declares the LORD. "This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word."

Matthew 5:3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

James 5:11 As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.

This verse continues by saying, "Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy."  Not only does it indicate that the prophecy is a written word and John was commanded to pen that which he saw, it also indicates how the congregation will become aware of the prophecies of the book, namely, by reading it to the congregation.

Colossians 4:16  After this letter has been read to you, see that it is also read in the church of the Laodiceans and that you in turn read the letter from Laodicea.

I Thessalonians 5:27 I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers.

The book is called a prophecy because it announces the will and word of God of things that are still to occur. Jesus says in chapter 22:7, "Behold, I am coming soon! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy in this book." In verse 10 the angel said, "Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, because the time is near."  These words speak about the worship service and what the congregation ought to do, namely, to take to heart what is written in it, and live according to it because the time is near.  This makes the congregation aware that it might happen at any time.

The reader must not only regard the contents of this book as historical with a future scope, but also how the believer ought to conduct his life at the present time to await the return of Christ.  This book is, therefore, not only prophetic but also admonishing and comforting.

Prologue >> 2. Epistolary opening (1:4-6)>>

Revelation 1:4 - 6 John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, ⁵and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, ⁶and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father--to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.

These passages start with a benediction and announcement of the return of Christ. The book starts here in the form of a letter, just as the apostle Paul started his letter to the Romans:

Romans 1:1 - 7 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God - ²the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scripture, ³regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, ⁴and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. ⁵Through him and for his name's sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith. ⁶And you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ. ⁷To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

This benediction conforms to the standard greeting we find in many letters written in the Bible, where the subject of the letter appears in its benediction. In this case the letter to the seven churches and the letter to the Romans, manifest the authority of Jesus Christ as Lord over the author and by which authority the letter is written.

John addresses these letters to the seven churches in the province of Asia, greeting them with 'Grace and peace to you' following it up by stating the origin of the grace and peace, namely, from Jesus Christ.  But in this greeting John cleverly includes characteristics of God in the benediction, "from him who is, and who was, and who is to come," thereby conveying to the churches God's authority in his letters. To add to the laud of God, John reveals to us that there are seven spirits of God before his throne.  There is another reference to these seven spirits of God in Revelation 4:5.  And finally, John states that the letters are from Jesus Christ, "who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth."

The number seven is used many times in this book, and here it, too, illustrates a figurative number, indicating wholeness or completeness.  In the province of Asia there were more than seven churches, and the seven spirits of God clearly signifies the whole and complete presence of the Godhead.

Revelation 1:20 The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

Revelation 4:5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God.

Just as the number seven in conjunction with the spirits of God, illustrate the complete presence of God, the number seven in conjunction with the churches, means that this revelation ought to be given to all the churches of Christ.

Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, and 29  He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. ¹¹He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death. ¹⁷He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it. ²⁹He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

We hear the same refrain "he who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches" in several other passages in this book, proving that the seven churches to which John writes, mean the whole church everywhere on earth and that it is a symbolic number.

John continues with the benediction, "Grace and peace to you..." expressing the grace of God to be with them and the inner peace that accompanies a proper faith in God.

Let's look at some Scripture passages regarding the 'grace' that John included in his benediction. Please pay particular attention to the blessings expressed in these benedictions, which confirm the character of these letters from Jesus to the seven churches in Asia.

Romans 1:7  To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

I Corinthians 1:3 - 7 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. ⁴I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus, ⁵for in him you have been enriched in every way--in all your speaking and in all your knowledge - ⁶because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you. ⁷Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed.

Philippians 1:1 - 6 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons: ²Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. ³I thank my God every time I remember you. ⁴In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy ⁵because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.

Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

I Peter 1:1 - 7 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God's elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, ²who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance. ³Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead ⁴and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you, ⁵who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. ⁶In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. ⁷These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

John also pronounces peace over the seven churches, which is confirmed by the following passages of Scripture. Please pay particular attention to the peace pronounced in these passages and the author of that peace.

I Kings 2:33 May the guilt of their blood rest on the head of Joab and his descendants forever. But on David and his descendants, his house and his throne, may there be the LORD'S peace forever.

Psalm 35:27 May those who delight in my vindication shout for joy and gladness; may they always say, "The LORD be exalted, who delights in the well-being of his servant."

Psalm 122:6 - 8 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: "May those who love you be secure. ⁷May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels. ⁸For the sake of my brothers and friends, I will say, "Peace be within you."

Matthew 10:13 If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you.

Luke 2:14 "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

Luke 24:36  While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you."

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

John 16:33  "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

John 20:21  Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you."

I Corinthians 14:33 For God is not a God of disorder but of peace.

II Corinthians 1:2  Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Titus 1:4  To Titus, my true son in our common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.

Verse 4 further announces the cause of the grace and peace that is bestowed upon the seven churches, namely, "the one who is, and who was, and who is to come."  This phrase was taken directly from the Greek since it reveals in a powerful way that it speaks about God.  Translators felt that translating the construct of the phrase would distract from the force that the Greek language captured about God. And they were right. The same thing happened with the description of Christ in verse 5, "Jesus Christ who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth."

The phrase in verse 4, describing God, relates to us God's divinity, that He is without beginning or end; that He is unchangeable, not only at the end of time, but from all eternity.

Exodus 3:14, 15  God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'" ¹⁵God also said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites, 'The LORD, the God of your fathers--the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob--has sent me to you.' This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.

Isaiah 40:10 See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and his arm rules for him. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.

Isaiah 41:4 Who has done this and carried it through, calling forth the generations from the beginning? I, the LORD--with the first of them and with the last--I am.

Verse 4 continues to speak about the Holy Spirit, calling Him the seven spirits of God, which is an unusual way to describe the Holy Spirit. It indicates the complete and whole presence of God and that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the whole Godhead. It also expresses the complete and all encompassing efficiency of the Holy Spirit in all his offices.  See Revelations 4:5, which we have quoted earlier.

These seven Spirits are "before His throne" and it is described in this way to point to the tabernacle where the lampstands served to show forth the radiance of God's glory. Here the seven spirits are placed before the throne to show forth the radiance of Christ's atoning glory, and the grace and peace pouring from God's inner sanctum, from his very Spirit, onto the body of Christ, his congregation.

Verse 5 reveals that the grace and peace also comes from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness.  This benediction now revealed the entire Godhead in the order: God the Father, God the Holy Spirit, and God the Son, Jesus Christ.  Jesus receives three names to correspond to the testimony of his mission to save the elect, namely,

faithful witness corresponding to his death;

firstborn from the dead corresponding with his resurrection; and

ruler of the kings of the earth corresponding to his glorification and position at the right hand of the Father.

These three names bind this revelation to the blueprint of a confession of faith and which have been faithfully taken up into the Apostles Creed.

Through Christ's faithful ministry and the confirmation by his blood, he is the faithful witness of the truth of our salvation that went forth from God the Father.  Being called the firstborn from the dead is an honorary title revealing that Jesus is the predecessor of all those who would rise from the dead as a consequence of that first ascend from the grave. Jesus is, therefore, the supreme Ruler, the Regent with the majesty of Almighty God who could lay down his life and take it up again at his will, wielding supremacy over death, and the living and the dead. 

