|
| Chapter 1 |
| Bible Text | Notes and Thoughts |
|
1 ¶ The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto Him to show unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass. And He sent and made it known by His angel unto His servant John, 2 who bore record of the Word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. 3 ¶ Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein; for the time is at hand. 4 John, To the seven churches in Asia: Grace be unto 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; 5 and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince over the kings of the earth. Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood, 6 and hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father, to Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. 7 Behold, He cometh with clouds, and every eye shall see Him, and they also who pierced Him; and all kindred's of the earth shall wail because of Him. Even so. Amen. 8 "I AM ALPHA AND OMEGA, THE BEGINNING AND THE ENDING," saith the Lord, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty. 9 ¶ I, John, who also am your brother and companion in tribulation and in the Kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the isle that is called Patmos, for the Word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. 10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a great voice as of a trumpet, 11 saying, "I am Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last," and, "What you seest, write in a book and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia: unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea." 12 And I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; 13 and in the midst of the seven candlesticks One like unto the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the breast with a golden girdle. 14 His head and His hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes were as a flame of fire; 15 and His feet like unto fine brass, as though they burned in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters. 16 And He had in His right hand seven stars, and out of His mouth went a sharp two edged sword, and His countenance shone as the sun shineth in his strength. 17 And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. And He laid His right hand upon me, saying unto me, "Fear not; I am the First and the Last. 18 I am He that liveth, and was dead; and behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen, and have the keys of hell and of death. 19 Write the things which you hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter. 20 The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven candlesticks which you saw are the seven churches. |
In the first 3 verses it is revealed the divine nature of Jesus. v1 A revelation is the uncovering of hidden information or objects. The source of this revelation is God Himself; He has given it through Christ for His servants the church. An angel has acted as mediator, forming a connecting link between events. The events are soon to take place v3 "the time is at hand." ‘soon’ is a normal prophetic word used throughout the New Testament, it can mean tomorrow, or 2 thousand years ahead, we must remember that ‘time’ does not exist to an eternal God. v2 It is also made clear that this revelation is "the Word of God," and is a record of what the writer saw. v3 A blessing is for anyone who reads or hears the words of this book because "the time is at hand." Today many people are choosing to ignore the Bible, even Christians. The same blessing is given in Rev 22:7,18,19 with some added warnings not to alter the writings. Some people may feel that God has turned His back on this evil world, but He is working to His perfect timetable, "the time is at hand - things which must shortly come to pass." The second coming of Jesus is near at hand, are you ready? v4 This verse tells us that the book of Revelation is written mainly for the church not the world, the message from God being addressed to the seven churches in Asia. Many of the events recorded in this book involve the number seven, the events are usually divided up into two groups of 3 and 4. Three is a symbol of divine and four that of humanity, seven is a symbolisms of completeness. The word "church" is not referring to the building or the people who attend in the building but those who have been set aside for God’s use, those "called out" through the blood of Jesus. v5 Jesus is the faithful witness, not just revealing the truth of God’s Word but is also the first born of the dead, the first to rise from the dead. v5b,6 A benediction. Christ has brought His people out of the slavery of sin, and now made them into a kingdom of priests and kings to the glory of God. v7,8 The second coming of Christ. He went to heaven for His church, His departure allowed the Holy Spirit to come, now He is about to come from heaven for His church, Matt 24:30; Daniel 7:13; Zechariah 12:10. Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, God is the Lord of the beginning and end of history and all points between. The use of the words the Almighty shows that this is God speaking, not Jesus. v9-20 A Vision of Christ in all His glory. v9 John says that he is a brother and one who shares with those who believe in Christ, their faith and the problems. He was in prison on the Isle of Patmos, suffering for his belief, yet with this suffering he is faithful in the Gospel. v10 On the first day of the week, Sunday. John was in the Spirit when he is startled by a very load voice, like a trumpet, behind him. The speaker commands John to write a book of what he is about to see and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia. These seven churches were not only in perfect positions to distribute the material but their church life and behaviour reflected the various states of the Church down through the ages. v12 John now turns to see the source of the voice. He sees seven golden candle sticks, reminding us of the seven branch lamp stand used in the Holy of Holies in the Temple Exodus 25:31. This temple had been destroyed in A.D. 70, the Jews had failed in their task of showing the world the love of God, now the churches are given the task and show the world the "light of the world." v13 "One like unto the Son of Man," indicates that this Person is not just a man and represents both Jew and Gentile. He is standing in the middle of the candlesticks which represented the churches. v13,14 The Person - Christ in all His glory, is clothed in a way which indicates a priest and king. The whiteness of His hairs showed complete purity. See Daniel 7:9. The eyes had the power to examine all they look at and know the truth. v15 The brass feet represent judgement, these feet are walking amongst the church candlesticks. The voice of many waters, like the noise of a very large waterfall perhaps, the voice which will one day call the righteous dead and living, but will be dreaded by those who rejected Him. v16 Christ hold seven stars, shining ministers for Christ. From the mouth comes a sharp two edged sword, a symbol of punishment, but this is not a sword to be held in an hand as a weapon but the Word which came from the mouth of Christ, He speaks, and it is done. We see the divine glory in the face, far brighter than the sun at midday. v17,18 John was very close to Jesus, ( the disciple he loved) during His earth ministry, he had even seen him in glory on the mount of transfiguration, yet on seeing Jesus he "fell at His feet as dead." But in all His glory He has compassion on John, He reaches out to calm him, "Fear not." v19 John receives instruction to make a written record of what he is about to see and hear. v20 Jesus explains the stars, candlesticks and angels - they represent the seven churches He is about to examine. |
| Back to previous page | Return to Home Page |
| Revelation |
