The "apokalupsis" of Jesus
laying bear, making naked
a disclosure of truth, instruction A. concerning things before unknown
B. used of events by which things or states or persons hitherto withdrawn from view are made visible to all
manifestation, appearance
***Purpose seems to reveal Jesus to the reader. A disclosing of truth that we haven't seen before or hasn't been visible. An appearance or uncovering of Jesus reveals Him.
***More than likely in a way we aren't expecting or in a way that has not been revealed before.
***John is thought to have had this vision in 94-95 AD on the isle of Patmos. Born in approx 6 AD, so he probably in later 80's.
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He was thought to have been banished to a Greek island called Patmos (my killing) as a result of anti-Christian persecution under the Roman emperor Domitian.
John was exiled because he preached the gospel and against emperor worship, but God in His sovereignty used this opportunity to give him the book of Revelation and he had opportunities to proclaim the gospel while on Patmos.
This tradition is credible because banishment was a common punishment used during this period.
John is thought to have died in 98 AD, possible in Ephesus where he may have lived prior to being exiled.
Rev 1:1-3
1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show unto his servants, even the things which must shortly come to pass: and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John; 2 who bare witness of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, even of all things that he saw. 3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of the prophecy, and keep the things that are written therein: for the time is at hand.
Summary
An angel (messenger?) is sent to John of the revealing of Jesus which must come to pass "shortly"
John had been a witness (or matureo G3140) of the word of God & the testimony (marturia G3141) of Jesus. He saw it first hand.
The apostle John, not John the Baptist
Blessed is the reader and hearer of these words.
Blessed is the one who keeps these words (or attends carefully, guard from loss)
Rev 1:4-6
4 John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace, from him who is and who was and who is to come; and from the seven Spirits that are before his throne; 5 and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loveth us, and loosed us from our sins by his blood; 6 and he made us to be a kingdom, to be priests unto his God and Father; to him be the glory and the dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
Summary
John tells us that this message (or letter) is to the seven churches in Asia. Not what we think of when we think of Asia. Modern day Turkey.
John says the message is from:
Him who is, who was and who is coming (God or Jesus?)
And Seven spirits that are before His throne (Jesus or God?) (Poss Zech 3:9?)
And from Jesus Christ
The faithful witness
Firstborn of the dead
Ruler of kings of the earth
He loved us
Bathed us from our sins in his blood
***Do these 3 reference Jesus? Or it God, the 7 spirits (HS) and Jesus?***
Jesus made us (by His work) to be kings (kingdom), and priests to God, His Father.
Glory to him Forever (Jesus)
***This sounds to be an EXTREMELY substantial by Jesus which we probably don't recognize the significance of in the natural***
Rev 1:7
7 Behold, he cometh with the clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they that pierced him; and all the tribes of the earth shall mourn over him. Even so, Amen.
Summary
When Jesus comes
He comes with clouds
Mat 17:5
While he was yet speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold, a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.
Mat 24:30
and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
What else might the cloud represent? Cloud of witnesses?
Every eyes shall see Him
They (whoever) that pierced him will see him
***Jews look upon Jesus after he was crucified.***
Joh 19:37
And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced.
Pierced means
- out of (G1574),
-and a sting (of bees, scorpions, locusts) or (G2759) iron goads
Zec 12:10-11
10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplication; and they shall look unto me whom they have pierced; and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his first-born. 11 In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon (Armageddon).
***Who pierced Jesus in NT?
Jews
Act 9:5
And he (Saul) said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest:
***So at the beginning of the New Covenant it was the Jews who persecuted Christians***
***Megan: Referred to "Saul vs David"
What is the battle now?
1Co 2:14-15
14 Now the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him; and he cannot know them, because they are spiritually judged. 15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, and he himself is judged of no man.
***Christianity is FULL of teachings that are NOT spiritually judged. Full of the natural man ideas.
1Co 15:46-48
46 Howbeit that is not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; then that which is spiritual. 47 The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is of heaven. 48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
Flesh vs Spirit in NT
Gal 4:29
But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, so also it is now.
***This is the NT battle. Flesh vs Spirit. It occurs within God's people*** Saul vs David
Rom 8:6
For the mind of the flesh is death; but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace:
***Remember: The two types of people mentioned in Revelation:
Dwell on earth (flesh) (natural man)
Dwell in heaven (spiritual man)
Back to Rev 1:7
All tribes of the earth will mourn.
Mat 24:30
and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
Amo 8:10
And I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; and I will bring sackcloth upon all loins, and baldness upon every head; and I will make it as the mourning for an only son, and the end thereof as a bitter day.