Colossians 1:13 - 20 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves ¹⁴in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. ¹⁵He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation, ¹⁶for by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. ¹⁷He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ¹⁸And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy, ¹⁹for God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him ²⁰and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. ²⁰But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

I Corinthians 15:21 - 24 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man, ²²for as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. ²³But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. ²⁴Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power.

 

 

 

 

Let's read verses 4 - 6 again:

Revelation 1:4 - 6 John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, ⁵and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, ⁶and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father--to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.

Jesus is identified in these passages from the epistolary opening as the "faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth."

As ruler, or regent, of all the powers and authorities of the earth, everything is subject to his authority.

Psalm 72:11 All kings will bow down to him and all nations will serve him.

Proverbs 8:15, 16 By me kings reign and rulers make laws that are just. ¹⁶By me princes govern, and all nobles who rule on earth.

Daniel 2:47 The king said to Daniel, "Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery.

Isaiah 55:3, 4 Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David. ⁴See, I have made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander of the peoples.

Philippians 2:9 - 11 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name ¹⁰that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

I Timothy 6:15 Which God will bring about in his own time--God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords.

Revelation 17:18 The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth.

Revelation 19:15, 16 Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter." He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. ¹⁶On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS."

"To him who loves us..." declares the first of three acts of benevolence that Jesus Christ bestows on us.  These expressions of charity and mercy are made specifically to indicate the eternal nature of his gifts.

Ezekiel 36:25 - 27 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. ²⁶I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh, ²⁷and I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.

Zephaniah 3:17 The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.

Romans 8:37 ... in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

John 14:21 Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.

John 15:9, 10  "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. ¹⁰If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love."

John 16:27 ... the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.

This is the second act of benevolence that Christ bestows on us.  Here the connection between forgiveness of sins and a sacrifice with blood is confirmed. Although the Old Testament sacrifices were made by the blood of animals, the essence of the sacrificial blood could not permanently remove sins. But the blood of Jesus caused a sacrifice of such magnitude, that it freed all of the elect from all their sins, past, present and future.

Hebrews 7:24 - 28; 8:1, 2  But because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. ²⁵Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. ²⁶Such a high priest meets our need--one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. ²⁷Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. ²⁸For the law appoints as high priests men who are weak; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever. ^8:1The point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, ²and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by man.

In verse 5 we see also the three offices of Jesus Christ, namely, a faithful witness: his prophetic office; the firstborn from the dead and the ruler of the kings of the earth: his royal office as King of kings; and freed us from our sins by his blood: his office as priest.  These three offices are within us also as restored images of God in our us. We too are priests, prophets, and kings solely because of the merits of Christ through whom we have been adopted as sons of God and thus bear his image, just as sons bear the image of their fathers.

This is the third act of benevolence that Christ bestows on us. One of the consequences of Christ's royal office as King over everything and all powers, is that He would gather the elect for himself in a kingdom.  Without a kingdom, there can be no king and without a body, there can be no head. So, the offices of Christ also declare the consequences of his offices, namely, He is King, therefore He has a kingdom. He is Priest, therefore, there is a priesthood, subjects and someone to whom petitions would be offered. He is Prophet with a faithful testimony, someone to testify about and someone to testify to. He is Head, therefore He has a body.

As we are, therefore, in Christ, we inherit that which Christ enjoys from the Father. Without Christ, we are totally cut off from the Father because there is no other way that any human being, ever, could enjoy these gifts from the Father unless it is through the one to whom it was given by an oath.

Hebrews 6:16 - 18; 7:17, 20, 21 Men swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. ¹⁷Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. ¹⁸God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. ¹⁷For it is declared: "You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek." ²⁰And it was not without an oath! Others became priests without any oath, ²¹but he became a priest with an oath when God said to him: "The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: 'You are a priest forever.'"

But since we also bear the image of God as we inherited it through Christ, we too are kings, prophets, and priests as we said before. Within the kingdom of Christ, we will rule over the earth forever, already starting in this life, practicing our offices for the glory of God through Christ our Head.

Daniel 7:18, 27 But the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever--yes, for ever and ever. ²⁷Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be handed over to the saints, the people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him.

Matthew 25:34  "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.'"

Romans 5:17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ?

II Timothy 2:12 If we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us.

I Peter 1:3, 4  Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

I Peter 1:4 And into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you.

Revelation 3:21  To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne.

Revelation 5:9, 10 And they sang a new song: "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. ¹⁰You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth."

Revelation 11:15  The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever.

Revelation 22:5 There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.

Our priestly office demands that we care for our fellow human beings, through the church, primarily, because they are of the household of faith, and personally, because we would never know when we are hospitable to an angel.

II Corinthians 5:16 - 20 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. ¹⁷Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come. ¹⁸All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: ¹⁹that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. ²⁰We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.

Romans 12:13 Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

I Peter 4:9 Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.

III John 1:8 We ought therefore to show hospitality to such men so that we may work together for the truth.

Galatians 6:10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

Hebrews 13:2 Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.

This extolment confirms the majesty of God the Father and that He alone is worthy of the glory and praises of all of creation.  Does this mean we should not glorify Christ, or the Holy Spirit, who are the Second and Third Persons of the Trinity? We should glorify them through the Father and not directly as if they are separate from the Father. There is only one God. Let's read some of the other exaltations of God.

Romans 11:33 - 36 Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out. ³⁴"Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? ³⁵"Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him? ³⁶For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.

Romans 16:27 To the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.

Galatians 1:3 - 5 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, ⁴who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father. ⁵To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Hebrews 13:20, 21  May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep. ²¹Equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

I Peter 4:11 If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

II Peter 3:18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

II Timothy 4:18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Although it is not the intention now to go into a complete exegesis of the word 'amen' in Scripture, it is perhaps worthwhile to briefly look at some of its different uses in Scripture.

A word of confirmation:

Deuteronomy 27:15 - 26 "Cursed is the man who carves an image or casts an idol--a thing detestable to the LORD, the work of the craftsman's hands--and sets it up in secret." Then all the people shall say, "Amen!" ¹⁶"Cursed is the man who dishonors his father or his mother." Then all the people shall say, "Amen!" ¹⁷"Cursed is the man who moves his neighbor's boundary stone." Then all the people shall say, "Amen!" ¹⁸"Cursed is the man who leads the blind astray on the road." Then all the people shall say, "Amen!" ¹⁹"Cursed is the man who withholds justice from the alien, the fatherless or the widow." Then all the people shall say, "Amen!" ²⁰"Cursed is the man who sleeps with his father's wife, for he dishonors his father's bed." Then all the people shall say, "Amen!" ²¹"Cursed is the man who has sexual relations with any animal." Then all the people shall say, "Amen!" ²²"Cursed is the man who sleeps with his sister, the daughter of his father or the daughter of his mother." Then all the people shall say, "Amen!" ²³"Cursed is the man who sleeps with his mother-in-law." Then all the people shall say, "Amen!" ²⁴"Cursed is the man who kills his neighbor secretly." Then all the people shall say, "Amen!" ²⁵"Cursed is the man who accepts a bribe to kill an innocent person." Then all the people shall say, "Amen!" ²⁶"Cursed is the man who does not uphold the words of this law by carrying them out." Then all the people shall say, "Amen!"

