By Dr. Roy Harthern
THE TITLE AND THE THEME
1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John,
There are other personalities and events introduced in this interesting and exciting book, but the theme is: the Revelation of Jesus Christ. Some Bibles have entitled the book, The Revelation of John the Divine. John was commissioned to write the book, but he wrote about the Revelation of Jesus Christ.
THE MEANING OF REVELATION
Revelation is defined as the unveiling, the uncovering, the enlightening, and the clarification. It is used to lift up or pull back a curtain so that all can see what has been hidden behind the curtain. The word, Revelation suggests that God wants to reveal the truth to you and not hide it. The book is intended to present to the readers a revelation of the glory of His Majesty, King Jesus, and the revelation of coming world events, which will climax with the Battle of Armageddon and the Second Coming of Christ to establish His worldwide Kingdom on earth. In one version of the New Testament this book is called The Apocalypse, because the word Revelation is translated from the Greek word Apokalupsis.
THE TRANSMISSION OF THE BOOK OF REVELATION
The Book of Revelation originated with God the Father and was passed from the Father to the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus gave it to an angel. Thus, this was not only a revelation of Jesus Christ but also a revelation from Him. Actually, the angel must have appeared to John as an angel, because when John fell at his feet to worship him, the angel said, “See you do not do that, I am of your fellow servant, the prophets (Revelation 19:10 and 22:8-9).” The angel gave the revelation to the Apostle John in a vision, and he told John to write down everything he saw. John sent the recorded vision to the seven churches (as mentioned in chapters 2 and 3) to the entire church age, and to every believer alive today, so that we could understand the glory and the majesty of the Lord Jesus Christ and the prophecy of future events.
CHRIST IS REVEALED AS PROPHET, PRIEST AND KING
In the Gospels, Christ was revealed as Prophet during His earthly ministry. In the Book of Hebrews, Christ is revealed today as our High Priest.
The Book of Revelation presents Christ as the King of kings and Lord of lords.
A PROPHECY OF THINGS THAT MUST SHORTLY TAKE PLACE
The word “shortly” means soon and quickly; there are 45 references to future events in the Book of Revelation. The word prophecy is mentioned seven times. Verse 3 also informs us that the Book of Revelation is a book of future prophecy. Out of 404 verses in this book, 350 are prophecy.
EVENTS THAT MUST HAPPEN SOON
- Events that will take place in the history of the seven local churches mentioned.
- Events that will take place in the history of the church from the Day of Pentecost until the Rapture.
- Events that will take place at the resurrection of the righteous dead and the Rapture of the born-again living believers.
- Events that will take place in heaven after the Rapture.
- Events that will take place in heaven and on earth during the seven-year tribulation.
- Events that will take place in heaven at the celebration of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb at the end of the seven-year tribulation.
- Events that will take place when Jesus returns to earth to destroy the Antichrist and his armies at the Battle of Armageddon.
- Events that will take place in the Millennium.
- Events that will take place in future eternity.
The events occur consecutively in the order they are recorded in the book with some parenthetical passages inserted between the main events. I will explain the parenthetical passages as we study them.
JOHN, THE WRITER
John introduces himself as the writer of this book in the first verse. Out of his five books, this is the only one that mentions his name. He uses the pronoun, “I” over 70 times in the Book of Revelation, yet in the Gospel of John he does not use the pronoun “I” once. John was one of the 12 Apostles. He was the brother of James and the son of Zebedee and Salome. His mother was one of the women at the cross. She also went to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus. Tradition says that she was a sister of Mary, the mother of Jesus. The family had a successful fishing business. Salome, John’s mother, supported Jesus financially during His earthly ministry (Luke 8:1-3).
At the time John wrote the Book of Revelation, he was the only one of the original 12 apostles still alive and this was the last book of the Bible to be written.
THE MEANING OF THE WORD “SIGNIFIED”
Some scholars have suggested that the word signified in verse 1 means that John was using the word to imply that he was going to write a book of signs and symbols. However, not all scholars agree. The word signified means “showed, pointed out, or announced.” Other scholars believe that John was merely writing down the vision as he saw it, or as it was shown to him, announced to him, or pointed out to him.
THE AUTHENTICITY OF THE BOOK
1:2 who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ to all things that he saw.
The authenticity of the Book of Revelation is based on the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. This is the Spirit of Prophecy (chapter 19:10). The things that John saw in the vision. The word “saw” in the Greek language suggests that John not only saw the personalities and the events in his vision, he also understood the meaning and the truth of what he saw. Words suggesting that John saw and recorded a vision are found 45 times in the Book of Revelation.
