01.01.01 The
Title: Revelation 1:1
Rev 1:{1} The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his
servants what must soon take place; he made it known by sending his angel to
his servant John ...
The formal title
of the scroll is Apokalypsis Iesou Xristou: "An Apocalypse
(Revelation) of Jesus Christ." "Apocalypse" is from the original Greek of
the scroll. "Revelation" is from the Latin. The two together signify that
the purpose of the scroll is to reveal something that has been hidden from
plain sight. But the Vision and its interpreting angel only reveal enough
that the reader hungers for more -- thus the modern-day obsession with the
scroll’s interpretation. That these words number three indicate that
the Vision is the complete testament of all salvation history as
revealed by the one who arose from the dead to fulfill it.
The feel of the
text is that the Vision will be fulfilled immediately. Thus the Revelation
is as indispensable today in encouraging those of us undergoing persecution
as it was for the former-day saints.
01.01.02 Two
Witnesses: Word / Testimony Rev 1:2
Rev 1:{2} who
testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to
all that he saw.
The "Word of God"
is paired with "the testimony of Jesus" over and over again (see Is 8:20).
The pairing takes on great significance in identifying the overcomers.
The "Word of God" consists of the divine commandments as recorded in the
law and the prophets -- the Hebrew Bible. The "testimony of Jesus" is the
proclamation of Jesus' full identity, which is unveiled throughout the
Vision. The "and" that joins the two persons is inclusive: not necessarily
"this and that," as we are used to understanding, but "this, even that."
Although the Word (or Commandment) and the Testimony are two different
entities, they overlap each other and are equated.
We find later
that God "seals" first a finite number of Jews to inhabit the heavenly
temple, then an infinite number of Gentiles (7:1-17). The Word of God
represents the Jews; the Gentiles are represented by the Testimony of Jesus.
Likewise, these two witnesses (or lampstands or olive trees)
(11:3-19) are ekklesias (churches or, better, assemblies) of
dynamic, end-time Jews and Gentiles, separated by tradition but united in
Word and Testimony. John thus identifies himself with the duality of
witness that characterizes the Messianic Movement of his time –- of our
time -- and of all time.
01.01.03
Beatitude One (and the Seven) Rev 1:3
Rev 1:{3} Blessed
is the one who reads aloud the words of the prophecy, and blessed are those
who hear and who keep what is written in it; for the time is near.
This is the first
of seven beatitudes. Beatitude is a blessing in literary
form. The most famous beatitudes are found in Matthew 5 ("Blessed are the
meek"). Sometimes, as in Deuteronomy 28, Luke and 1 Enoch, beatitudes are
coupled with woes or curses.
Nobody really
knows the exact meaning of the Greek word makarios, translated
“blessed.” Translators use words like “happy,” “fortunate,” even “lucky,”
instead of “blessed.” One translation even uses “congratulations!”
Congratulations
goes out to those like me who teach the Vision, and to you who hear my
teaching. Unfortunately, many teachers of the Vision have their own
apocalyptic agenda –- a doctrine to defend, a point of view to prove, a
tradition to uphold. The elect are being deceived, and deceptive teaching
of the Vision ultimately blesses nobody. I hope I am not also guilty.
Perhaps the
greatest current deception is the doctrine of a rapture: the seizure
of believers out of this world before the Great Tribulation. But the
Tribulation has been in full swing for years, yet no one to our knowledge
has ascended to escape it. On the contrary, literally millions of
Christians and Jews have been martyred through the Ordeal. Many are led
astray but such false teaching.
The Seven
Beatitudes and where they are found:
(1) Blessed the
reader, 1:3;
(2) Blessed the
dead, 14:13;
(3) Blessed the
watchful, 16:15;
(4) Blessed the
invited, 19:9;
(5) Blessed the
resurrected, 20:6;
(6) Blessed the
keeper of prophecy, 22:7; and
(7) Blessed the
clean, 22:14.
These Beatitudes
form a complete summary of the pilgrims’ progress toward eternity.
01.01.04 John,
the Author Rev 1:4a
Rev 1:{4a} John
to the seven churches that are in Asia.
The Revelation is
an apocalypse in the form of "nested letters" to 7 churches in "Asia"
(modern Turkey) and the description of a vision. The visionary / revelator /
writer is John.
But who is John?
The name is a common. Church historian Eusebius Pamphilius (circa 324)
reports that three Johns were possible authors, all of whom were domiciled
at one time or another around Ephesus and had dealing with the seven
churches. (Ecclesiastical History, 101, 125).
