Rev 1:1 The term revelation is from the Greek word apokalupsis[1] meaning ‘a laying bear’. So “The revelation of Jesus Christ” (ESV) sets the tone of the book: Christ will be disclosing information that He has, that would otherwise remain unknown. The message comes from Jesus, but it originated with God the Father. So the message was turned over to the Son from the Father. This is not unlike the message during the time of Jesus’ ministry on earth. The other area of note is the phrase “the things that must soon take place” (ESV). The translation “must soon” can be a confusing to some. The obvious inclination is to say, “These things, including the second coming, are going to happen…soon!” Let’s look at the Greek words: must = dei[2] and soon = en tachei[3]. Dei means ‘it behooves’; en tachei is two words meaning ‘in’ and ‘speed’ and when combined it is translated ‘quickly’ or ‘in swiftness’. So rather than indicating a relative timeframe, it is indicating a progression of events that, once started, will happen in rapid succession. “He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,” (ESV). After receiving the message, or the authority to disperse the message, from the Father, Jesus sent an angel to John to dictate the message.
Rev 1:2 John is identifying himself to the readers. He identifies himself as the writer of the gospel of John, as being one who then proclaimed the gospel, and as the one who was a first hand witness to the material that he then writes down.
Rev 1:3 Revelation is the only book in scripture to come along with a blessing. The blessing indicates that initially the book would be read aloud to an audience. There is a reader and there are listeners. “…and keep with is written in it,” it is not enough to receive the words of prophecy, but an obedient response is indicated for the blessing[4]. The call to obedience receives a sense of urgency “for the time is near”. The Greek word for “time” is kairos[5] which means primarily “due measure” and in regard to time it infers “a fixed or definite period”. So here it could be referring to a definite period of time, the end time; it could also be indicating that the “due measure” of time before the end is approaching. This can be likened to other areas of scripture where the time had not reached its “due measure”[6]
Rev 1:4 John is writing to seven churches that are at central location in Asia, where modern day Turkey is. These locations were focal points where information could travel out from easily[7]. They were information hubs; the message from John would then be able to cycle outward. The churches standing with God is illustrated by ‘grace’ and ‘peace’. Grace is bestowed on the church by God, and they are at peace with God through the work of Christ. The first two members of the trinity are illustrated in this verse: God the Father and the Holy Spirit. “Him who is and who was and who is to come,” speaks of the Father. “The seven spirits” is speaking of the Holy Spirit; this can be referring to the seven-fold ministry of the Spirit[8] or this is likely to be the Holy Spirit being symbolized by the menorah[9]. Either way the number seven is being used to illustrate the completeness of the Spirit.
Rev 1:5 Jesus Christ is the last of the Trinity to be mentioned, highlighting His centrality to the story. The words of the prophecy are from Jesus, the ‘faithful witness’[10]; this can be seen as John verifying the truthfulness of what he is recording. In this simple, yet complex, statement by John, Jesus is also seen as preeminent over all[11], king of kings[12], and savior[13]. In all, this one first is an eloquent summary of who Jesus is.
Rev 1:6 Christ’s redemptive work on the cross gave believers the ability to enter into God’s presence[14]. Not only do believers have the ability to enter into God’s presence, but they have the privilege to serve the Almighty. After the brief encapsulation of Christ, John mirrors what should be our response to God, to honor and glorify Him. As stated, Jesus will always rule, dominion is His. The end result will be the glorifying of not only Jesus, but of the Father as well[15].
Rev 1:7 This verse is ripe with meaning. To fully understand it you have to go back to Daniel and understand the prophecies, which include prophecies of the end times. “he is coming with the clouds” is a statement right out of Daniel[16] which tells us that the Son of Man will be returning. These clouds should not be looked at as normal clouds, but a radiant light that was called the Shekinah[17]. Normally no one could gaze upon the Shekinah and live, but at Christ’s second coming, all will see Him in His full glory. “Even those who pierced him,” is referring to the Jews as a group, and not referring to the Roman soldiers[18]. The people will mourn, not out of repentence, but out of guilt of sin and fear of judgment[19]
Rev 1:8 Alpha and Omega are the first and last letter in the Greek alphabet. This highlights the supremacy of God. There is nothing before or after Him[20], but not only that, Christ holds together all of creation. There is nothing outside of His sovereign control, not even the disasters that occur later in Revelation. “The Almighty”[21]
Rev 1:9 John again identifies himself as the author of the book. He also identifies himself with the intended audience: he is a partner in tribulation[22], he is a fellow member of the kingdom of God[23], and he is patiently waiting for Jesus’ instituted reign and patiently enduring the affliction[24]. This shared persecution was not happenstance, but because of a specific reason: for testifying about Jesus and spreading the Word.
Rev 1:10 John states that he was “in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day”. “In the Spirit” refers to a wakeful experience in which someone’s experience is supernaturally enhanced. In the Bible, whenever someone is said to be “in the Spirit” it is usually preceding some prophetic experience. The “Lord’s Day” is a reference to Sunday, also the day of the resurrection. Time for church John! The voice is probably that of Jesus, although it was an angel messenger that brought the message to John. The loud voice is symbolism that keys us in to the solemn nature of the proclamation by God[25].
Rev 1:11 John is given specific churches to address the message to. The churches choosen have a symbolic and practical purpose. The practical purpose was that the churches were in what could be called a communication hub. The location of the churches would have facilitated the message being dispersed to a greater audience. The symbolic purpose? That will be explained later.
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[1] Ap-ok-al-oop-sis
[2] Die
[3] En takh’-ei
[4] Luke 11:28; John 8:51; 1 John 2:3
[5] Kahee-ros
[6] Genesis 15:16, for example
[7] MacArthur (2005), p. 1992
[8] Isaiah 11:2; Martin (1985), p. 928
[9] Zechariah 4:1-10; MacArthur (2005), p. 1993
[10] John 18:37
[11] Col. 1:18
[12] Revelation 17:14; 19:16
[13] 1 Pet. 1:18, 19
[14] Priests were the only ones allowed to go into the Holy of Holies, where God dwelt in the temple
[15] 1 Pet. 4:11
[16] Dan. 7:13
[17] MacArthur (2005), p. 1993
[18] Zech. 12:10; John 19:37
[19] MacArthur (2005), p. 1993
[20] Isa. 41:4; 43:10; 44:6
[21] Greek word: pantokrator, pan·tok·rat·ore; “he holds sway over all things”
[22] John 16:33; not a reference to The Tribulation, as we would call it now. Instead, this is a reference to the promised persecution that all believers face. The Greek word here is literally thlipsei, meaning constriction or affliction.
[23] 2 Tim. 2:12
[24] Revelation 3:10
[25] MacArthur (2005), p. 1994
Sunday, January 10, 2010
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