The book of Revelation is a book of controversy between scholars and believers alike because it has not been completely understood even though it was not locked up by God when it was given to the apostle John.
So, the first point I would like to make is found in what Jesus Christ said about the message he had for Gods people before his death in 33 CE.
John 12:49… For I have not spoken on my own, but the Father himself who sent me has given me a command to say everything I have said.
I too have been given what I share with you, because it comes from God by means of the Holy Spirit and it is not my own.
We will be doing a verse-by-verse review of the book of Revelation to discover more of its secrets.
Like the title of this book, it means an unveiling or disclosure as found in Strong’s Concordance #G602. The apostle John was given instructions to give to the slaves or servants of God. He also penned the greeting and explained how the vision was brought to him. It was a collection of conversations with God’s angel and different visions that were given to the apostle John.
Show My Servants
This is the book of Revelation which John penned at the coaxing of God’s angel. It was in the year 95 CE when this message was brought to the apostle John on the Isle of Patmos where he was a prisoner of the Emperor Domitian for being a Christian, because he was testifying about Jesus Christ being the son of God and the words from God. Who are to receive this unveiling and understand it?
Revelation 1:1-20…This book is the record of the events that Jesus Christ revealed. God gave him this revelation in order to show to his servants (G1401 slaves) what must happen very soon. Christ made these things known to his servant John by sending his angel to him, and John has told all that he has seen. This is his report concerning the message from God and the truth revealed by Jesus Christ. Happy is the one who reads this book, and happy are those who listen to the words of this prophetic message and obey what is written in this book! For the time is near when all these things will happen.
The first disclosed purpose of this unveiling is to show the things that must shortly take place to the slaves of God. As we mentioned already, the word could be used as disclosure which could carry the meaning of something that has already happened or yet to happen. If we are really going to understand the book of Revelation, we have to drop our preconceived ideas about what we think it is saying. We need to look hard, research, then ask questions, and then listen closely for the answers that Holy Spirit reveals.
Take for example verse three where he says, “happy is the one who reads aloud,” even though the word for aloud is not used in the original Greek manuscripts, the second part of that sentence shows us that someone is listening. So, we can assume that it is read aloud. This takes a critical eye and a discerning spirit as we consider this information given from the angel of God.
Who are these slaves of God?
For more in-depth discussion about this you can follow the Hyperlink to: Read Aloud – A Revelation
Greetings to the Seven Churches
Revelation 1:4-6… From John to the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace be yours from God, who is, who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits in front of his throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the first to be raised from death and who is also the ruler of the kings of the world. He loves us, and by his sacrificial death he has freed us from our sins and made us a kingdom of priests to serve his God and Father. To Jesus Christ be the glory and power forever and ever! Amen.
Who are these kings of the earth? Would it not be those who govern the earthy affairs of mankind?
Who is wishing peace upon the seven congregations of God? It is Jesus Christ, the apostle John, God Almighty and The Seven Spirits that stand before the throne. I think it is fair to say that we know about Jesus Christ, and we know about the apostle John. We should know something about God Almighty, after all we do read his word.
What do we know about the seven spirits that are standing before his throne?
For greater understanding of who are these Seven Spirits follow the hyperlink to: Greetings from the Seven Spirits
He is Coming
Revelation 1:7-8… Look, he is coming on the clouds! Everyone will see him, including those who pierced him (Matthew 26:64). All peoples on earth will mourn over him. (Matthew 24:30) So, shall it be! “I am the first and the last,” says the Lord God Almighty, who is, who was, and who is to come.
The first prophetic word spoken to the apostle John as part of the unveiling is a quote that Jesus spoke when he walked the face of the earth about his appearance and his coming. Because it is mentioned as one of the first prophetic things spoken here and because it has a tie-in with Matthew 26:64 and Matthew 24:30 as to the prophecy that Christ spoke, it now becomes a guarantee that Christ is in fact coming. We also have God Almighty saying that he’s coming. Something that Enoch prophesied and was quoted by Jude.
Jude 1:14-15… It was about these that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied: “Look! The Lord comes with tens of thousands of his holy ones to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly concerning all the ungodly acts that they have done in an ungodly way and concerning all the harsh things ungodly sinners have said against him.” Enoch 1:1-9
When the Lord God Almighty comes it will not be pleasant for the sinners and those who have spoken against him. Because there will be a judgment that will be executed upon the earth against the slaves of God and all who have been disobedient to him.
A Vision of Christ
The apostle John now begins to explain the particulars of how the vision about Jesus Christ came to be.
Revelation 1:9-20… I am John, your brother, and as a follower of Jesus I am your partner in patiently enduring the suffering that comes to those who belong to his Kingdom. I was put on the island of Patmos because I had proclaimed God’s word and the truth that Jesus revealed. On the Lord’s Day the Spirit took control of me, and I heard a loud voice, that sounded like a trumpet, speaking behind me. It said, “Write down what you see, and send the book to the churches in these seven cities: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.” I turned around to see who was talking to me, and I saw seven gold lampstands, and among them there was what looked like a human being, wearing a robe that reached to his feet, and a gold band around his chest. His hair was white as wool, or as snow, and his eyes blazed like fire; his feet shone like brass that has been refined and polished, and his voice sounded like a roaring waterfall. He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came out of his mouth. His face was as bright as the midday sun. When I saw him, I fell down at his feet like a dead man. He placed his right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid! I am the first and the last. I am the living one! I was dead, but now I am alive forever and ever. I have authority over death and the world of the dead. Write, then, the things you see (G3738 discern), both the things that are now (G1510 exist) and the things that will happen afterward (G3326 Beyond). Here is the secret meaning of the seven stars that you see in my right hand, and of the seven gold lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
Did you notice in these verse that there are three aspects about this vision, first the things you seen or discerned indicates something that happened in the past.
Next, the things that are now or exist, at the time when the revelation was given to John.
Then lastly the things that will happen after this period of time. This vision is a sequence of time that began before it was given to the apostle John. It is a key to understanding the timing of Revelation.
Taking note of these small details will help us understand the time that we are living in and the things that have already taken place. As the spirit of God recalls to our minds these things that are going on around us and how they fit into God’s Timetable.
Now we have the first disclosed secret from Christ himself, that the seven stars in his hand are the seven angels of the congregations under his control. And the seven lampstands are the seven congregations.
Now that we know the lampstand represents the congregation, we can now look back at the prophecy of Zechariah 4 and understand the lampstand in that passage of scripture as being the congregation of God in Israel.
The Lord Jesus Christ walks in among the congregations of God today acting as the high priest as indicated by the breastplate of gold. His white hair indicates the wisdom he possesses and with the fiery eyes he sees all things.
The two-edged sword that protrudes out of his mouth shows he has the ability to bring about death with his words. And at the time of this vision given to the apostle John we now know that Jesus Christ had been given the keys of death and Hades.
Has our Lord Jesus Christ used these keys since they have been given to him?
Follow the hyperlink to chapter 2 of Revelation called: Message to the Congregation
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