This
article begins in earnest a study of Revelation. My plan is to present an overview of the
chapter and then present a verse-by-verse study.
CHAPTER OVERVIEW
THE PROLOGUE (1:1-3)
Verses 1:1-3 form a prologue to the
book. Since verse 1:4 is in the style of
a salutation to begin an epistle, this book has the style of a book and of an
epistle. The prologue gives explanatory
material for the book. In verses 1:1-2,
the source of the book is described as a complex series of agents who each bear
some responsibility in the production of the book. The series begins with God, who gave the
revelation to Jesus. Jesus in turn sent
an angel to John, and John testified to what he saw. The result is a “revelation” or “apocalypse”
(derived from the Greek word for “revelation”) of what “must soon take place.” The recipients of this revelation were
intended to be the “servants” of Jesus.
Obviously, His servants would not receive the revelation if they do not
read the book or hear the book as it is read.
Therefore, a blessing is pronounced on those who read and those who
hear. The readers of that time would
include leaders in the churches whose office it was to read before the congregations,
which included people who could not read. (Metzger, 22)
THE SALUTATION (1:4-5a)
The style changes abruptly in verse
1:4 to a salutation. The persons saluted
are the seven churches of Asia. These
seven are named in 1:11 and are addressed as individual churches in chapters 2
and 3. From this greeting and from 1:11,
we can surmise that this book was circulated among these seven churches. The greeting is the common one of “grace and
peace.” This is found in many New
Testament epistles. The salutation is
from the Triune God. It is common in the
New Testament for the First Person of the Trinity to represent the entire
Godhead and thus be described as “the” God.
So, in this case, the First Person is described as the eternal God—“who
is and who was and who is to come.” The
Third Person (traditionally) is mentioned next—in a very odd way—and called the
“seven spirits who are before His throne.”
Both the English Standard Version Study Bible notes (ESVSB) and the New
International Version Study Bible notes (NIVSB) agree that this is a
designation for the Holy Spirit. Then
the Second Person is named as Jesus Christ (1:5). Though we “impose” our Trinitarian theology on
these verses, I believe we are justified, in the entire Biblical context, in
doing so. Note, as a partial defense,
that there are three entities listed in parallel as the source of the
salutation. Jesus is described in this
verse and throughout the book as victorious and as ruling from heaven. He is the “firstborn of the dead” and also
the “ruler of kings on earth.”
DOXOLOGY (1:5b-8)
All
of these verses are not strictly a doxology.
However, they form a unit in the sense that they evoke a sense of awe—not
only awe of the accomplishments of God’s redemption but also awe of the future
that God has prepared for us.
The
doxology is in praise of Jesus (1:5b-6).
His motivation is love for us.
That love drove Him to the cross to free us from sin and form us into a
kingdom and draw us into a priesthood that serves God and ministers reconciliation
to people. All this was accomplished
through the blood of Jesus. Therefore,
He deserves glory and power forever.
That
doxology breaks off as there is interjected the startling news: He is coming (1:7). The wording echoes Daniel 7:13 and Zechariah
12:10. The vision in Daniel tells how
the “son of man” came with clouds to receive and everlasting kingdom and the
prophecy in Zechariah declares that all the clans of Judah will behold the one “whom
they pierced.”
Then,
in verse 1:8, the narrative turns again.
This time we hear the voice of the Lord God. He declares that He is the eternal God—from A
to Z. Moreover, He is the Almighty
One. The revelation comes from God
(1:1). The centerpiece of that
revelation is that Jesus is coming. This
will be accomplished through the power of the one who is all powerful. We will encounter the power of Satan and of
his false messiah, the Beast, in this book.
We will see the power of sin and of willful humanity. But none of these can resist what has been
deemed a necessity: “what must soon take
place” (1:1), for this necessity has been set by the Almighty.