It appears at the end of a laudation.

Revelation 7:12 Saying: "Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!"

The word 'amen' is used as a confirmation of what someone else has said.

Revelation 5:13, 14  Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!" ¹⁴The four living creatures said, "Amen," and the elders fell down and worshiped.

Revelation 19:3, 4  And again they shouted: "Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever. ⁴The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried: "Amen, Hallelujah!"

Revelation 22:20  He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

It is used as a confirmation of what shall be.

Revelation 1:7 Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen.

It is used as a name for Christ.

Revelation 3:14 "To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation."

Prologue >> 3. The coming King  (1:7,8)>>

Revelation 1:7, 8 Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen. ⁸"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty."

In this passage we have the announcement of the theme of this book, namely, the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.  The way in which Christ was addressed in verse 4, him who is, and who was, and who is to come, indicates the eternal nature of his purpose and his nature, and here is the testimony that the I AM is coming with the clouds.

Daniel 7:13  "In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence."

Mark 14:62  "I am," said Jesus. "And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven."

Revelation 14:14 - 16 I looked, and there before me was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one "like a son of man" with a crown of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. ¹⁵Then another angel came out of the temple and called in a loud voice to him who was sitting on the cloud, "Take your sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe." ¹⁶So he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.

Matthew 26:64  "Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied. "But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven."

Acts 1:9 - 11 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. ¹⁰They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. ¹¹"Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."

We see in the passages above that Christ's return is exactly as the prophets declared. The passages from Acts indicate that Christ would return in the same manner as he ascended, so that we may not imagine that his return would be in some figurative sense, but it would be real, visible and true in time and space.

The clouds signify God's majesty and presence as is also evident in Exodus 13:21 where God lead Israel by day in a cloud.  When Christ ascended, a cloud covered him, just as a cloud covered God's presence with Israel. Upon Christ's return, however, the clouds do not cover him any longer, but they serve to make him visible and recognizable for every eye will see him.

Matthew 24:30  "At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory."

These words do not only refer to those who physically pierced Jesus in the side after his death, but they refer to all those who ever injured or maligned the cause and gospel of Jesus Christ.  It is important to understand that they, too, will see him and mourn. It is they who will defend their evil works before the Judgement Seat of Christ.

Psalm 22:16 Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet.

Zechariah 12:8 - 10 On that day the LORD will shield those who live in Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the Angel of the LORD going before them. ⁹On that day I will set out to destroy all the nations that attack Jerusalem. ¹⁰"And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son."

John 19:34 - 37 Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. ³⁵ he man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. ³⁶These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: "Not one of his bones will be broken," ³⁷and, as another scripture says, "They will look on the one they have pierced."

During our study, we will thoroughly deal with Christ as Judge and the significance of the court scene. Suffice to say at this time that it is of vital importance that all the peoples of the earth will see him when he comes, and those who scorned him, rejected him, or denied him, will mourn.  As we shall see during the trial, they do not mourn because they believe that they should have rather believed in Jesus Christ, but they curse him for treating them in this way, now knowing full-well what their fate will be. Not even the grandeur surrounding Christ's return, and the revelation of their fate, moves them to repent and worship Christ.

Luke 23:27 - 31 A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him. ²⁸Jesus turned and said to them, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children, ²⁹for the time will come when you will say, 'Blessed are the barren women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!' ³⁰Then 'they will say to the mountains, "Fall on us!" and to the hills, "Cover us!"' ³¹For if men do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?

Some translations render this as "Yes, Amen." These two words, from both the Greek and Hebrew, are added here as a prayer to confirm that what is said here is absolutely true and the believer is in complete agreement with the petition. We encountered the same thing in verse 6.

This is how God introduced himself to us in

Exodus 3:14  God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'"

And Jesus did the same thing in various passages in Scripture.

John 6:35  Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty."

John 10:7, 11  Therefore Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. ¹¹ "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."

John 15:1  "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener."

One may argue that Jesus is merely referring to himself in the first person and that he does not reveal his name like God did in Exodus 14.  That argument can easily be dispelled by referring to the oneness of God and Jesus Christ, Christ being the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being. (Hebrews 1:3).  Given that the Son and the Father are one, Jesus, in his divinity, also cannot foreknow things observantly, but only creatively, so when he uses the personal pronoun "I" in terms of himself, it has the same weight and power as when God uses it.  When Christ says, I lay "down [my] life for the sheep," it has already been accomplished and it cannot be avoided, frustrated, or delayed.

So, when Jesus refers to his divine nature, which is exactly the same as the Father, he uses language that identifies him as "I am" and then he continues with the attribute that he chooses to reveal, such as "the true vine," "the gate for the sheep," "the bread of life," and as we have in this passage, "the Alpha and the Omega."

Mark 6:50 Because they all saw him and were terrified. Immediately he spoke to them and said, "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid."

These words are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet and it indicates that there is nothing that came before Christ, and there is nothing that will be after him. It is a confirmation of him who is, and who was, and who is to come that we encountered in verse 4.

In this way we are assured that God is the beginning and end of everything and everything in between is under his almighty rule, including time.  God is not referred to as the ruler of everything from the beginning to the end, but that he IS the beginning and the end. So, he is the First Cause of everything and everybody.

Isaiah 44:6 "This is what the LORD says--Israel's King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God."

Romans 11:33 - 36 Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out. ³⁴"Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? ³⁵Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him? ³⁶For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen."

I Corinthians 15:27, 28 For he "has put everything under his feet." Now when it says that "everything" has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. ²⁸When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.

Ephesians 4:6 One God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

Scripture specifically identifies the One who declares to be the Alpha and the Omega in which we see the presence of Jesus Christ and follows up with the same declaration we saw in verse 4:

We discussed this reference to God previously.

We have three different identifications of God in this passage, namely, "I am," "Lord God," and "the Almighty." This lends weight to the prophecy revealed to the apostle John so that there can be no doubt that these words are the very words of God.

The name the "Almighty" correlates with the many names of God in the Old Testament, where God refers to himself as God Almighty.

Genesis 28:3 May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and increase your numbers until you become a community of peoples.

Genesis 43:14 And may God Almighty grant you mercy before the man so that he will let your other brother and Benjamin come back with you. As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved.

Genesis 48:3  Jacob said to Joseph, "God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and there he blessed me."

Isaiah 44:6 "This is what the LORD says--Israel's King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God."

Amos 4:13 He who forms the mountains, creates the wind, and reveals his thoughts to man, he who turns dawn to darkness, and treads the high places of the earth--the LORD God Almighty is his name.

This passage reveals the essence of God in three dimensions, namely, the space, time and power thereof.  He encompasses everything, always in all respects.

I Corinthians 15:22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive, ²³but each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. ²⁴Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power.

This ends our study of the Prologue, which dealt with the identification of the author, the purpose and the subject, namely the return of Jesus Christ.