Greek experts
tell us that our John could not be the writer of the Gospel of John or the
three Epistles; the writer's style is completely different in Revelation.
Whereas the Greek of the Gospel and Epistles is polished, the Greek of the
Revelation is crude. But isn't John Zebedee's authorship taken for granted?
No, it is not! Many respected critical exegetes tell us Zebedee can't
be the author, and make sound cases for this observation.
Here is the main
internal evidence for determining authorship of The Revelation:
(1) John
identifies himself as a Messianic Jew in verse 9.
(2) He is just
"John," as though we should know him already.
(3) His use of
loan words (i.e. maranatha) indicate that he spoke Aramaic (a Syrian
/ Hebrew dialect), the language of Jesus.
(4) Greek was the
lingua franca of the first century as English is today. To get
"media attention" in the Roman Empire, Greek was required. The crudity of
the John’s writing indicates that Greek is his second language (or that our
Revelation is a Greek translation from Aramaic).
(5) The date of
the writing is almost universally accepted to be during the reign of Emperor
Domitian in the 90s. (Although John tells us in the text exactly when he
had the Vision, and it was much earlier than 90!) If so, John must have
been mighty old. There is evidence in John 21:21-23 that John would live
long and prosper (in faith, anyway). Life expectancy in first century
Palestine was about 30 years (according to a survey of gravesites). If John
was able to live into the 90s, he must have been quite young when he started
following John the Baptist then Jesus.
(6) Tradition
informs us that Jesus, when on the cross, commended his mother to John's
care. The traditional site of the tomb of Mary is near ancient Ephesus,
where one of the seven churches was located.
Although this
really is not much evidence (i.e. John's Vision never refers to the
historical Jesus), it is enough to affirm the notion that this John is John
Zebedee, a disciple of Jesus and an eye-witness to his redemptive power.
01.01.05 He Who
Is, Was, Is To Come Rev 1:4b
Rev 1:{4b} Grace
to 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 . . .
This greeting
exposes the primitive, sectarian foundation of John's theology; apocalyptic
in the tradition of Daniel and 1 Enoch; Revelation has close affinities with
both these works.
Grace and shalom
is extended from the sacred, unspeakable name YHWH, the I AM: who is, was,
and will be: translating the name from Hebrew in all it's tenses and for all
time, revealing the timelessness of Yahweh’s enthronement and power.
The holy Spirit
as such is never mentioned in the text.
But the seven spirits (sevenfold
spirit maybe) are mentioned, second to Yahweh. These spirits may symbolize
the seven great attributes of God (Isaiah 11) or refer to the seven angels,
which we encounter in later sets.
Behold, the Seven
Spirits (or the Seven-fold Spirit); the spirit of
(1) YHWH,
(2) wisdom,
(3)
understanding,
(4) counsel,
(5) might,
(6) knowledge,
and
(7) fear.
(Isaiah 11:2)
01.01.06 Jesus Christ and his Titles Rev 1:5,6
Rev 1:{5} and
from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the
ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and freed us from our
sins by his blood, {6} and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God
and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
John gives Jesus
the four-fold title first as Messiah (Christos), then as faithful
witness, identifying Jesus with those who are his witnesses. He is
One with us: the fruit of resurrection, the eventual ruler of all the kings
of the earth. This tells us where Jesus will ultimately rule -- on earth
-- as YHWH rules in Heaven. Jesus loves us, sanctified us, and we are his
kingdom (subjects and co-rulers) here on earth in the now, and on a
restored earth in the future.
Jesus plays the central role and a host of parts in the Apocalypse. He is
the victorious Lamb that was slain who is returning as the righteous judge;
his blood signifies that he was killed, like a sheep to the slaughter (Is
53:7); yet he has "overcome" even slaughter. His blood provides the
"washing" of protection for the saints just as the washing of the Egyptian
door with lamb's blood signaled the death angel to "pass over" (Exo
12:21-23).
The notion of Jesus as sheep to slaughter is recognized by John the Baptist
(John 1:29,36), Paul (1 Cor 5:7) and Peter (1 Pete 1:19). John sees the
Lamb as a Lion (Rev 5:5ff) and the Lamb as Shepherd of the sheep (Rev 7:17).