A VISION OF THE RESURRECTED AND GLORIFIED JESUS (1:9-20)
In
verses 1:9-20, John begins to relate his vision. Throughout almost all of the rest of the
book, we experience the vision (or visions) through John. In 4:1 he states: “After this I looked…” In 5:1, he states: “Then I saw…”
And so, again and again, we are reminded that John saw all of these
things and is faithfully reporting what he saw (1:2).
John
asserts his deep partnership with his fellow Christians in the churches to whom
he is writing (1:9). Together they experience
the joy and power of the Kingdom and also the tribulation and the endurance
that being a part of the Kingdom entails.
As proof of that, he explains that he was—at the time of his vision—in exile
on the island of Patmos, which was a Roman penal colony. Despite that situation, he was able to
experience worship and, on a particular Sunday, he was enraptured by the Spirit
(1:10). It was in that spiritual state
when he heard a voice commanding him to write the things which he saw. He was to write these things in a book and
send it to the seven churches of Asia (1:11).
John
turned to identify the speaker and beheld an amazing sight (1:12-16). He saw seven lampstands and one “like a son
of man” in the midst of them. John does
not directly identify this person, but the context fully implies that this is
none other than the resurrected and glorified Jesus. He has a long robe and a golden sash. He holds seven stars in His right hand and a
sword protrudes from His mouth. He has
the white hair of wisdom and dignity and penetrating eyes like fire. His feet are like bronze and His face shines
like the sun.
John
fell down to worship Him (1:17). Jesus
did not refuse this worship (as angels do later in the book). But He did reassure John and encourage Him
not to fear (1:17b-18). John could take
courage from the facts of who Jesus is and what He has accomplished. He is the “First and the Last” and the One
who lives. He was dead, but now He is
alive. He has conquered death and holds
the keys of authority over Death and Hades.
Jesus
then (1:19) added to the command that John had received in 1:11. He was to write the things he saw. These visions would encompass both the
present and the future.
Then,
Jesus explained two sets of symbolic images.
The seven stars represent the “angels” of the seven churches. These may have been heavenly beings or human
ministers to the churches. I think the
latter is more likely, since each church “angel” is addressed in a letter. The seven lampstands represent the seven
churches. This fixes in our minds the
importance of the local church. The
lampstand conveys the fact that each church has a spiritual significance to
Jesus—its own “personality” and its own destiny. This is made even clearer in the letters to
the individual churches in chapters 2 and 3.
With
John’s description of this vision, the background is set for the letters to the
churches. The vision also prepares us
for John’s further experiences that are described after the letters.
VERSE-BY-VERSE STUDY
Verse
1:1: The verse—the whole book—begins
with “Revelation of Jesus Christ…” There
is no definite article present, but most translations supply “the.” The first word has become the title of the
book. The word “apocalypse” is sometimes
used, since it is derived from the Greek word for “revelation.” (See my previous article.) This revelation comes from Jesus. Ultimately it comes from “God.” Since we are Trinitarians, we often get
nervous when the New Testament seems to ignore the Trinity. One would want to say: “Well, Jesus is God, so is this use of ‘God’
referring to the Father?” Most likely
that is the case. But it also true that
Jesus often is portrayed in this book and in other places in the New Testament
as a human who is subject to God. So,
Jesus’ role in this transaction is to receive the revelation and to pass it on.
Jesus
was given the revelation to pass on to His servants. The content of the revelation is “the things
that must soon take place.” The “must” is
a very definite expression: that which
is a necessity. It is
pre-determined. The “soon” is related to
the word for “speed,” so it may be translated “speedily.”
This
of course creates an immediate issue in the debate between those who understand
this book to be a prophecy about end-time events and those who understand it to
be about events in the first century. I
hope to discuss that issue in another article.
Jesus transmitted the revelation to John, “his servant.” The agent of transmittal was His angel. So, we have God, who gives the revelation to Jesus, who sends an angel to John to make it known to him. This was all done to show this revelation to Jesus’ servants so that they would know what would soon take place. Though this seems complicated, the verse communicates something to us. First, we see some of the players involved in this revelation. It is a revelation that ultimately comes from God. Since it is necessary that it take place, the necessity has been determined by God. The revelation was given to Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. In His role as
Lord and Savior, He showed it to
John. This revelation is an element in
our salvation. We are reminded that our
salvation is a deliverance from perishing and into everlasting life (John
3:16). The agent by whom John received
the revelation is an angel. A number of
angels play roles in the book. It is not
clear whether these are in mind or whether an angel who is not mentioned
accompanied John throughout these visions.
