Rev one

Book of Revelation: Summary

Author: Revelation 1:1,4,9 and 22:8 specifically identify the author of the Book of Revelation as the apostle John.

Date of Writing: The Book of Revelation was likely written between A.D. 90 and 95.

Purpose of Writing: The Revelation of Jesus Christ was given to John by God “to show his servants what must soon take place.” This book is filled with mysteries about things to come. It is the final warning that the world will surely end and judgment will be certain. It gives us a tiny glimpse of heaven and all of the glories awaiting those who keep their robes white. Revelation takes us through the great tribulation with all its woes and the final fire that all unbelievers will face for eternity. The book reiterates the fall of Satan and the doom he and his angels are bound for. We are shown the duties of all creatures and angels of heaven and the promises of the saints that will live forever with Jesus in the New Jerusalem. Like John, we find it hard to describe what we read in the book of Revelation.

Key Verses:

Revelation 1:19, "Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later."

Revelation 13:16-17, "He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name."

Revelation 19:11, "I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war."

Revelation 20:11, "Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them."

Revelation 21:1, "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea."

Brief Summary: The Revelation is lavish in colorful descriptions of the visions which proclaim for us the last days before Christ’s return and the ushering in of the new heaven and new earth. The Revelation begins with letters to the seven churches of Asia Minor, then goes on to reveal the series of devastations poured out upon the earth; the mark of the beast, “666”; the climactic battle of Armageddon; the binding of Satan; the reign of the Lord; the Great White Throne Judgment; and the nature of the eternal city of God. Prophecies concerning Jesus Christ are fulfilled and a concluding call to His Lordship assures us that He will soon return.

Connections: The Book of Revelation is the culmination of the prophecies about the end times, beginning with the Old Testament. The description of the antichrist mentioned in Daniel 9:27 is developed fully in chapter 13 of Revelation. Outside of Revelation, examples of apocalyptic literature in the Bible are Daniel chapters 7-12, Isaiah chapters 24-27, Ezekiel chapters 37-41, and Zechariah chapters 9-14. All these prophecies come together in the Book of Revelation.

Practical Application: Have you accepted Christ as your Savior? If so, you have nothing to fear from God’s judgment of the world as described in the Book of Revelation. The Judge is on our side. Before the final judgment begins, we must witness to friends and neighbors about God’s offer of eternal life in Christ. The events in this book are real. We must live our lives like we believe it so that others will notice our joy about our future and want to join us in that new and glorious city.
Got Questions: gotquestions.or g

Revelation Chapter 1

John's Vision of Jesus Christ

The Revelation of Jesus Christ (Verse 1)

The Revelation of Jesus Christ: The ancient Greek word translated Revelation is apokalupsis (apocalypse). The word simply means “a revealing, an unveiling.” The Book of Revelation is the Revelation of Jesus Christ in the sense that it belongs to Him, He is the one doing the revealing. It is also Jesus’ Revelation in the sense that He is the object revealed; Jesus is the person revealed by the book.

i. From the outset, we are given the most important truth about the Book of Revelation. This book shows us the Antichrist, it shows us God’s judgment, it shows us calamity on the earth, and it shows us Mystery Babylon in vivid detail. Most of all, it is the Revelation of Jesus Christ to us. If we catch everything else, but miss Jesus in the book, we miss the Book of Revelation. (David Guzik)

Things Which Must Shortly Take Place (Verse 1)

Shortly is the ancient Greek phrase en tachei, which means ” ‘quickly or suddenly coming to pass,’ indicating rapidity of execution after the beginning takes place. The idea is not that the event may occur soon, but that when it does, it will be sudden.” (Walvoord)

He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John (Verse 1)

Here we find the route by which this revelation came to us. God gave it to Jesus Christ, showing Him the glory that should be revealed. Concerning the cross the Bible said, "Who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame" (Hebrews 12:2). This book of Revelation, to a great extent, is the joy that was set before Jesus Christ as the Father showed Him the place that He would have in the ages to come. Jesus, in turn, gave the revelation to His angel who brought it to His servant, John, "who bore record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw" (Revelation 1:2). In his first epistle John wrote, That which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life... That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ (I John 1:1,3). John is the faithful recorder writing the things that he saw and heard, writing as the Lord dictated to him. This revelation came by vision as well as by voice. The people in the vision, the spiritual entities that John saw, were conversing with him and explaining many of the things that he saw. (Chuck Smith)

Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy (Verse 3)

Included in this book of Revelation is a built-in blessing. 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 (Revelation 1:3). The blessing is upon those that hear and those that read this book. It was addressed to the seven churches in Asia. It was actually intended to be read in the churches and, no doubt, a copy was made for each church. In those days they did not have bookstores or racks in the supermarkets. Writing material was very scarce. The early writing material was papyrus from Egypt. Then Egypt put a premium on it and began a papyrus embargo in order to raise prices and put the squeeze on the world. So, in Pergamos, they invented parchment as a writing material. But it, too, was very scarce. At the time of Christ there were great libraries but very few people had any books of their own. They did, however, have the materials to write personal letters. Each of the churches received a copy of the letter and it was to be read aloud in the church. Much of the church service in those days was given to the reading of the various epistles and this book of Revelation. The blessings are to those that hear, to those that read the words of this prophecy, and to those that keep the things that are written in it. Notice that John himself calls it a prophecy. Thus, when we read it we must look to the future. It's speaking of things that shall happen. (Chuck Smith)

The seven churches (Verse 4)

To the seven churches which are in Asia: This letter was originally addressed to these seven selected churches of Asia. This was the Roman province of Asia, which is the western part of modern day Turkey.

From Him who is and who was and who is to come (Verse 4)

"Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come." This is God's eternal character. God is past, He is present, and He is future. He was, He is, and He is to come. He's all these at the same time. Everything is the "eternal now" with God.

From the seven Spirits who are before His throne (Verse 4)

"And from the seven Spirits which are before his throne." Here (and in Revelation 3, 4, and 5) we read of the seven Spirits before the throne of God. Again, the number seven indicates the completeness of the work of the Holy Spirit.

The prophet Isaiah, speaking of the ministry of Jesus Christ declared, 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 (Isaiah 11:2). Thus, the seven-fold working of the Holy Spirit is defined and described. John sends the blessings from God, from the Holy Spirit, "and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness" (Revelation 1:5). Jesus Christ is the faithful witness of what God is. He came to reveal the Father. (Chuck Smith)

The firstborn from the dead (Verse 5)

Firstborn from the dead: This speaks to Jesus’ standing as pre-eminent among all beings, that He is first in priority. Firstborn from the dead means much more than that Jesus was the first person resurrected. It also means that He is pre-eminent among all those who are or will be resurrected. Jesus is the firstborn among many brethren (Romans 8:29). (David Guzik)

The use of firstborn does not mean that Jesus had a birth date and is therefore a created being, and not God. The ancient Rabbis called Yahweh Himself “Firstborn of the World” (Rabbi Bechai cited in Lightfoot’s commentary on Colossians). Rabbis also used firstborn as a Messianic title. “God said, ‘As I made Jacob a first-born (Exodus 4:22), so also will I make king Messiah a first-born’ (Psalm 89:28).” (R. Nathan in Shemoth Rabba, cited by Lightfoot in his commentary on Colossians)

To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood (Verse 5)

To Him who loved us: What a beautiful title for Jesus! When loved is used, in the past tense, it points back to a particular time and place where Jesus loved us. It should be pointed out that many translations have loves us (such as NASB, NIV, and NLT), but there is something beautiful about loved us. It looks back to the cross. Every believer should be secure in God’s love, not based on their present circumstances (which may be difficult), but based on the ultimate demonstration of love at the cross. This is worth praising Jesus about.

And washed us from our sins in His own blood: This is what happened when Jesus loved us at the cross. He washed us – cleansed us from the deep stain of sin, so that we really are clean before Him. This is worth praising Jesus about.

If we understand our own deep sinfulness, this seems almost too good to be true. We can stand clean before God – clean from the deepest of stains. No wonder the same Apostle John also wrote, If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).