***God speaking to his people***
***Jesus speaks here***
Rev 1:8
8 I am the Alpha and the Omega, (beginning and the end), saith the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.
Summary
Alpha and Omega (A and Z)
Beginning and end
Spoken of God
Isa 41:4
Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I, the Lord, the first, and with the last, I am he.
Isa 44:6
Thus saith Jehovah, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, Jehovah of hosts: I am the first, and I am the last; and besides me there is no God.
Who is, who was and who is to come, the Almighty (God)
Same as Rev 1:4
Jesus declares himself the almighty God
John speaks again in verses 9-10
Jesus speaks in verse 11.
Rev 1:9-11
9 I John, your brother and partaker with you in the tribulation and kingdom and patience which are in Jesus, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet 11 saying, What thou seest, write in a book and send it to the seven churches: unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamum, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.
Summary
In the Spirit on the Lord's day?
In the Spirit? - unsure; in a state of spiritual worship?
Lord's day - Sunday (first day of week); day Jesus rose from the dead
Sabbath? -Saturday
Why does John hear the voice behind him as a "trumpet"?
Prob because:
1Th 4:16
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven, with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first;
Jesus tells him to write what he sees and send it to the seven churches.
***Wonder why He doesn't tell him to write was he "hears"?***
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Unsure why these are chosen or why there are only seven?
Ephesus - "permitted" mentioned in Acts, Cor, Tim, Rev
Smyrna - "myrrh"; only Rev
Pergamum - "height or elevation"; only Rev
Thyatira - "odour of affliction"; Acts and Rev
Sardis - "red ones"; only Rev
Philadelphia - "brotherly love"; only Rev
Laodicea - "justice of the people"; in Col, Tim, Rev
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John speaking in 12-13
Rev 1:12-13
12 And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And having turned I saw seven golden candlesticks; 13 and in the midst of the candlesticks one like unto a son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about at the breasts with a golden girdle.
Summary
John turns to look at the voice. What might you have expected him to see first?
Jesus or and angel -probably a clue for us;
Why?
-His people play a much bigger role in these events as Jesus is unveiled
What do we see? Seven golden candlesticks
What do these represent?
Rev 1:20 says these represent the "seven churches"
In the midst of the candlesticks is one like a son of man.
Who is this?
Jesus
It begins to describe him as:
clothed w garment down to the foot
and girt about the breasts with a golden girdle/belt
Similar to the description of the man in Daniel 10:5
John speaking in 14-16
Rev 1:14-16
14 And his head and his hair were white as white wool, white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; 15 and his feet like unto burnished brass, as if it had been refined in a furnace; and his voice as the voice of many waters. 16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth proceeded a sharp two-edged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.
Summary
Head/hair white as wool? Purity, wisdom
Eyes flame of fire
Piercing knowledge, vengeance on enemies?
Feet like burnished brass refined in furnace
-Walked thru fire
-Described in Eze 1:8 and Dan 10
Voice as voice of many waters
Roaring voice?
Eze 43:2
And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like the sound of many waters; and the earth shined with his glory.
Psa 29:3
The voice of Jehovah is upon the waters: The God of glory thundereth, Even the Lord upon many waters.
Seven stars in right hand
Seven stars = seven angels of the seven churches according to Rev 1:20
Angel - one who is sent, messenger of God, angel
Right hand?
Hand of power or favor?
Psa 21:8
Thy hand will find out all thine enemies; Thy right hand will find out those that hate thee.
Two edged sword on mouth
Sword = word
Heb 4:12
For the word of God is living, and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and quick to discern the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Countenance shines as sun
His appearance was overpowering splender as the sun
Daniel
Face is the appearance of lightning
John speaks in a portion of vs 17, the rest is Jesus
Rev 1:17-20
17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as one dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying, Fear not; I am the first and the last, 18 and the Living one; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive for evermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades. 19 Write therefore the things which thou sawest, and the things which are, and the things which shall come to pass hereafter; 20 the mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks are seven churches.
Summary
John's reaction was similar to Daniel's reaction. Fell as dead
Daniel - he retained no strength in him..
Jesus lays right hand on him. What happened to the seven stars?
Symbolically speaking, the hand of power/favor was place on John here.
Jesus describes himself as the Living one who was dead but is now alive.
What does it mean to have the keys of death and Hades?
Power over death and the place of the dead (grave, hell).
Jesus tells John to write down what he saw, what is, and what shall come to pass.
Spoken like a riddle
Jesus states:
Seven stars in right hand = angels of the seven churches
Seven candlesticks are the seven churches
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