Body >> 4.  The things which are (1:9-3:20)>>

a) Vision of the Son of Man (1:9-20)>>

i. Write to the seven churches (1:9-11)>>

Jesus appears to John while he ministered on the island of Patmos and receives the instruction to write what is revealed to him and to send it to the seven churches.

It was a common practice to set the personal pronoun "I" at the start of a paragraph or section of Scripture to convey to the reader the guarantee that what is being reported is accurate and bears the personal assurance of the author.

We see it also in

Daniel 7:15  "I, Daniel, was troubled in spirit, and the visions that passed through my mind disturbed me.

Galatians 5:2  Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all.

I Thessalonians 2:18 For we wanted to come to you--certainly I, Paul, did, again and again--but Satan stopped us.

Philemon 1:19 I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand. I will pay it back--not to mention that you owe me your very self.

John does not announce himself as the apostle, but as someone who in all respects is one with the congregation.  This expression indicates that there is a strong bond between John and each congregation and that he knows them personally.  His relationship with them consists of three components, namely,

1.      in the suffering

Their suffering is typical of the time and foreordained so that the Scriptures could be fulfilled through them.

John 16:32, 33 "But a time is coming, and has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me. ³³"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

II Timothy 3:11 - 13 Persecutions, sufferings--what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. ¹²In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, ¹³while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.

2.      in the kingdom

He speaks here of the kingdom of Christ, of which we are already members in this life, that attains its fullness in the future.

Revelation 22:5 There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.

3.      in patient endurance.

The patient endurance that John refers to here is the perseverance expected of the faithful and he declares not only that he is fully committed to that requirement of the elect, but that they, too, share the resolve to persevere.

In the hour of affliction the believer should patiently look forward to the future dominion and rule in the kingdom of Christ.

II Timothy 2:9, 10 For which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God's word is not chained. ¹⁰Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.

Hebrews 12:1 - 3 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. ²Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

John states that the three components of his relationship with the congregations to which he is writing, are theirs and it is so in Jesus.  Their sorrow, grief, and pain are connected to Jesus' suffering and therefore, they are laid on the yoke of their Savior.  It is a vital connection that John makes here since without this connection their comfort may be unfounded, which may lead them to boast in times of blessing and to despair in times of affliction.

John was banished to this island because of his faith, and he was ministering there.

The Lord's Day was already established in the church to be the day that Christ rose from the grave and which replaced the Old Testament Sabbath.

Acts 20:7  On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight.

I Corinthians 16:2 On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.

Because the things that Jesus was about to reveal to John were of a spiritual nature, i.e. not visible or concrete and from the past and the future, there was no other way in which he could perceive these revelations except through the Spirit. So, what John saw were prophetic visions and perceptions, which were directly orchestrated by the Holy Spirit in accordance with the will of the Father.

Acts 10:9, 10  About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. ¹⁰He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance.

II Corinthians 11:32, 33, 12:1-4 In Damascus the governor under King Aretas had the city of the Damascenes guarded in order to arrest me. ³³But I was lowered in a basket from a window in the wall and slipped through his hands. ^12:1I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord. ²I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know--God knows--³and I know that this man--whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows--⁴was caught up to paradise. He heard inexpressible things, things that man is not permitted to tell.

II Peter 1:20, 21 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation, ²¹for prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Here Paul writes to the Corinthians about his own experience in the humblest of ways, namely, in the third person.  The old Jewish belief was that there are seven heavens one above the other. The first, or lowest heaven, would be the clouds, the second above that the starry heaven, and the third the heaven would be where the blessed would reside. It is no surprise that Paul would speak in terms of the Jewish beliefs of the time to describe what he experienced.  Paul's experience corresponds with the writings of the prophets Amos 1:1, Hosea 1:1, Isaiah 6:1, Jeremiah 1:1; 26:1, etc. 

Paul recalls being caught up into the highest of the heavens, namely, paradise, the place that Jesus refers to in Luke 23:43, when he promised the criminal on the cross with him that he will be in paradise with Jesus that day.

Without seeing anything John hears a voice that sounds like a trumpet. There are several instances where Scripture associates the presence of God with that of a rumbling or trumpet.

Exodus 19:16  On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled.

Ezekiel 3:12  Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me a loud rumbling sound--May the glory of the LORD be praised in his dwelling place!

Matthew 24:31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

I Corinthians 15:51, 52 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed--⁵²in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.

I Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.

 

John receives his instructions and we understand from the simple language of Scripture here and the inference from the purpose of this book that this instruction was literal and not a figure of speech.

All that John was about to witness should become the contents of this book that we are studying: visions, words, and emotions.

It is interesting to note how these few words impact our understanding of the imagery of the book.  If we were to take these words literally, i.e. only what John saw should be written in the scroll, then all he could reasonably write down was what is read in 1:12-16, where he saw the appearance of 'one like a son of man'.

But, in 1:19, we read 'Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later.'  We will deal with the words of this passage later.

John had to write down what he was about to see and dispatch it to the seven churches, which defines the evangelical function of this Revelation.  Although the seven churches to which John had to send this Revelation were real, the symbolic meaning of the number seven is important to our understanding of the scope of the audience.

There are several sets of seven in the book, such as, seven letters, seven seals, seven trumpets, seven bowls, and so on.  Some scholars divide the book of Revelation into seven divisions, and some even into seven sets of seven, 'a full sabbatical structure resembling Israel's calendar of weekly Sabbaths and sabbatical years.'[1]

In this study we will not delve into the different approaches of scholars, but rather pursue the meaning of Scripture as it is understood in the context of Scripture.  We see that the number seven has a symbolic meaning throughout Scripture.

Cain is promised that anyone who kills him will suffer vengeance seven times over and Lamech will be avenged seventy-seven times. Noah took seven of every clean animal and the number seven played an important role in the entire Flood. Abraham set seven ewe lambs apart for Abimelech as a witness that he dug a well.  Jacob worked for Rachel for seven years and another seven for Leah. Pharaoh dreamt of seven fat and seven gaunt cows and seven heads of grain.  Also the Passover commemoration required them to eat bread without yeast for seven days and the feast of the unleavened bread lasted seven days.  Seven days to make atonement for the altar and to consecrate it. Sprinkling of the blood seven times before the LORD in front of the curtain of the sanctuary.  Remaining at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting for seven days.  The many ceremonies regarding cleanliness that lasted seven days.  The number seven in the Levitical priesthood. The number seven in the ceremonial laws and battles, such as the cancellation of debt after seven years, enemies that will flee in seven directions, and seven priests carrying trumpets and on the seventh day marching around the city seven times.

The number seven depicts the number of completeness, fullness or wholeness. Sending this Revelation to seven churches has the symbolic meaning of sending this prophecy to all the churches in the world until the end of time. 

