“The Things Which Thou Has Seen”

Revelation

Chapter 1

Michael FronczakBible Study Resource Center

564 Schaeffer DriveColdwater, Michigan 49036

mikefronczak@gmail.com

Copyright © 2005, 2007Revelation Chapter 1

Theme: The Person of Jesus Christ

In the first division of this book we see the person of Christ. We see Christ in His glory and position as the Great High Priest who oversees His church. We see Him in absolute control. In the Gospels we find Him meek, lowly, humble, and dying upon a cross. He made Himself subject to His enemies on earth. He is not like that in the Book of Revelation. He is in control. He is still the Lamb of God, but we see the wrath of the Lamb that terrifies the earth.1

(Revelation 1:8) I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

Life Application Introduction: Revelation is a book about the future and about the present. It offers future hope to all believers, especially those who have suffered for their faith, by proclaiming Christ’s final victory over evil and the reality of eternal life with him. It also gives present guidance as it teaches us about Jesus Christ and how we should live for him now. Through graphic pictures we learn that (1) Jesus Christ is coming again, (2) evil will be judged, and (3) the dead will be raised to judgment, resulting in eternal life or eternal destruction.2

Revelation—an apocalypse or unveiling of those things which had been veiled. A manifesto of the kingdom of Christ. The travelling manual of the Church for the Gentile Christian times. Not a detailed history of the future, but a representation of the great epochs and chief powers in developing the kingdom of God in relation to the world. The "Church-historical" view goes counter to the great principle that Scripture interprets itself. Revelation is to teach us to understand the times, not the times to interpret to us the

1McGee, J. Vernon, Thru the Bible with J. Vernon McGee, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers) 2000, c1981.2 Life Application Notes

1

Apocalypse, although it is in the nature of the case that a reflex influence is exerted here and is understood by the prudent [AUBERLEN].3

Revelation 1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:

[Revelation] Greek: apokalupsis (G602), to unveil or uncover. It implies the lifting up of a curtain so that all can see alike what is uncovered. It is the veil being drawn away between our Lord and us. When used of writing, it means to reveal or make clear (Eph. 3:3; Gal. 1:12); when used of a person, it denotes visible presence (Rev. 1:1; 1 Cor 1:7; 2 Thes. 1:7; 1 Peter 1:7,13). Here it refers to both the book and the person of Christ. (it is used 18X in NT) We begin our study by immediately recognizing that the noun is revelation, singular, not revelations, plural.It is often used in the epistles as a "manifestation" (Romans 8:19), a "coming" (1 Corinthians 1:7), a "revealing" (2 Thessalonians 1:7), and an "appearing" (1 Peter 1:7).

[of Jesus Christ] Of whom? “...of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto Him.” Not a revelation altogether concerning Christ, but one from Him. It is a revelation of truth about Christ Himself, a disclosure of future events, which is His second coming, when Christ will be revealed.

[gave unto him] We see that this revelation was given to Jesus Christ, as is everything, for Jesus said, All things are delivered unto me of my Father (Matthew 11:27). God gave it to Christ, emphasizing His limitations during His incarnation (Isaiah 50:4; Matt. 11:27, 28:18; Mark 13:32; Luke 1:40, 2:52; Acts 1:6,7). Can Jesus “learn”? Can the Father reveal to the Son? Much of His revelation came to Him at his baptism by John the Baptist in the Jordan.

(Mark 13:32) But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.

3 things God can’t do 1) God Can’t lie; 2) God Can’t learn; 3) God Can’t make you love Him.

[to show] deiknumi, (G1166) “to exhibit, disclose, point out. The purpose was to show, not hide from His servants, events from John's day into all eternity (Rev. 21-22). This is not a sealed book (Rev 22:10). It is to be understood, in contrast

3 JFB Commentary

2

to Daniel, et al. (Dan 12:4). This is not “dream stuff”: it is real and tangible.

[servants] doulos (G1401), used 14 times in Revelation and 111 times in the rest of the New Testament “servants” = doulos: yielded bondslaves (Special kind of servant) Rom 1:1; Phil 1:1; Titus 1:1; James 1:1; II Peter 1:1; Jude 1

There were times in Israel, when a person was a slave to serve off a debt, and this would take a period of seven years. There were some when the period of servitude was over, and the slave would decide to stay on as a servant for the master. This person would then have their ear pierced on the doorpost of the masters’ house, with an awl, to signify the bond. The person would then become the bondservant or bond slave to the master. It was a mark of pride that showed the choice of the servant. The word awl is used twice in the Bible Ex 21:6; Deut 15:17.

[to show unto his servants] Book is not meant for or to be understood by the general public, it is to be understood by Christians, His servants. It is written to the elect of God who live just before Christ's return.

Why does God show this to His servants? A similar question is, Why did He command the study of Ezekiel's Temple? God is not interested in us becoming more proficient at "Bible Trivia." There is a purpose for such understanding, namely for us to apply what we learn, thus enabling us to conform to His image and bring tikkun (restoration) to the world. Both Ezekiel's instruction on study of the Temple, and John's vision in this book, hold the promise of great blessing to the tzaddik who seeks to learn the deeper (i.e., kabbalistic) aspects of God.4

[things] These "things (i.e. events), which must shortly come to pass" are the subject matter of the book:

Events of the whole church age (Rev. 1-3) Events in heaven (Rev. 4-5) Events of the future tribulation of Daniel's 70th week (Rev. 6-19) Events of the Millennium (Rev. 20) Events of the eternal new heavens and the new earth (Rev. 21-22)

That which will "come to pass" leads to the Supernal Sabbath (the seventh Millennium). This is the beginning of an age of righteousness, where all is again brought into harmony in God.

[shortly] tachos (Gr5034), swiftness; speed; quickly. Translated "shortly" (Rev. 1:1; Rev. 22:6; Acts 25:4; Romans 16:20); "quickly" (Acts 12:7; 22:18; 25:4;Rev. 2:5); and "speedily" (Luke 18:8). The idea is that this series of events will have a rapidly in execution once they begin. This certainly pictures the present hour when signs pointing to His return are beginning to appear with alarming frequency.

4 Yashanet.com

3

We get the English word tachometer from tachos. The tachometer does not register anything until the car is started up. Then the tachometer goes up very fast.That which Daniel declared would occur “in the latter days” is here described as “shortly”, that is, “quickly or suddenly coming to pass,” indicating rapidity of execution after the beginning takes place. (Dan 2:28-29, 45)A similar word, tachys, is translated “quickly” seven times in Revelation (2:5, 16; 3:11; 11:14; 22:7, 12, 20).“What I begin I will also end” (1 Sam 3:12; Lk 18:8).

[signified] semaino (Gr4591), = rendered into signs (codes). To show or point out; announce; to make a note of. That it does not mean that all things are in symbols is clear from its use elsewhere (Rev. 1:1; John 12:33; John 18:32; John 21:19; Acts 11:28; Acts 25:27). It simply means to make a clear record. That is, he used symbols. And keep in mind that the symbols are symbolic of reality. Peter gave us a great rule for the interpretation of prophecy.

(2 Peter 1:20) Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.

You don’t interpret a single text by itself; you interpret it in the light of the entire Word of God. Ottman said, “The figurative language of Revelation is figurative of facts.”

[angels] angelos (Gr32), messenger. Two views 1) that these are the pastors of the seven churches and 2) actual angels over the churches. Both views are defendable. It would seem very possible that each church has a guardian angel.

(Heb 1:14) Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?

(Matt. 18:10) Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.

[unto his servant John] The book was transmitted from God to Christ, to the angel, to John, to the churches, to us (Rev. 1:1,11).

According to tradition, John, the author, was the only one of Jesus’ original twelve disciples who was not killed for the faith. He also wrote the Gospel of John and the letters of 1, 2, and 3 John. When he wrote Revelation, John was in exile on the island of Patmos in the Aegean Sea, sent there by the Romans for his witness about Jesus Christ.5

5 Life Application Notes

4

On four occasions, Yochanan (John) identifies himself as the author of the last book of the NT (1:1, 4, 9; 22:8), often referred to as “The Revelation of Yeshua the Messiah to Yochanan.” The word revelation is best translated as “unveiling” and parallels the genre and feel of other forms of known Jewish apocalyptic literature. With very few direct quotations, and no less than five hundred allusions to the Tanakh, the book of Revelation accurately chronicles the end of days. The overall effect of so many Tanakh references and allusions is to anchor every part of the book in the words of Isra’el’s prophets.6

The revelation given to John originated with God the Father and culminates with the believer. First, the source of the revelation is God the Father, who gave it to God the Son, Jesus the Messiah. Second, from Him it was conveyed to the third person in the progressive transmission, an unnamed angel. Angels were often used in biblical revelation, especially in the revelation of prophecy. Angels were used for the revelation of the Law of Moses (Acts 7:53; Gal. 3:19; Heb 2:2). They were active in the presenting of prophetic truth to Daniel (7:16-27; 8:16-26; 9:20-27; 10:1-12:13) and to Zechariah (1:9; 2:3; 4:1, 5; 5:5; 6:4, 5). Angels were used to announce the birth of John to Zacharias (Luke 1:11-20) and the birth of Jesus to Mary (Luke 1:26-38) and to Joseph (Matt. 1:20-21). Since angels were frequently used in the revelation of prophecy, it is not unusual to find angels involved in revealing the events and the contents of the Book of Revelation, the crowning book of prophecy. Angels will play a prominent role in this book, not only in revealing prophecy to John, but also in carrying out the prophecies. From the angel it was given to the fourth person in the progression, the Apostle John, who was commanded to write down the Revelation in a book. John was a recipient of divine inspiration and through the Holy Spirit recorded the words exactly as God desired and free from error as far as the original manuscript is concerned (v.2). The Revelation has been put into writing in order for it to be conveyed to the fifth person, the believer. Verse one further states that the things that are being revealed must shortly come to pass. This is often misunderstood to mean that all the prophecies of the book were to be fulfilled soon after they were given. Others use this phrase to teach that since these prophecies 6 Complete Jewish Study Bible Notes, Stern

5

were not fulfilled soon after they were given, it is not necessary to take these prophecies too seriously. However, the word shortly simply means that once the day for fulfillment comes, there will be no delay in its execution.7

The Talmud also speaks of the name of Messiah (His teachings, authority, function, etc.), pre-existing the created world:

Talmud - Mas. Pesachim 54a - Surely it was taught: Seven things were created before the world was created, and these are they: The Torah, repentance, the Garden of Eden, Gehenna, the Throne of Glory, the Temple, and the name of the Messiah.