YOU ARE BLESSED AS YOU READ
1:3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.
There is a blessing promised to (1) the readers of the Book of Revelation, (2) to those who hear the reading of this book, and (3) to those who keep (obey) the things that are written in it. As you study this book, continue to remind yourself of this verse and remember you are “blessed” by reading and hearing these words of prophecy.
THE SEVEN BLESSINGS IN THE BOOK OF REVELATION
- Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy and keep those things that are written therein (chapter 1:3).
- Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord (chapter 14:13). Behold I am coming as a thief.
- Blessed is he who watches and keeps his garments (chapter 16:15).
- Blessed are they who are called unto the Marriage Supper of the Lamb (chapter 19:9).
- Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection (chapter 20:6). Behold I am coming quickly.
- Blessed is he who keeps the sayings of the prophecy of this book (chapter 22:7).
- Blessed are they who do His commandments that they may have the right to the tree of life (chapter 22:14).
THE TIME IS NEAR
Twice in the first three verses and several times throughout the entire book John emphasizes that we are living near the end time.
Scholars believe John wrote this book in 96 A.D. This means that the end is much nearer now than when John wrote it.
GREETINGS TO THE SEVEN CHURCHES
1:4 John, to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne,
The number seven is repeated 54 times in the Book of Revelation. At times it represents the actual number seven. At other times it is used to symbolize totality, completeness, wholeness, and perfection.
THE SEVEN CHURCHES
My wife and I have visited the exact places where these seven churches were located. When John refers to Asia, he was not referring to the Continent of Asia, but to Asia Minor, or what we would call the area of Turkey today. In the time of the early church, these seven churches were spiritually anointed, thriving, growing congregations, but today nothing remains but ruins.
GRACE AND PEACE
The phrase “Grace to you” was a common greeting used by the Greeks. “Peace” was used by the Jews. John was a Jew, but he had ministered in Gentile churches for many years. Tradition states that he lived in Ephesus for 20 years, he pastored the church there and was buried there. Thus, he was steeped in both Jewish and Greek culture. Using the greetings, grace and peace, he was appealing to both cultures. In verse 7, as we will see later, he uses the terms, “Even so, Amen.” The Greeks closed their prayers with “Even so” and the Jews with “Amen.” Amen means “so be it.” Grace is God’s unmerited and undeserved gift of favor and love. It is receiving what we don’t deserve. Mercy is not receiving what we do deserve. Grace and mercy are two sides of the same coin. When we receive the grace of God, we can have peace with God. When we have peace with God, we can enjoy the peace of God. The letters in the word, Grace could stand for: God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.
SALVATION PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE
1:5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed (loosed) us from our sins in His own blood,
Through the blood, we were saved from the penalty of sin. Through the blood, we are saved from the power of sin. Through the blood, we shall be saved from the presence of sin when Jesus comes.
THE TRINITY IN THE BOOK OF REVELATION
The word Trinity is not found in the Bible, but the truth of the Triune Godhead is clearly taught. In chapter 1 verse 4, there is a reference to God the eternal Father. In the same verse we also read of the 7 Spirits. This is a reference to the Holy Spirit, another member of the Trinity. Verse 5 presents Jesus again. This completes the Trinity. There are not seven Holy Spirits. There is only one Spirit (Ephesians 4:4) and seven is the number of perfection. Thus, the Holy Spirit is perfect, total, and complete. The book of Isaiah 11:2 refers to seven attributes of the Holy Spirit: The Spirit of the Lord. The Spirit of wisdom. The Spirit of understanding. The Spirit of counsel. The Spirit of might. The Spirit of knowledge. The Spirit of the fear of the Lord.
GOD’S THRONE IN HEAVEN
The throne is mentioned at least 40 times in the Book of Revelation. It is the center of all the activities of heaven.
CHRIST, THE FIRSTBORN FROM THE DEAD
The Scriptures refer to Jesus as the only begotten Son five times. That is when He was born at Bethlehem. The Bible also refers to Him as the firstborn or the “first born from the dead” five times. This refers to His resurrection. The first Adam experienced sin in paradise and the second Adam, Jesus, experienced righteousness in Hades. Jesus was the first person to be born again. He was born again in Hades and since His resurrection He has welcomed many brothers and sisters into the family of God.
RULER OVER THE KINGS OF THE EARTH
This is a prophetic insert. Jesus has the authority to reign as King of kings today, but He will not do so until He defeats the Antichrist at the Battle of Armageddon. This is when He returns to reign on the earth at His Second Coming.
