Revelation 1

Revelation 1:1-11

The opening scenes of Revelation are of the most striking character. Though the apostle is confined upon a lonely rock of the sea and is far away from the saints assembled in the name of Christ, yet be is “in the spirit” upon the Lord’ s day. This day, rendered sacred by the resurrection of the Savior, the day on which he appeared a second time, and upon which the wonderful scenes of Pentecost occurred, had been observed by the Church from its organization as a time set apart to congregational worship. John, though denied the privilege of joining in the exercises of a Christian assembly, evidently devoted the day to prayer and meditation, thereby setting an example for every lonely saint; and his soul was lifted to a spiritual exaltation that peculiarly fitted him for communion with God. While thus engaged, the silence and loneliness of Patmos were broken by the sound of a mighty voice which rang out loud and clear like the tones of a trumpet, 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.

Revelation 1:4

4. John to the seven churches in Asia. The writer introduces himself. The seven churches knew and revered him. For more than twenty years that portion of Asia had been the seat of his labors. Since the death of Paul no man was so loved by these churches. The term Asia, is not used in the sense in which we use it. The Roman province of which Ephesus was the capital, was called the province of Asia. The rulers were called Asiarchs, or as it is in the Common Version, “the chief of Asia.” See Acts 19:31. The seven churches are named in verse 11, and were the chief churches of that region. Seven were probably selected because seven is the perfect number, and the seven represented all the characteristics of the whole church. The reader will find that the number seven has an important place in Revelation. Grace be unto you. The usual form of salutation in addressing a church. See Romans 1:7. From him which is, and which was, etc. Who is from everlasting to everlasting. He fills the present with his presence, has always filled the past, and will always fill the future. And from the seven Spirits, etc. There has been much discussion of this passage. I think the key is found to it in John’s use of the number seven. There are seven churches, seven candlesticks, seven angels of the churches, seven seals of the sealed book, seven trumpets, seven vials, etc., etc. The number in all cases denotes fulness, completion, perfection. Here, I suppose, it is to denote the fulness of the Spirit. The Spirit proceeds from the throne of God. Other views have been held by very respectable authorities, but this appears to me to be less objectionable than any other.

Revelation 1:5

5. And from Jesus Christ. The salutation is from God, the Holy Spirit, and from Jesus Christ; the three who agree in one (1 John 5:7). The faithful witness. Christ came into the world and bore witness and “we know that his witness is true.” He has never been convicted of an untruth or a mistake. The first begotten of the dead. By his own resurrection he became “the first fruits of them that slept.” The prince of the kings of the earth. All power in heaven and in earth was given into his hands. Hence he is the rightful ruler of the earth. Every kingdom should acknowledge his authority. The time will come when these will be “the kingdoms of the Lord and of his Christ.” Unto him that loved us. From the salutation he passed to an invocation, addressed to Jesus Christ, the One who loved us with such a surpassing love, that he washed us with his own blood, making it an offering for our sins. In other words he died in our stead, when we merited death on account of our sins.

Revelation 1:6

6. And made us kings and priests unto God. The Revision translates, “Made us a kingdom, priests unto his God and Father;” made us a kingdom of priests, which is probably the true idea. In this kingdom of Christ every man is a priest and can attend to priestly ditties. He needs no Jewish or Catholic priest to offer sacrifices for him, or to shrive him. He can go directly to God without the intervention of the priest and is competent to all priestly duties. In this kingdom of priests there can be no priestly caste which takes precedence of the rest. Peter evidently has the same thought when he speaks (1 Peter 2:9) of a “royal priesthood,” yet the Papacy has made Peter the head of the greatest system of priestcraft that the world has ever known.