These churches were located in a wide circle and they are mentioned in the order of their geographical locations. Ephesus is a harbor city close to Patmos where Paul ministered, as we see in Acts 18:19, and 19:1. Smyrna is also a harbor city about 10 hours walking distance north of Ephesus. Pergamum, located in the Roman province of Asia, about 12 hours walking distance north of Smyrna, was the seat of the idolatrous worship of Caesar. Thyatira was located about 12 hours south east of Pergamum. Sardis about eight hours south of Thyatira. Philadelphia eight hours south east of Sardis, and Laodicea another 12 hours south east of Philadelphia, which was again about 40 hours east of Ephesus.

ii.                   John receives a vision (1:12-16)

In verse 10 John related to us that he heard a voice behind him that sounded like a loud trumpet. Now he turns around to face the Speaker.

In the tabernacle there was a lampstand with seven lamps as we see in

Exodus 37:17  They made the lampstand of pure gold and hammered it out, base and shaft; its flowerlike cups, buds and blossoms were of one piece with it.

This lampstand depicted the unity and fullness of Israel as the people of the covenant. In the vision that John sees, however, the seven churches are depicted as seven lampstands that invisibly bind in Christ as a unit.  While the lampstand in the tabernacle unified the seven lamps, Christ, as the lampstand, unifies the seven churches in him.

Just as the lamps gave light in the tabernacle, symbolizing the unity in the covenant, so the congregations shine forth the glory of God through the work of the Holy Spirit as symbolized in the seven lampstands that John saw.

John saw Christ among the lampstands, not above, below or separate from them, but intimately with them. This confirms Jesus' promise that he is with his congregation and that he is our brother, in our midst. The mystery of the seven lampstands is resolved in verse 20 and we will deal with it in more detail when we study that passage.

The prophet Daniel also saw this image:

Daniel 7:13  "In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence.

From this we recognize that Daniel prophesied about Jesus and John's testimony about the same vision confirms that God revealed these things to Daniel so that Scripture may be found true as we have studied in the introduction of this study.

Let's look at some of the passages that refer to Jesus Christ as the Son of Man.

Matthew 8:20  Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."

Matthew 9:6 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins...." Then he said to the paralytic, "Get up, take your mat and go home. "

Matthew 12:8 For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.

Matthew 12:40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Matthew 13:37  He answered, "The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man."

Matthew 13:41 The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil.

Matthew 19:28  Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel."

Matthew 25:31  "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory."

Mark 2:10 "...But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins...." He said to the paralytic.

John 6:53  Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you."

John 13:31  When he was gone, Jesus said, "Now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in him."

There is, therefore, no doubt that John saw Jesus standing among the lampstands.  The voice that John heard is the same voice that Jesus had on earth, but it is now in his glorified body and in the glory of the Father. The voice that now sounds like a trumpet, reveals the majesty of his office as the One who sits at the right hand of the Father.

This robe refers to the priestly robe as we see in

Exodus 28:4 These are the garments they are to make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a woven tunic, a turban and a sash. They are to make these sacred garments for your brother Aaron and his sons, so they may serve me as priests.

It depicts Jesus' office as High Priest.

Revelation 1:13 And among the lampstands was someone "like a son of man," dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest.

The sash around Jesus' chest is a sign of his majesty; his authority. 

Isaiah 11:5 Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist.

Isaiah 22:20, 21  "In that day I will summon my servant, Eliakim son of Hilkiah. ²¹I will clothe him with your robe and fasten your sash around him and hand your authority over to him. He will be a father to those who live in Jerusalem and to the house of Judah,"

Jesus' hair 'white as snow' depicts his holiness.

Daniel 7:9  "As I looked, "thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze.

His eyes that were like a blazing fire signify Jesus' omniscience, his ability to search the hidden and penetrate the heart.

Daniel 10:6 His body was like chrysolite, his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and his voice like the sound of a multitude.

Hebrews 4:13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Daniel interpreted the dream of King Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 2:27 in which Nebuchadnezzar dreamt of a huge statue with a head of gold and feet of clay depicting the unsure footing upon which Nebuchadnezzar found himself. Jesus is also depicted in terms of a statue, but Jesus' feet are shown in the form of a solid metal showing forth the truth and sure footing upon which the gospel is founded.  His feet are glowing showing forth his holiness.

Feet are also used in Scripture to depict the one who brings good news, the gospel, and they are declared beautiful when the news is good.  It is then no wonder that we are given an indication of the beauty of Jesus' feet in this vision.

Isaiah 52:7 How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!"

Romans 10:15 And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"

Jesus' voice was described as a trumpet in verse 10; here as rushing waters. There could be many reasons why his voice is described differently in these two passages, such as, in verse 10 Jesus made an announcement, made a decree, "Write ... and ... send!" while in verse 17 Jesus spoke personally to John, comforting him, "Do not be afraid."  So, rushing waters can depict calmness and yet show forth the power that the One who speaks posses.

Scripture refers to the voice of the LORD in various ways, such as, "the LORD thundered from heaven," "Listen to the roar of his voice," "he thunders with his majestic voice," "God's voice thunders, "the voice of the LORD breaks cedars," "the voice of the LORD shakes the desert."  Jesus' voice described as a trumpet sound and then as rushing waters is perfectly consistent with Old Testament accounts of the voice of God.

God's right hand is an indication of complete power. The blessings the patriarchs expressed on their firstborn sons, where done with the right hand; Exodus 15:6 reads, "Your right hand, O LORD, was majestic in power;" Psalm 63:8, "My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me."

Luke 20:42 David himself declares in the Book of Psalms: 'The Lord said to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand."

Luke 22:69 But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God.

Jesus himself resolves the mystery of the seven stars in his hand in verse 20 and we will deal with that when we study that passage.

The vision of Jesus holding the seven stars in his right hand, shows forth his complete power and dominion over his people and that no one can snatch them out of his hand.

The sword that came out of Jesus' mouth is the Word of God, almighty and penetrating everything, judging and saving.

Isaiah 11:4 But with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.

Ephesians 6:17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Hebrews 4:12  For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

II Thessalonians 2:8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.

The sword coming from Christ's mouth in Revelation deals with the judgment of Christ on the wicked:

Revelation 2:12, 13, 16 "To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. ¹³I know where you live--where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city--where Satan lives. ¹⁶Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

Christ's statement does not pertain to events of history, but events that are ongoing today, because the sword did not come out of his mouth as an isolated event, but it is a continuing process, going out day by day as proclaimed by the church.  It continues to declare his glory and to judge and punish the wicked.  Read also Matthew 18.

The brilliance of Jesus' face shows forth his divine majesty. In the introduction we read about the radiance of Moses' face because he was in God's presence. The radiance that accompanies God's glory is incomprehensible to the human perception, but here in Revelation, we have a glimpse of Jesus' radiance.

II Corinthians 3:18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

iii.  John's commission (1:17-20)

The immediate response to a godly vision is inescapable fear leading to paralysis in some. The overwhelming awareness of the holiness and majesty of God, even when projected by someone else as intercessor, to prevent immediate destruction, causes intense fear and prostration followed by comforting from God.  This phenomenon is not unique to John as Scripture teaches us about others who also were overwhelmed by the presence of God.

Judges 6:22, 23 When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the LORD, he exclaimed, "Ah, Sovereign LORD! I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face!" ²³But the LORD said to him, "Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die."