As Christ, Jesus
is the Messiah who has come to save. Christos is Greek for
Messiah – “Savior”; Christ is not a name, but a title. Iesous
Christos literally means "Jesus Messiah." "Christ" became a name by
popular use only through Bible translations and swearing. Besides the
Christos, Revelation renders other titles to Jesus, including:
(1) The Lion of
Judah - Gen 49:9,
(2) The Son of
Man - Rev 1:13, 14:14, 1 En 36ff,
(3) Morning Star
- Rev 22:16,
(4) many titles
in Rev chapters 2-3.
01.01.07 Clouds of Witnesses Rev 1:7
Rev 1:{7} Look!
He is coming with the clouds; every eye will see him, even those who pierced
him; and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail. So it is to
be. Amen.
Look! Idou! Behold! -- a challenge to look into the future! The "clouds"
he descends among are not to be understood as water vapor; these clouds are
"witnesses," or, more literally, "martyrs" (Rev 19:11-16). Will the Son of
Man find faith on earth when he descends from the right hand of the Father?
No. All ethnoi (nations, tribes) will eventually recognize his
presence / coming (parousia) and cry out in anguish -- their armies
doomed to total defeat and their deeds judged. With his "amen," John means
to say, "And this we must accept!"
01.01.08 The Alpha and the ω Rev 1:8
Rev 1:{8} "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, who is and who
was and who is to come, the Almighty.
The Divinity proclaims his unity in defiance of contemporaneous Gnostic
teachings of God's plurality -- God (Elohim) is one with the LORD
(who is... = Yahweh) and the Almighty (Elyon). God was
earlier identified with the Father (Pater). This is John's spin on
the Shema, "the Lord God is One." As "the Alpha and the O," John identifies
God with the state of timelessness,
endlessness, or an eternal circadian rhythm, or a spiritual dimensionality,
or a "kairotic" time, a "rightness of time," based on events rather than
chronology.
Yahweh
Elohim (God) is the originator of the Word (Logos), and the very fullness of
the substance of words. God consists in all the letters here, as in Is
44:6. Alpha is the first letter of the alphabet, Omega is the last.
We might say he exists from A to Z.
(Textual note: In
the Greek, "Alpha" is spelled out, but "Omega" is represented simply by the
letter "ω," an indication that may mean John's Greek was less than perfect.
Unless this is not merely the shorthand of a Greek student, but another
first century puzzle to solve in the 21st.)
01.01.09 Patmos,
John's Domicile Rev 1:9
Rev 1:{9} I,
John, your brother who share with you in Jesus the persecution and the
kingdom and the patient endurance, was on the island called Patmos because
of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.
John identifies himself as a brother. Considering his religious background
and the time and place of his writing, we might understand his brotherhood
to be with the Jews of the "churches" to which he writes. This filial
identification is secondary to that which he shares with the
(1) persecuted
(2) members of
the Jesus' kingdom who have
(3) awaited
martyrdom with patience. (A cloud of witnesses!)
Therefore we
imagine that John was exiled to Patmos by the Roman authorities for his
endeavors to further the kingdom he preached – because of the Word of God
and the Testimony of Jesus.
Patmos Island is
small, only 49 sq. mi. (7 x 7!). Locate it on the map. It is just off the
coast of "Asia" / "Anatolia" / Turkey, 50 miles southwest of Ephesus. On
Patmos was a temple to the Mystery of Artemis / Diana / Hekate (the “Diana
of the Ephesians” in Acts), formally the goddess of the hunt, but who
doubled as the most notorious witch of all time. The Ephesian Diana, the
patron saint of Patmos, was the notorious witch immortalized by both St.
Luke and Shakespeare.
Patmos was a
natural repository for copper; slaves and criminals dug copper ore. We
assume John was there to dig, which gives us another reason for believing he
was somewhat less than 90+ years old.
01.01.10 The Day
of the Lord 1:10a
Rev 1:{10a} I was
in the spirit on the Lord's day,
Some sources
identify this day with Sunday, citing that the Apostles changed the Sabbath
to Sunday in commemoration of Jesus’ resurrection. Considering John's
Jewishness, the dating of Revelation, and biblical evidence, the “day” John
was so spiritual (dwelling in the fourth dimension) was not Sunday.
The Lord’s Day is the Day of Judgment -- the "Day of the Lord"
(a.k.a. "The Day of Jesus Christ" or "The Day of Sadness" or "The Day of
Gladness,” or, in this case, the kuriakei hemerei, the "imperial,” or
“lordly,” day).