Apringius of Beja:1:1 The Revelation of Jesus ChristRevelation makes known that what we cannot know. From this we learn that this [book} is called an Apocalypse, that is, “revelation,,” which manifests those secrets which are hidden and unknown to the senses, and that unless [Christ] himself reveals them, he who perceives [the revelation] will not have the strength to understand what he sees. (Tractate on the Apocalypse1.1)8

The first few words of verse 1 are crucial as well as not just a bit controversial. Thecrucial part is that the words of Revelation are characterized as more than divinelyinspired; they are divinely given. Let me explain what I mean. Since Christians tendto be primarily focused on the New Testament, then the level to which divineauthority can be attached to those 27 books is important to determine. ThusChristian theologians say that, generally speaking, the New Testament is of a classof authority called “divinely inspired”. What does that mean? Using the acceptedtheological definition it means that while the words of the New Testament werethoughts of, and written down by, humans, the human authors were led by the HolySpirit or otherwise divinely influenced in some unknowable way to think them andrecord them. The exception usually mentioned is, of course, the words directlyspoken by Messiah Yeshua; those are direct divine words and instructions made

7 The Footsteps of the Messiah, Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, Tustin CA 8 Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, Revelation, Thomas C. Oden, Intervarsity Press

6

without human mediation. Therefore, Christ’s words rise to a higher level of divineauthority than those which are merely divinely inspired. However, the words ofRevelation are essentially in the same category as the direct words of Yeshuabecause we are told unequivocally that “this is the revelation that God gave toYeshua the Messiah” and were passed along to John. Such a circumstance is whatalso sets the Old Testament Prophets apart from most other writings of the Old andNew Testaments. That is, the writers are given direct divine oracles; they are notpassing along their own thoughts inspired or otherwise. John belongs in the samecategory as the Old Testament Prophets in this regard. That is, John is used as ahuman messenger of God’s directives. This also tells us that to call this book the Apocalypse of John is a misnomer thatwaters down its divine authority. Revelation stands unique in the New Testament asnot being merely “inspired of God”, by actually directly from God, partly given byoracle and partly by vision. But here’s where it can get controversial, depending onthe particular doctrine of the Trinity that one holds. There is a very clear delineationthat John makes between God and Yeshua the Messiah. We are told about asplainly as it can be done that God gave this vision to Yeshua. How are we to takethis? If we go by the most prevalent Trinitarian view that the unity of God, Son, andHoly Spirit is so complete with each “person” having co-equal authority over theother, then why the distinct mention of God and Yeshua so separately from oneanother that Yeshua is NOT the author of the Revelation vision at all, but God is? Or,in Christian Trinitarian thought, could this mean that God created the visions andthen passed them along to Himself? What we read is that God is the author who

7

gives the visions to Yeshua, who is but 2nd in a long chain of 5 steps; the fifth stepbeing the Believer who hears and/or reads the Book of Revelation. The oracles andvisions begin with God the Father, are passed along to Yeshua the Son, then toangels, angels to John, and then finally to us in written form. In both Testaments when the term God is used, it usually is meant in one of twoways: first, it refers to God the Father whose name as given to Moses was Yehoveh,but was known in earlier times as El or El Shaddai. Second it is at times used to referto the Godhead that consists of all that God is. Typically in Christian thought (but notJewish) it is seen of as an amalgam of God the Father, God the Son, and God theHoly Spirit. Over and over again in the Gospels we find Yeshua as subservient toGod the Father; praying to God the Father, asking God the Father that the Father’swill be done, showing us in the Lord’s prayer NOT to pray to Yeshua but rather to“Our Father”, and even depicting God the Father on the central throne in Heavenbut with Yeshua on a throne that sits to the right hand of the Father. This thronevision is a common and understood imagery in the ancient world; God the Father isthe senior king and God the Son is the junior king. Therefore, while at its fundamentalcore I think it is Scripturally correct to speak of a trio of Father, Son and Holy Spirit asdivine and together forming the basis of the Godhead, we must hold lightly how that all works. Ancient Hebrew Sages, Christian authorities, and Rabbis have debated forcenturies about the nature and substance of God. I think in the end it is a fool’serrand because even if His nature in all its glory and fullness was shown to us,humans are not equipped to perceive or process what we might see.9

This book has the fullest and most explicit claim to divine authorship of any book in the bible, therefore whether it was John the apostle who wrote it down is irrelevant. The author is God, God gave it to Jesus, just 9 Tom Bradford, torahclass.com

8

as he gives Jesus the scroll later in 5:7. It is written to his servants, that is to Christians. The Greek for servants means slaves, the NASB uses the word bondservant. Servant is a common expression for Christians in Revelation, see Rev 1:6, 2:20, 6:11, 7:3 and 7:15, servant or to serve is used 19 times in all. The book is written to God’s servants, i.e. to his saints to show us what must soon take place so that we should not be taken by surprise by world events and persecution in which the enemy appears to triumph. 22:16 says ‘I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches...’, the you is plural. Finally, the last verse says ‘The graceof the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.’ Other expressions used for God’speople are brothers and saints. Those who serve God on the earth will also serve himin heaven (1:6, 5:10, 7:15, 22:3).10

Revelation 1:2Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.

[Who bare record] “Who bore witness” “who saw” (used 90 times in John’s writings),

“Witness” was especially a legal term, although its sense had been widely extended beyond that. Christians were being betrayed to Roman law courts, but in the context of Revelation, “witness” is the Christian proclamation of knowledge about Jesus, providing evidence in the light of the court of God’s final judgment (cf. Is 43:8–12; 44:8–9).11

Epistolary aorist tense: he is projected to where we are, looking back... His frame of reference is from our time frame looking back.

John’s other books:

Gospel Epistles RevelationBelieve (Jn 20:31) Be sure (1 Jn 5:13) Be ready (Rev

22:20)Life received Life revealed Life rewardedSalvation Sanctification RedemptionThe Prophet The Priest The King

10 R A Taylor, Website: http://www.apocalipsis.org/11Keener, C. S., & InterVarsity Press. (1993). The IVP Bible background commentary : New Testament (Re 1:2). Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press.

9

In verse 2 John speaks of himself as one “who bore witness to the Word of God andto the testimony of Yeshua the Messiah.” That is, as one of the original 12 disciples,John heard the Gospel directly from the lips of Christ. The Word of God and Yeshuathe Messiah are parallel terms in this instance as John in other places in his variousbooks calls Yeshua “the Word”.12

Revelation 1:3Blessed 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.

The Hebrew meaning of "hearing" and "keeping" gives deeper insight into what is being said here:hearing – shema, to hear with understanding of obediencekeeping – shamar, to guard, protect, attend, take heed, observe, and preserve

The book of Revelation begins with a promise of a blessing to those who hear and obey. It ends with a curse (Rev. 22:18-19) to those who do not adhere to its teachings. Between these "bookends" is the message that those who obey God's Torah are the ones that will acquire the blessings of God:

Revelation 3:10 - Because thou did keep the word of my endurance, I also will keep thee from the hour of the trial that is about to come upon all the world, to try those dwelling upon the earth.Revelation 14:12 - Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Yeshua.Revelation 19:15 - Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.Revelation 22:14 - Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

Revelation mirrors God’s word in Deuteronomy, where He promises blessings to those who obey His Torah (in faith – Hebrews 4:2), and curses to those who do not heed it.

Deuteronomy 28:1-2 - And it hath been, if thou does hearken diligently to the voice of YHWH thy God, to observe to do all His commands which I am commanding thee to-day, that YHWH thy God hath made thee uppermost above all the nations of the earth, and all these blessings have come upon thee, and overtaken thee, because thou does hearken to the voice of YHWH thy God:

12 Tom Bradford – torahclass.com

10

Deuteronomy 28:15-16a - And it hath been, if thou does not hearken unto the voice of YHWH thy God to observe to do all His commands, and His statutes, which I am commanding thee to-day, that all these reviling’s have come upon thee, and overtaken thee: `Cursed art thou ...

Note that Moses calls upon two witnesses to this revelation, those being heaven and earth:

Deuteronomy 30:19 - I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:

“Read... Hear... Keep”: This is the only book with a special promise if you do these three things. The writer does not say that they were blessed who understood it, or they who read or heard it would fully understand it, however the Lord opens our hearts to its teachings, and makes us partakers of the blessings it foretells!

(Matt. 13:10-12) 10And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? 11He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. 12For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.

[readeth] anaginosko (G314) from Gr303 (ana) and Gr1097 (ginosko); to know again, i.e. (by extension) to read.

[he that readeth] The reference to reading (Greek, anaginoskon) means reading aloud. This implies reading it in the churches where the believers gather to hear. Note that this is singular while the next clause, “those who hear,” is plural. This reflects the early form of worship and one of God’s primary plans for taking in the Word. The Scripture was publicly read to the congregation. The early church didn’t have a large number of copies of the Scripture nor any books of the New Testament when they were received, so they would be read and undoubtedly also, expounded on by the pastor and teachers given to the body.

Most people in antiquity could not read, and there would not at any rate be enough copies of the book (which would have to be copied by hand) for everyone to have his or her own. Thus the blessing is for the one who reads aloud to the congregation (just as there was one reader in a synagogue) and those who hear (just as the rest of the congregation listened to Scripture readings). The “blessing” form was common in the Old Testament

synagogue *Synagogues. Assembly places used by Jewish people for public prayer, Scripture readings and community meetings.Old Testament *Old Testament. The common modern term for the Hebrew Bible (including Aramaic portions) as defined by the Jewish and Protestant Christian canons; Jewish readers generally call this the Tenach.

11

and Jewish literature (see comment on Mt 5:1–12), and here implies that the hearers were expected to understand and obey what they heard. (Revelation contains seven such “blessings” and seven curses or “woes,” probably all oracular, i.e., prophetic.)

