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Revelation Segment 1
All scripture is from the King James Version unless otherwise noted. Before beginning this study, I suggest you pray and ask God to guide you through this study. I also suggest that you do you own study of this material in order to ensure its accuracy.
N
OTE: Very many people refer to the Book of Revelation as the Book of "Revelations". That is incorrect. The title is written in the first verse as the first five words. The Real title of the book is The Revelation Of Jesus Christ. It is one revelation not many. It is the one revealing of events from Jesus Christ to John and subsequently to the church. Revelations is incorrect, Revelation is correct.(Rev 1:1) "The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:"
A revelation is an uncovering, unveiling, or revealing. The Greek is apokalupsis, from which we get our word apocalypse. The Greek literally means to take off the cover or to disclose. In English, the word apocalypse has taken on a different connotation, signifying the end of the world. It is sometimes used synonymously with the word dire. When something is considered apocalyptic, it usually has to do with dire straits or the end of the world. But its real meaning or denotation is disclosure.
So what we have here is the disclosure of Jesus Christ. This book discloses or reveals Christ in His glory. The Gospels revealed Him in the flesh, the Revelation reveals Him in His glory.
This disclosure came from God the Father to give us, Christ's servants, insight into what to expect at the end of the age. These things were to come to pass in a brief space of time. Some might think that means that the things have already happened. In fact, higher critics claim it did come to pass in AD 70 when Titus came and destroyed Jerusalem. Well, a short time to God is sometimes a very long time to men. Flesh man has been around about ten thousand years. The earth is four billion years old while the universe is some fifteen billion years old. Ten thousand years in fifteen billion is just a molecule in a bucket of water. Two thousand years is an electron in the molecule in that bucket. To God, two thousand years (the time since Christ was here in the flesh) is a short time. The bible says: "But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day." (2 Pet 3:8) and "For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night." (Psa 90:4). What is a long time to us is but a short time to Jesus Christ, and, I might add, to anyone in eternity.
May I say that no, I do not believe in Darwinist Evolution, or any type of evolution that teaches that every life form on earth evolved from primitive life forms to complicated ones. I believe that everything on earth was created in seven twenty-four hour days. But I do not believe in a young earth. See Genesis Segment 1.
An angel is a messenger. A messenger from God came to John and delivered the message. Although we are not told the name of this angel, it is a good guess that it was Gabriel (valiant man of God), who delivered several messages from God in the Old and New Testaments. This John (Hebrew, Yehowchanan, favored of Yah) is John the Apostle who wrote the Gospel of John. There are many attestations to this from early church writers: Melito, Bishop of Sardis, 170 AD; Eusebius, 180 AD; Clement, 200 AD; Tertullian, 220 AD; Origin, 233 AD; Hippolytus, 240 AD. I think we can safely say it was John the Apostle, the writer of the Gospel who wrote the Revelation.
(Rev 1:2) "Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw."
This writing, the Book of Revelation, is the record that John bore. John actually saw these things; he was an eyewitness.
(Rev 1:3) "Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand."
You will receive a blessing by reading or hearing the words in Revelation, if you guard or keep them in your heart. The word for keep, tereo, is an interesting word meaning to guard from loss. This use of the word, keep, means to keep the words in your heart, not to perform them. Many times in the Bible to keep something means to perform it, like keeping the law. But here it means to keep it to yourself and not loose it or forget it. In other words, Revelation is VERY important to understand. When Gabriel went to Mary, blessed among mankind, and announced the conception of Christ, Mary kept all those things in her heart. The word there, in Luke 2:19&51, is tereo, just like here.
Again we are told that "the time is at hand." The word rendered time is kairos, and actually means occasion or proper (or set) time. The word for at hand is eggus, which means near. So what we have here is "for the set time is near." Refer to verse one for a reference to time.
