Revelation 1 A Word Study

Revelation 1:
1.  The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:

The words here specify who this testimony comes from.  It was given to Jesus Christ from God and delivered unto John by an angel and from John to the servants of Jesus.  The text also specifies that these things will come to pass shortly, after John’s time.

2.  Who bare 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.

Here again the words are repeated, that the Revelation of Jesus Christ is at hand.

4.  John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;

Seven

Here is introduced one of many times that the number seven is used in Revelation.  The one most significant use of the number seven is found in the story of creation.  KJV Genesis 2:2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.  This day held so much significance that it is also mentioned in the law of God.  KJV Exodus 20:10  But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 11.  For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.  The number seven is mentioned numerous times in the festivals handed down to Israel.  (Exodus 23:11, Deuteronomy 16:3, Deuteronomy 16:13)  The number seven was also used as the day of release.  (Deuteronomy 15:9)  And in the fall of  Jericho there were 7 priest blowing 7 trumpets marching around the city for 7 days.  What other source could all these references to the number seven be pointing to other then the seventh day, the seal of the Lord.

Giving the promise of the seven spirits at the beginning of Revelation also has it’s significance, because the sprit of God is understanding and knowledge.  KJV Exodus 31:3 And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship,KJV 1 Samuel 10:6 And the Spirit of the Lord will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man.  KJV Proverbs 20:27 The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord, searching all the inward parts of the belly.  KJV Isaiah 11:1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: 2.  And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord;

4.  John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;
5.  And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of 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.

In verse 4 John is introducing the first and second members of the Trinity, God and the Holy Spirit.  John is ensuring the seven churches that  grace is being given to “them from Him which is… And from the seven Spirits.”  Verse 5 also begins with the word “and” to pull the three together.  Verse 5 then mentions Jesus by name and by deed.  Jesus the one third of the Godhead that came down to this earth to tell this world about the Father.  It took the very death of Jesus to show the world the true character of God.  KJV John 3:16  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

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 which pierced him: and all kindreds 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, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

Behold He cometh denotes an action that is to happen in the future.  Because Jesus has not yet come, then neither has every eye seen Him.  In other words all of those that are dead have not yet seen Jesus.

9.  I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Here is simply given the location of the vision John had received.  In addition to the location given (this was written from a Roman prison) the fact that John was a fellow sufferer ( brother and companion) of persecution is also made clear.  Notice that John has made it clear that this letter was written on the Isle of Patmos.  That he was there “for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.”  This explains the insight John had in understanding why he had to suffer in prison while serving God.  Without experiencing the same trials the people of the day were facing, how could John properly relate to them, or those of future generations.

10.  I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,

Spirit

What does it mean to be “in the Spirit”?  John was not the only one in the Bible to be in the Spirit.  Here is what Isaiah says about the Spirit.  KJV Isaiah 61:1  The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; 2.  To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; 3.  To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.
According to Isaiah, to be in the Spirit of the Lord is to bring hope and happiness to all those that believe.  Why is it that Revelation is written about so much as the book of woe?  Is it that truth does not sell?  Does taking these words of God and putting the interpretations of man upon them make them more interesting?  Is it far more exciting to read of the anguish and destruction of others?  Do we only want to see the negative spin that man has put on the word of God?  Are we all becoming once more like the Jews?  Writing rule after rule for 10 simple commandments of God and volumes that scarcely describe what God is really trying to say to us?   In my eyes the book of Revelation is not a book of woe, but a book of hope.  The final book of the promise of God.

Lord’s Day

Here is a point of controversy.  Some may say that the “Lord’s day”  is speaking of the first day of the week.  No where else in the Bible is the first day of the week refereed to as the Lord’s day.  Letting the Bible explain what the “Lord’s day” is best done by the prophet Isaiah.  Just to include a few verses where the day of the Lord is mentioned.

KJV Isaiah 13:6.  Howl ye; for the day of the Lord is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.
7.  Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man’s heart shall melt: 8.  And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames. 9.  Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. 10.  For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.