The
purpose of this revelation is to “show” what must soon take place. The word for “show” is a verb closely related
to the word for noun “sign,” which is a miracle that demonstrates or shows
something concerning God and His plans. John
12:33 uses the verb “show” as Jesus “showed” what kind of death He would
die. So, the idea in the noun and verb
is close to the idea of revelation. It
puts on display God's plans for people.
The revelation of this book will put on display God’s plans for people.
Verse
1:2: John bore witness to everything
that he saw. He is assuring us that he
did not leave anything out. What he saw
was the “word [or “message”] of God” and the “testimony of Jesus Christ.” This revelation is a word or message from God
that John is transmitting. It is also a
testimony about Jesus Christ. This
revelation gives us additional information about Jesus that we do not find
anywhere else in Scripture. It enhances
our understanding of who Jesus is and what He does and what He will do. In verse 9, John states that he was
imprisoned for these very things—the “word of God and the testimony of Jesus.” This expression seems to be a way that John
describes his ministry in general.
Verse
1:3: A blessing is promised to those
who read and those who hear the prophecy.
It is my understanding that Scripture was read in the church, especially
for the benefit of those who could not read.
The faithful servant who reads will be blessed as well as those who
listen to the reading. They are going to
be blessed by hearing the full message of the book. There are definitely “down” portions of the
book that would probably not be deemed a blessing by many. However, the entire book is a book about
victory. Moreover, we can expect a
blessing simply by being willing to read the book or hear it read.
The
blessing is not only on the reading and hearing but on the doing—more
precisely, the keeping. This kind of
keeping is to observe and obey. We are
reminded of James 1:22a: “But be doers
of the word, and not hearers only…” The
communication of those things that must soon take place carries with it a call
to holy living.
The revelation is called
a “prophecy.” It is not an ecstatic
utterance, such as occurred (and does still) in church services as the gift of
prophecy is exercised. Rather, it is a written
word of prophecy, part of the written prophets such as Isaiah. Peter stated that such prophecy comes through
the power of the Holy Spirit (II Peter 1:20-21). The church, in careful, prayerful
consideration, has made this book a part of the canon of Scripture. It is to be regarded as one of the prophetic
writings. It is not to be regarded as an
apocalypse in the sense that modern scholars have labeled it. (See my previous article. See also Ladd, 13, and Morris, 23-25.)
Verse 1:4:
At this point, the style changes from a book form to an epistle. The first three verses form a prologue. They are almost like a page slipped into the
beginning of a document to explain its content.
From those three verses we gain insight into the origin of the document
and its purpose. Now, we move on to
document proper.
John addresses the letter
to the seven churches in Asia. “Asia” is
contiguous with modern Turkey. I grew up
calling this Biblical entity “Asia Minor” to distinguish it from the
continent. The seven churches will be addressed
individually in chapters 2 and 3.
However, the entire book is to all seven churches. It is possible that this was a “circular
letter” that was carried from church to church and read in each one. (Metzger, 26) If one follows the order of the
letters to the individual churches and observes a map, one finds that the order
is a clockwise circuit of the seven churches starting at Ephesus and ending at
Laodicea. This is possible also the
order in which the circular letter was carried from church to church.
The greeting that John
gives is “grace and peace.” Twelve other
epistles in the New Testament include this greeting. Three others use “grace, mercy, and
peace.” John, like some of the other
writers, does not simply say this is his wish, but he transmit this “grace and
peace” from the Lord. Revelation is
known to have some unusual grammar, and this may be a case of that. A close to literal translation is: “grace and peace to you from the one who [or
“he who”] is being, and the one who was, and the one who is coming.” The irregularity is that a past tense verb
(“was”) is in a series with two present participles. More important is the significance of this
description. This is a statement of the
eternality of God.