Apocalypses commonly predicted the imminent end of the age, or imminent events heralding that end (especially in the roughly contemporary work 4 Ezra).13

[keep] tereo (G5083), to attend to carefully, guard, take care of. Translated "keep" (Rev. 1:3; Rev. 2:26; Rev. 3:8,10; Rev. 12:17; Rev. 14:12; Rev. 16:15; Rev. 22:7,9); and "hold fast" (Rev. 3:3). Its main idea in Revelation is that of keeping the Word of God. (observe or pay attention to)In the Greek and in the Aramaic text all three participles are in the present tense, implying continued reading, hearing, and observing.

“Rabbi David Hoffman (1843–1921), the leading Orthodox rabbinical authority in Germany during his era, [wrote in a responsum:] ‘The Torah of Israel is not only a song and rhetoric which one studies only to understand the religion of Israel. Rather, the purpose of Jewish religious learning is lilmod v˒la˓asot, to study and to observe, and one who learns and does not observe, it would be better if he had not learned.’ ” (Aron and David Ellenson, “The Dilemma of Jewish Education: To Learn and To Do,” in Judaism, Spring 1984) 14

[Blessed is he] The first of seven beatitudes recorded in Revelation is in this verse. These beatitudes, which provide an index to the issues of life, are accorded the most serious importance. For example:

1. The blessedness of those reading, hearing, and keeping this prophecy, which emphasizes the importance of the Word; (1:3)

2. The happiness of the dead who die in the Lord, which stresses the blessings of eternal life (14:13);

Apocalypses *Apocalypses, apocalyptic literature. The broadest use of the term today (usually followed in this commentary) refers to the thought world of literature dealing with the end time, often replete with symbols. The most precise sense of the term refers to a category of ancient Jewish literature growing out of Old Testament prophecy (especially Daniel and parts of Isaiah, Ezekiel, Zechariah, etc.) in which visions or travels through the heavens reveal divine secrets, usually including many about the future. Nonfuturistic Jewish mysticism was probably a truncated apocalyptic with future expectations played down.

13Keener, C. S., & InterVarsity Press. (1993). The IVP Bible background commentary : New Testament (Re 1:3). Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press.14Stern, D. H. (1996, c1992). Jewish New Testament Commentary : A companion volume to the Jewish New Testament (electronic ed.) (Re 1:3). Clarksville: Jewish New Testament Publications.

12

3. The enviable status of those watching, and keeping their garments, which portrays the anticipation of the Lord’s return (16:15);

4. The delight of those invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb, which suggests the joy of Christ’s presence (19:9);

5. The blessedness of the participants in the first resurrection, which emphasizes deliverance from death (20:6);

6. The joy of keeping the words of this prophecy, which stresses obedience to the Word (22:7); and

7. The happy result of washing one’s robe and gaining access to the Tree of Life, which guarantees eternal sustenance (22:14).

Lehman Strauss defines them as: The Blessed Challenge (1:3), The Blessed Comfort (14:13), The Blessed Cautiousness (16:15), The Blessed Calling (19:9), The Blessed Conquest (20:6), The Blessed Cherishing (22:7), The Blessed Conformity (22:14).15

Sevens in the bibleSevens are very prominent in the Bible. Seven days make a Sabbath; seven years a Sabbath year; marched around Jericho seven times; Joseph with seven years of famine and seven years of plenty; seven beatitudes; seven partitions in Lords Prayer; Nebuchadnezzar’s insanity for seven years; seven sayings from the cross; 7 parables in Matthew 13; and many more.

[prophecy] propheteia (G4394), occurring seven times in Revelation, indicates the prophetic aspect of the book (Rev. 1:3; Rev. 11:6; Rev. 19:10; Rev. 22:7,10,18,19). In addition to being called the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ, it is called “prophecy.” Prophecy involves not only future events, but also moral and spiritual things that train, exhort, and comfort. It particularly refers to truth received by direct revelation from God (1 Cor. 14:30).

Revelation is a book of prophecy that is both prediction (foretelling future events) and proclamation (preaching about who God is and what he will do). Prophecy is more than telling the future. Behind the predictions are important principles about God’s character and promises. As we read, we will get to know God better so that we can trust him completely. The typical news reports—filled with violence, scandal, and political haggling—are depressing, and we may wonder where the world is heading. God’s plan for the future, however, provides inspiration and encouragement because we know he will intervene in history to conquer evil. John encourages churches to read this book aloud so everyone can hear it, apply it (“take to heart what is written in it”), and be assured of the fact that God will triumph. When John says, “the time is near,” he is always urging his readers to be ready for the Last Judgment and the establishment of God’s kingdom. We do not know when these

15 Lehman Strauss, The Book of Revelation, Loizeaux Brothers: Neptune, NJ, 1964, p. 23.

13

events will occur, but we must always be prepared. They will happen quickly, and there will be no second chance to change sides.16

Seven rules regarding prophecy:

1. Understand prophecy as history written beforehand.2. Give the same meaning to words of prophecy as you do the words of history.3. Do not seek for hidden meanings.4. Do not think prophecy must be fulfilled before it can be understood.5. Do not interpret God's own interpretation of anything in prophecy.6. Take all prophecy literally unless it is clear that it cannot have a literal

meaning. Then get the literal truth conveyed by the figurative language.7. Let the Bible be its own interpreter.

[time is at hand] The wording used here has the same signification substantially as the word “shortly” in Rev. 1:1. The importance of the prophecy is emphasized by this phrase.

[time] kairos (Gr2540) of uncertain affinity; an occasion, i.e. set or proper time : always, opportunity, (convenient, due) season, (due, short, while) time, a while. Compare Greek 5550 (chronos).

[hand] eggus (Gr1451) from a primary verb agcho (to squeeze or throttle; akin to the base of Gr43 (agkale)); near (literal or figurative, of place or time) : from, at hand, near, nigh (at hand, unto), ready.

Verse three puts an obligation on the fifth person of the progression, the believer, while at the same time giving a promise. The obligation is for the believer to study this book. The promise is one of blessing. This is the only book in the Bible that promises a blessing to those who study it. There are many blessings of God which are unconditional, and the believer is entitled to them simply by virtue of the fact that he is a believer. However, other blessings of God are conditional and the blessing of God available to the believer who studies this book is one to them. Studying prophecy gives one a live and longing for the return of the Messiah. Those believers who love the look for His return are promised a special crown, one which will be discussed later. Believers often rob themselves of certain blessings available to them because they fail to take God’s conditional aspects seriously. The promise attached to the study of the Book of Revelation is one of these conditional blessings. While blessings are available for the study of God’s Word in general, a unique blessing is available through the study of this particular book. The reason is easy to understand. Since so much of this book is based on the Old Testament, a proper study of it will require a study of the Old Testament, resulting in a more comprehensive knowledge of the whole Bible. Not only is the blessing to those who read and hear the words of the book, but also to those who keep the things which are written. The word for keep also means, watch, the sense in which it should be taken here. The believer, after reading and listening to what the book of Revelation is teaching, should also be watching for these things to come to

16 Life Application Notes

14

pass and be on the alert for the fulfillment of these things. The same admonition to watch is given in the Olivet Discourse, in Matthew 24:42-44 and 25:13.17

Apringius of Beja: 1:3 Blessed are those who read and hearPerfection is to do what you read and hear. he wishes to make clear that the reading does not accomplish the obedience of the commandments, nor does the hearing display the completion of an accomplished deed. Rather, that alone is perfection, when you perform with understanding what you read and what you hear. “The time is short”. For those who accomplish these things, he does not prolong the time of recompense, but he says that the giving of the divine reward is near. (Tractate on the Apocalypse 1.3)18

Then we get this amazing promise that came to John from God that is to be passedalong to the readers and hearers of Revelation: we will be blessed! We either take this as something that is serious; or it is just a happy sounding expression with not much substance that could be removed from the book without any harm. It is true that the exact nature of that blessing is open to debate; but to my mind any blessing from God is a great blessing. What is not open to debate is that the promise of this blessing comes with a caveat; the blessing only comes IF we are obedient to what has been written in Revelation. That is, this blessing is conditional and not automatic. As I pointed out in our introduction to Revelation, how can we be respond properly enough to what John has told us if we either don’t understand the words at all, or we don’t understand them as God, through John, meant for us to understand them? It should not be lost on us that the blessing spoken of here is the first of 7 blessingsin Revelation aimed at the reader or hearer (at all times assumed to be a Believer). The other blessings are found in chapters 14, 16, 19, 20, and two blessings in chapter 22. It should also not be lost that the word hearers (of this prophecy of Revelation) is directly connected to obedience to those words. Where have we encountered this hear-obey dynamic before? No doubt in John’s Jewish mind the hear-obey connection is expressed in the Hebrew word shema, which means exactly hear and obey. Therefore, to passively read (or listen) and comprehend the words of the Book of Revelation without obeying them is useless (at least when it comes to hoping to receive the promised blessing). I’m sorry to say that while many Christians would probably deny it, the concept of obedience to God’s Word is all but extinguished within the Church. The thought is generally that obedience is obviously connected to a rule, and a rule is connected to a deed or work (a do or a don’t), and works are bad and fly in the face of grace. Further that while the Old Testament is all about rules, the New Testament is all about free grace. Therefore obedience has little to no place in the life of a New Testament Christian and in fact is seen as a negative. So fellow Believers I say this to you: if you believe that obedience is a thing of the past and not a requirement for you, then whatever blessing is available to youfrom reading or hearing Revelation will not be yours. To show obedience to God is how we show love to God. Obedience is God’s love language; not our intent, our emotions, or our knowledge gained from study. This is why in Jewish thought the Hebrew word shema is one of the most important; it represents a concept larger than the word itself. The final words of verse 3 are “for the time is near”. As with Paul, John believed he

17 The Footsteps of the Messiah, Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, Tustin CA 18 Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, Revelation, Thomas C. Oden, Intervarsity Press

15

was living in the End Times. The time being near did not mean within decades; let alone within hundreds or thousands of years. It was at any moment in actual reality; it was not an indefinite expression of time as we tend to use it today. So when we understand this we also understand the extreme urgency in John’s mind (as with Paul’s). Wouldn’t you feel a heightened sense of urgency if you suddenly began receiving divine visions and oracles concerning God’s judgment of the world?19

Revelation 1:4 John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;

