Revelation
Revelation is probably one of the most difficult to understand book in the Bible. Apart from a few chapters of direct exhortation with a minimum use of symbols, the rest of the book is filled with symbols that are hard to understand, especially in modern times. As the book is primarily an “apokalypsis” (hence the title of the book, given according to the first word of the book in its Greek original), this genre is necessarily about the future and that adds to the confusion as to what time in the future each particular passage is referring to and if the events are necessarily chronological in order. You may want to refer to many fine commentaries of a conservative tradition to learn more about the four schools of interpretation which include:
(1) The “preterist (meaning past) view” which interprets the book from its first-century historical setting which opines that the major prophecies of the book were fulfilled either in the fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 or the fall of Rome in A.D. 476—the major problem of this view lies in the fact that the decisive victory of Christ prophesied in the latter chapters has yet to happen, even in our time.
(2) The “historical view” relates the visions in the book to the entire span of church history and seeks to match up various key events in history with John’s visions. Such matchings tend to be very arbitrary and subjective.
(3) The “futurist or eschatological view” sees that everything from Revelation 4:1 onwards belongs to a period in the future which will only come to pass right before the Parousia, Christ’s return.
(4) The “idealist or timeless symbolic view” which was very popular throughout the medieval period interprets basically everything allegorically. This approach is in direct conflict with the stated purpose of the book which is “to show His servant what must soon take place” (1:1).
Instead of having a preconceived preference to anyone of the approaches, I would suggest that we should allow the text to speak to us, with the following reminders:
- Do not approach the book out of curiosity—it is the Word of God that demands a reverent spirit that is ready to obey the message of the book.
- Remember that God will not hold against us things that we do not understand and we need to be honest to accept that there are things in the book that we totally do not understand.
- However, our lack of understanding should not preclude us from reading this book because, “Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near” (1:3).
- Bear in mind that John is recording honestly what he has seen in his visions, but is expressing what he sees in terms and with symbols that belonged to his time, the 1st century A.D.
I have followed Robert Mounce’s approach in listing the following outline of the book based on “its literary structure alone” (NICNT, 32-35):
Interlude: Visions of the Prophetic Role (10:1 – 11:14)
The 7th Trumpet (11:15-19)
Interlude: Vision of Final Judgment (14:6-20)
1:1-3—Prologue—What is Revelation about?
(1) The source: Who is the source of this revelation? What is its implication?
(2) The heavenly agent: Who will be used to reveal this revelation?
(3) The earthly agent: Who will be the one given the revelation to behold and record this revelation?
(4) The audience: To whom will John show this revelation?
(5) What is John’s specific mission concerning this revelation? (v. 2)
(6) Since the revelation pertains to future events that are made doubly hard to understand through symbolism, should we encourage the average believer to read this book? Should we preach on this book? Why or why not? (v. 3)
(7) Then what should your attitude be in the studying of this book?
(8) God is obviously the “most wise” and for whatever He does, there must be a purpose. What then might be the “must” of using symbolism to talk about some of the things of the future?
1:4-8—The Greetings and Doxology
(9) To whom does John specifically address his writing to? (Note: Asia in those days refers to the region now known as Turkey.)
(10) In his greetings, John mentions that grace and peace would come from the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit (vv. 4-6).
a. How does he address Father God? How does this name elaborate on His name, Yahweh, in the Old Testament? (See Exod. 3:14-15)
b. How does he address the Holy Spirit? (See the manifold description of the Spirit in Isa. 11:2—note that the Septuagint inserts one more description of the Spirit, that being of godliness)
c. What is the significance to the overall message of Revelation and to the seven suffering churches in addressing Jesus Christ as: (vv. 5-6)
- The Faithful Witness?
- The First Born of the dead?
- The Ruler of the kings of the earth?
(11) At the thought of who Jesus is, John cannot help but burst into a personal doxology (vv. 5a-6). Reflect on his doxology, and what does it mean to you that
a. He loves you?
b. He has freed you from our sins by His blood?
c. He has made us to be kingdom and priest to serve His God and Father?
d. See if you can re-write this doxology in your own words.
(12) As an addendum to his doxology, John reaffirms that (v. 7):
a. He is coming with the clouds: To which passage (in the word of God) is John testifying as a faithful witness himself? (Acts 1:9-11; Dan. 7:13; Zech. 14:4)
b. Every eye will see Him. This includes
- Those who pierced Him: To whom might John be referring? (Zech. 12:10; John 19:37)
- All the people of the earth, except that they will mourn because of Him. Why is that? (Matt. 24:30)
(13) At the end of the greetings and doxology, Father God is speaking.
a. How does He address Himself?
b. How significant is it that Father God reaffirms who He is as John is about to begin to record what he saw and heard?