(Rev 1:4) John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;
This is the typical first century Greek salutation of a letter. The letter is from John to the churches in Asia. Roman Asia was not the same as present day Asia. Modern Asia is a continent. Roman Asia was a province or state. It was mainly modern Turkey (Map courtesy of PC Bible Atlas for Windows from Parsons Technology):
ROMAN ASIA
He which is, and which was, and which is to come is the eternal God, Yehovah. Who or what are these seven spirits? Some say that the seven Spirits are the angels who are the messengers of each of the seven churches in Asia. In this verse, they are around the throne of God. There are two subjects to this verse and the next. One is to whom is this revelation addressed. The other is from whom it is sent.
The Revelation is sent to the seven churches in Asia. It was sent from the Eternal of Days or God the Father. It was sent from the seven Spirits before the throne, or, better yet, from the sevenfold Spirit of God. And, in v. 5, it was sent from Jesus Christ, or God the Son. It is so simple that a child can understand it. The Revelation of Jesus Christ was sent via John to the seven churches in Asia from God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, or the Three Persons of the Godhead. He is One God who reveals Himself to us in three ways: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He is the triune or triumvirate God, Elohim in the Hebrew, which is the plural of Eloah, or God. From the beginning He has been known as Elohim and not Eloah (Gen. 1:1)
It was to the angels or messengers of the seven churches that Jesus sent seven messages. The Revelation is from the seven Spirits to the seven churches. So these seven Spirits cannot be the seven messengers of the seven churches.
Further evidence is gained from a reading of the other verses in Revelation where the seven Spirits are mentioned.
(Rev 3:1)
And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.Here the seven Spirits belong to God. Jesus has told John to write these things to the messenger (angel, aggelos, messenger--Strong's 32) of the church at Sardis. The words John is to write come from "He that hath the seven Spirits of God", that is Christ.
(Rev 4:5) And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.
Here again, the seven Spirits are of God.
(Rev 5:6) And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.
This verse nails it. The seven Spirits of God are sent out into all the earth. This sevenfold Spirit is the Spirit of God or the Holy Spirit. The seven horns and seven eyes of the lamb slain (Christ) are symbolic of the seven Spirits of God. The horn represents strength and the eye represents sight or knowledge. Seven horns represent divinely perfect strength; seven eyes signify divinely perfect sight or knowledge. The Spirit, being the Spirit of God, is perfect in strength and perfect in knowledge. He is omnipotent (all powerful) and omniscient (all knowing). So the horns and eyes represent God's omniscience and omnipotence. Of course, in the Lamb slain is seen in the triune God: the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
The Spirit's sight is sevenfold. Not only does that mean the Spirit is omniscient, but the Holy Spirit is also omnipresent. He is present at all times at all places. No matter where you go in the universe, you cannot hide or get away from the Spirit of God. Seven is a number that signifies Divine Perfection. The Holy Spirit, being God, is Divinely Perfect. He is present throughout the universe, and that is what the seven Spirits or the sevenfold Spirit of God means.
There is one other point to make about the seven Spirits of God. In Rabbinic teachings, the Holy Spirit has seven attributes or characteristics. They are faith, righteousness, justice, loving-kindness (checed—2617), mercy, truth, and peace. These seven qualities serve before the Throne of Yehovah. In fact, let me quote from the Talmud:
"Seven qualities avail before the Throne of Glory: faith, righteousness, justice, lovingkindness, mercy, truth, and peace (ARN xxxvi)"
…from Everyman's Talmud, A. Cohen (New York: Schocken Books, 1949, 1975) p.74(Rev 1:5) And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood
The Revelation is sent to the seven churches in Asia from the Father, the Holy Spirit (v. 4), and from the Son (this verse).
The word witness is interesting. The Greek is marturia (martur) which also means martyr. Jesus was a martyr. His martyrdom provides our redemption, and is the overriding subject of the Bible.
In the Gospel of John, Jesus says, "If I bear witness of myself, My witness is not true." (John 5:31) Why? Because only on the basis of two or three witness is a thing considered true (Num 35:30, Deut 17:6, Deut 19:15, Mat 18:16, 2 Cor 13:1, 1 Tim 5:19, and Heb 10:28) In the Gospel of John there are five (the number of grace) who bear witness of Jesus Christ: The Father, the Holy Spirit, the written Word, the forerunner (John the Baptist), and the disciples.