In His own blood: If there were any other way to wash us from our sins, God would have done it that other way. To wash us in His own blood meant the ultimate sacrifice of God the Son. God wouldn’t do it this way unless it was the only way. “The priests could only cleanse with blood of bulls and goats; but he has washed us from our sins ‘in his own blood.’ Men are willing enough to shed the blood of others. How readily they will enter upon war! But Christ was willing to shed his own blood, to pour out his soul unto death, that we might be saved.” (Spurgeon)

Notice the order: first loved, then washed. It wasn’t that God washed us out of some sense of duty and then loved us because we were then clean. He loved us while we were dirty, but then He washed us. (David Guzik)

He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him...all the tribes of earth will mourn because of Him. (Verse 7)

"Behold, he cometh with clouds." This could be the clouds of saints, the great cloud of witnesses, with which Jesus shall return. "And every eye shall see him" (Revelation 1:7). When God comes again, it's not going to be a secret coming. It won't be in some secret chamber and revealed only to a specified, elect few. The whole world is going to know when He returns. "And every eye shall see him." This surely refutes the theory that the coming of Jesus Christ was a secret event in 1848, 1878,1917,1918, or one of the many dates that people have given for His coming. When you confront them, quoting "Every eye shall see him," they say that Jesus came in a secret chamber, and only the real initiated knew that He came. But Jesus said, "If they shall say unto you... Behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not" (Matthew 24:26).

"Every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him," that is, the Jewish people (Revelation 1:7). Zechariah also prophesied this coming again of Jesus Christ. He said the Jews will say unto Him, What are these wounds in your hands?" (Zechariah 13:6). Zechariah said, "And they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him" (Zechariah 12:10). The Jews will weep over the fact that they failed to recognize Jesus as the Messiah. They will actually bewail and mourn the spiritual blindness that had gripped their nation in the time of Christ and is gripping their nation even now. "They also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him" (Revelation 1:7). Zechariah describes the bewailing as a woman travailing for her only son who had died (Zechariah 12:10). The Jews will weep and cry over their national blindness. (Chuck Smith)

I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End (Vs 8)

In describing His eternal nature, God declares that He is the Alpha and Omega. That is the Greek for A and Z - the first and the last letters of the Greek alphabet. God is the totality. He is the beginning and the ending. It all started with God and it all ends with God. He is, He was, He is to come. He is eternal. In Revelation 21:6 Jesus says the same thing. From this we conclude that Jesus also is eternal - co-eternal with the Father, the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending. (Chuck Smith)

I John...was on the Island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ (Verse 9)

Persecutions - The first major persecution under the Roman Empire took place as the result of Nero's reign. Thousands of Christians were crucified and executed. During Nero's persecution Paul and Peter were both killed. Then under the reign of Domitian (81-96 A.D.) the second persecution took place. About forty thousand more Christians were put to death for their faith. It was during this time that John was exiled to the Island of Patmos. There, John received these visions from the Lord. (Chuck Smith)

I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day (Verse 10)

"I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day" (Revelation 1:10a). This can have two possible meanings. First, it can mean that the revelation came to John on a Sunday. It seems that early in the church Sunday was referred to as the Lord's day, being the eighth day and the first day of the week. Sunday was the day in which Jesus rose from the dead. It was a day when the church was accustomed to gathering together.

With equal authority from the Greek, Revelation 1:10a could be translated, "I was in the Spirit unto the day of the Lord" rather than "on the Lord's day." This would mean that the Lord put John into a time chamber, so to speak, and transferred him to the end of the age. There John saw all the battles and judgments that are described in the Revelation. The Lord took him out in time to the day of the Lord, and John recorded these events as though he were actually there. (Chuck Smith)

Seven golden lampstands (Verse 12)