[John] No title. He was well known to these churches.[churches] In Revelation 1:4, seven assemblies are written to, which are not only the seven physical assemblies of that time, but representative of "types" of assemblies (including future ones), particularly those living in the days where the prophecies of Revelation would come into play. Both Moses and Yeshua taught in this fashion, speaking to their generations with future ones in mind, particularly the one to come at the end of the age. (i.e., in Deuteronomy chapters 29 and 30, Moses speaks to those in front of him as the generation that will see the final salvation of the Lord.) The Greek word, ekklesia, found throughout Revelation does not mean "church" as seen in most Bibles. The word "church" does not exist in Scripture and was added in more recent times by the Christian church in order to strengthen its claim that it has replaced Israel as the people of God. Young's Literal Translation uses the term "assemblies." The Jewish New Testament uses "Messianic Communities." Both of these properly retain the original Hebrew meaning of the text.20

[seven churches] Seven is the number of fullness or completeness. The seven churches are making the one church. The number 7 = complete or perfection (Sabbath day, year, et al.); There will be more information on this in the 7 church study. [Asia] Provinces, which include Lydia, Mysia, Caria, and parts of Phrygia; what became known after the 4th century, as Asia Minor, and now as modern Turkey.[Grace] = charis (G5485) [Peace] = eirene (G1515) shalom, in Hebrew. A Greek greeting was “grace be unto you.” A common Hebrew greeting was “peace be unto you.” John was a Hebrew who lived in Ephesus for about 20 years and was steeped in Greek culture. Apparently, John was addressing both cultures. Note: the salutation enlivens all kindly feelings – Christianity is courteous, it’s warm, it evokes these feelings.

19 Tom Bradford – torahclass.com20 Yashanet.com

16

Grace represents standing; peace represents experience.

Greek language can be strange in Revelation – because it may have been translated from Hebrew. Such a beginning is out of keeping with the ordinary apocalyptic form; but the pastoral instinct was strong in the writer, and he could never lose the sense of responsibility for the Churches that were under his charge.

[from] Note that the preposition, “from,” is used three times in verses 4 and 5. This point us to three distinct and separate ministries found in the distinct ministries of the trinity.[who is, who was, and who is to come] Not used elsewhere in NT; This phraseology is purely Jewish, and probably taken from the Tetragrammaton, Yehovah; which is supposed to include in itself all time, past, present, and future. YHWH. It speaks of the eternity and immutability of God.

This truth is presented in an unusual grammatical construction, which occurs with variations four other times (1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 16:5). The concept of past, present, and future corresponds to the threefold chronological division of the book itself (1:19).

Some try to make this phrase to show the trinity, however this is a reference to the God Head of the trinity.To: The seven Messianic communities in the province of Asia. The number seven frequently represents completion and perfection in the Tanakh. God ended his work of creation on the seventh day (Gen. 2:1–3). The day of rest, Shabbat (Hebrew “rest”), is the seventh day of the week (Exod. 20:8–10). Many other uses of the word seven appear in the Tanakh. Likewise, “seven” or “seventh” appears nearly sixty times in the book of Revelation, hinting at “completion” in its words.21

[Seven spirits] Again, this phraseology is purely Jewish. We may recognize the term Seven-Fold Spirit in our vernacular (Isa 11:2). This is probably a reference to the fullness of the Spirit, as indicated in Zech 4:1-6, in which a seven-branched lamp stand illustrates that God accomplishes His work through the agency of the Holy Spirit. Further significance may lie in the fullness of the Spirit imparted to each of the seven churches addressed in the letters.

(Isa 11:2) And 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

1. The Spirit of the Lord (Isaiah 61:1; Matthew 3:16; John 3:34; Acts 10:38)2. The Spirit of wisdom (1 Cor. 12:8)

21 Complete Jewish Study Bible Notes, Stern

17

3. The Spirit of understanding4. The Spirit of counsel5. The Spirit of might6. The Spirit of knowledge (1 Cor. 12:8)7. The Spirit of the fear of the Lord

Heb 10:29: Spirit of Grace; 2 Cor 4:13: Spirit of Faith; 1 Cor 4:2: Spirit of Meekness;Eph 1:17: Spirit of Wisdom; John 16:13 Spirit of Truth; Rom 8:2; Spirit of Life; Rom 1:4: Spirit of Holiness; Eph 1:13: Spirit of Promise; Rev 19:10 Spirit of ProphecyVerses 4b-5a indicates again that John was a secondary author. The primary author is the Triune God. The originator was God the Father, in verse one, and is here described as the One who is and who was and who is to come. Mentioned next is the Holy Spirit, Who is the source of revelation and inspiration (2 Peter 1:20-21). The Holy Spirit is described as the seven Spirits that are before his thrown. Again, the definite article the is used with the number seven to signify totality and completeness. It is a reference to Isaiah 11:2 where the seven attributes of the Holy Spirit are described. Finally, the second Person in the progression found in verse one is mentioned: and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and ruler of the kings of the earth.22

It is my contention that the 7 letters are meant to address the actual conditions present within the 7 actual congregations John is writing them to. To John’s mind, the only thing that made these 7 letters different from any regular letters he might have sent to them is that they are directed by God and so carry the greatest divine authority. Even so, I also believe that these letters are valuable for Believing congregations of all ages to use for learning and instruction and admonishment even if that isn’t what John had in mind. Thus these letters fall within the scope of us needing to be obedient to what they say, at least partly so we can receive the blessing that John spoke of back in verse 3. While the 7 letters to the 7 specific congregations are real and actual letters, addressing real and actual issues within each congregation, it is fair to say that their message can be applied to a broader scope of congregations at all times in history since John’s day to our time and beyond. However, any attempt to make it that these 7 letters sum up all the possibleconditions that could happen within all believing congregations during any age, or that they are the 7 characteristics or 7 stages of church development, is much too limiting if not fanciful. Church development in 7 stages is a pure manmade doctrine nowhere to be found in Holy Scripture. Besides, there are far more conditions that we could all think of that have found their way into the Body of Believers, and there are many more characteristics of churches over the centuries than the few that are mentioned in these 7 letters.23

22 The Footsteps of the Messiah, Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, Tustin CA 23 Tom Bradford – torahclass.com

18

Revelation 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

[begotten] prototokos (Gr4416) from Greek 4413 (protos) and the alternate of Greek 5088 (tikto); first-born (usually as noun, literal or figurative):- firstbegotten (-born).

[prince] archon (Gr758) present participle of Greek 757 (archo); a first (in rank or power) :- chief (ruler), magistrate, prince, ruler.

[kings] basileus (Gr935) probably from Greek 939 (basis) (through the notion of a foundation of power); a sovereign (absact, relative or figurative) :- king.

Seven Titles:1. Faithful Witness: “He that hath seen me hath seen the

Father” (Jn 14:9). As faithful witness He fulfilled the role of a prophet (John

18:37)2. First Begotten of the Dead: Prototokos 4416:

The firstborn; 1a) of man or beast; 1b) of Christ, the first born of all creation. Priority or sovereignty; leader (position): A title of honor (Rom 8:29; Col 1:15, 18).The first fruits of them who slept – to be given glorified body after resurrection.

3. Prince [ruler] of the kings of the earth: A millennial title (Phil 2:9-11; Ps 2).

4. Unto Him that loved us: Present tense, which emphasizes His constant attitude toward His own.

5. Washed [loosed] us from our sins in His own blood: Not just a symbol (Lev 17:11; 1 Pet 1:18-20; 1 Tim 2:5).

6. A kingdom of priests: Note “His Father”—ours because His. We are seated on His throne !? (Eph 2:1-10).

8. Glory, dominion; Amen.

Holy Trinity Vs. 4-5Him, which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne; And from Jesus Christ. A description of the Holy Trinity, Him which is, and which was, and which is to come = God; the seven Spirits which are before His throne = Holy Spirit; and from Jesus Christ

Verses 5 and 6 contain three glorious statements concerning Christ’s work on our behalf: (1) He loved us; (2) He washed us from our sins in His own blood; and (3) He hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father.

19

Priest is the title of every believer. It is also the reason one does not need a minister to help him get closer to God. If you have been born again, you are a priest in the eyes of the Almighty. You can bring your own petitions to God. One is not heard any more rapidly because he has been ordained by men, for all born again believers are on the same level.

(1 Peter 2:9) But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light:

And the first-begotten of the dead First begotten from the dead – Jesus Christ was raised from the dead to immortality, never to die again. He is the first to have been resurrected with a new never dying body. See Acts 26:23, 1 Timothy 6:16. A similar term “only begotten” refers to incarnation.

This term is first found in Col 1:18, arising from Paul’s understanding of Psalm 2:7. Paul understood this “begetting” to be a reference to the resurrection of Christ as found in Acts 13:30-34.

(Col 1:18) And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

(Psalm 2:7) I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.

(Acts 13:30-34) 30But God raised him from the dead: 31And he was seen many days of them which came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses unto the people. 32And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers, 33God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. 34And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David.

Others had risen from the dead—people whom the prophets, Jesus, and the apostles had brought back to life during their ministries—but later those people died again. Jesus was the first who rose from the dead in an imperishable body (1 Cor. 15:20), never to die again. He is the firstborn from the dead.

[washed us from our sins in his own blood]

(Matt 26:28) For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

20

(Rom 5:9) Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

An old pastor friend of mine said that our sins were taken away from us and thrown into the sea of forgetfulness, never to be remembered again. I thought that was a wonderful saying and looked for it in the Bible, evidently it is not in the bible and he just made it up, however I still think it is a beautiful thought. A similar verse may be found in Psalms:

(Psa 103:10-12) 10He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. 11For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. 12As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

“As far as the East is from the West”. God did not say as far as the North is from the South, because that has a terminus. You can only go so far north and then you start going south. However, if you are going west you can go on forever, there is no terminus. The scripture is exact.

Revelation 1:6And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

[And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father ...] The first New Testament prophecy in Revelation (Rev. 1:6-7, unfulfilled). The next prophecy is in Rev. 2:5. Three groups of people, Melchizedek, Jesus Christ, Christians.

[glory and dominion] Interesting how this phrase is picked up on and expanded up to seven in Revelation

1:6 “Glory & dominion”: 4:11 Glory, honor & power 5:13 Blessing, honor, glory, power 7:12 Blessing, glory, wisdom, thanksgiving, honor, power, might...