The greeting also comes
from the “seven spirits who are before his throne.” This expression by itself might be
interpreted as seven spiritual beings—like angels—who are before the
throne. However, the uses of seven in
other passages (3:1, 4:5, 5:6) are expressions that do not allow such an interpretation. Rather, those passages simply say “seven
spirits of God.” The NIV Study Bible
(NIVSB) believes this could be translated “sevenfold spirit of God,” though I
am not sure what the basis for that is.
The ESV Study Bible (ESVSB) simply accepts that Revelation refers to
seven spirits of God but also notes that the singular Spirit of God is also
referred to in 3:6 and 3:13. The use of
seven in Zechariah (seven lamps) to describe the one Spirit is the closest of
all references to the way Revelation refers to the Spirit. NIVSB, ESVSB, and Morris (48) explain the
“seven” to mean perfection. Ladd (24-25)
refers to the “plurality of functions” of the Spirit.
Verse 1:5:
The greeting is continued. In
1:4, the source of the greeting is from the eternal God and from the Holy
Spirit. One additional person is
listed: Jesus Christ. He is given three descriptors. First, He is the “faithful witness.” Jesus described one of His roles to be the
revealing of the Father to the world.
See John 17:6. The book of Revelation
is described as coming from Jesus (1:1).
So, it is important to remember that Jesus is a faithful witness to
truth. He is also the “firstborn of the
dead.” This book consistently reminds us
that Jesus died and rose again. Here, we
are reminded that His resurrection was the beginning of the great Resurrection
that is to come. Finally, He is “the
ruler of kings on earth.” The baby born
in Bethlehem and laid in a manger has become the ruler of all. This, of course, has not been made visible on
earth, but it is nevertheless true. It
means that rulers will give an account to Him someday. Whether they acknowledge Him or not, they are
accountable to Him.
In 1:4-5a, we have a
reflection of the Trinity. It is not as
nice and clean as we would have it for our textbooks. Nevertheless, three persons are referred to
as giving this greeting.
The second part of verse
1:5 is not part of the greeting. Rather
it is the beginning of a doxology to Jesus.
He is the one who loves and freed us from our sins by His blood. In John 3:16, we are told of the Father’s
love in giving Jesus. In this verse we
are told how Jesus’ prime motivation in going to the cross was love. “The blood” is a central expression of Jesus’
death on the cross. The blood is central
to atonement (Leviticus 17:11) for it is central to life. Jesus’ death was a violent death in which His
lifeblood was shed. That death was a
substitutionary payment for our sins. By
suffering our punishment, we have been freed from the guilt of sin and from the
punishment for sin. As that has taken
place, the power of sin over us has been broken. Thus, we have been set free by the blood of
Jesus. The blood of Jesus is an
important theme in Revelation. As we see
the power of the devil, the Beast, the world, and sin so dramatically
displayed, we also see the power of the blood of Jesus (see 12:11).
Verse 1:6 continues the praise to Jesus. The atoning death of Jesus set us free from
sin and then brought us into a Kingdom.
The same thought is expressed in Colossians 1:13. We are in this Kingdom to function as priests
to God. God is described as His “God and
Father.” Jesus is understood in His role
as human, subservient to God, but also as the Son of God. Our role as priests is to serve the Father in
obedience to the life that we have been called to. Also, we serve the world in the ministry of
reconciliation (II Corinthians 5:18-21) by being ambassadors for Christ. This language echoes the vision of God for
Israel on Mount Sinai: “a kingdom of
priests and a holy nations” (Exodus 19:6).
It is this One who has
purchased our redemption who is praised.
The praise statement can be translated with the verb “be” or the verb
“is.” The “glory and dominion [NIV: “power”] “is” to Him or “may it be” to
Him. As we praise Him, we announce what
belongs to Him and we also agree that it is rightfully His. This is to go on forever. The word “forever” or “eternally” is also the
word “ages.” So, His glory and dominion
will go on unto the ages.
