Grace Presbyterian Church, Montclair, New Jersey

The last book of the Bible, the Revelation of John, has been a source of fascination and confusion for two thousand years. It is a book full of symbolism which has given rise to all sorts of interpretation including predictions of the end of the world, the identity of the Anti-Christ, etc. The fact that these predictions invariably fail doesn’t discourage people from offering new ones. Yet Revelation is not an inscrutable book nor is it primarily concerned with the future. The ancient church, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, chose it to be the final word in Scripture.  The symbolism in Revelation comes either from the Old Testament or the culture in which John was writing. This book is a guide to living the Christian life in an uncertain and often threatening world.  Its focus is primarily pastoral, to help strengthen us as Christians in our daily walk with the Lord.  Yet it is also a book which requires us to use our imagination.  It is not a simple book of instruction.

The style in which Revelation is written is called “apocalyptic” (from the Greek word for “revelation”). There are several Old Testament books written in this style, Daniel, Ezekiel and Zechariah. They give us clues to our reading of Revelation. Revelation is also part of what scholars call the “Johanine corpus.” This refers to the Gospel and Letters of John as well as Revelation. They are not (as was one time thought) all written by the same author. However they come out of the same early church community, which may have been founded by the apostle John. They also give us clues to our understanding of Revelation. For example, contrary to popular belief, the term “Anti-Christ” no where appears in the book. We get the term from the first and second epistles of John.

In this study I am heavily indebted to what certainly will be the definitive commentary on Revelation in this generation, written by John Stam, a missionary who lives in Costa Rica and has preached and taught throughout all of Latin America. The commentary is in Spanish but hopefully will be translated into English.

I. John’s Praise of the Glorified Christ – Revelation 1:1-8

John begins with the announcement that he is recording “the revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave him” (Revelation 1:1). This revelation deals with “what must soon take place.” Therefore we should not view this book as giving us a detailed picture of the end of time but rather as something that arose out of the upheavals of the Roman Empire in the first century. The dating of Revelation has been debated. While it is not necessary for us to enter into all the terms of that debate it is sufficient to note that it was written in the latter part of the first century, a period which includes the early persecution of the church, including the presumed deaths of Peter and Paul at the hands of Nero and the growth of the cult of the Emperor, beginning with Caesar Augustus who had been given the ancient title of the Greek god Zeus, “King of Kings and Lord of Lords.” This period also included the bloody civil war in Rome following the death of Nero and the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in the year 70 A.D. John then is receiving this revelation in a time of turmoil and conflict.  

John has been given this message from an angel. John affirms for us that he is a faithful witness to the “word of God” (Revelation 1:2). The reading of this book carries with it a special blessing (reading it “aloud” meant to benefit others since copies of these letters were not given to everyone nor could everyone read). We are to hear and to keep what is written in this book. This makes it clear that the purpose of the book is a practical one. It is not written for us to speculate about the future. Rather it deals with present realities “for the time is near” (Revelation 1:3). 

John is writing to seven churches in Asia. This is a pastoral communication. These seven churches certainly existed historically yet the fact that there are seven of them, and there were other churches in Asia besides these seven, suggest that the number ‘seven” is being used with its symbolic significance of “completeness” or “perfection.” These seven churches represent all churches from the time of Jesus’ resurrection until his coming again.

John’s greeting is one of grace and peace (Revelation1:4). This is important because John is writing in a time of upheaval, in which these churches’ faithfulness to Jesus Christ is being challenged. John then gives a three part summary of Jesus Christ. First, he is the one who is, was and is to come. John mentions seven spirits before his throne who represent the seven churches he is addressing. Second, he gives another three part summary. Jesus is

1. the faithful witness
2. the first born of the dead
3. the ruler of the kings of the earth

This is an incredible list. First, he reminds us that Jesus is a faithful witness. We can trust whatever he says. John’s Gospel affirms that Jesus speaks the truth (John 8:45-46). In fact Jesus is the truth (John 14:6). Second, Jesus is the “firstborn of the dead.” How can death give birth? Yet Jesus in his resurrection is the affirmation of new life coming from death. Finally, in an uncertain world it is critical to realize that Jesus is “the ruler of the kings of the earth.” Jesus is not only the head of the church, he is Lord of all. All the rulers of the earth whether they realize it or not are under his authority (Matthew 28:18). These three statements come from Psalm 89 (Psalm 89:37, 27).For the small, persecuted Christians of the first century these were crucial affirmations of hope and confidence.

