REVELATION SIMPLIFIED
CHAPTER 1.9
Gleanings
from the Book of Revelation:
A
Weekly Verse-by-Verse Bible Study Series
The
REVELATION
TO JOHN
(The
Apocalypse)
Chapter
One
Review Summary
By way of review, verses 1 through 7 present introductory
matters and a salutation typical of New Testament books. The Holy Spirit is the
author, and John is simply the human vessel chosen to scribe the book.
1. Verses 1-3
- Describe the content of the book, a prologue or
preface statement having its origin in the mind of God. The source, the person
and work, and the central figure of the Book of Revelation are all in one – Jesus Christ.
2. Verses 4-7
- Contains a cover letter or salutation from the
Apostle John giving the object and the purpose of writing the letter. John
reminds his readers that Jesus loves us and not to be in fear when reading this
book.
3. Verse 8 - Is a Summary
statement of God’s mercy revealing:
a. The Second Coming of Jesus Christ
b. The Character of Jesus Christ.
The section ends with a doxology of grace and
peace. Without God’s grace, you cannot have the peace of God.
Two Distinctions
1. In Chapter 1, notice the use of pronouns. In
verses 1 through 7, Jesus is referred to in the past tense (He). However, in
verses 8, 11, and 18 the pronoun changes to (I).
2. Also noteworthy – If you have a Red-Letter Edition of the Bible, Jesus speaks for
the first time since His Ascension, except for a few visions to the Apostle
Paul.
(Verse
19)
Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are,
and the things which shall be hereafter.
Outline of the Book of Revelation
I believe it is pertinent to place the outline
here before we begin reading the main body of the book proper. Verse 19 is the
key verse to understanding the structure of Revelation. Three main divisions of
the book are stated:
1. The Things Which Thou Hast (You Have) Seen
This segment embraces Chapter 1, that is, the
vision John saw of the resurrected glorified Christ, what He has done - The Person of Jesus Christ.
2. The Things Which Are
The Church is the Bride of Christ for whom He gave
His life (cf. Ephesians 5:25). Chapters 2 and 3 contain the concerns and
situation within the seven churches in Asia Minor (literally and
prophetically). Jesus addresses them as a reminder of who He is and what He
is doing in His present ministry – The
Possession of Jesus Christ.
3. The Things Which Shall Be Hereafter
The events of chapter 4 to the end of the book comprise
this final division. This is the major portion of the book, with parenthetical
chapters inserted, containing what is about to come (future events) – The Program of Jesus Christ.
Let us now continue:
1. THE THINGS WHICH THOU HAST SEEN
(Verse
9)
I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation,
and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called
Patmos, for the Word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.
John’s Resume
John was the Apostle sent
from God who personified love
(cf. John 1:6). He was one of the first followers of Jesus. Mark 1:19-20
declares he and his brother James, the Sons of Zebedee, left their father’s
fishing business to follow Christ.
John held many offices in the Bible:
1. A Disciple (A learner) of the Word.
2. An Apostle (One sent forth – a server)
of the Word.
3. An Evangelist (A preacher and exhorter)
of the Word.
4. A Pastor (A shepherd, an elder) of the
church in Ephesus.
5. A Writer (A teacher and expositor) of
the Word.
6. A Prophet (An eschatologist – a
predictor) of the Word.
7. A Brother in Christ (An associate of
you and I) in the Word.
John was chosen by God, like Daniel and Ezekiel,
to be an apocalyptic prophet. I John occurs
three times in Revelation:
1. Revelation
1:9a - I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation,
and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ.
2. Revelation
21:2 - I John
saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming
down from God out of heaven.
3. Revelation
22:8 - I John
saw these things, and heard them…And I fell down to worship
before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things.
Historical Background
Nero played the fiddle while Rome burned. At that
time, the Christians were blamed and paid a high price for their allegiance to
Christ. Titus, the son of Emperor Vespasian, led
three Roman legions to quell a Jewish rebellion. They then ransacked and destroyed
the city of Jerusalem in A.D. 70.
Ephesus, Rome, and Antioch became the
three major centers of commerce and religion in the Roman Empire. In Ephesus,
one of the Seven Wonders of the World was housed – The Temple of Artemis (the
goddess Diana). A Christian community formed, and John pastored the
Ephesian church.
Surrounded by paganism, conflict arose when
Emperor Domitian claimed himself to be Dominus
et Deus (lord and god) and demanded everyone’s worship. John continued to
preach Christ crucified. After two failed attempts on his life, John was exiled
or banished to a rugged volcanic island, used as a penal colony, in the Aegean
Sea, about sixty-five miles southwest of Ephesus. Between A.D. 95 – 96, John was given the magnificent
revelatory vision of the post-incarnate Christ on the Isle of Patmos.
During Emperor Nerva’s brief rule, the empire
enjoyed Pax Roma (A.D. 96-98), and Christian
persecution was temporarily abated. John was given clemency and returned to
Ephesus. Tradition asserts he died at an old age and was buried nearby.