Suddenly, in verse 1:7, there is a forceful statement that disrupts our thoughts. He is coming. He is coming with the clouds. This verse echoes Daniel 7:13. In one of Daniel’s visions he saw “one like a son of man” coming on clouds and receiving a kingdom. Jesus used the expression, “the Son of Man,” to designate Himself throughout His ministry. Then, at the trial of Jesus before the Sanhedrin, Jesus declared that they would see the Son of Man coming on clouds (Matthew 27:44). In the latter part of 1:7 there is reference to Zechariah 12. In that passage there is mention of “him they have pierced” (Zechariah 12:10) and also of mourning, specifically of the clans of the land (Zechariah 12:10-14). So, notice the emotional content of
the passage, starting at
1:4 and proceeding through 1:7. The book
is addressed to the seven churches. To
them is given the benign greeting of “grace and peace.” This greeting comes from the Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit. The Son, Jesus, is specifically
focused on as our redeemer who is worthy of glory and power. Then, suddenly, the spotlight on Jesus
intensifies because that which has been accomplished is now supplanted by that
which is to come. HE IS COMING. No one is going to miss this coming. He came first in obscurity in a backwater of
the Roman Empire. This time every eye
will see Him. And some will mourn
because they pierced Him.
Once more the narrative
makes a quick change in verse 1:8.
John has been addressing the churches and relaying the greeting and
giving praise. Now, the first person is
used and the person who is speaking is God.
He uses the Greek alphabet to describe His eternality: He is the A to Z. He explains this in the same expression that
was used in verse 1:4: He is, was, and
is to come. He adds one more
expression: “the Almighty.” This word is used eight times in the New
Testament, and seven of those uses are in Revelation. There are frequent contrasts in Revelation,
implied and explicit, and one of the contrasts is between the power of Satan
and the Beast on the one hand and, on the other, the One who holds all power,
The Almighty God.
In verse 1:9, John
begins a narrative which frames most of the rest of the book. From this point on, John narrates how he saw
and heard various things. For example,
chapters 2 and 3 are letters to the seven churches of Asia. In each letter, Jesus commands John,
“write.” In chapter 4, John experiences
a vision of heaven, and John narrates how he experienced that vision and what
he saw by means of it. This sort of
narrative, using “I saw” or “I heard” or “I was given a reed…” or “then I
looked,” carries the narrative along in such a way that we are conscious of
receiving this revelation through the experiences of John. In 22:8, is the statement: “I, John, am the one who heard and saw these
things.”
John identifies himself
as “your brother and partner.” He is
identifying himself with his readers, who were the Christians in the churches
in Asia. His partnership is in three
experiences that are “in Jesus”—“the tribulation and the kingdom and the
patient endurance.” He and his readers
share these experiences. He is
experiencing the Kingdom of God (see verse 1:6), which connotes victory, joy,
peace, and the presence of the Holy Spirit (see Romans 14:17). But with the Kingdom comes suffering also
(Acts 14:22). And that suffering calls
for patient endurance or perseverance (see Romans 5:1-5). John explains that he was on the island of
Patmos because of “the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.” Patmos, both ESVSB and NIVSB state, was a
small island where the Romans exiled certain prisoners. Thus, John was experiencing a very real
example of tribulation in Jesus. John’s
crime was that he testified about Jesus in the context of proclaiming the word
of God.
In verse 1:10 John
says he was “in the Spirit on the Lord’s day.”
The “Lord’s day” is Sunday. (Ladd,
31) John’s expression “in the Spirit” is most likely a state of ecstatic
rapture that was common in many church services in the first century and still
takes place among some. It is possible
that this experience began the entire set of visions that John
experienced. In other words, it could
have all taken place on that Sunday. It
is possible that also that John returned to that condition again and again and
experienced the visions over a lengthy period of days or weeks. The implication is that the vision he
experienced beginning at this verse continued at least through the seven
letters in chapters 2 and 3. “After
this” in verse 4:1 could indicate another vision on the same or another
day.