Judges 13:22, 23  "We are doomed to die!" he said to his wife. "We have seen God!" ²³But his wife answered, "If the LORD had meant to kill us, he would not have accepted a burnt offering and grain offering from our hands, nor shown us all these things or now told us this."

Isaiah 6:5  "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty."

Ezekiel 1:28 Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking.

Ezekiel 2:1, 2  He said to me, "Son of man, stand up on your feet and I will speak to you." ²As he spoke, the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet, and I heard him speaking to me."

Daniel 8:17, 18  As he came near the place where I was standing, I was terrified and fell prostrate. "Son of man," he said to me, "understand that the vision concerns the time of the end." ¹⁸While he was speaking to me, I was in a deep sleep, with my face to the ground. Then he touched me and raised me to my feet.

Daniel 10:7  I, Daniel, was the only one who saw the vision; the men with me did not see it, but such terror overwhelmed them that they fled and hid themselves.

Daniel 10:8 - 10 So I was left alone, gazing at this great vision; I had no strength left, my face turned deathly pale and I was helpless. ⁹Then I heard him speaking, and as I listened to him, I fell into a deep sleep, my face to the ground. ¹⁰A hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees.

To assure John about God's mercy and to comfort him, Christ physically touched John by placing his right hand on him.

Isaiah 41:10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

With these comforting words, Jesus literally told John to stop fearing. Jesus, on several occasions, used these words to comfort his disciples.

Mark 5:36  Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, "Don't be afraid; just believe."

Mark 6:50 Because they all saw him and were terrified. Immediately he spoke to them and said, "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid."

Luke 24:38, 39 He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? ³⁹Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have."

John 6:20 But he said to them, "It is I; don't be afraid.

John 20:19  On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!"

It is, therefore, the same Jesus who walked the earth that stood here before John.

Jesus again identifies himself to comfort John, that he is in no danger, but that he is with his Savior, who is the very source of his ultimate comfort as a Christian.  Jesus knew exactly what to say to John to relieve him of his paralysis and anxiety: I am the First and the Last, meaning, everything is mine, everything is through me; I am the source of all and the destination of all. In verse 18 Jesus continues with his declaration of who he is to comfort John and to clearly declare the identity of the Author of the book of Revelation.

Isaiah 44:6 "This is what the LORD says--Israel's King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God.

Romans 11:33 - 36 Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out. ³⁴"Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? ³⁵Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him? ³⁶For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen."

Colossians 1:15 - 20 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. ¹⁶For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. ¹⁷He is before all things, and in him all things hold together, ¹⁸and he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. ¹⁹For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, ²⁰and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

Jesus is the living One, meaning that he has power and dominion over life and death. He is the firstborn from the dead, the One who conquered death and can truly declare to be the living One. The One who opened the grave so that it became a mere passage from the old to the new for those who believe, so that they, too, can become living ones.

Job 19:25 I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.

Psalm 18:46 The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God my Savior.

Psalm 68:20 Our God is a God who saves; from the Sovereign LORD comes escape from death.

John 14:19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.

Romans 6:9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him.

Romans 14:8, 9 If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. ⁹For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.

II Corinthians 5:15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

Hebrews 1:3 The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.

Hebrews 7:25 Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.

Freely Christ laid down his life, and freely he took up his life again, because he has life in himself.  Christ rose from the dead to live forever, unchangeable and glorified in his human body.

John 10:17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life--only to take it up again.

Isaiah 53:9, 10 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. ¹⁰Yet it was the LORD'S will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.

John 17:4, 5 I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. ⁵And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.

Hebrews 2:9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

Keys are the symbols of power because they are the instruments by which things are opened or closed, access permitted or refused.

Isaiah 22:22 I will place on his shoulder the key to the house of David; what he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.

Matthew 16:19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

Jesus declares that he holds the keys of death and Hades, so John and all of us who believe the words of Scripture, should be comforted, that these important keys are not in the hands of some rogue figure in the netherworld but that they would be used justly.

Hades, being the place of the dead, and whereto all wickedness leads, are under the control of Christ, and at the right time Christ will command that the dead in Hades be returned for judgment.  There is a distinction between Hades and death, as we shall see in Revelation 6:8.

Job 38:17 Have the gates of death been shown to you? Have you seen the gates of the shadow of death?

Matthew 16:18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

Revelation 6:8 I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.

Revelation 20:14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death.

John is commanded to write on the scroll what he has seen up to this point, and what will follow in this vision.

Jesus instructs John to write about the things present in his time; about the conditions in the seven churches. And in chapters two and three of Revelations, John did exactly that. He wrote to each individual congregation and admonished them about their sins, and praised them where they held fast to the gospel.

These letters will each be dealt with in detail when we study chapters two and three, but it is worthy to note here that it is not by accident that Jesus required John to write these letters at this time, to these seven churches.  Jesus can be considered the actual Author of these letters to the whole, universal church of all time, as we explained before. But it also contains the message directly spoken by Christ through the revelation to John in line with the purpose of this book.

John is made aware of more visions that will come about the things that will happen later, and he must be ready to write those things down also.

It is consistent with Scripture that future things were made known before they happened, to prevent Scripture from being counterfeited, to prevent false prophets from frustrating the work of the gospel, and to prove that God is alive and his prophets spoke the truth.

II Samuel 7:19 And as if this were not enough in your sight, O Sovereign LORD, you have also spoken about the future of the house of your servant. Is this your usual way of dealing with man, O Sovereign LORD?

I Chronicles 17:17 And as if this were not enough in your sight, O God, you have spoken about the future of the house of your servant. You have looked on me as though I were the most exalted of men, O LORD God.

Isaiah 52:6 Therefore my people will know my name; therefore in that day they will know that it is I who foretold it. Yes, it is I.

Acts 3:18, 24 But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Christ would suffer. ²⁴"Indeed, all the prophets from Samuel on, as many as have spoken, have foretold these days."

Jude 1:17  But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold.

 

b)  His seven letters to the churches (2:1-3:20)

Jesus reveals the holy mysteries that even angels longed to see, as he explained to John what these visions mean, to avoid misunderstanding and to ensure that idolatry does not infiltrate the church.  As we have seen during our study of the introduction of this study, the truth of Scripture is proven by the prophecies and the revelation of the gospel throughout the ages.

Daniel 12:9  He replied, "Go your way, Daniel, because the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end.

Joel 2:28 'And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.'

Amos 3:7 Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.

Zechariah 12:10  "And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son."

Matthew 11:25  At that time Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children."

Matthew 16:17  Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven."

Jesus makes sure that we understand what the seven stars and the seven lampstands mean.  The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, but we may rightly ask, who are these seven angels?

Jesus' luminous appearance is reflected and miniaturized in the seven stars that he holds in his right hand. The key to their identity lies in the fact that each of the letters is addressed to the angel of the church that is in each city and not the church directly that is in each city.  We also know that the Greek word angelos can be applied to human messengers, as we see in the following passages,

Mark 1:2  It is written in Isaiah the prophet: "I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way"

Matthew 11:10 This is the one about whom it is written: 'I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.'

Luke 7:24  After John's messengers left, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: "What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind?

Luke 9:52 And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him.