THE DAY OF THE
LORD is the Day (or time) of the Wrath of God," specifically
described in Rev 14:6-20 as the day wrath descends earthward. This "day" is
described in the following passages: Isa 2:12-17, 13:6ff, 34:8; Ezek 30:1-3;
2 Pet 3:10; Acts 2:20; 1 Th 5:2; 1 Cor 8, 1 Cor 5:5; 2 Cor 1:14; 2 Th 2:2,
and a variety of others. It is the day the powers that be are toppled,
earth is set afire and sinners are judged.
Moreover, our
text insists that the day of wrath is also the day of salvation for
those who overcome by the Word of God and the Testimony of Jesus.
01.01.11 Send To
Seven Churches Rev 1:10b
Rev 1:{10b} and I
heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet {11} saying, "Write in a book
what you see and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to
Pergamum, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea."
Church tradition
dictates that John was the Bishop of Ephesus for a time. John hears the
trumpet-voice of the Son of Man -- he is to address the "book" to the seven
churches of his bishopric. John may have been the first Wesleyan
"circuit-rider" for all we know. These towns formed a circle, situated
perhaps 30 - 40 miles apart.
The Revelation is
essentially an allegory about three competing cities (or political
principalities), Jerusalem, Rome, and the New Jerusalem, with these seven
church towns caught in the supernatural conflict between them.
Curiously, lining up the seven towns with Patmos forms an arrow which, if
the curvature of the earth is taken into account, points to ROME.
01.01.12 The Son
of Man Uncloaked Rev 1:12
Rev 1:{12} Then I
turned to see whose voice it was that spoke to me, and on turning I saw
seven golden lampstands, {13} and in the midst of the lampstands I saw one
like the Son of Man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash across
his chest. {14} His head and his hair were white as white wool, white as
snow; his eyes were like a flame of fire, {15} his feet were like burnished
bronze, refined as in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of many
waters.
The Son of Man is
the only of several Messiah figures in Jewish lore that promises to redeem
and restore all of creation for all of time. In Daniel 7:13, he is the
heavenly figure that comes to judge all things. The judge is among the
lampstands / churches, golden in their value; found there because he has
been intimately involved in the affairs of these churches, commending
goodness and exposing evil. He is judging the churches now through the fire
of persecution.
The Son of Man is
later identified with Jesus, the New Moses, transfigured here in the
spiritual dimension. He is arrayed like the High Priest in robe and sash,
the priest of priests. His countenance is like that of the angel described
in Daniel 10:5-6. His eyes and face are aflame with the "ineffable light of
God" (as he is described in so many contemporaneous non-canonical texts).
His trumpet-voice is like the powerful voice of the ocean (Ezek 43:2).
THE SON OF MAN:
(This section is a little technical.) In order to properly define the
important title "Son of Man," we must have a short survey of contemporaneous
Jewish messianic / eschatological expectations. Scripture is replete with
references to an anointed King of the Davidic line - "a shoot from the stump
of Jesse" - who would be born in Bethlehem, live to overcome all temporal
powers, re-establish eretz Israel, and bring harmony to creation. A
later tradition evident in Isaiah (53) is the idea of Israel as the
suffering servant of God who would bring good news to the poor, then,
"through vicarious suffering, restore all people to God" (note on Is 53:1,
The New Oxford Annotated Bible).
The Qumran
Covenanters (the Dead Sea Scrolls community) may well have understood these
earlier strains of messianism as one trinity of
Messiahs:
"The Community
... shall be ruled by the primitive precepts ... until there shall come the
Prophet (1) and the Messiah of Aaron ('priest') (2) and Israel ('king')
(3)." (Vermes 1QS IX:11)
In addition, one
recent translation of the Dead Sea Scrolls may have uncovered the
expectation of a "pierced Messiah" perhaps similar to the Suffering Servant.
Throughout the
history of Israel, as one conqueror followed another, expectations of
messiahs faded. Arising from the ashes was the hope of one cosmic, angelic
figure that would descend from Heaven to judge evil and deliver the elect
from persecution. The "Son of Man" of the intertestamental apocalyptic and
wisdom literature, and especially of the Enochan literature, personifies
this new, universal, angelic messiah. He is divine wisdom incarnate
and the agent in creation, sent from the throne of the "Lord of
Spirits" in response to creation's complaint against the atrocities
committed by the Nephilim (fallen angels and their progeny). The Son of Man
would take the form of a man, descend to earth to glorify the "elect ones,"
punish the Nephilim and sinners, then renew creation to Eden’s likeness.