When
he was in the Spirit, John heard a voice like a trumpet. Whether “like a trumpet” describes the
quality of the voice or the loudness of the voice is not clear, but the wording
seems to imply that the voice was loud and it had the quality of a trumpet. I have a difficult time imagining a voice
that sounds like a trumpet, but it must have been an arresting experience.
Verse
1:11 relates what the voice said:
John is to send a book to the seven churches of Asia, which are
named. He is to tell them what he
saw. Note that the content is to be
visual. Perhaps no other book in the
Bible, with the possible exception of Daniel, is filled with images as the
book.
In
verse 1:12 John turns to look at the source of the voice. His first image is of seven golden
lampstands. This image is explained in
verse 1:20.
In
verse 1:13 John continues his description to say that he saw a person among
the lampstands, whom he describes as being like a “son of man.” This is wording that echoes Daniel 7:13 and,
of course, Jesus used “the Son of Man” to designate Himself. (See comments on verse 1:7.) This person was wearing a long robe and a
golden sash. NIVSB considers this to
indicate a high priest, but descriptions of the high priest’s clothing in
Exodus 28-29 does not match this very well.
ESVSB considers the description to convey royalty and Metzger (27)
agrees. One is simply struck that this
is a description of a very awesome person.
John avoids saying it was Jesus, though it is obvious that it is. I take this as a dramatic way of presenting
his vision, surrounding it with an aura of mystery.
Verses
1:14 and 15 continue the description of Jesus. The whiteness of his hair perhaps communicates
the wisdom of the Ancient of Days who is described in Daniel 7:9. The eyes were
flaming fire, perhaps representing their power to penetrate and see all
things. I have always been struck by the
feet of burnished bronze, “refined in a furnace.” I am reminded of that fourth person in the
fiery furnace with Daniel’s three compatriots in Daniel 3:24-25. Was that where Jesus’ feet were bronzed? The first voice John heard was like a
trumpet. Jesus’ voice was like the roar
of water. If one has ever stood beside a
rushing mountain stream, one can sense something of that voice.
Verse
1:16 continues the description. The
image now becomes more fantastic. This
“son of man” is holding in one hand seven stars. These are explained in verse 20. A sharp sword protrudes from his mouth. One remembers Hebrew 4:12, which compares the
word of God to a sword. Thus, Jesus’
word is sharp, in the sense that it speaks perfect truth that can bring life or
death. His face was as bright as the
sun. What an awesome sight! This vision is one that is filled with
symbols that each conveys a meaning.
However, we do not want to lose sight of the fact that John saw the
resurrected and glorified Jesus. We need
not think of Him as having sword sticking out of His mouth or of holding seven
super nova stars in His hand. What we do
realize is that the same Jesus who walked the soil of Galilee is now sitting at
the right hand of majesty with great glory and power.
John
records his reaction in verse 1:17, which was to fall at Jesus’
feet. Jesus comforted and encouraged
John. Notice that first He placed His
right hand on John. This was the hand
that held seven stars. We need to “get
over” worrying about such trivialities.
Obviously, the vision is just that—a vision. That means it is a visual image intended to
convey information, not to convey logical niceties. The seven stars in Jesus’ right hand are important,
but at this moment, Jesus’ right hand (the hand of action and communication) is
important as a means to comfort John.
Jesus urges John not to be afraid, because of who He—Jesus—is. His being, His accomplishments, His victory
are sources of encouragement, not of fear and death.
First
of all, Jesus is the “first and the last.”
(Verse 17b) He was the One who
was in the beginning—with God at the creation and, in fact, He was God (John
1:1-4). And He will be there when it is
all over and be the light of the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:23). Just as God is the Alpha and the Omega, Jesus
is the First and the Last.”