One may infer that the messengers are seven people who will deliver copies of the book to the seven congregations, but the order in which the churches are listed and the geography of their locales rather indicates that one messenger will carry one original copy from city to city from Ephesus north along the coast through Smyrna to Pergamum, then inland to Thyatira and south through Sardis and Philadelphia in the interior to Laodicea.  The angels cannot be mere messengers either, because they had special connections with the churches since Jesus addresses his encouragements and rebukes to the angels rather than to the churches.

We can make the case that these angels are the churches' pastors whom Jesus holds responsible for the congregations' spiritual welfare.  But we have to carefully consider two aspects of this argument as Scripture reveals it to us, namely, angels elsewhere in Revelation are always God's superhuman messengers, which is consistent with the usual meaning in the rest of the New Testament, and, although Jesus usually addresses each angel in the letters as a single individual, he sometimes switches to plural forms of 'you' in addressing the angel of a church.

Let's look at some passages where angels are portrayed as superhuman beings:

Revelation 1:1  The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John.

Revelation 5:2, 11 And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, "Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?" ¹¹Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders.

Revelation 8:2 - 12 And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets. ³Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. ⁴The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel's hand. ⁵Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake. ⁶Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them. ⁷  The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down upon the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up. ⁸The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood. ⁹A third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed. ¹⁰The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water-¹¹the name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter. ¹²The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them turned dark. A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night.

Speaking to the angels in these letters, they are sometimes addressed in the plural form of 'you' refering to subgroups within the congregation and at other times they refer to the congregation as a whole:

Revelation 2:10, 14 - 15, 20 - 22, 24 - 25 Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. ¹⁴Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality. ¹⁵Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. ²⁰Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. ²¹I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. ²²So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. ²⁴Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan's so-called deep secrets (I will not impose any other burden on you): ²⁵Only hold on to what you have until I come.

Here are some passages in which they are addressed in the plural form of 'you' referring to the whole congregation:

Revelation 2:10, 13 Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. ¹³I know where you live--where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city--where Satan lives.

We see here a different image of angels than we have in the rest of Scripture, as if Jesus wants to evoke in John's mind something that means more than just mere 'messenger.' They are also not distant from the congregations that they represent.  These images of stars being messengers are the objects of Jesus' message; they are not mere couriers thereof; they are charged with protecting the people of God and bringing his messages to them, such as guardian angels.  Let's look at a few passages where guardian angels are revealed to us in Scripture:

II Kings 6:16 - 17 "Don't be afraid," the prophet answered. "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them." ¹⁷And Elisha prayed, "O LORD, open his eyes so he may see." Then the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

Psalm 34:7 The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.

Psalm 91:11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.

Matthew 18:10  "See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven."

We see in Daniel 10 these same human characteristics ascribed to angels, referred to as princes:

Daniel 10:11 - 13 He said, "Daniel, you who are highly esteemed, consider carefully the words I am about to speak to you, and stand up, for I have now been sent to you." And when he said this to me, I stood up trembling. ¹²Then he continued, "Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. ¹³But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia."

The angel was literally detained against his will until one of the chief princes came to help him.  Scripture reveals to us the existence of an angel realm in which good and wicked angels continuously do battle and that the wicked angels would be bound and imprisoned.

Isaiah 24:21, 22 In that day the LORD will punish the powers in the heavens above and the kings on the earth below. ²²They will be herded together like prisoners bound in a dungeon; they will be shut up in prison and be punished after many days.

The 'kings on the earth below' represent wicked nations that will be punished with their 'powers in the heavens' indicating that wicked angels align themselves with wicked nations.

In Daniel 10:20 the angel promises Daniel that he will return to the king of Persia,

Daniel 10:20, 21  So he said, "Do you know why I have come to you? Soon I will return to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I go, the prince of Greece will come. ²¹But first I will tell you what is written in the Book of Truth. (No one supports me against them except Michael, your prince.)"

So, the wicked angel of Persia tried to prevent the angel Gabriel from announcing God's will to Daniel, and perhaps this wicked prince wanted Daniel to become impatient while fasting and mourning for three weeks as we read in Daniel 10:2, 3.

It is not the intention to give a complete exegesis of the Daniel passages here except to contrast the characteristics found in the angels sent to Daniel with those of the angels represented by the stars in Jesus' right hand. Even though the angel Gabriel and Michael fought with the wicked angels of the enemies of Israel, they were still merely conveying the message of God's will. The angels represented by the stars in Jesus' right hand are more than mere messengers in that they are directly involved and responsible for the congregations, charged with a duty for which they will be held accountable.

Both angels and demons are creatures and their powers, though greater than that of humans, are limited. 

Just briefly: it appears as if there could be doubt concerning the sovereign power of God when one reads these accounts of angels being detained and that it required other angels to intercede, but the fact that an evil spirit associated with the pagan kingdom of Persia obstructed this holy angel's mission does not compromise the comprehensive power of God to achieve his will.  Let's read what Nebuchadnezzar confesses after his sanity was restored:

Daniel 4:34 - 37 At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified him who lives forever. His dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation to generation. ³⁵All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: "What have you done?" ³⁶At the same time that my sanity was restored, my honor and splendor were returned to me for the glory of my kingdom. My advisers and nobles sought me out, and I was restored to my throne and became even greater than before. ³⁷Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble.

John's vision has a different motif than the accounts of angels in the Old Testament.  From what we have shown so far, the angel of each church is not literally an angel, that is, a distinct spiritual being. Rather each angel is the church, viewed from the perspective of Christ's control over his churches:  The stars are in his hand.

It is challenging to think of the stars symbolizing angels, who in turn, symbolize the churches from the standpoint of their control by the authoritative hand of Jesus. This two-layered symbolism is not unique in the book of Revelation:

John sees the woman labeled as 'Babylon'.

Revelation 17:4, 5 The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries. ⁵This title was written on her forehead: MYSTERY BABYLON THE GREAT THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

Then the woman is symbolized as a great city, which rests on seven mountains, clearly recognizable as Rome.

Revelation 17:18, 9 The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth. ⁹"This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits."

Moreover, the interpretation of the vision makes it clear that the city should not be viewed as a geographical site, with shops, homes, and other buildings, but as a center of political and economic power and influence.

Back to the stars and the angels.  It could also be problematic if one considers the letters as addressed literally to angels because the 'individual' addressed as 'you' in most letters consists of a mixture of faithfulness and sin.  Scripture nowhere gives us any reason to believe that holy angels are anything but holy in motive and action, so the flaws identified in the letters are flaws not found in holy angels but in human churches, as anyone instinctively recognizes. 

Stars and lampstands both speak of the churches as reflecting the light of their King, but the lampstands highlight his presence while the stars emphasize his protective possessiveness. The glorious Son of Man, who lives among his congregations and holds their lives in his hand, has specific instructions and promises for each of them.[2]

More time than usual was spent on the study of the stars in Jesus' hand, so that we may not imagine that they mean something that we cannot support and confirm from the rest of Scripture.  It clearly points to the ministers and pastors that work in each congregation, emphasizing the awesome responsibility of these offices, not to be held in contempt or with disrespect.  The congregations, also, have to show respect and reverence for those ministers and pastors who are worthy of the office of 'star' in Jesus' hand.  Those ministers and pastors who abuse this office, measured against the truth of the gospel, are to be considered counterfeits and imposters and reaching to grab that which they cannot have, namely, a firm place in the hand of Jesus Christ.