John then proceeds to a word of praise to Christ. Christ loves us and has freed us from our sins. We are all his priests (Revelation 1:6).There is therefore no barrier between us and God. We are free to come into God’s presence. We can never take this assurance for granted. The fact that we are priests gives us our own spiritual authority (Matthew 18:18-19). John then affirms that Jesus is coming “with the clouds.” In the Old Testament the cloud represents the presence of God (Exodus 13:21, 19:9, 40:38). John then speaks of “those who pierced him.” This also is a quote from the Old Testament (Zechariah 12:10) and of course refers to the crucifixion (John 19:37). At the sight of the coming Lord “all the tribes of the earth will wail.” Judgment is the first task of the risen, returning Lord (II Corinthians 5:10). However it is not the last word as we will see. The three part formula of the one who is, was and is to come is repeated adding the statement that the Lord God is the “Alpha and the Omega.” These are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. This is a way of saying the God is the beginning and the end.

II. John’s Vision of the Risen Christ – Revelation 1:9-20

John now introduces himself although it is clear that he is known to the seven churches he addresses. He is a brother who shares with the churches. It is clear then that he is not John the apostle or the “beloved disciple” since he would certainly have identified himself as such if that were the case. We don’t know all the details but it is clear that he is being persecuted because of his faithfulness to “the word of God” and he is a prisoner on the island of Patmos (Revelation 1:9). On the Lord’s day (Sunday) he hears a voice like a trumpet. The sound of the trumpet refers back to Israel encountering the presence of God on Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:12-19). On Sinai God gave the law to Israel. Here on Patmos God is giving a special word to the churches (Revelation 1:10-11). We are to understand that this message is no less important than was the giving of the Ten Commandments.

John now turns to see the one who was speaking to him. The first thing he sees is ‘seven golden lampstands” (Revelation 1:12). There were lampstands in the Tabernacle in the wilderness (Exodus 25:31-40) and in Solomon’s temple (I Kings 7:48-49). In the rebuilt temple after the captivity in Babylon there is one lampstand with seven lamps (Zechariah 4:1-2). The lampstands and their lamps symbolize the holiness of God’s presence. This also makes plain that John is not using his own images but is in fact borrowing images from Scripture.

John now describes the figure he sees in the midst of the lampstands, using imagery from the Book of Daniel. He is one “like the Son of Man,” with a long robe and a golden sash, white as wool with eyes like “a flame of fire” (Daniel 7:9-13, 10:5-11). His feet were like “burnished bronze, refined as in a furnace” (Revelation1:15). The altar in the Tabernacle was overlaid with bronze (Exodus 27:1-8). Jesus referred to himself in John’s Gospel as the temple (John 2:18-21). Here Jesus is described using terms from the Tabernacle and the Temple. He is the living presence of God. God is no longer to be sought in a place but in a person, the person of Jesus Christ. The “sound of many waters” comes from Ezekiel where the wings of the living creatures make a sound like the rush of many waters (Ezekiel 1:24). Later the glory of God is described in the same way (Ezekiel 43:1). The image of the seven stars is a reference to the Roman coins which showed the Emperor with a crown of seven stars, probably representing the seven planets known at that time. This reference to Jesus shows his superiority to the Emperor. The sharp, two-edged sword in the mouth of Christ refers to the word of God (Isaiah 49:1-3, Ephesian 6:17, Hebrews 4:12).

John, confronted with this image, falls at his feet.  Jesus speaks with these great words of comfort.  He touches John and tells him, “Do not be afraid. I am the first and the last” (Revelation 1:17). We need to take this to heart. With Jesus, there is nothing to fear. Since he is the first and the last, there is nothing outside his authority. He was dead and now is alive forevermore and he has the keys of Death and Hades. Death refers to the state of being dead while Hades is the place of the dead (this is different from the lake of fire mentioned in Jesus’ teaching in Matthew’s gospel and later here in Revelation). Yet the decisive implication here is that when anyone dies they pass immediately into the presence of Jesus Christ since he has the keys of Death and Hades. This encounter is obviously different for someone who has knowingly rejected Christ than for one who believes in him. Yet there is great comfort in the fact that when any person dies they go into the presence of Jesus Christ, the first and the last and the conqueror of both Death and Hades (Ephesians 4:7-10; Colossians 2:15, Hebrews 2:14-15).

Jesus now is going to address his message to the seven churches represented by the seven golden lampstands. Each church has an angel who watches over it. That also is a great message of hope and encouragement.

This is the ending of chapter 1.

« Back to the main Bible Study page