[for ever and ever] To ages of ages; or rather, through all indefinite periods; through all time, and through eternity.

[Amen] A word of affirmation and approbation; so it shall be, and so it ought to be.

Jewish New Testament Commentary: The original readers were greatly encouraged in their struggle against persecution by these three aspects of Yeshua the Messiah:

(1)     He is the faithful witness (or “the faithful martyr”; see 2:13&N). He witnessed unto the point of his own death, and especially through his own death, that God is in control of

21

history. Compare Yn 1:18, “the Only Son … , the one at the Father’s side—he has made him known”; and Isaiah 55:3–4, “ … the sure mercies of David. Behold I have given him for a witness.”

(2)     He is the firstborn (or “foremost, chief”) of those who get raised from the dead. This means that faithful believers too can look forward to being resurrected and having eternal fellowship with God, even if in this world they receive no reward and die ignominiously. Compare Ro 6:5; 1C 15:20, 23.

(3)     He is the ruler of the earth’s kings, the “King of Kings” (17:14, 19:16) who will one day subject to himself even the most unbridled and oppressive governments (1C 15:24–25). Moreover,

(4)     He loves us. (5)     He has freed us from our sins at the cost of his blood (that is, by his bloody,

sacrificial death; see Ro 3:24N). (6)     He has caused us to be a kingdom, a community subject to him who loves us. (7)     He has caused us to be cohanim (“priests,” Mt 2:4N) for God, his Father. For these

seven reasons, to him be the glory and the rulership forever and ever. On hearing this read the congregation is to respond by saying, Amen.

Many hesitate to witness about their faith in Christ because they don’t feel the change in their lives has been spectacular enough. But you qualify as a witness for Jesus because of what he has done for you, not because of what you have done for him. Christ demonstrated his great love by setting us free from our sins through his death on the cross (“freed us from our sins by his blood”), guaranteeing us a place in his kingdom, and making us priests to administer God’s love to others. The fact that the all-powerful God has offered eternal life to you is nothing short of spectacular.

Revelation 1:7Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

[Behold, he cometh with clouds] the Lord Jesus when he returns, will come accompanied with clouds. Compare Matt. 26:64; Mark 13:26; 14:62; Acts 1:9, 11. Clouds are appropriate symbols of majesty, and God is often represented as appearing in that manner.

(Psalm 104:3) Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind:

(Matt 26:64) Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.

[every eye shall see Him] Personal, physical (Dan 7:13; Mt 26:64; Mt 24:30; Ps 22)

22

“pierced him” (Zech 12:10). This refers to His Second Coming, not the Rapture. If Christ will be coming to the earth at that time, there is no point in being caught up in the air. The Rapture has already taken place by this point.

(Matt 24:27) For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

[which pierced him] In the light of Zechariah 12:10, this refers primarily to the Jews who asked for His death, but it could also refer to the Romans who carried out the sentence. In essence we all caused His death because of our sin.

(Zech 12:10) And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon 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 firstborn.

This is a remarkably interesting verse in that between me and whom are the letters aleph and tav, or alpha and omega. These letters are not translated, and linguists say that they are a form of preposition. However, they are not used as such here. These Hebrew letters form the word “et” meaning (“first matter out of things formed”) Vs. 8

Cf. The Aleph and the Tav (Zech 12:10, et al.). (Gen 1:1 after the word God)Declaring himself as having no beginning or ending.

[wail] kopto (Gr2875) a primary verb; to “chop”; specially to beat the breast in grief :- cut down, lament, mourn, (be-) wail. Compare the base of Gr5114 (tomoteros). The word means properly to beat, to cut; then to beat or cut oneself in the breast as an expression of sorrow; and then to lament, to cry aloud in intense grief. The coming of the Saviour will be an occasion of this:

(a) Because it will be an event which will call the sins of people to remembrance, and (b) Because they will be overwhelmed with the apprehension of the wrath to come.

[because of him] On account of him; on account of their treatment of him.

(Matt. 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 in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

[Even so] = Greek; [Amen] = Hebrew. John states, “even so, amen”. The Greeks close with “even so,” and the Hebrews close with “amen.” This book addresses

23

both Jews and Gentiles. The seal and ratification of the solemn truths, which have just been uttered. How sure to come to pass and how unmistakably certain?

The double affirmative he confirms that the prophecies are indeed true.Fulgentius of Ruspe: 1:7 All shall see his comingChrist will return in the flesh. Hold most firmly and never doubt that the Word made flesh always has the same truly human flesh with which God the Word was born of the Virgin, with which he was crucified and died, with which he rose and ascended to heaven and sits at the right hand of God, with which he will come again to judge the living and the dead. For this reason, the apostles heard from the angels, “He…will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven,” and the blessed John says, “Behold, he will come amid the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the tribes of the earth will see him.” (Letter to Peter on the Faith 20.63)24

Jewish New Testament Commentary: This verse states the theme of the book of Revelation, the second coming of Yeshua the Messiah in a way that the world will be unable to ignore. When predicting his own second coming Yeshua himself combined the same phrases from Daniel and Zechariah (Mt 24:30).

Those who pierced him. The allusion is to Zechariah 12:10, in which Adonai says, “They will look to me, whom they pierced; and they will mourn him as one mourns an only son.” The 19th-century Messianic Jewish commentator Yechiel Lichtenstein (see MJ 3:13N) writes, “It can be seen that the mourners will be the people of Israel, first, because Zechariah writes of the families of Israel—the families of David, L’vi, Shim‛i, Natan, and ‘all the rest’ (Zechariah 12:10–14), and second, because the phrase ‘they will look’ refers to ‘the House of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem’ (Zechariah 12:8–11, 13:1).”

Thus this great Messianic prophecy from the Tanakh speaks of the day when the entire Jewish people will recognize Yeshua, pierced on the execution-stake, as the Messiah and as fully identified with God, “me, whom they pierced.” But in a midrashic sense the phrase, “those who pierced him,” is not limited to Jews, nor does it mean only the Jews and Gentiles historically responsible for Yeshua’s physical death. Rather, it includes all who have not acknowledged his atoning sacrificial death, who by their sins participated in and continue to participate in piercing him. See Yn 19:37&N, where this verse of Zechariah is also quoted.

Lichtenstein’s note continues, “Some say they will weep because there is no longer any opportunity to repent, but this is wrong. True, there will be an obstacle to repentance, the unbelief of the majority of Israel in their Messiah and Savior, so that he will not be able to come and save them. But this is precisely why God ‘will pour on [them] the spirit of grace’ (Zechariah 12:10), enabling them to recognize Yeshua as their Savior.”

I would put it this way: The tribes of Israel will mourn Yeshua, experiencing deep grief over centuries of having rejected him as a nation; this grief will open the way to repentance and accepting him as Messiah and savior of the Jewish people. Some translations render this, “will wail because of him,” implying that the Jewish people will

24 Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, Revelation, Thomas C. Oden, Intervarsity Press

24

experience neither grief nor repentance but only the anguish of judgment. But the Greek text here quotes the Septuagint word for word, which in turn translates Hebrew safdu ˓alav (“will mourn on him”) word for word. In Hebrew “to mourn on someone” does not mean “to wail because of him”; it is simply how Hebrew says “to mourn him.” Mourning generally includes both grief over the death itself and sorrow at what one failed to do in relation to the deceased. There is no ground for supposing Yochanan meant anything other than what Zechariah meant.

Lichtenstein again: “The Talmud offers an astonishingly similar interpretation:

‘“The land will mourn, each family by itself” (Zechariah 12:12). Why do they mourn? Rabbi Dosa and the Rabbis give different answers. One says it is because Mashiach ben-Yosef [the Messiah, the son of Joseph] has been killed, while the other says it is because the yetzer hara˓ [the evil inclination] has been killed. The former is a good explanation, because we have Zechariah 12:10, “They will look to me, whom they pierced; and they will mourn over him as one mourns over an only son.” ’ (from Sukkah 52a)

“Of course, ‘Mashiach ben-Yosef’ is Yeshua ben-Yosef (son of Joseph) from Nazareth.

“Moreover, when Zechariah 13:1 continues, ‘On that day there will be opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a fountain to cleanse them from sin and impurity,’ it refers to Yeshua’s second coming; for it conveys the same idea as Sha’ul’s statement in Ro 11:25–26,

‘It is in this way that all Israel will be saved. As the Tanakh says, “Out of Tziyon will come the Redeemer; he will turn away ungodliness from Ya‛akov; and this will be my covenant with them, … when I take away their sins.’

“At Acts 1:11 one learns that just as the Messiah was taken from the Mount of Olives with the clouds, so he will return there in the same manner [and this too the prophet knew—see Zechariah 14:4]. What is said here, that every eye will see him in perfection coming down on earth, is in keeping with Mattityahu 24:30, which says that the mourning will be after ‘the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky.’ ” (Commentary on the New Testament, ad loc.)

All the tribes (or “clans” or “families”) of the Land of Israel will mourn him. This alludes to more of Zechariah’s prophecy about the people of Israel—“All the Land will mourn, each family by itself” (Zechariah 12:12; the Septuagint translates “family” by the Greek word for “tribe”). Every other translation of this verse reads, “All the tribes of the earth will mourn him.” This may indeed happen, but in context Zechariah is referring to the Land of Israel, and there is no reason to suppose that Yochanan is altering or spiritualizing the original. Indeed the contrary is true, since both Zechariah and Revelation speak of Israel’s future acknowledgement of her pierced Messiah. See Mt 5:5N for more on why Greek gê should be rendered “Land” and not “earth.”

Yes, Amen. Compare 22:20, where the hearers are again encouraged to affirm Yeshua’s soon coming. Therefore, the sense is, “Yes, that is how it will be,” or, “Yes, we want it that way.” See last paragraph of vv. 5–6.25

Jesus is portrayed as an all-powerful King, victorious in battle, glorious in peace. He is not just a humble earthly teacher; he is the glorious God. When you read John’s 25Stern, D. H. (1996, c1992). Jewish New Testament Commentary : A companion volume to the Jewish New Testament (electronic ed.) (Re 1:7). Clarksville: Jewish New Testament Publications.