(14) What is the message to you today? How may you apply it to your life?
“The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants what must soon take place…” (Rev. 1:1)
As difficult
as the book of Revelation is to understand and that throughout the ages, many
have had an unhealthy obsession in its reading (which led to far-fetched interpretations and liberal thoughts, discounting it
as a book of fantasy like other apocalyptical works that flourished in the
Inter-testamental period) the prologue given by the
Apostle John serves to affirms beyond a doubt the following:
(1) It is the revelation given to him by Christ Jesus affirming what the Apostle Peter says of all prophecies in the Scriptures in that “For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Pet. 1:21)
(2) John is simply testifying to what he saw; as a result, “the descriptions (in Revelation) themselves are not John’s creative attempt to portray eschatological truth in apocalyptical terminology, but the faithful transmission of what he actually saw in authentic vision” (NICOT, 30).
(3) The revelation is about “what must soon take place” and from the contents of the book it is about the final consummation of the redemptive work of Christ through His second coming. The Apostle Peter already explains the reason why it appears that His second coming might be perceived as being delayed (2 Pet. 3:8-9), but “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming soon’” (Rev. 22:20). Therefore, as we read this book of Revelation, let us “take to heart” and be blessed by our reading and hearing as the Spirit affirms in our hearts that indeed, “the time is near”. (Rev. 1:3)
The revelation of Jesus Christ to John begins with a most glorious vision of Who He is:
1:9-17—The Glorious Appearance of Jesus Christ to John
(1) Self-address of John (v. 9)
a. What does John address himself as? (v. 9a)
b. What does that mean to the seven churches to whom he writes?
c. What does it mean to you as you are also a companion (or co-sharer) of this kingdom?
d. Why is he on the island of Patmos? (see Note 1 below)
(2) Jesus’ Appearance (vv. 10-16)
a. How does John come to see the vision? (v. 10)
b. What does the voice of the Lord sound like? (vv. 10b, 15b; Ezek. 43:2)
c. What does the Lord tell him to do? (v. 11; you may want to refer to the map at the back of your Bible to see the location of these churches, all on the west side of modern-day Turkey)
d. Why does John say that He is like a “Son of Man”? (see Dan. 7:13 and Note 2 below)
e. How does John describe His glorious appearance? (You might want to draw a sketch of His appearance to get a sense of His awesomeness. Many of these descriptions are picked up in the seven letters concerning Who Christ is.)
f. What do the seven golden lampstands and the seven stars represent? (see v. 20)
g. What does it mean that He is among the seven golden lampstands (v. 13)
h. What does it mean that He is holding the seven stars in His right hand? (v. 16)
(3) How does John respond to the appearance of the Lord? (v. 17a)
(4) Why is John afraid? (v. 17b)
1:18-20—The Charge to John
(5) How does this Son of Man address Himself? (vv. 17b, 18)
(6) How will this self-address alleviate the fear of John?
(7) What keys does He hold? Why does He not refer to the Keys to heaven, but only to the keys of death and Hades?
(8) What does He charge John to do? (v. 19)
(9) What can we expect to read about in the rest of the book as a result?
(10) What is the most important message to you and how may you apply it to your life?
Note 1:
I had the
privilege of visiting the island of Patmos, a small island in the Mediterranean
Sea off of the coast of Turkey. Even in
modern times, the sea during October to April is so rough that it is
inaccessible by boat—it was a most ideal place for prisoners in exile in John’s days.
Note 2:
“John says He is ‘like a Son of man’, which is not exactly the same as Jesus’ expression, ‘the Son of man’; (in Greek this has two
articles, ‘the Son of the man’; here there are none). It seems to be taken directly from Daniel
7:13 where we read of a heavenly Being
coming with the clouds and receiving a mighty dominion.”
(TNTC, Revelation, 53)
“Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.” (Rev. 1:11)
Of all churches in the 1st century, the Lord has not explained to us why He has chosen to ask John to write to these seven specific churches. The more logical suggestion is perhaps because these were churches that John had ministered to and his influence was such that the message and especially the hard-to-understand contents of the revelation would be more readily accepted. But more importantly, we find that these seven churches have the following commonalities:
(1) They were all suffering churches.
(2) They were all facing internal challenges as well.
(3) Yet, they were called golden lampstands among which the Lord Himself walked.
(4) They have, for all intents and purposes, vanished from the face of the earth and from history.
On the one hand, it is of great comfort for us to know that sufferings and internal challenges are not unique to us today, and the Lord is still walking among us. On the other hand, it is a sobering reminder to us that even though the seven churches have died and vanished, Christianity has not, and there are two lessons at least that we may draw from this fact:
(1) We all serve the generation that God has meant us to and put us in: Some of these seven churches would continue to flourish for a time, but, in the larger scheme of God’s plan, somehow, God has seen fit to put an end to their existence. However, if they had been faithful as charged by these words of the Lord, they had served the eternal purpose of the Lord. And so, it is not necessarily a bad thing for a church or a ministry to come to an end as long as they serve their generation faithfully, just as Moses or David did. They could not control the destiny of those behind them nor guarantee the faithfulness of their successors! So, just press on and be faithful; you will only be held accountable for your generation!