Revelation 1:7

7. Behold he cometh with clouds. The mind of John turns to the second coming of Christ. It is uniformly represented that, as a cloud received him from sight when he was last seen by his disciples, so when he comes again he will appear riding on the clouds of heaven. See Matthew 24:30; Mark 13:26. Clouds are appropriate symbols of Divine majesty and are often so employed in the Scriptures. See Exodus 19:18; Psalms 18:11. Every eye shall see him. From his cloud chariot he will be visible to all the inhabitants of the earth, those that pierced him, his enemies who pierced him on the cross and have continued to pierce him through the centuries by “crucifying him afresh,” and to his friends. All kindreds . . . shall wail, etc. Shall wail because they have rejected him. There shall be those of all families and nations that are rebels against his authority.

Revelation 1:8

8. I am Alpha and Omega. These two words are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet; the A and Z, the beginning and end, and mean that this is true of the speaker. Jesus had just been spoken of and it is natural to regard him as the speaker. He uses the same language of himself in verse 11 and Revelation 22:13. It can only be true of the Father and the Son. One or the other of these two must be the speaker here.

Revelation 1:9

9. I, John, who am your brother. Observe that he places himself on the same level of the brethren to whom he writes. He is not their “Reverend Father in God,” but their brother. No apostle ever makes assumptions bearing any resemblance to those of the priests of Rome and episcopacy. Companion in tribulation. Partner in persecution. It was a time of suffering in the churches. Domitian, the Roman emperor, was a capricious tyrant. But this persecution could be better endured because they were also partners in “the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ,” and heirs of its promises. Was in the isle called Patmos for the word of God. Sent there because he preached the word of God. It was a rocky isle about eight miles long and one mile wide, within sight of the Asiatic coast where the seven churches lay, and has now about four thousand inhabitants.

Revelation 1:10

10. I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day. Under the influence of the Spirit. The Lord’s day is the day on which Christ arose from the dead, the first day of the week, as the Lord’s Supper is the memorial of his death, and the term was also so used by the early Church. So Ignatius (about A. D. 101) and Chrysostom and Theodoret, who came later, use the term. It is remarkable that all of the appearances of the Savior after his death, of which we know the time, were on the Lord’s day. There is, 1. That to Mary, to Peter, to the two disciples, and to the ten apostles on the first Sunday; 2. That to the eleven apostles on the second Sunday, one week later; 3. He sends forth the Spirit and founds the Church on the day of Pentecost, Sunday also; 4. And here he appears to John, his last appearance to mortals, on Sunday.

Revelation 1:11-19

John turned to see the speaker whose voice had startled him, and his eyes rested upon a vision of surpassing glory. He beheld seven golden lamps, and among them walked one “like unto the Son of Man.” He was not like the Son of Man as he had seen him when he walked in humility upon the earth with his divine glory veiled by the likeness which he had assumed to sinful flesh, but more like the transfigured Christ as he had appeared on the holy mount to his wondering disciples. He was arrayed in a kingly robe and girt with a girdle of gold. Heavenly purity was indicated by the dazzling whiteness of his head and hair, and the splendor that shone from his countenance was like that of the unclouded sun. Every manifestation of the divine glory is accompanied with brilliancy and splendor. “In him there is no darkness at all.” The burning bush of Horeb, the glory of Sinai, the Shekinah of the tabernacle, the City of which God and the Lamb are the light, the transfigured Savior of Hermon, the Son of Man of Patmos, and all the visions of the prophets of both covenants, indicate that whenever Deity manifests itself, there is a revelation of heavenly splendor. The Son of Man, the Man of Sorrows, the Lamb of God, is also the Bright and Morning Star, and the Sun of Righteousness.

It is thus, crowned with majesty, garbed in light, and shining as the sun, that John beholds the Son of Man walking amid the golden candlesticks and holding the seven stars in his hands. Though he had been familiar with the lowly Jesus is brother with brother, had leaned upon his bosom, and had seen the glory of the transfiguration; when he beheld the wonderful vision of Patmos, his heart sank within him and he fell to the earth as one whose life had fled; but when the hand that held the seven stars was laid upon him, it was with the same familiar tenderness that he had known in the bygone years in the earthly Christ. Then the Lord declared the purpose of his coming, saying: Fear not; I am the first and the last; I am he that liveth and was dead; and behold, I am alive forevermore, Amen; and I have the keys of hell and death. Write the things which, thou hast men; the things that are, and the things that shall be hereafter.A careful study of the first chapter shows:

1. That Revelation is a message of the Lord;
2. It is made directly to the seven churches of Asia;
3. It is written to the seven stars of the churches;
4. The book records what John had seen, or the vision of the Son of Man on Patmos; the things that are, or the condition of the churches as unfolded by Christ, and the things that shall be, or a revelation of events yet concealed in the womb of the future;
5. The vision of the Savior walking among the golden candlesticks and holding the seven stars in his hand, teaches a lesson of trust in him. He is with his people always; always in the midst of the churches. The letters written to the angels of the seven churches occupy the second and third chapters. I shall not consider these in detail, but there are certain matters which pertain to all of them, that it is not proper to pass over.

Revelation 1:12

12. I saw seven golden candlesticks. These, we are told, were symbols of the churches. As the candlesticks were to give forth light, so the churches were to light the world.

Revelation 1:13

13. One like the Son of man. When John turned at the sound of the voice he saw him. He was like the Son of man, whom he remembered so well, but so glorious that he could not be certain. He walked amid the golden candlesticks, as Christ is still present among the churches.

Revelation 1:14

14. His head and his hairs were white. The color of purity, the same color as the raiment described on the Mount of Transfiguration. His eyes were like a flame of fire. Like lightning, a glance bright, sharp, penetrating, that would look through a man.

Revelation 1:15

15. His feet . . . as if they burned. As at the Transfiguration Christ shone with light, so now his whole person was gleaming, and his “countenance was like the sun in his strength.”

Revelation 1:16

16. He had in his right hand seven stars. These are said (verse 20) to be the seven angels of the churches. We have not space here to discuss these angels, but if the reader will refer to The Vision of the Ages, he will find the reasons there given for regarding them the preachers of the churches, supported in their work by the hand of Christ. The angels were not celestial spirits, for John is commanded to write to them. A two edged sword. The word of God, which proceeds from the mouth of Christ. See Ephesians 6:17, and Hebrews 4:12. Christ effects his conquests by this two edged sword.

Revelation 1:17

17. Fear not. The splendors of the vision, the majesty and brightness of the Person before him, filled John with such awe that he was overcome and fell to the earth. Then Christ laid upon him his hand, the same loving hand whose pressure John had often felt, and then be said, “Fear not.” His coming to those who love him is always in love.

Revelation 1:18

18. Keys of death and hell. Rather, Hades, the abode of the dead. The meaning is that he has the mastery over death and the abode of the dead. AND . 1. The apostles were the brethren of the saints, not lords over God’s heritage.
19. He who stooped to human form, took our nature and became the Son of man on earth, still remains the Son of man and our brother in his exaltation and glory.
20. To be “in the Spirit” by obedience to its commands on the Lord’s day is the surest way to have the presence of Christ.
21. The vision of the Savior walking among the golden candlesticks and holding the seven stars in his hand, teaches a lesson of trust in him. The candlesticks symbolize the churches, and the vision teaches that he is with his people always; always in the midst of the churches.–Vision of the Ages.5. THE GLORY OF CHRIST.–He was arrayed in a kingly robe and girt with a girdle of God. Heavenly purity was indicated by the dazzling whiteness of his head and hair, and the splendor that shone from his countenance was like that of the unclouded sun. Every manifestation of the divine glory is accompanied with brilliancy and splendor. “In him is no darkness at all.” The burning bush of Horeb; the glory of Sinai; the shekinah of the tabernacle; the City of which God and the Lamb are the light; the transfigured Savior of Hermon; the Son of man of Patmos, and all the visions of the prophets of both covenants, indicate that whenever Deity manifests himself there is a revelation of heavenly splendor.