25

description of the vision, keep in mind that his words are not just good advice; they are truth from the King of kings. Don’t just read his words for their interesting and amazing portrayal of the future. Let the truth about Christ penetrate your life, deepen your faith in him, and strengthen your commitment to follow him no matter what the cost.

“Those who pierced him” could refer to the Roman soldiers who pierced Jesus’ side as he hung on the cross or to the Jews who were responsible for his death. John saw Jesus’ death with his own eyes, and he never forgot the horror of it (see John 19:34-35; see also Zech. 12:10).

Look! He is coming with the clouds! The Tanakh speaks of the day when the entire Jewish people will recognize Yeshua, who was pierced at his execution, as Messiah and fully identified with God: “me, whom they pierced” (Zech. 12:10; see “The Return of the Messiah,” Zech. 12–14). As a midrash, the phrase “those who pierced him” is not limited to Jews, nor does it make only the Jews and Gentiles historically responsible for Yeshua’s physical death. Rather, it includes all who have not acknowledged his atoning sacrificial death, as well as all for whom he died.26

Verse 7 alludes to two Old Testament prophecies: Daniel 7 and Zechariah 12. Insome ways this verse represents the theme that the Book of Revelation is truly all about: the 2nd coming of Messiah Yeshua. What we’re told is that the entire world is going to be aware of His return; no one will be able to claim they don’t know about it because it will involve Him returning in the clouds, meaning it will be a global celestial event. Every eye seeing Him doesn’t actually equate to 100% of all humans personally witnessing it; but it does mean all of humanity with only a few exceptions. So while not every last person will witness His dramatic return, the vast majority of people on planet earth will and those few who don’t personally see it will quickly find out about it because it will be the greatest news story of all time and will spread like wildfire. Something quite sad makes up the final few words of this verse (also an allusion toan Old Testament passage); it says that the tribes of the Land will mourn Him. This isdirect reference to the 12 tribes of Israel. History has made it clear that only a relativefew Israelites in the past or present have accepted their own Messiah. Most have rejected Him and await another and different Messiah who, of course, never seems to come. Thus the mourning will be because they now realize the enormity of their error, and because they will acknowledge that their ancestors had much to do with, and some even celebrated, Christ’s gruesome death on the cross.27

Revelation 1:8I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

[Alpha & Omega] (used 3 times in OT): Isa 41:4; 44:6; 48:12. Alpha is spelled out; completed. Omega is not; only the letter...it is yet to be. Shows some of the precession of the scripture.26 Complete Jewish Study Bible27 Tom Bradford, Torahclass.com

26

Έγώ είμι τό Αλφα καί τό Ω άοχή καί τέλοςEgô eimi to Alpha kai to Ω archě kai telos

Total KJV Occurrences: 4: (Rev 1:8, Rev 1:11, Rev 21:6, Rev 22:13)

Verse 8 offers further perspective on not just what John believed, but what he wasdirectly told. The Lord says to him, “I am the A and the Z”. Or better, the Alpha andOmega. Another way of saying it is “the beginning and the end”. Then the speakergoes further to identify Himself as the God of heaven’s armies. This is expressed inthe Old Testament as Yehoveh Tzava’ot; Yehoveh of the hosts (although nearlyevery Bible will incorrectly translate the Hebrew into “the Lord of Hosts”). And thedivine speaker repeats another attribute of Yehoveh (the Father) from verse 4, whenHe says He is the One who is, who was and is coming. Here’s the crux; the firstwords of the Book of Revelation are: “This is the revelation that God gave to Yeshuathe Messiah”. Thus at this moment, the true author of this vision is setting about toidentify Himself to John. He is Yehoveh, God the Father.28

Revelation 1:9I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.

[I, John] used 3 times in this book. John, of course, was well known among the churches of Asia Minor. He refers to himself as simply John in 1:1 and 1:4, but twice he says, “I John” (1:9; 22:8) which seems to add emphasis for the purpose of authen-ticating his witness. No title, not Rev John, John the Divine, or Saint John.

[brother] is the Greek adelphos, (Gr 80) a word often used as a technical term for believers in Christ because we are all born again into God’s family. It stresses the close relationship we all have regardless of our position or gifts in the church or in society. We

28 Tom Bradford – torahclass.com

27

are still brothers under the authority and care of the Father and our older Brother, the Lord Jesus Christ. Interesting as used in Gen 14:12 vs Gen 14:14, 16.

[companion in tribulation] Domitian’s reign. John was exiled from A.D. 86 to 96.[companion] sungkoinonos (Gr4791), partaker.

[tribulation] thlipsis (Gr2347), in this verse it is not used as the coming tribulation, it is used for the tribulation that John is going through. Used five times in Revelation: four times of persecution of Christians in John's day (Rev. 1:9; Rev. 2:9,10,22), and once of the future great tribulation (Rev. 7:14).

[patience] hupomone (Gr5281), patience or endurance; used seven times in Revelation of the endurance of Christians in sufferings (Rev. 1:9; Rev. 2:2-3,19; Rev. 3:10; Rev. 13:10; Rev. 14:12).

[of Jesus] is the uniting factor and the basis of our brotherhood or fellowship (1 Cor. 1:9). It calls to mind our union or position in Christ or the co-identification that we share together in Him. Note, three things are mentioned that he had in common with the seven churches.

[Patmos] A Roman penal colony off the coast of Asia Minor (Turkey), 15 miles from Ephesus, it was an island about 10 miles long and 6 miles wide. John was 90 years old (?) at the time of this revelation.[for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ] Two reasons for John's exile (Rev. 1:2,9) not for crimes but for:

1. Preaching the Word of God.2. Testifying of Jesus Christ.

Verse 9 shifts gears. These words are not part of the Revelation vision but rather isJohn explaining some of the circumstances surrounding his receiving of the visions.By his saying that he is a brother of yours and a fellow sufferer who is united withYeshua, we understand that John is writing this revelation to Believers. Let me leaveno doubt: if you are a firm non-Believer, perhaps even a seeker who is yet to knowChrist, you can gain something (no doubt) from reading Revelation. But you will notget from it what a Believer can and hopefully will. For one thing you will not get thepromised blessing. But for another I’ll guarantee you that the underlying spiritualmeaning will evade you. Only Believers have the Holy Spirit, and only the Holy Spiritcan help us accept the deep mysteries of Revelation even though our senses maynot be able to fully comprehend them.29

Revelation 1:10

29? Tom Bradford, torahclass.com

28

I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,

[in the Spirit] Every Christian lives in two locations, an imbalance can lead either to mysticism or materialism. A fair meaning of the passage is, that he was at that time favored, in a large measure, with the influences of the Holy Spirit—the spirit of true devotion; that he had a high state of religious enjoyment, and was in a condition not inappropriate to the remarkable communications which were made to him on that day.

[Lord’s Day] =? Greek (Kuriakus Gr2960 Hemera Gr2250) The only mention of The Lord’s Day in the New Testament. Two views, A term used by early Christians, (1st Century) of the first day of the week, the day of the Lord's resurrection, but I doubt it means Sunday for several reasons. “...on the Day of the Lord...” vs. Day of man (1 Cor 4:13).

Possibility – The Day of the Lord. The end times etc. There is no essential difference between the Lord’s Day and the Day of the Lord. They are simply the two forms for signifying the same relations of the same things. If John was thus mystically down among the scenes of the last day, and has written only what he says he has seen then this possibility becomes more clear. (Isa 2:12; 13:6; 13:9; 61:2; Jer 46:10; Ez 13:5; 30:3; Joel 1:15; 2:1; 2:11; 2:31; 3:14; Amos 5:18; 5:20; Obediah 1:15; Zeph 1:7; 14:1; Mal 4:5; 1 Cor 5:5; 2 Cor 1:14; 1 Thes 5:2; 2 Pet 3:10)

Closing the day of mercy and beginning the day of wrath.

John, through this spiritual state, was projected into the Day of the Lord, that imperial day and time when the Lord would return in His kingly glory and take the reins of earthly government via the events and conditions of chapters 4-22. Support for this is as follows:

(1) Unless this is the exception, the expression, “the Lord’s day,” as a reference to Sunday is nowhere else used in the Bible. This word, kuriakos is used only here and in 1 Cor. 11:20 where it is used of the Lord’s supper, but not a day. Outside the New Testament it meant “imperial.” The day that the early church regularly met, the day of Christ’s resurrection, was consistently called “the first day of the week,” and never “the Lord’s day” (cf. Matt. 28:1; Mark 16:2,9; Luke 24:1; John 20:1,19; Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2).

(2) The day that the early church regularly met, the day of Christ’s resurrection, was consistently called “the first day of the week,” and never “the Lord’s day” (cf. Matt. 28:1; Mark 16:2,9; Luke 24:1; John 20:1,19; Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2).

Saturday? An interesting verse on Saturday vs Sunday!

(Job 24:1-2) 1Why, seeing times are not hidden from the Almighty, do they that know him not see his days? 2Some remove the landmarks; they violently take away flocks, and feed thereof.

29

“I heard”: I turned (v.10), I saw (v.12), I fell at His feet (v.17).Matt 16:28 – Some shall not die till they see Son of Man coming in His Kingdom.

[as of a trumpet,] 2 Thes 4:16 God prepared Moses to receive the law by the blowing of a trumpet (Exodus 19:16-19). When the great Temple doors were opened, to begin the service.