Moreover,
in verse 1:18, Jesus describes Himself as the “living one.” This could be translated “the One who
lives.” They put him on a cross and laid
him in a tomb, but He is, by definition, the One who lives, and death could not
hold Him. Jesus makes that clear: He died and “Look!” He is alive—He lives—forevermore. We cannot read these words without thrilling
to their power and victory. There is a
feel to these words—a feel that Jesus is excited. Do you remember when He appeared to the
disciples in the upper room? There was a
joy and excitement to Jesus’ words. He
was so excited to share His victory with His friends! Now, perhaps more than 60 years later
(depending on the dating of Revelation), Jesus was still excited to share with
John. Throughout eternity, that thrill
will never leave. He is alive.
That
victory was His personal victory, but it is also a victory for all who trust in
Him. He has now in His possession the
“keys of Death and Hades.” (Verse
18b) Those keys represent authority. He can lock or unlock those places. No one else can do so. Jesus has defeated the one who held the power
of death—the devil (see Hebrews 2:14).
In
verse 1:19 Jesus gives additional instructions (beyond those in 1:11) to
John. He is to write what he has
seen. (The verb is aorist and should be
translated “saw.”) There are two ways of
taking the second part of the sentence, as follows:
·
There
are three parts to the command. The first
part is in the first clause: “The things
that you have seen.” The second part is
“those that are.” The third part is
“those that are to take place after this.”
Some believe this is an outline of the book—chapter 1 is the first part;
chapter 2 and 3 are the second part; and the remainder is the third part.
·
The
first clause is the command and the second and third clauses define the
command: “Write the things you have seen—those
that are and those that are to take place after this.” This would take the use of the word kai, which is before the second and
third clauses, to mean “both…and.” This is a valid translation.
Some people have made a great deal of
this verse as an “outline” of the entire book.
They lean on the first interpretation above. Thus, John is to write what he saw (things of
the past) and the things that are going on now and the things that are going to
happen.
I think that one problem
with this interpretation is trying to make three elements of the sentence as
parallel constructions—(a) “the things that you have seen” in parallel with (b)
“those that are” and also with (c) “those that are to take place after this.” Part (a) does not seem to be a parallel to
either (b) or (c). Therefore I prefer
the second interpretation. It does not
necessarily sort into a nice “outline,” but it does preview the contents of the
book. In either case, the use of the
verb “to see” reminds us that this book recounts visions experienced by John.
In
verse 1:19 Jesus interprets two elements of John’s vision, the seven
stars and the seven golden lampstands. The
stars represent the “angels” (or “messengers”) of the seven churches and the
lampstands represent the churches themselves.
Some believe that the “angels” were ministers to the churches while
others believe they were angels in our usual sense of the word. The Greek word that is usually translated “angel”
also means “messenger.” (See ESVSB and NIVSB.)
The fact that the “angel” of each of the churches is addressed in each
letter (see, for example 2:1) gives credence to the idea that the angels were
human ministers. A third proposal is
that the angels were the “essential spirits” of the churches (Morris, 56-57,
Ladd, 32 and 35). This does not appeal
to me, because it seems to me that the lampstands play that role.Jesus held the
angels in His hand and walked among the seven lampstands that represent
churches. Individual, local churches as
entities are of significance to Jesus.
Jesus relates to individuals; we can verify that in many places in
Scripture. Jesus is also designated the
Head of the church, which we can consider the entire population of saved
individuals. But we also need to keep in
mind that Jesus is very interested in the local church. Each of these churches has a lampstand “in
heaven” so to speak. That is, each
church has a spiritual identity before God.
Such knowledge should cause us to take the church very seriously.
REFERENCES
Crossway Bibles (2009-04-09). ESV
Study Bible Good News Publishers. Kindle Edition.
Ladd, G. Eldon. A
Commentary on the Revelation of John.
Grand Rapids: William B.
Eerdmans
Publ. Co., 1972.
Morris, Leon. Tyndale
New Testament Commentaries. Vol.
20. The Revelation of St. John.
Gen.
ed. R. V. G. Tasker. Grand Rapids:
William B. Eerdmans Publ. Co., 1980.
Zondervan NIV Study Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publ., 2002
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