The Son of man; the Man of sorrows; the Lamb of God, is also the bright Morning Star and the Sun of Righteousness.–Vision of the Ages.6. THE .–This lesson is a picture and the imagery is most striking. The teacher should not fail to note and impress it. There is, (1) The Place: A lonely, rocky, surf-lashed isle, with the sea near at hand in every direction; (2) The Time; The Lord’s day, the day that Christ had risen from the dead, and at which the churches everywhere were meeting and celebrating his dying love; (3) The Subject: An old man, the last of the apostles; an exile driven from the churches by persecution and cast into this place as a prison; (4) The Lord: He has not forgotten his aged servant. He had loved him on the earth and he loves him still. Observe the glory of his appearance.

Such is his glory on the heavenly throne; (5) His Message: It is to the churches; to us, his disciples. In heaven he does not forget us, but remembers us, hears us, and watches over us.

Revelation 1:20

THE SEVEN ANGELS.–I shall not take up space to discuss the various views as to the nature of the angels of the churches. It has been held that they were heavenly angels, were diocesan bishops of the cities, were pastors or elders, or were messengers sent from the churches to visit John in Patmos. The word angel means a messenger, and is equally applicable to the messengers of God and those of men. John the Baptist is called in Mark 1:2, an angel, or messenger, and the term is often applied to human beings. It is certain that it is in this passage. John is told to write to these angels, and certainly the letters were not sent to the angels of heaven.

Nor does this language suggest the idea of messengers sent to visit John in Patmos. In that case the letters might be sent by them to the churches, but would certainly not be written to them. It becomes evident, therefore, that the angels were men filling some office in connection with the churches. There is not the slightest evidence that diocesan bishops existed in this age, and hence I do not think that they are meant. The term can hardly apply to an elder, for there seems to have been a plurality of elders in all the churches, and it is not likely that one would be singled out. It is my judgment that the angels were the preachers or evangelists of the churches.

As these evangelists not only labored at home, but were often sent out, and were messengers to carry the good tidings, there is a fitness in applying the term to them. We know from the epistles of Paul and from church tradition, that Timothy was long the evangelist at Ephesus, and it is possible that he may have lived and labored until the time of John’s banishment. If so, he was the angel to whom the epistle to the church at Ephesus was directed. Then we conclude that the seven stars held in the hand of the Lord, supported and strengthened by him, shining with his light, are the seven preachers of the churches of Asia. THE SEVEN .–At the time when John wrote there were hundreds of churches in existence. On the Asiatic Continent many had been founded in Judea, Syria, and elsewhere, and in the district of which Ephesus was the commercial metropolis, and which was especially designated as Asia, we know that in the last quarter of the first century there were not only the seven churches named, but Colossae, Hierapolis, and perhaps many more. Why then should the Lord direct his message to the seven churches alone? If the reader will turn over the pages of Revelation he will be surprised by the frequency with which the number seven occurs. There are the Seven Spirits of God, the Seven Stars, the Seven Churches, the Seven Horns and Seven Eyes of the Lamb, Seven Trumpets, Seven Thunders, Seven Vials, etc., etc. It will help us to understand the reason for the use of seven in many instances to remember that it is the perfect number and denotes perfection, or completeness.

In several of the instances just given this is evidently its meaning, especially where it refers to the Spirit, or to the Lamb, and I suppose that seven churches are named fur a similar reason. This complete number would make them fitting representatives of the entire Church, and those selected probably represent every condition that ever prevails among churches that have not apostatized from the faith.