(2) The second thing is God will never fail: While the seven churches eventually vanished from the face of the earth, Christianity has not and the church of Jesus Christ has not. In fact, it has grown by leaps and bounds since the 1st century, and has reached the ends of the earth, just as He has planned. So, even though the former bastion of Christianity (and I am referring to Europe) is treading the same path of the seven churches, the church of Jesus Christ is exploding in China, in Africa and in other parts of the world. God forbid that the US and Canada will also go down the same path as the Seven churches; even if such is the case, it is not the end of the church because, God has reminded John at the beginning of this series of visions: “'I am the Alpha and the Omega', says the Lord God, 'who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty'.” (1:8)
The Church in Ephesus (see Note below)
(1) To whom in the church of Ephesus does the Lord address this letter to? Why? (v. 1)
(2) From the glorious description of the Lord in 1:13-16 which particular part does the Lord use to depict Himself? (v. 1b)
(3) What is the purpose of this emphasis?
(4) Commendations (vv. 2-3)
a. Their deeds—these likely refer to the overall manner of life:
- As a commendation, what might their manner of life look like?
- What might the Lord say about you?
b. Their hard work:
- What does a church of “hard-work” look like?
- Does it describe your church? Why or why not?
c. Their perseverance
- In those days of suffering, what might be the factors that would sustain them?
- Are you easily frustrated and do you tend to give up when you face hardship or opposition in your ministry?
d. Their intolerance of wicked men
- What kind of wicked men is being pointed out here?
- How have they demonstrated their intolerance?
- How would they “test” these men to find out their falsehood? (see Gal. 1:9)
e. Endurance―Together with the foregoing commendations,
- How would you describe the church in Ephesus?
- Will it be a church that you would like to be part of? Why or why not?
(5) The rebuke (v. 4)
a. What is meant by “first love” in general?
b. How might you describe your “first love” for the Lord?
c. How can such a church of such good deeds, hard work, pure doctrine and perseverance lose their first love? (see 1 Cor. 13:1-3 as well)
d. What then compels them to do all these if not love?
(6) The call to repentance (v. 5)
a. What two things are they asked to do in order to repent?
b. Since love is of the heart, what are the things that they did at first that could restore their first love for the Lord?
c. What if they continue to worship and serve without love?
d. What then should you do today?
(7) One final praise (v. 6): Their hatred of the practices of the Nicolatians
a. Since “love” is what they need to restore, why does the Lord condone their hatred?
b. In what way might they demonstrate their hatred of such practices? (See 2:14-15 to understand what such practices might be.)
(8) The exhortation to heed (v. 7a)―This call to listen is almost like a closing formula in all seven letters.
a. Who is the speaker of these letters?
b. Obviously, everyone has ears to hear. What then does this call to listen mean?
(9) The encouragement (v. 7b)—Each letter ends with a promise of rewards. While, in essence, they are common promises of good for each church, it appears the rewards are highlighted for each individual church with a purpose:
a. What is meant by to “overcome”?
b. What is the promised reward? (see Gen. 2:9; 3:22-24; Rev. 22:2)
c. How should this serve as an encouragement to the church in Ephesus?
d. What about you?
(10) What is the message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
Note:
Ephesus was a city of great importance in the region, being granted the right of self-government by Rome as a free city. Its commerce was greatly enhanced by its location being the junction of three great trade routes at the time, and its population grew to a quarter of a million toward the end of the 1st century. It was also known for emperor worship and the great temple of Artemis. The church in Ephesus was established by Paul with Aquila and Priscilla in about A.D. 52 (Acts 18:18-22). On his 2nd missionary journey, Paul spent more than two years there (Acts 19:8, 10), and since then it blossomed into a base through which the gospel reached many parts of Asia Minor (Acts 19:10). Timothy also ministered at the church and according to church tradition, the Apostle John spent his latter years in Ephesus as well.
“Yet I hold this against you: you have forsaken your first love.” (Rev. 2:4)
The church in Ephesus should be considered a model church for us today, especially given the permissiveness and tolerance of wickedness that have crept into many Evangelical churches today.
This was a church that was known for her deeds. This meant living a lifestyle that was pure, with little or no scandals to speak of.
This was a hardworking church and that normally would indicate a church with vibrant ministries and sacrificial caring of her flock and the people of the community.
This was a church that was under persecution and yet, they had learned to persevere for the name of Christ (2:3).
