The Book of Revelations
INTRODUCTION
When was the book was written
1. About mid AD60s from AD64-69 during the reign of Nero
2. Late AD 95-96 during the reign of Domitian (AD 81-96)
Who wrote the book
The author was John the beloved disciple of Jesus
Where was the book written
On the prison island of Pathos
Why was the book written
1.To complete the prophetic theme shown earlier in the prophecies of the Old Testament
2. John wanted to comfort and encourage believers who were suffering by assuring them that Jesus Christ, and they themselves, will triumph
3. To challenge the churches to godly living to be ready for the return of Christ and the judgment of evil
NUMBERS
Numbers in the bible as a whole can have some significance and more so here in the final book. The numbers that the bible uses regularly are 3,4,7,12 ,40 and of course 666 these all have meanings which I can explain.
3 -Is the spiritual number. See trinity
4– Natural number. – See genesis day 4 and the completion of the world.
7– Spiritual and Natural combined the holy number or perfect number. See Sabbath day.
12– Is the complete number. See 12 disciples, 12 Tribes, 12 months.
40– Time of testing. See Jesus in desert, Israelites in wasteland.
666 – The number of the beast. See Revaluations
The Book of Revelations
CHAPTER 1
PROLOG
Verses 1-3
(1-2)The ancient Greek word translated Revelation is apokalupsis (apocalypse). The word simply means a revealing or an unveiling.
This is an important reason why God gave this Revelation of Jesus Christ. He gave it to show His servants. God gave this revelation that it might be shown, not hidden. This is an apocalypse – a revelation, not apocrypha which means something hidden, unlike what Dan Brown wants you to think.
Shortly take place: Shortly is a relative terms, and this is God’s timetable, not man’s. Yet for 2000 years, history has been on the brink of destruction.
Shortly is the ancient Greek phrase en tachei, which means ” ‘quickly or suddenly coming to pass,’ indicating a speedy result after the beginning takes place. The idea is not that the event may occur soon, but that when it does, it will be sudden.
(3) The Book of Revelation offers a unique blessing to those who read and keep the message of this book. This is the first of seven beatitudes of Revelation found in 1:3, 14:13, 16:15, 19:9, 20:6, 22:7, and 22:14
John’s Greeting to the Seven Churches
Verses 4-8
(4) The significance of the 7 churches. These churches were going to be the battle ground for the birth of the church, by looking at the map we can see that these churches were all planted by the first church in Ephesus which was an important church as it was also on the way from Europe to Asia.
The Church was now in its second and third generation as we all know how hard it is to keep our children and grandchildren Christian and this was where it was going to be decided. More importantly in a city called Pergamum was also where Satan had his home.
Sardis and Thyatira corrupted from inside (closest to Satan)
Philadelphia and Smyrna not criticized ( tried to get corrupted from outside)
Ephesus and Laodicea growing cold ( like modern day churches just apathetic)
(5-6) To Him who loved us: What a beautiful title for Jesus! When loved is used, in the past tense, it points back to a particular time and place where Jesus loved us. It should be pointed out that many translations have loves us ( NIV, and NLT)
No wonder many believers are not secure in knowing the love of Jesus towards them – they look to their present circumstances to measure His love. Instead, they need to look back to the cross, settle the issue once for all, I mean He died on a cross for YOU how much more do you want Him to do?
This is what happened when Jesus loved us at the cross. He washed us – cleansed us from the deep stain of sin, so that we really are clean before Him.
In His own blood: If there were any other way to wash us from our sins, God would have done it that other way. To wash us in His own blood meant the ultimate sacrifice of God the Son. God wouldn’t do it this way unless it was the only way. “The priests could only cleanse with blood of bulls and goats; but he has washed us from our sins ‘in his own blood.’ Men are willing enough to shed the blood of others. But Christ was willing to shed his own blood, that we might be saved.”
Notice the order: first loved, then washed. It wasn’t that God washed us out of some sense of duty and then loved us because we were then clean. He loved us while we were dirty, but then He washed us.
In fact, washing proves love. If you had an old pair of jeans, and got them covered in paint, you would only wash them and keep them for two reasons. First, you might wash them and keep them if you were poor. You can’t or won’t spend money on another pair of jeans, so you wash them and keep them. Second, you might wash them and keep them if you really loved those old jeans. Money isn’t the issue. You could go down and buy a new pair of jeans any time; but you love that pair so much that you spend the time and the effort to clean them, and use them again.
God loves us so much that He washed us. God certainly is not poor. With merely a thought, He could obliterate every sinner and start over with brand-new creatures. But He doesn’t. He loves us so much that He washed us.
This is status Jesus gives to those whom He loved in His work on the cross and who are washed . . . in His own blood. It would have been enough just to love them and cleanse them. But He goes far beyond, and makes us kings and priests to His God and Father. This is more than Adam ever was. Even in the innocence of Eden we never read of Adam among the kings and priests of God.