In Revelation 1:12–13, the apostle John experiences a vision of Jesus Christ standing amid seven candlesticks: “And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; 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” (KJV). Most modern translations refer to the “seven candlesticks” as “seven golden lampstands.”
Jesus spoke to John in the vision and explained what the seven candlesticks were: “The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches” (Revelation 1:20).
The seven churches, represented by the seven candlesticks, were actual churches that existed at the time John experienced the vision. The churches were located in seven cities of western Asia Minor: in Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. In Revelation 2 — 3, Jesus Christ addresses a letter to each of these churches, a letter that included words of commendation, criticism, and consolation. This part of Revelation comprises the “what is now” section of Revelation (see Revelation 1:19).
Most scholars agree that the seven candlesticks carry a meaning beyond those seven Asiatic churches in John’s day, representing in some way the entire church of Jesus Christ. Because the number seven often represents wholeness or completion in Scripture, many conclude that the seven churches represent all churches, or the church universal. Still others see the seven individual churches as symbols of the local church.
Some commentators view these seven candlesticks as representatives of the church in every age. Others see them as predictive of the church in different stages throughout history, with the first, Ephesus, symbolic of the apostolic church and the last, Laodicea, symbolic of the present-day, postmodern church. Another interesting parallel points to the lampstands being made of gold, a metal that shines brilliantly. As such, the candlesticks could represent the churches not as they were then but as all of them ought to be.
As mentioned, these candlesticks were made of gold, the most precious and valuable of all metals. In this sense, the golden lampstands symbolize the preciousness of the church as God’s most valued possession (see John 3:16). The gold of the lampstands may also be symbolic of purity and holiness. The church is called to be an example of God’s holiness to the world (1 Peter 1:15–16).
And of course candlesticks are designed to bring light to dark places. God’s purpose for the church is to hold forth the light. Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14–16). In Jesus’ letter to the church of Ephesus, a church that had left its first love, the Lord warns that they must repent or He will come to them and “remove your lampstand from its place” (Revelation 2:5). In other words, the church was in danger of losing its opportunity to testify of Christ in their community.
In John’s vision, Jesus Christ stands in the center of the seven candlesticks, in the midst of His people. Christ is always present with His church. A candlestick is not the light itself but the bearer of the light. Jesus is the light of the world (John 8:12), and, as candlesticks, the church’s mission is to hold that light up for the world to see: “So that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life” (Philippians 2:15–16).

(Gotquestions.org)

One like the Son of Man (Verse 13)

Jesus is referred to as the “Son of Man” 88 times in the New Testament. A first meaning of the phrase “Son of Man” is as a reference to the prophecy of Daniel 7:13-14, “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.” The description “Son of Man” was a Messianic title. Jesus is the One who was given dominion and glory and a kingdom. When Jesus used this phrase, He was assigning the Son of Man prophecy to Himself. The Jews of that era would have been intimately familiar with the phrase and to whom it referred. Jesus was proclaiming Himself as the Messiah.
A second meaning of the phrase “Son of Man” is that Jesus was truly a human being. God called the prophet Ezekiel “son of man” 93 times. God was simply calling Ezekiel a human being. A son of a man is a man. Jesus was fully God (John 1:1), but He was also a human being (John 1:14). First John 4:2 tells us, “This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God.” Yes, Jesus was the Son of God—He was in His essence God. Yes, Jesus was also the Son of Man—He was in His essence a human being. In summary, the phrase “Son of Man” indicates that Jesus is the Messiah and that He is truly a human being. (Gotquestions.org)

He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. (Verse 16)

Seven Stars: The fact that the stars are in Jesus’ right hand indicates that they are important and under His authority. The right hand is a sign of strength and control. Jesus explains to John that the “stars are the angels of the seven churches” (Revelation 1:20). An “angel” is literally a “messenger.” But that leads us to the question—are these human messengers or heavenly beings?
It could be that every local church has a “guardian angel” who oversees and protects that congregation. Even if that is the case, a better interpretation of the “messengers” of Revelation 1 is that they are the pastors or bishops of the seven churches, symbolized by the lampstands. A pastor is God’s “messenger” to the church in that he is responsible to faithfully preach God’s Word to them. John’s vision shows that each pastor is being held in the Lord’s right hand. And, as we learn in John 10:28, no one can snatch them out of Jesus’ hand. (Gotquestions.org)

Sharp Two-Edged Sword: The idea of it coming out of His mouth is not that Jesus carries a sword in His teeth. The idea is that this sword is His word. His weapon – and ours also – is the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17).