There is first, the metropolitan church of Ephesus, where some had departed from their first love and zeal for Christ, and which is commanded to repent under the penalty of the removal of its candlestick. There is second, the persecuted church of Smyrna, whose members would be cast into prison and endure tribulation, and where a little later Polycarp was burned alive. There is third, the martyr church of Pergamos, persecuted by heathenism, where most had held fast to the name of Christ, but where some had fallen into the worldly sins of Balaam. Next comes the church of Thyatira, seduced by false teachings and induced to compromise with sin. In the fifth place, there is the spiritually dead church of Sardis, which is called to repentance. Sixth comes the tried church of Philadelphia, which had not denied the Lord’s name; and lastly, the lukewarm church of Laodicea, which he threatens to spew out of his mouth. In addressing these seven churches the Lord addresses the Church universal in every phase of its existence. The plan of the seven letters to these churches is in each instance the same. In each we find, 1. An order to write to the angel of the church. 2. A glorious title of the Lord. 3. An address to the church which describes its condition and gives it an admonition to perseverance or repentance, as its state demands. 4. An announcement of what will come to pass. 5. A promise to him that overcometh. 6. A closing injunction: “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” THE FATE OF THE SEVEN .–It will interest many to learn the subsequent history and fate of the seven churches thus singled out to represent the entire body. I will indicate briefly. 1. The church at Ephesus was founded by Paul (Acts, XVIII. and XIX.); enjoyed the labors of Aquila and Priscilla, of Apollos and of Timothy; had at one time the presence of the great apostle for three years and a half, and finally enjoyed the presence of John. The seat of government for the province of Asia, and the commercial metropolis of Asia Minor, the strong church established in this great center received an unusual share of attention, and was honored with two epistles, one from the apostle of Christ, and the other directly from the Lord. During the half century of its existence, which had passed when John wrote, it had fallen from its first love and was threatened with extinction. It continued to have a visible existence until the Mahometan torrent swept over Asia Minor about six hundred years after John wrote.

When the light appears after a century of darkness, confusion, and carnage, the church at Ephesus has passed away, and the city is in ruins. In our generation explorers are excavating the ruinous masses to discover the remains of the great ancient city. 2.

Smyrna appears first in sacred writ in this connection, and we know nothing of the previous history of the church. The letter to it speaks only words of praise. The city of Smyrna still exists as the most flourishing port of Turkey in Asia, and has a numerous Christian population. On account of the large proportion of Christians in its population it is regarded by strict Moslems as unclean, and is called “Infidel Smyrna.” It is at this date the chief center of missionary operations in the East. 3. The city of Pergamos stood about twenty miles from the sea, and was once capital of a kingdom by the same name. It still exists, is called Bergamos, and has a population of about 14,000, of whom 3,300 are nominally Christians. 4.

Thyatira is named first in Acts, chapter XVI. It is probable that Lydia and her household formed the nucleus of the church.

The name is not mentioned again until it appears in Revelation. The city was situated near Pergamos, still exists under a new name, and contains about a thousand houses. The church was rebuked in the letter of the Lord, for falling under the influence of a woman whose likeness to the idolatrous Queen of Ahab gives her the name of Jezebel. There has always been a professed Christian population. 5. Sardis was the capital of the great ancient kingdom of Lydia, which was overthrown by the Persian Cyrus. It was the residence of the rich King Croesus, whose name has passed into a proverb.

Of the history of the church we know nothing; but we do know on the testimony of Jesus, that it “had a name to live and was dead.” The ravages of the Saracens and Turks, and the shocks of earthquakes have converted the ancient city into a ruin, with only crumbled walls to tell of its ancient glory. 6. Philadelphia stood about twenty miles from Sardis and was the second city in importance in the province of Lydia.

It is first mentioned in Revelation, and the praises bestowed upon the church show that it was worthy of a city of Brotherly Love. Though the old name has been laid aside by the Turks, the city still has three thousand houses and a Christian population. There are said to be five churches in the place, and it is the seat of a Greek bishop. 7. Laodicea is last named. The city was situated about twenty miles from Ephesus, and near Colosse. The church was honored with an epistle from the apostle Paul. See Colossians 4:17. Still, it had fallen into the besetting sin of churches and had become lukewarm.

This sin is rebuked in the severest language, and the consequences are indicated by a most vigorous figure. The ancient city and church have passed away, and the ruins are entirely deserted. It has been spewed out of the mouth of the Lord. I have now briefly outlined the introduction and the letters to the seven churches. This carries us over the first and second parts of the Revelation, or the things John “had seen, and the things that are.” The third part, which is strictly prophetic and begins with chapter IV., will be entered upon next in order.