KJV Isaiah 27:1  In that day the Lord with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea.

KJV Isaiah 34:8.  For it is the day of the Lord’s vengeance, and the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion. 9.  And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land thereof shall become burning pitch. 10.  It shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up for ever: from generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it for ever and ever.

Without reservation I would conclude that the Lord’s day is the day of His return.  No where does the Bible mention that Sunday is the Lord’s day.  There may be a bit of controversy regarding the events surrounding the day of the Lord.  Some text may tend to lean towards the day Jesus returns to take home His followers.  Others may with out a doubt indicate the day that evil is forever vanquished from the earth.  That in itself would be a lengthy study that could lead down many roads.  The best approach in that situation is to simply remind ourselves, that not a single one of us has seen that day.  And once we are all there, we will know the truth concerning that matter.

11.  Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou 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.

We now have mention of the seven churches.  Because Revelation is a book of prophesy, the names of these churches could have many meanings.  They all do have a significant physical meaning because each church at the time Revelation was written the seven churches were all facing significant persecution at the hand of Roman Empire.  And John is instructed to send a copy of these letters to each of the seven churches.  They could also have a historical meaning.  Each church may hold a key to a time prophesy.  Or each letter could also hold a parable meaning.  In which case each letter would carry warnings and promises that would hold a different, yet significant meaning for each individual or church, throughout the ages.

We also see a description similar to that given in verse 4 (him which is, and which was, and which is to come) but here the words are I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last.  John is using different words with the same meaning.  In verse 4 the words must refer to God because verse 5 introduces Jesus by name.  Verse 18 explains who is actually being referred to in verse 11.  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.   This of course can describe no other then Jesus.  KJV Hebrews 2:14  Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;  KJV Revelation 20:6  Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
So why a different set of words to use the same description for both God and Jesus?  Are they in fact one of the same?  Is Jesus indeed “God among us”?

12.  And I turned to see the voice that spake 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 foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. 14.  His head and his hairs 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 if 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 was 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 thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter; 20.  The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.

Here we see none other then Jesus walking among the 7 candles and also holding the seven stars which are the spirits of the seven churches.  Are all of these sevens to draw our minds back to the seven days of creation and remember that God did create the world and holds the power to once again, make all things new.

Sword

Now here is another interesting symbol, the two edged sword.  What does the Bible have to say about a sword?

KJV Deuteronomy 33:29.  Happy art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved by the Lord, the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency! and thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee; and thou shalt tread upon their high places.  Here we see that the Lord is the shield of Israel, His people.  And the question is asked of them.  “Who is your sword”?  We also see that the enemies will be found to be liars.

KJV Psalms 55:21.  The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart: his words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords.  KJV Psalms 57:4.  My soul is among lions: and I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.   In Psalms, David explains that the words and the tongue are symbolized by a sword.

KJV Ephesians 6:17.  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:  KJV Hebrews 4:12.  For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.  Can the Bible be any clearer than this?  The sword is the word of God.  Take the time while reading the Bible to put this symbolism into other text.  When the Lord destroys with the sword, is it a sword in the hand of the Lord, or a person sent by God?  Or is it the truth, the word of God that destroys the people?

Candlestick

The seven churches and the seven angels that watch over them are a promise from God for hope for the future in all generations.  That is why Jesus is seen among the candle sticks (churches).

So what is the meaning of the candle sticks?  Why use a candle stick to symbolize a church?  KJV Exodus 35:14  The candlestick also for the light, and his furniture, and his lamps, with the oil for the light,  Plain and simple enough.  A candlestick is for light.  But the light itself is a symbol.  KJV Matthew 5:15.  Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
16.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.  It makes perfect sense to see Jesus walking among the candlesticks.  Jesus needs to be among them so that it is His light that shines forth.  How else can the churches show the light of Jesus, unless He is among them?

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