What’s more, this was a church that could not tolerate wicked men, especially the Nicolatians. According to the explanation given in the letter to the church in Pergamum, these were people who practiced sexual immorality and were associated with idol worship.
And yet, such a church could be void of their “first love”, obviously referring to their love for the Lord. We cannot help but ask: How could this be? What else would motivate them to be such a “model” church?
The Apostle Paul has already told us that this is absolutely possible (1 Cor. 13:1-3), and perhaps, such is the temptation of such a busy church of good repute. Their busyness and their success had caused them to be proud and self-serving, and the urge to maintain such an appearance would further blind them to their real spiritual condition—that of having forsaken their first love.
Surprisingly, in calling them to repentance, the Lord asks them to consider how far they have fallen and to do the things they did at first.
Of course, in order to “consider”, they had to pause and spend time in prayer and self-examination. And, in order to return to what they did as a young church or believer, it necessarily meant that they would have to value their “being” (i.e. their spending time to cultivate their intimate fellowship with the Lord) over their “doing”.
This is, indeed, a timeless message for all believers and churches.
The second letter is addressed to the church in Smyrna: (see Note below)
(1) From the glorious description and self-address of the Lord in 1:13-18, which particular part does the Lord use to depict Himself? (v. 8b)
(2) What is the purpose of this emphasis to the church in Smyrna?
(3) The Lord knows their afflictions and poverty (v. 9)
a. What kind of persecution are they facing?
b. In such a prosperous city (some estimates put it at 200,000 in population), what could some reasons for their poverty? (see Heb. 10:34)
(4) An even more gloomy future (v. 10a)
a. What does the Lord foretell about their future?
b. Who is the one responsible for their persecution?
c. “Ten days” is likely a metaphor: Would it be for a long or short period? (History reveals that their persecution was a prolonged one.)
(5) The exhortation and reward (vv. 10b-11)
a. What encouragement does the Lord give to urge them to be faithful?
b. A crown refers to the wreath awarded to the champion in the games famous in those days. The value of it lay not in itself but in what it symbolized:
- What kind of a crown is promised to the “overcomers” in the church of Smyrna?
- Does it refer to the present life or eternal life? (v. 11)
c. How meaningful do you think this letter was to the church in Smyrna then?
d. How meaningful is it to the suffering churches of today?
(6) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
Note:
Smyrna was a very special city. Although it was small, it was one of the few “planned” cities of the time, and with its great harbor, it was known for its beauty with its coins describing the city as “First of Asia in beauty”. Its temple worship, its strong allegiance to Rome plus a large Jewish population meant that it was exceptionally difficult to live as a Christian in Smyrna. The most famous martyr of the early church fathers was Polycarp, the “12th martyr in Smyrna” (NICNT, Revelation, 74). You may read today’s Meditative Reflection for the story of his martyrdom.
“Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.” (Rev. 2:10b)
“Polycarp appeared to have been in his nineties when persecution broke out in Smyrna. When it became evident that a Roman festival would become an occasion for the severe harassment of Christians, a majority in the church persuaded their aged pastor to retire to a farm outside the city. There, in the company of a few friends, he spent time in prayer.
Christians in Smyrna were arrested and brought before the Roman Pro-Consul, who sought to persuade them to take the oath of allegiance to the emperor, acknowledging Caesar as Lord, and to offer pagan sacrifice. A man named Quintus was remembered because ‘he played the coward’ and complied, but most of the Christians from Smyrna remained true to Christ. They were scourged, burned alive, tortured on the rack, and torn by wild beasts. After a few days of this public spectacle, the crowd in the arena became restless and called for a search to be made for Polycarp.
Polycarp was moved to still another farm, but he could not remain hidden. A young slave revealed under torture where he could be found, and the police captain, with a detachment of cavalry, was dispatched to bring him to the arena. When Polycarp entered the arena, there was a deafening roar from the spectators, but it could not drown out the heavenly voice which the aged pastor heard: ‘Be strong Polycarp, and play the man.’
The Pro-Consul apparently had never seen Polycarp previously. When this venerable old man stood before him, he was deeply moved. He urged the old pastor to respect his age, and pressed him to take the oath, swearing by the genius of Caesar: ‘Take the oath and I will let you go. Revile Christ.’ Polycarp replied without hesitation: ‘For eighty-six years I have been His servant, and He has never wronged me. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?’ (Martyrdom of Polycarp, 9:3). When every effort at dissuasion had failed, the Pro-Consul sent his herald into the arena to announce three times, ‘Polycarp has confessed that he is a Christian.’ It was decreed that Polycarp should be burned alive. He was bound and consigned to the flames.”
(Lane, Hebrews, 92)
Indeed, as promised by the Lord, he has received the crown of life!