There are good arguments on both sides to say that this “spirit” John speaks of is the Holy Spirit (and thus ought to be capital “S” Spirit), or it is something that more means a heightened state of spiritual awareness and is NOT the Holy Spirit per se and so ought to be little “s” spirit. Various Bible versions interpret it differently. I believe it ought to be little “s” spirit because that is what the Old Testament Prophets usually meant and there is little doubt in my mind that John places himself on that same level as the Old Testament Prophets. The key is that what we are reading is about John’s spiritual state; it is not about the authority of what it is that he heard and saw. But then John says either that this happened on the Lord’s Day or that it was about the Day of the Lord. Again, good arguments can be made both ways. The Greek can be translated to mean “the Lord’s Day” (Sunday). And it can equally well be translated “The Day of the Lord”. The first way is referring to the day of the week that Christ arose from the tomb. The second way is probably referring to Judgment Day; the End of Days. Why John would want to tell us that this happened on a Sunday doesn’t make much sense. Prophets didn’t communicate that kind of information to us, in general, because it had no bearing on the message (just as it wouldn’t here). Considering the entire subject matter of the Book of Revelation, it fits far better to see John saying that God was showing him about the End Times: theDay of the Lord. And, also similar to the Old Testament Prophets, God’s voice is said to sound like a trumpet….or God’s oracle is announced by the sound of the trumpet. Either way, make no mistake: John is presenting us with his credentials so that we know that he is an authentic Prophet along the lines of Isaiah, Daniel, and Ezekiel.30

Revelation 1:11Saying, 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.30 Tom Bradford – torahclass.com

30

Why these 7 churches? 63 years after Pentecost over 100 churches existed. Why not Rome, Jerusalem, Antioch, Colossae, Philipi, Galatia, Iconium, Lystra, Derbe, Miletus, Hierapolis, Troas, etc.??? It’s not only the churches picked; they are also listed in a very particular order. The number 7 would seem to include all churches.

[seest] John was to see these things!

[book] The word “book” here biblion (Gr975), would more properly mean a roll or scroll, that being the form in which books were anciently made.

The voice like a trumpet now says: “Write down what you see”. Let those words sinkin. This is critical information for the interpretation and authentication of the Book ofRevelation. Although at the moment this most directly pertains to the letters, he willsend to the 7 believing congregations in Asia, it also defines the nature and authorityfor the remainder of Revelation because it is coming to John in divine visions. Exceptfor some minor personal commentary that John gives us time to time (such as wherehe was when he got the visions), all else in this book is of the highest spiritualauthority….beyond divinely inspired…because John is instructed to record what hehears and sees. And the heavenly command John receives is to send what John sees in a vision that is written on a scroll to 7 specific congregations: those of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.31

Revelation 1:12And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;

[seven golden candlesticks] These symbolize the seven churches (Rev. 1:20).Lampstands (not “candlesticks”) = luchina: lightbearers (Ex 25:31- 40)[candlesticks] luchnia (Gr3087), lampstand or portable lamps. Used seven times in Rev. 1:12,13,20; Rev. 2:1,5; Rev. 11:4. Used elsewhere in Matthew 5:15; 31 Tom Bradford, torahclass.com

31

Mark 4:21; Luke 8:16; Luke 11:33; Hebrews 9:2 (cp. Luchnos (Gr3088), note, Rev. 18:23; Rev. 21:23; Rev. 22:5).

“I am...” (Jn 8:12 9:5); “Ye are...” (Mt 5:14; Phil 2:15,16). Every local church is the bearer of God’s light in this dark world (cf. Dan 7:9- 14). This scene should remind us of the tabernacle. (Type of Jesus Christ)The high priest had the sole oversight of the menorah. He lighted the lamps, trimmed the wicks, and poured the oil. If one of them wasn’t satisfactory, he was the one who snuffed it out (Jn 15; 1 Jn 5:16). (Jesus)You and I can be set aside, but even the Prodigal Son never lost his sonship.

Andrew of Caesarea: The Voice was not sensory. He shows that the voice was not sensory when he says, “I turned,” not to hear but “to see the voice.” For spiritual hearing and spiritual seeing are the same thing. (Commentary on the Apocalypse32)

Oecumenius: The Churches are lampstands, not lights. As he himself will explain a little later, the seven lampstands are the seven churches to which he is commanded to write. He calls them “lampstands” since they carry in themselves the “illumination of the glory of Christ.” He did not call them “lamps” but “lampstands,” for a lampstand itself does not possess the capacity to shine, but it bears that which is capable of illumination. Likewise, Christ mentally illuminates his churches. For just as the holy apostle exhorts those who have received the Faith, “be as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life.” –for indeed the lamp does not in itself possess light, but it is receptive of that light which comes to it—so also here the Evangelist saw the churches as lampstands, and not as lights. For it is said concerning Christ, “You shine for the marvelously from the everlasting mountains,” probably meaning the angelic powers; and again he says to the Father, “Send out your light and your truth”; and again, “the light of your countenance, O Lord.” And so, those who partake of the divine light are described on the one hand as lights and on the other hand as lampstands. He says that the lampstands are “golden” on account of the value and excellence of those made worthy to receive the divine light. (Commentary on the Apocalypse 1.12)33

(Exodus 20:18-19) 18And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off. 19And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.

(Exodus 20:18-19) - And all the people are seeing the voices, and the flames, and the sound of the trumpet, and the mount smoking; and the

32 Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, Revelation, Thomas C. Oden, Intervarsity Press33 Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, Revelation, Thomas C. Oden, Intervarsity Press

32

people see, and move, and stand afar off, and say unto Moses, `Speak thou with us, and we hear, and let not God speak with us, lest we die.'

Revelation 1:13And 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.

[in the midst] = where is He right now? (In the midst of the church). The seven churches have the glorified Son of Man in their midst (vv. 12, 13), recalling Christ’s promise that “where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them” (Matt. 18:20).

[Son of Man] used 85 times in gospels (83 by Christ Himself), cf. Ps 3:4; Rev 14:14.Josephus tells us that the priests were girded about the breasts, not the loins. We see Him here as our Great High Priest, in charge—and in control—of His Church.

Jesus’ tasks: Intercession: Heb 7:25 Cleansing us: 1 John 1:9 Advocacy: 1 John 2:1 Inspection: Rev 2 & 3 [Largely ignored by the church!] (Jesus as High Priest)Garments: (ours) Used menstrual cloths Isa 30:22 compare Isa 64:6 (His) Clothes with light Ps 104:12 Girdle of righteousness Isa 11:5 Vesture dipped in blood Rev 19:13; Isa 63 The following physical description is reminiscent of the descriptions found in Mt 17 (Transfiguration) and Dan 7 (Ancient of Days).

Among the menorahs was someone like a Son of Man. This is Yeshua’s preferred title for himself as the Messiah (Matt. 8:20; see “Is the Messiah the Son of God or the Son of Man…or Both?” Mark 2:28). Yeshua fulfills three main offices set forth in the Tanakh: prophet, priest, and king. During his life on earth, Yeshua served as a prophet (Matt. 21:11). At present, he serves as high priest in heaven (Heb. 2:17–3:6; 4:14–5:10; 6:20–10:21). This is signified by his wearing a long robe and a gold band around his chest, the clothing of the cohen hagadol, or high priest (Exod. 28). The rest of the description in Rev. 1:14–15 suggests his future role as judge and Messianic King.34

34 Complete Jewish Study Bible

33

[clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a gilden girdle ...] Eight-fold description of Christ:

1. His body was clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded with golden girdle (Rev. 1:13; cp. Daniel 10:6). Royalty, Leader, High Priest

2. His hair was white like wool and snow (Rev. 1:14; Daniel 7:9). Wisdom and Divine Nature

3. His eyes were as a flame of fire (Rev. 1:14; Rev. 19:12; Daniel 10:6; cp. Hebrews 4:12). Judgment of all evil.

4. His feet were like fine brass (Rev. 1:14; Rev. 10:1; Daniel 10:6).5. His voice like many waters (Rev. 1:14; Rev. 8:5; Rev. 10:2-4; Rev. 11:15; Rev.

14:2; Rev. 16:17-18; Rev. 19:6; Psalm 29; Hebrews 12:26; Daniel 10:6).6. His right hand held seven stars, which were the pastors of the seven churches

(Rev. 1:20).7. His mouth had a two-edged sword coming out of it (Rev. 1:16; Rev. 2:12,16; Rev.

19:15,21; cp. Ephes. 6:17; Hebrews 4:12). Sovereignty and judicial power. 8. His countenance shone like the sun (Rev. 1:16; Rev. 10:1; Daniel 10:6).

Clothing and raiment enter all the descriptions we have of Christ and the saints in glory. They have robes, crowns, and wedding garments. There is no nudity in heaven.

Revelation 1:14His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;

Seven attributes listed:1) Hair, head: wool, snow Dan 7:9, 13, 22 This corresponds and is designed to remind us of the vision in Daniel of “the Ancient of Days” (Dan. 7:9). This represents (a) His eternal wisdom, the wisdom of age as the one whose “goings forth are from old, from everlasting” (Mic. 5:2), and (b) His complete purity or holiness symbolized in the white wool and snow.2) Eyes: flame of fire speaks of His penetrating insight and eyewitness knowledge of the total life of the church.too pure to behold evil Heb 1:13all things naked Heb 4:13work tried by fire 1 Cor 3:13refiner’s fire Mal 3:2

Perhaps there is in this a connection with the Bema, the judgment seat of Christ for believers, and the Great White Throne Judgment (GWTJ) for unbelievers. The fire which will try men’s works at the Bema and prove the condition of their heart at the GWTJ will be the penetrating and holy gaze of Christ (1 Cor. 3:12f; 2 Cor. 5:10,11; Rev. 20:11-12 and Rom. 3:23; 4:2).“He loves you so much He can’t take His eyes off of you!”

34

Victorinus of Petovium: 1:14a His head and hair were whiteChrist is ancient and immortal. By the “whiteness on the head” is shown his antiquity and immortality, and the source of his majesty, for the “head of Christ is God.” (Commentary on the Apocalypse 1.2)35

The book of Enoch associates a head of white wool with the Ancient of Days, who has the Son of man standing with him:

(Enoch 46:1) - There I beheld the Ancient of days, whose head was like white wool, and with him another, whose countenance resembled that of a man.

Daniel also spoke of God in this fashion:(Daniel 7:9) - I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.

Midrash views a hair of wool as a sign of total superiority above all and pending judgment:

Midrash Rabbah - Esther I:6 - R. Levi said in the name of R. Samuel b. Nahman: It is written, And the hair of His head like pure wool (Dan. VII, 9), indicating that no creature has the least claim upon Him.4 R. Judan said in the name of R. Aibu: It is written, I have trodden the winepress alone, and of the peoples there was no man with Me (Isa. LXIII, 3). Does God require the assistance of the nations that He says, ' And of the peoples there was no man with Me’? What the Holy One, blessed be He, really said was this: ' When I shall examine the records of the nations and they shall be found to have no merit before Me, then I shall tread them in Mine anger, and trample them in My fury.’ R. Phinehas and R. Hilkiah in the name of R. Simon said: It is written, And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations, etc. (Zech. XII 9). ’I will seek!’ Who can prevent Him? In fact what God meant was this: When I shall examine the records of the nations and they will not be found to have any merit before Me, then ’I will seek to destroy all nations’.36

His head and hair were as white as snow-white wool, his eyes like a fiery flame. In Dan. 7:9–10 it is “an Ancient of Days,” God the Father, who is described with similar language, thus confirming Yeshua’s identification with ADONAI.37

Revelation 1:15And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.