(7) When Jesus comes, He will be surrounded by clouds. This will be true literally, because when Jesus left this earth, He was taken up into a cloud and God said that He would return in the same manner . It will also be true figuratively, because multitudes of believers are called clouds in a figurative manner in Hebrews 12:1.
And everyone will see him— even those who pierced him.- This is to show that when He comes again it will not be a birth in a village that no one shall know about but with the glory of a King with special reference to the Jews as they are who John is speaking of when it says those who pierced Him.
(8) Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of Greek alphabet. This is just to show that Jesus was the beginning (In the beginning was the word :John 1) and He will also be the end.
Vision of the Son of Man
Verses 9-20
(9) Patmos is a rocky, desolate island about 10 miles long and 6 miles wide and was used as a prison island and functioned as a jail without bars. The island was rich in marble, and most of the prisoners were forced labourers in marble quarries. When John was sent their he would have been approx in his late 80s.
Most scholars assume that John was on Patmos because he was arrested and imprisoned in persecution from the Romans. However, it is also possible that John was on Patmos as a missionary to the prisoners there. According to Victorinus, John, was forced to labour in the mines located at Patmos. Some sources also indicated that about a.d. 96, at Domitian’s death, John was allowed to return to Ephesus when the Emperor Nerva was in power.
(10) ” The Lords Day” This statement has led many to think this must have been a Sunday, but again we have the problem of us reading into the Bible, and not allowing the bible to read into us. As early Christians would have had to worship on different days depending on when they would have a day off it does not mean a Sunday as many ex-Jews would still worship on the Sabbath which was Saturday many pagan Christians would worship on Sunday and the slaves would worship when ever their masters gave them time off which was normally every 10th day as Romans used a decimalisation system. The Lords day that John was speaking of is a special day one time a year when all Roman citizens had to worship the emperor of Rome and burn incense to him and declare that he was lord. See note.
(11) Here, John was commanded to write what he saw. He would be commanded to write eleven more times in the Book of Revelation. We get the sense that unless John was commanded to write, he would have been too excited to write it all down.
NOTE- Interestingly, the Apostle Paul also wrote to seven churches: Rome, Corinth, Galatia, Ephesus, Colosse, Philippi, and Thessalonika.
(12) He saw seven golden lampstands, Not unlike in the tabernacle and temple, but that was one stand with 7 lamps but now it is 7 lampstands. In the Jews God only had one church but now with the Gentiles He has many.
(13) Jesus clothing was to show someone of great importance as normal robes only came to above the knee so you could move and work freely, to have one to the floor proved that you were not going to do manual labour(same as Josephs coat) the gold sash was to show a He was high priest as they would have a sash with a little golden thread stitched through it but this was a fully golden sash. It’s a shame as this loses a lot of its significance in today’s world as we have such amazing ranges of materials to chose from but in Biblical times when the majority of people wore very plain cloth any colour was a big deal.
(14-16) Hair white like wool: The white hair speaks of old age, and is therefore in that culture connected with the idea of great wisdom and timelessness. The phrase white as snow also emphasizes the idea of purity.
His eyes like a flame of fire: Fire is often associated with judgment in the Scriptures.
His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace: Since fire and brass are connected with judgment, (Israel’s altar of sacrifice was made of brass), these feet speak of someone who has been through the fires of judgment and has come forth with a refined purity.
He held seven stars in his right hand: The seven stars are the leaders of the seven churches who are to receive the letters.
Sharp two-edged sword came from his mouth : The idea of it coming out of His mouth is not that Jesus carries a sword in His teeth. The idea is that this sword is God’s word.
Face was like the sun in all its brilliance: The glory of Jesus is so great, so shining, that it is hard to even look upon Him. Jesus has the same glory as in His transfiguration, when His face shone like the sun Matthew 17:2
(17-18) John was overwhelmed by this awesome vision, even though he was an apostle who knew Jesus on this earth. Even the three years John spent with Jesus on this earth did not really prepare him to see Jesus in His heavenly glory.
First, Jesus comforted John with a compassionate touch. Perhaps the touch of Jesus felt more familiar than the appearance of Jesus. Then Jesus gave John a command: “Do not be afraid.” John didn’t need to be afraid because He was in the presence of Jesus, and Jesus clearly identifies Himself to John with three titles.
Jesus is the First and the Last, the God of all eternity, Lord of eternity past and eternity future.
Jesus is the one who lives, and was dead, and is alive forevermore. He didn’t rise from the dead just to die again.
Jesus is the one who has the keys of the grave and of Death. Some imagine that the devil is somehow the “lord of Hell” because of all the cartoon images of him but he is more frightened of hell than anyone else.
(19-20) This second command to write gives us a structure to understand the Book of Revelation. John is commanded to write regarding the past, present, and future.
The things which you have seen: Revelation chapter 1
The things which happening now: Revelation chapters 2 and 3
The things which will happen: Revelation 4 through 22
Then Jesus explains this vision and lets us know that each church has its own angel watching over it, and eventually when we get to go home we can meet the angel of this Church.