NEW CREATION REALITIES
1:6 and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
In verses 4, 5, and 6 we have a record of the following new creation realities: Grace—The unearned and undeserved favor of God. Love gifts received freely from God by faith. Peace—Freedom from all inner turmoil, past, present, and future. He loved us—with an eternal, unconditional love. He washed us (or loosed us) from our sins in His own blood.
HE MADE US PROPHETS, PRIESTS, AND KINGS
As prophets we minister to one another and we witness to the lost. As priests we minister to the Lord in thanksgiving, praise, and worship. As kings we have power and authority over the enemy (Luke 10:19).
JESUS COMES IN CLOUDS
1:7 Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.
When Jesus ascended back to heaven He went in a cloud (Acts 1:9). When He comes in the air for His saints at the Rapture, He will come in a cloud (1 Thessalonians 4:17). When He comes back to earth with His saints to fight at the Battle of Armageddon, He will come with clouds (verse 7). The promise of Christ’s return is recorded three times in the Book of Revelation, in chapter 1, chapter 11, and chapter 19.
EVERY EYE WILL SEE JESUS
When Jesus returns to the earth with His Bride to fight His enemies at the Battle of Armageddon every eye will see Him. But not every eye will see Him when He comes to the clouds for His Bride at the Rapture. There will be a special outpouring of grace on the people who pierced Him, the Jews (Zechariah 12:10). The Jews will ask Him where He received the nail wounds in His hands (Zechariah 12:10 and 13:6). He will reply, I received them in the house of My friends (Zechariah 13:6). Verse 7 also declares that all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Some Bible scholars believe that John was referring to all the tribes of Israel rather than all the nations of the earth. The Greek word for mourn means to wail in an impassioned expression of grief.
JESUS IS THE ETERNAL GOD
1:8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, who “is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
This verse confirms that Jesus Christ is the eternal, Almighty God. The word Almighty is used of God 48 times in the Old Testament. The alpha and the omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. In the Hebrew language, the language of the Old Testament, it reads, I am the alef and the tav. The symbol of the alef is an ox and the symbol of the tav is a cross. The Old Covenant began with animal sacrifice and ended with the cross. This verse also gives lie to the cults which teach that Jesus is a lesser god.
JOHN EXILED ON PATMOS
1:9 “I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the Word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.”
When John wrote the Book of Revelation, the New Testament Church was experiencing great persecution by the Roman Emperors. John was a fellow sufferer in this persecution. All the 12 Apostles except John had been killed as martyrs. Some early traditions state that John had been boiled alive in oil and survived. He was banished to the Island of Patmos where he saw the vision of the Book of Revelation and recorded his vision. The Isle of Patmos was a small, volcanic, rocky, and lonely island located in the Aegean Sea off the coast of Turkey. It was barren and had no trees or vegetation. Patmos was approximately ten miles long and six miles wide and was located about 30 miles southwest of Ephesus and was a prison camp for the worst kind of criminals. John’s only crime was that he was a Christian.
JOHN’S VISION OF JESUS ON THE LORD’S DAY
1:10 “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet,
Bible scholars do not all agree on the meaning of the Lord’s Day. Some teach that John had this Spiritual revelation on Sunday, the Lord’s Day. Others believe that he was taken in the Spirit to a period of time in the future which had been prophesied more than 30 times in the Old and New Testaments as, the Day of the Lord. It is also called, the great and terrible Day of the Lord. The Day of the Lord is the day of God’s coming judgment.
Scholars who hold to this view believe that the verse should be translated, I was in the Spirit in the Lord’s Day. Because the Bible does not tell us what John meant by the Lord’s Day, we will not speculate further.
JOHN’S COMMISSION TO WRITE THIS BOOK TO SEVEN CHURCHES
1:11 saying, ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,’ and, ‘What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.’”
Although the Bible refers to a book, it was a scroll. It was written to the seven churches mentioned. The message is also for the church of all ages and we read in verse 3 that the book (scroll) was written to every believer. Some theologians believe that each church represents a period of time in church history. However, there is no Scripture to support this teaching.
A DESCRIPTION OF JESUS
1:12 “Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands,
John turned to see the voice that spoke. Usually, one listens to a voice. John must have been so awed by the presence of the Lord that when he heard His voice, he turned to see the One who spoke.
THE SEVEN GOLDEN LAMPSTANDS
These lampstands are mentioned seven times in the Book of Revelation. Verse 20 explains that the seven lampstands probably a menorah) represent the seven churches. Jesus said that the church must be the light of the world (John 5:14). He also stated, Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven (John 5:16).