For early
Christian thinkers, the person of Jesus (especially as the Logos)
brought together diverse messianic expectations, and, through his
unusual birth and ministry, his promise of oneness with God, his
immortality, and his pledge to return, fulfilled them all.
Of all Jesus'
messianic identities in Revelation, one is particularly relevant today --
Jesus' as the "Son of Man." The Anointed King, the Suffering Servant, the
Aaronic Priest, were all promised in order to secure redemption for Israel;
only the Son of Man would come to redeem all of creation.
In the meantime,
the "elect" of God -- those who believe in the Son of Man and do his will --
are simultaneously on earth and in Heaven with him, ruling the universe.
Jesus calls the elect "Sons of God" and ranks them with angels. As the
elect act in the physical realm, they are acting simultaneously in the
spiritual realm.
Such a primitive
(though relevant) understanding of the nature of God's people as Sons of
God is profoundly important yet neglected today in the community of
faith. When a follower of Jesus willfully understands then stubbornly
believes that his/her actions have cosmic, universal consequences (beyond
those which can be sensed physically), then circumstances are ripe for
radical individual conversion into the likeness of the Kingdom.
01.01.13 The
Two-edged Sword Rev 1:16
Rev 1:{16} In his
right hand he held seven stars, and from his mouth came a sharp, two-edged
sword, and his face was like the sun shining with full force.
The two-edged
sword of the Son's mouth is explained in Heb 4:12 as "the Word of God." The
second edge for our purposes is "the Testimony of Jesus," together "powerful
enough to divide between soul and spirit, joints and marrow." The two-edged
sword is effective in both the physical and spiritual realms -- it will
conquer both the devilish armies and the devils that command them.
His face shines
like the full sun because he was birthed out of divine Wisdom, the great
lady of truth that was clothed with the sun (righteousness and purity).
Being born of this woman, his genetic inheritance included the brightness
of his mother, and more so.
01.01.14 The
Keys of Death and Hades Rev 1:17,18
Rev 1:{17} When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he placed
his right hand on me, saying, "Do not be afraid; I am the first and the
last, {18} and the living one. I was dead, and see, I am alive forever and
ever; and I have the keys of Death and of Hades.
John beholds the
bright countenance of the Son of Man and he is immediately "slain in the
spirit." Throughout scripture, when the benevolent supernatural personage
encounters the mortal, the appearance is accompanied by the phrase, "Do not
be afraid." Jesus often used this introductory formula in the Gospels
(Matthew 10:31, 14:27, 17:7, 28:10). The Son means no harm; only good. The
Son’s servant need not be afraid, for though the Son returns to judge the
lukewarm, the evil, the apostate, his judgment is veiled in mercy.
Having overcome
both death and the devil, he "holds the keys" that open and close the
portals of Death and Hades (i.e. he has power over sin and death).
"Hades" is the Greek version of the Hebrew Sheol, the mythical abode
of the dead.
01.01.15 Past,
Present, Future Rev 1:19
Rev 1:{19} Now
write what you have seen, what is, and what is to take place after this.
The book consists
of the past, the present and the future. The dispute between conservative
and liberal scholars consists (among other things) of how far into the
future John means to predict through the Son of Man. Does he predict the
fall of Jerusalem, the fall of Rome and the end of the world for the next
generation, or are his prediction for the far-flung future – our present?
Here is another
veiled reference to the habitation of Yahweh in timelessness: Yahweh (or
Yahu) – is, was, will be.
01.01.16 Seven
Stars and Lampstands Interpreted Rev 1:20
Rev 1:{20} As for
the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven
golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and
the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
Identification of
churches (“assemblies” is better) with lampstands is important
later on in interpreting who the "two witnesses" are. The lamps, varying in
brightness according to the churches' love and works, would rest on top of
the stands, illuminating their respective territories with the gospel light.
Stars are angels
(aggellos), with each angel responsible for one church. Philo
defines a "star" as an intelligent heavenly luminary similar to an angel,
but of a somewhat higher nature. Stars can also mean leaders, as they do
(figuratively) in Jesus' prediction of the stars falling. Considering the
spiritual nature of the Son of Man, “stars” are the leaders of these
assemblies, who, like their Master, have a duality of nature, seen as men on
earth, but as something greater from a higher perspective. The nature of
the messages to the churches signifies that the letters are written to
humans about human behavior – but to humans who have been exalted
through spiritual transformation. (They have ears to hear.)
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