Barnes notes that John didn’t necessarily see a sword coming out of Jesus’ mouth. “He heard him speak; he felt the penetrating power of his words; and they were as if a sharp sword proceeded from his mouth.”

It is a sharp two-edged sword: “There is no handling this weapon without cutting yourself, for it has no back to it, it is all edge. The Word of Christ, somehow or other, is all edge.” (Spurgeon)

I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death. (Verse 18)

Jesus is the one who lives, and was dead, and is alive forevermore. He has the credentials of resurrection, and lives to never die again. The victory that Jesus won over sin and death was a permanent victory. He didn’t rise from the dead just to die again.

Jesus is the one who has the keys of Hades and of Death. Some imagine that the devil is somehow the “lord of Hell.” Some imagine that the devil has authority or power to determine life or death. Clearly, they are wrong, for only Jesus holds the keys of Hades and of Death. We can trust that Jesus never lets the devil borrow the keys. (David Guzik)

Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this. (Verse 19)

Verse 19 is the key to understanding the Book of Revelation. This verse reveals the natural outline of this Book. Write the things which you have seen is the vision John is seeing of Jesus in chapter one. The things which are, are the churches mentioned in chapters two and three. These churches represent the church age which we are now presently in today. The things that will take place after this begins in chapter four through the rest of the Book of Revelation. After chapter four the Church appears in heaven (Via the Rapture) and remains there until chapter nineteen when Jesus with His Church returns to the earth to rule and to reign. From chapter six to chapter nineteen the Church (Bride of Christ) is in heaven as God pours out His wrath on a Christ rejecting world. (Greg Mason)

The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches. (Verse 20)

The Seven Lampstands: In Revelation 1:12–13, the apostle John experiences a vision of Jesus Christ standing amid seven candlesticks: “And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; 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” (KJV). Most modern translations refer to the “seven candlesticks” as “seven golden lampstands.”
Jesus spoke to John in the vision and explained what the seven candlesticks were: “The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches” (Revelation 1:20).
The seven churches, represented by the seven candlesticks, were actual churches that existed at the time John experienced the vision. The churches were located in seven cities of western Asia Minor: in Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. In Revelation 2 — 3, Jesus Christ addresses a letter to each of these churches, a letter that included words of commendation, criticism, and consolation. This part of Revelation comprises the “what is now” section of Revelation (see Revelation 1:19).
Most scholars agree that the seven candlesticks carry a meaning beyond those seven Asiatic churches in John’s day, representing in some way the entire church of Jesus Christ. Because the number seven often represents wholeness or completion in Scripture, many conclude that the seven churches represent all churches, or the church universal. Still others see the seven individual churches as symbols of the local church.
Some commentators view these seven candlesticks as representatives of the church in every age. Others see them as predictive of the church in different stages throughout history, with the first, Ephesus, symbolic of the apostolic church and the last, Laodicea, symbolic of the present-day, postmodern church. Another interesting parallel points to the lampstands being made of gold, a metal that shines brilliantly. As such, the candlesticks could represent the churches not as they were then but as all of them ought to be.
As mentioned, these candlesticks were made of gold, the most precious and valuable of all metals. In this sense, the golden lampstands symbolize the preciousness of the church as God’s most valued possession (see John 3:16). The gold of the lampstands may also be symbolic of purity and holiness. The church is called to be an example of God’s holiness to the world (1 Peter 1:15–16).
And of course candlesticks are designed to bring light to dark places. God’s purpose for the church is to hold forth the light. Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14–16). In Jesus’ letter to the church of Ephesus, a church that had left its first love, the Lord warns that they must repent or He will come to them and “remove your lampstand from its place” (Revelation 2:5). In other words, the church was in danger of losing its opportunity to testify of Christ in their community.
In John’s vision, Jesus Christ stands in the center of the seven candlesticks, in the midst of His people. Christ is always present with His church. A candlestick is not the light itself but the bearer of the light. Jesus is the light of the world (John 8:12), and, as candlesticks, the church’s mission is to hold that light up for the world to see: “So that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life” (Philippians 2:15–16).

(Gotquestions.org)