But here we are see Christ, the Faithful Witness. Witness of what? Jesus sits on the right hand of God and makes intercession for us (Rom 8:34). Jesus is our faithful witness (martus) in that he bears witness (martureo) to the Father that His blood covers our sins.
The first begotten of the dead means that he was the first begotten Son of God who was raised from the dead. Adam, the first formed or created son of God, was mortal, that is, likely to die. Adam, the first man sinned and died. Jesus, the second Man, the only begotten of God, gave up His life as atonement for our sins (compare 1 Cor 15:45-48).
The word prince is used in the sense of the primary or chief. Jesus Christ is the chief or first of the kings of the earth. He is not of the earth, and He is higher than any earthly king. Kings and princes of the earth will bow their knees to Christ (Phil 2:10-11).
"Unto him that loved us..." is the beginning of a doxology of praise to Him. The word washed (Greek louo, from which our slang word loo comes) refers to the immersion of the entire body. It is not ceremonial ablution, such as the washing of hands; it is the cleansing of the entire being from sin.
(Rev 1:6) And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
We who have washed in His blood for cleansing will be kings over the earth. (2 Tim 2:12) If we suffer, we shall also reign with him:
We are also priests unto God: (1 Pet 2:9) But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
His is the glory and dominion and it is forever.
(Rev 1:7) Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
Those who pierced Him are those that were present at His crucifixion and those who asked Pilate to crucify Him. Not just the Jews, but Romans also and the Synagogue of Satan who claim to be Jews but are not. In addition to those, we must add all the races of the earth. All who have rejected Him since the beginning of time will wail.
John really seals it when he says "even so, of a truth (amen)." Even though the vast majority of people will wail at His return, the return will happen. John says let it come.
(Rev 1:8)
I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.Alpha (
) and omega (
) are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. The Hebrew equivalents are aleph (
) and tav (
). The analogy is clear. The Lord explains Himself in the verse; He is eternal. (The numerical equivalents in Greek are alpha - 1 and omega - 800. In Hebrew they are aleph - 1 and tav - 400).
(Rev 1:9) I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.
In the map below, Patmos is highlighted in a box. To the right (east) is Roman Asia, with the seven churches located with a " ! ". To the left (west) is the Aegean Sea and further west, off the map, is modern Greece.
Patmos is an Island ten miles long by six miles wide. That is somewhat smaller than Guam. In John's day it was a mostly deserted island used banish exiles. John was sent there c. 95 by the Roman Emporer Domitian. He spent eighteen months on Patmos. Today the Island is called Patina and has a population of over 4000, and a port city called Scala. (Map courtesy of PC Bible Atlas for Windows from Parsons Technology).
Patmos
John is our brother because we are brothers in Christ. Companion means co-participant, so John participated in spirit with other Christians in their tribulation or persecution. The word for tribulation literally means pressure. So when you or I am under pressure from the world because of our faith, we participate not only with John, a man who died, but with Christ in His sufferings. Jesus told us that we would suffer for our belief in Him (John 15:18-19, 16:33).
As Christians, we are in the realm of Christ; but we are in the world at the same time. The word for patience means cheerful endurance. We can have the peace and cheerful endurance because we are Christ's. You may choose to be a worrier and you can choose not to be in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ. If you do, you won't get much peace, and you won't have much cheer. Don't be a cry baby, be a child of God!
John knew he was on Patmos for two reasons: for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. John could have had the atitude that the world was against him. He could have been what one pastor calls a "poor me baby", but he was not. In the depths of tribulation and banishment from civilization, John could have lived a bitter life, but he knew he was there for the purposes of God. So he did not bellyache. He did God's bidding. The word of God and the testimony of Jesus are contained in this letter, the Revelation of Jesus Christ.
In the next segment, we will talk about The Lord's Day. Was that Sunday? Find out in the next segment.
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