Pay particular attention to the admonitions in the passages below for the consistent warning to test what ministers and preachers teach and discern the message whether it is from God, and whether the preacher is a star in the hand of Jesus.

Matthew 13:23 But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.

John 3:21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.

Acts 17:11 Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.

Acts 20:30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them.

Romans 16:18 For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people.

II Corinthians 2:17 Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God.

Galatians 2:4  [This matter arose] because some false brothers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves.

Galatians 4:17  Those people are zealous to win you over, but for no good. What they want is to alienate you [from us], so that you may be zealous for them.

Philippians 1:15, 16  It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. ¹⁶The latter do so in love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel.

Philippians 3:2  Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh.

Colossians 2:4, 8 I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments. ⁸See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.

I Timothy 1:4 - 7 Nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. These promote controversies rather than God's work--which is by faith. ⁵The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. ⁶Some have wandered away from these and turned to meaningless talk. ⁷They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm.

I Timothy 4:1, 2  The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. ²Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.

I Timothy 6:3 - 5 If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching. ⁴He is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicion ⁵and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.

II Timothy 4:3, 4 For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. ⁴They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.

II Peter 2:1 - 3 But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them--bringing swift destruction on themselves. ²Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. ³In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.

I John 4:1  Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

II John 1:7, 10, 11  Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist. ¹⁰If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him into your house or welcome him. ¹¹Anyone who welcomes him shares in his wicked work.

Jude 1:4 For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord

Incidentally, this is why we believe that the Presbyterian form of government is scripturally correct and that it provides for the proper oversight of all the offices in the congregation of Christ.  The mission of a pastor or minister is not to be a sovereign power ruling over the congregation, but to remain in the hand of Christ as a star, reflecting the light and power of Christ as an angel charged to shepherd those over whom Christ is the Chief Shepherd.

We have dealt with the lampstands earlier in verse 12 and 13. It is important to understand the symbolism of the lampstands as we follow it from the Old Testament through to Revelation.

Exodus 25:31, 33  "Make a lampstand of pure gold and hammer it out, base and shaft; its flowerlike cups, buds and blossoms shall be of one piece with it. ³²Six branches are to extend from the sides of the lampstand--three on one side and three on the other. ³³hree cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms are to be on one branch, three on the next branch, and the same for all six branches extending from the lampstand.

Numbers 8:4 This is how the lampstand was made: It was made of hammered gold--from its base to its blossoms. The lampstand was made exactly like the pattern the LORD had shown Moses.

II Chronicles 4:20 The lampstands of pure gold with their lamps, to burn in front of the inner sanctuary as prescribed.

Zechariah 4:3 - 6 Also there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left. ⁴I asked the angel who talked with me, "What are these, my lord?" ⁵He answered, "Do you not know what these are?" "No, my lord," I replied. ⁶So he said to me, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty."

Revelation 2:5 Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.

The lampstands were hammered out of pure gold, signifying the suffering of Jesus on the cross. Similar symbolism exists in the bread and wine of the Lord's Supper. The light-giving functions of the lampstands prefigure the Light that would later be sent into the world.  Here in Revelation it is then not surprising that Jesus would be among the lampstands in this vision to illustrate his intimate relationship with his congregation.

Jesus is among his congregations with the stars of the ministers firmly in his hand, being charged with the duty to go to all the congregations and bring the contents of the letters, which we will deal with in chapter 2.

The address of the recipient of this letter and the identification of the Author are contained in this verse.  Jesus is identified as the one 'who holds the seven stars in his right hand' to impress upon the congregation that the angel that goes before them as their pastor is what he is only by the grace of God.

In absolutely every sense does Jesus know the heart of the angel to whom this letter is addressed.  It also admonishes the congregation that their hearts are known too and this letter carries with it the image of the sword that comes from the mouth of Christ, indicating the double-edged character of Christ's association with his church: blessing and judgment.

The following passages show the concern that Christ has for his congregation, and the admonishment to retain the truth of the gospel. Pay particular attention to the words of this verse of Revelation 'I know your deeds' as it remains ever-present as the basis of these instructions.

Psalm 1:6 For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

Matthew 7:23 Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'

Galatians 1:6 - 8 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel - ⁷which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. ⁸But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned.

Ephesians 4:14  Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.

I Thessalonians 1:3 We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

II Timothy 2:19 Nevertheless, God's solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: "The Lord knows those who are his," and, "Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness."

Hebrews 6:10 God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.

II Peter 2:1 - 3 But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them--bringing swift destruction on themselves. ²Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. ³In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.

I John 2:21, 22 I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth. ²²Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist--he denies the Father and the Son.

I John 4:1  Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

Acknowledgement is given to their hard work and perseverance, what they have done so far and what they endured under the pressure of resistance.  When we dealt with verse 1:9 we covered the suffering and patient endurance of the congregation when John was on the island of Patmos.

The following passages give us an insight into the struggle that the apostles endured in their ministry, which ties in with Revelation 2:2.

II Corinthians 6:1 - 10 As God's fellow workers we urge you not to receive God's grace in vain. ²For he says, "In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you." I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation. ³We put no stumbling block in anyone's path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. ⁴Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; ⁵in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; ⁶in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; ⁷in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; ⁸through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; ⁹known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; ¹⁰ sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

The wicked men that John refers to here pertains to the preachers who worked to deceive the congregation, as we have seen when we studied the words 'I know your deeds' in this verse.

Acts 17:11 Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.

Acts 20:28 - 30 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. ²⁹I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. ³⁰Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them.

II Corinthians 11:13 - 15 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. ¹⁴And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. ¹⁵It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.

These false apostles failed the very basic test that they preached a gospel other than the one proclaimed by Christ and announced by Scripture. It's truly a victory for sola scriptura!

The spiritual character of the pastor or minister is of such a nature that he cannot tolerate wicked men but are infinitely tolerant of the burdens of the cross.  The love of Christ for his congregation is reflected in the love and perseverance of the pastor or minister in the shepherding of the flock of Christ. The following is a collection of some passages that reflect that relationship of endurance of hardships and perseverance in Christ.

Psalm 37:7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.

Psalm 69:7 For I endure scorn for your sake, and shame covers my face.

Luke 14:27, 21:19 And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. ^21:19By standing firm you will gain life.

Romans 2:7 To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life.

Romans 5:3 - 5 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴Perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

Romans 8:25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

Romans 12:12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

Romans 15:4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

II Corinthians 4:1, 16  Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart.

II Corinthians 4:16  Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.

II Corinthians 5:9 So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.

Galatians 6:2, 9 Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. ⁹Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

II Thessalonians 3:13 And as for you, brothers, never tire of doing what is right.

I Timothy 5:17  The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.

Hebrews 12:3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

James 1:3, 4 Because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. ⁴Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

James 5:11 As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.

 

 

and represent the ministers of the seven churches.