THE VISION OF THE SON OF MAN
1:13 and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band.
14 His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire;
15 His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters;
16 He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength.
In chapters 2 and 3, as Christ sends messages to each of the seven churches, He mentions these same descriptive characteristics again, one by one.
CHRIST STANDING IN THE MIDST OF THE LAMPSTAND
We see Christ is standing in the midst of the seven lampstands, the seven churches.
His garments speak of royalty because He is the King of kings. Because there were many more than seven churches in Asia Minor at this time, we conclude that the number seven symbolizes the total and complete church.
SYMBOLS OF JUDGMENT
The following descriptions of Christ symbolize judgment: His eyes were like a flame of fire. His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace. His voice (was like) the sound of many waters. Out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword. His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength.
THE SEVEN STARS
The seven stars symbolize the seven pastors of the seven churches. They are held in the right hand of Christ. The right hand represents blessing, power and authority.
JOHN’S REACTION TO HIS VISION OF THE GLORIFIED CHRIST
1:17 And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last.”
At the Last Supper, John laid his head on the shoulder of Jesus. During His earthly ministry, John and Jesus were close friends. In fact, John is called, the disciple whom Jesus loved. When John saw the glorified Christ, he was afraid and fell at His feet as dead. Jesus reassured John and told him not to be afraid. Today Jesus is our Savior and friend but when we meet Him at the Judgment Seat, He will be our Judge. John was the same writer who wrote in his Epistles: “And now little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming (1 John 2:28).”
CHRIST HAS THE KEYS OF HADES AND DEATH
1:18 “I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.”
Christ died, was buried, and rose again to live eternally. During His earthly ministry, Jesus laid aside His Divine attributes and was confined to the limitations of a physical body. He could be in one place only at one time.
Now He is the eternal God with all His Divine attributes restored. The word Amen is the same word as verily. The word means “so be it” and confirms that Christ is alive eternally.
KEYS ARE A SYMBOL OF POWER AND AUTHORITY
Christ the living and eternal King has power and authority over Hades and Death. Hades is translated hell in the KJV. Hades was the place where the souls and spirits of the dead went before Jesus died on the cross. Hades has two compartments with a great, impassible gulf between them. One compartment is for the souls of the lost. It is a place of fire, a place of torment, a place of consciousness and a place of memory. The other compartment is called paradise. It is for the souls of the righteous.
THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS
Jesus told about the rich man and Lazarus the beggar in Luke 16:19–31. The rich man died and went to Hades, the place of torment. The beggar died and went to paradise. This compartment was also called, Abraham’s bosom. When Jesus was crucified, His body was placed in the tomb, but His soul and spirit went to Hades. Jesus had to take the sinner’s place and with the sin of the world, Jesus went to the place of torment. Then, when the demands of Divine justice had been satisfied and Jesus had suffered the torments of the damned, His spirit was born again. As God Almighty, He snatched the keys of Hades and Death from the devil and used them to liberate the souls of the righteous in the paradise portion of Hades. That is when “He led captivity captive (Ephesians 4:8).”
SOME OLD TESTAMENT SAINTS RESURRECTED WITH JESUS
In Matthew 27:52-53 the Bible records that when Jesus rose from the dead there were many Old Testament saints who were also raised from the dead and were seen walking the streets of Jerusalem. These were some of the saints who had been in the paradise compartment of Hades before Christ’s resurrection. Since the resurrection, the paradise compartment of Hades is empty. Today, when the saved die they go immediately to paradise which is now in heaven. When the unsaved die, their spirits and souls still go to the torment compartment of Hades awaiting the Great White Throne Judgment when Death and Hades will be cast into the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:14).
THE THREE DIVISIONS OF THE BOOK
1:19 Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this. We explained the three divisions as we examined the Fourth Interpretation in the Overview.
THE SEVEN STARS AND THE SEVEN LAMPSTANDS EXPLAINED
1:20 The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the angels (pastors) of the seven churches.
We have already explained the symbolism of the seven stars. They are the apostolic pastors of the seven churches. Tradition records that there was a Roman Emperor whose son died in 85 A.D. The emperor minted a coin of his son holding seven stars. The seven stars were symbolic of his having power over the seven continents. There is no record in history of any Roman Emperor’s son ruling the world, but what John saw prophetically will certainly come to pass. Peter said that we also have a “more sure word of prophecy” (2 Peter 1:19).###
ENDNOTE:
Harthern, Dr. Roy. Armageddon Ahead: An Easy-to-Understand Verse-by-Verse Commentary on Revelation. LifeBridge Books.
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