Identities of John in Verse 9a
1. Your brother (in Christ). “Hey, we are all in this
together. I am one of you too.”
2. Your companion in tribulation (persecution)
2 Timothy 3:12
- Yea, and all
that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer [what?] Persecution.
3. Your companion (fellow participant) in the Kingdom
Colossians
1:12-13: Giving
thanks unto the Father, which hath (has) made us meet (qualify) to
be partakers (companions in the share) of
the inheritance (i.e., eternal life) of
the saints (body of believers) in (the
sphere of or clothing of) light – (our
new spiritual bodies). Who hath (has) delivered us from the
power of darkness (our old or unsaved nature), and hath (has) translated (transferred, brought, or carried) us into the (eternal) Kingdom of His dear Son (the Son He loves.?
4. Your companion in patience* (perseverance or
steadfast endurance) of Jesus Christ. The result: He’s coming again in the
clouds!
*Patience
[Strong’s
G5281]:
Taken literally from the root word [G5278] in Greek, to stay under or remain.
In
other words, stay under or remain in God’s plan, endure until we receive what
God has in store for us, and patiently wait until He returns to defeat Satan
and usher in the promised Kingdom.
(Verse
9b)
(I
John)
was in the isle that is called Patmos, for (preaching) the Word of God [Jesus
Christ - cf. Rev. 19:13], and for the
testimony (truth) of (about) Jesus Christ (to which I bore witness).
Interpretation
In writing, John is projecting himself into the
future to where you and I are today and attempting to explain to us what was
revealed to him through visions. Understand, John in a surrealistic way, is
trying his best to describe people, places, events, or things that were unheard
of in his day. Thus, figuratively they are representations of what he sees or
is familiar with – Not symbols. We achieve similar results on computer
simulations are formulated, or when an artist creates renditions of something
not yet manufactured. This you will observe when John uses words (similes) such
as it was like or
as.
(Verse
10)
I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day and heard behind me a
great voice, as of a trumpet,
(Verse 11)
Saying, I am Alpha and
Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are
in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira,
and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.
Important Phrases
In the
Spirit
While John was wide awake, he was most likely in
prayer and supplication. Not only was John filled with the Spirit, but he had a
change of condition and was carried beyond our normal human experience (controlled
by, carried into the Spirit, in a spiritual state, as opposed to having or
being possessed by, the Spirit). Even though the visions seemed surreal to
John, the seven-fold manifestation of the Holy Spirit (cf. Isaiah 11:2) was in total
control.
The phrase as
translated in Greek renders; I
became in the Spirit. Some say he was transported into another dimension to which the angelic hosts have access. It is a different sphere, realm, or state
of being where he had admission to a panoramic, cinematic sight and sound
prophetic view. Daniel had a similar vivid experience.
Daniel
9:20-24 - And
whiles I was speaking,
and praying, and confessing my sin…before the
LORD my God…Gabriel, whom I had seen in
the vision…touched me…And he informed me,
and talked with me, and said, O Daniel…I am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision.
The vision Daniel received in verses 26-27 was the
infamous Seventy Weeks of Daniel's end-time prophecy [Explained in detail in a
later study].
How was this possible?
Mark 10:27 - Jesus
said, With
people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with
God.
The Lord’s
Day
Here is one of those phrases, Satan attempts to cause
division. We will identify similar phrases or passages as we proceed. After
careful exegesis, let us begin by saying, (and this principle holds to all
controversial phrases, verses, or passages in any book of the Bible):
1
Corinthians 14:33 - For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
Having said that, we recall:
1. Revelation is meant to be understood.
2. The Book of Revelation is a book about WHOM? - JESUS
CHRIST.
John was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day. This is the only place in
Scripture the Lord’s Day* is used. The English would render:
It is a day belonging to the Lord – Jesus Christ. The Day of
The Lord, however, is an Old
Testament expression always reserved for the Second Coming.
John, while in prayer and supplication – similar
to Daniel in the above passage - on a day devoted to or belonging unto the
Lord, was chosen by God to receive and reveal the end-time prophecies Daniel
was instructed to conceal.
Daniel
12:4 - But
thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end.
Prophecy is a revelation and comes from God in
many ways (cf. Hebrews 1:1). The doctrine of Scripture describes revelation as
an act whereby God communicates to man truth not known before to the human
mind. Thus John, as any other prophet, received inspiration, revelation, and
illumination from God on a day belonging to Him. This Day of revelation was
important to John, and he labels it as such.
* In a detailed study of the Feasts of Israel from
a prophetic perspective, the Festival of First Fruits correlates to The Lord’s
Day.
When John turned around what happened?
Next week – read ahead.
QUESTIONS:
1. Outline the Book of Revelation.
2. What does the name brother signify?
3. Name three offices John held in his lifetime.
4. When was John exiled to Patmos?
5. Describe John’s spiritual experience.
6. What did Daniel close that John opens?
7. What makes Revelation unique?
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