35 Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, Revelation, Thomas C. Oden, Intervarsity Press36 Yashanet.com37 Complete Jewish Study Bible

35

3) Feet, purified bronze. Feet are symbols of the Christian walk.Brass = judgment, altar, etc. (cf. the brazen serpent...Num 21:9; Jn 3:14-15). Brass could sustain fire. That is why it was used in the altars. Serpent = Sin and Brass = Sin Judged. Burnished brass is symbolic of judgment. That brass or brazen altar outside the tabernacle proper represents Christ’s work down here on earth when He died on the cross. It was there that He bore your judgment and my judgment for sin. And now He is judging those of us who are His own. (Ex 38:30

4) Voice as many waters: “Imagine arguing with Niagara Falls...”Ezek 1:24; 43:2; 3:12; Dan 10:6; “called into being” Ps 33:6.

Revelation 1:16And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.

5) Right hand (with nail scars...).Seven stars Cf. 1:20 (angels of the churches)

faithful Dan 12:3 false Jude 13 fallen Rev 8:10,11

He is in the midst! Yet we are in His hand (Jn 10:28, 29). He is in control!

The sword is said to be "projecting" from the mouth of the Lord. This is an allusion to the "giving" of the Torah. Those who did not "hear" (i.e., Shema Israel) would be condemned. Judgment comes from the word of God – the Torah. Following God’s Torah (which includes Messiah) in faith, brings salvation. Disobedience to God’s Torah brings condemnation:

(Deuteronomy 8:3) - So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD.(Psalm 7:11) - God is a just judge, and God is angry with the wicked every day. If he does not turn back, He will sharpen His sword; He bends His bow and makes it ready. He also prepares for Himself instruments of death; He makes His arrows into fiery shafts.(Hebrews 4:11-13) - Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.

36

(Revelation 14:12) - Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Yeshua.(Revelation 19:15) - Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.(Revelation 22:14) - Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life and may enter in through the gates into the city.The sword as representing Torah, is found in Hebrew commentaries as well:

Midrash Rabbah - Genesis XXI:9 - Our Rabbis said: SWORD refers to the Torah, as it is written, And a two-edged sword in their hand (Ps. CXLIX, 6).Midrash Rabbah - Exodus LI:8 - And the children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments from Mount Horeb onward (ib. 6). (By three names is this mount known: The mountain of God, ‘Mount Horeb’ and Mount Sinai.2 Why ’ The mountain of God ' ? (ib. XVIII, 5). Because it was there that God manifested His Godhead. And Sinai? use [it was on that mount] that God showed that He hates (sane) the angels and loves mankind. And why was it called ’Horeb’? (ib. XXXIII, 6)--Because thereon was the Torah, called ‘a sword’ (hereb), given, as it says, Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand (Ps. CXLIX, 6).Soncino Zohar, Devarim, Section 3, Page 269a - A man should sharpen the intellect of his son on the words of the Torah like a two-edged sword, so that he should not be dull.Conversely, Scripture uses the "sword" metaphor to represent lies opposed to God's Torah as well:

(Psalm 57:4) - My soul is among lions; I lie among the sons of men who are set on fire, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;

Soncino Zohar, Vayikra, Section 3, Page 85b - Happy are those who know the ways of the Torah and study it in the proper manner, for they plant trees of life which are superior to all healing medicines. Therefore it says, "The law of truth was in his mouth" (Mal. II, 6). For there is a law which is not of truth, namely, of him who gives decisions without being qualified, and one who learns from him learns something which is not truth.38

6) Mouth; two-edged sword: the Word of God (Heb 4:12; Eph 6:17; Isa 49:2). Sword is mentioned a total of nine times in Revelation. Here, it is the Greek rhomphaia, mentioned five times in Revelation. Another Greek word for sword, makaira, the short Roman two-edged sword, is mentioned four times.

The rhomphaia was the long and heavy broad sword of the Thracians and other barbarous nations who often marched as God’s instruments of judgment over one country after another. It symbolizes the irresistible authority and devastating force of our Lord’s judgment (cf. 38 Yashanet.com

37

19:15). Hebrews 4:12 speaks of the Word of God as “quick and powerful, sharper than a two-edged sword.” In Hebrews 4:12, however, the Greek word is machaira which speaks of the penetrating power of God’s Word to uncover our inner lives and to get to the root of our needs.

However, it is this same word, which, proceeding out of His mouth, will be the basis of Christ’s judgment of men (cf. John 12:48). So, this may also be in view since this sword comes out of the mouth of Christ. It is thus, an instrument of judgment, of war, of death and destruction.

Machera was the Roman sword, 24 inches long. There are two thoughts concerning the use of the machera; it was most effectively used in close quarters, and a person had to be trained in how to use it. This is not a hand-sword but a word-sword. Even though it is a word-sword it is double edge; and that is a judgment sword also.The Sword judges unbelievers (Jn 12:48); Earth smitten, rod of His mouth (Isa 11:4; Rev 2:16; 19:19-21); antichrist consumed (2 Thess 2:8).

7) Countenance = Sun (Mt 17) [OT idiom; cf. Malachi]Children of Light (Day) 1 Thess 5; Men (agape) darkness John 3:19So glorious and pervading is this light, which issues from his face, that in the New Jerusalem there will be neither sun, nor moon, nor lamp, nor any other light, and yet rendered so luminous by his presence, that even the nations on the earth walk in the light of it. This is undoubtedly a reference or symbol of the brilliance of the divine glory of Christ portraying His holiness and deity. It was this that blinded Paul on the Damascus road and which here caused John to fall at Christ’s feet as a dead man (vs. 17). Here is the Sun shining in the midst of the church. He and He alone is our source of light and righteousness.

The Shechinah Glory of God!

Revelation 1:17And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:

[I fell as his feet as dead] Note the effect of the vision upon John (Rev. 1:17-18). This is in contrast to those periods of intimate fellowship which characterized John’s relationship with Christ in His earthly life when frequently John laid his head upon the bosom of the Savior and had intimate fellowship with Him, John is now in the presence of the glorified Son of god whose power and majesty are no longer veiled and whose righteousness is revealed to be a consuming fire39.

39 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, A commentary by John F. Walvoord

38

As you look back John - Heard v.10, Turned v.12, Saw v.12, and Fell v.17

[Fear not] Found 80 times in Scripture, generally of God quieting the fear of man because of His presence.

Four reasons not to fear:1) I Am the first and the last: deity; eternity.

(Isaiah 44:6) - "Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: "I am the First and I am the Last; besides Me there is no God."(Isaiah 48:12) - "Listen to Me, O Jacob, and Israel, My called: I am He, I am the First, I am also the Last."

I fell down at his feet like a dead man. This is a common reaction to seeing the Sh’khinah (the Divine Presence; cf. Isa. 6:5; Ezek. 1:28; Dan. 5:17; Rev. 19:10). Many titles and descriptions, which the Tanakh applies only to YHVH (LORD), are applied to Yeshua in the NT. Since the NT distinguishes Yeshua from God the Father, we conclude: Yeshua is to be identified with YHVH, with God; yet Yeshua (like the Ruach HaKodesh) is not the Father.40

When John saw the vision of this divine being, he fell on his face as if dead, we’re told. Then the unidentified divine being placed his right hand upon the motionless, stricken John and said: “Don’t be afraid!” Was John perhaps only awestruck with what he saw? Clearly not, he was petrified! That’s why the divine being said to him, “Don’t be afraid”. One of the reasons John was afraid is because although he knew he was dealing with divinity….some puzzling form of the God of Israel…. he didn’t know exactly who he was dealing with. Why the mention of the detail that it was this being’s RIGHT hand that was placed upon him? Because this was not a warm and fuzzy encounter. Biblically and historically the right hand is always the hand of authority and power. It is also the hand of favor. So since John was commanded (and reassured) to not be afraid, and indeed the being exuded divine authority, then it is logical from the culture of his day for John to tell his readers that it was the right hand that touched him.41

Revelation 1:18I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

40 Complete Jewish Study Bible41 Tom Bradford – torahclass.com

39

2) I Am He that liveth and was dead.3) I Am alive for evermore. Right now, and Forever.4) ...have the keys. Authority and power. Proven by the empty tomb.

“I AM” - 5X this chapter; 7X in Revelation. Firstfruits: Lev 23:10 => 1 Cor 15:23

[I am he that liveth, and was dead] This identifies the person to be Christ (Acts 2:25-36; 1 Cor. 15:1-23; Col. 2:14-17; Ephes. 2:14-15; John 21:14, note).

When an ancient sage was asked to give a definition of God, he said, God is a circle, whose center is everywhere, and whose circumference is nowhere. He had expressed the truth, but under very contradictory conceptions. God is truly in every particular place, and yet beyond all place at the same time. He is in every place entire, as a center, and yet he is bounded by no lines of limitation.

Hell (Revelation Revealed, by Jack Van Impe)Hades was the place where the souls and the spirits of all humans went until the cross. Sheol (Old Testament) and Hades (New Testament) were one and the same. In Sheol and Hades were two compartments, one for the wicked and the other for the righteous. In Luke 16:22,23, the rich man and Lazarus went to their respective places – one to suffering and the other to comfort. The thief on the cross went to the comfort side, or paradise, as promised by Christ when He said, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise (Luke 23:43). This is where Christ went upon His death (Acts 2:27,31). There He ministered to His people and led captivity captive (Ephesians 4:8-10), literally releasing them for their entrance into the third heaven of 2 Corinthians 12:2. Presently the comfort side of Hades has been emptied by Him who has the keys of death and Hades (hell), but the torment side is still full. This will be emptied for the Judgment Day when death and Hades deliver up the dead which are in them and they are judged (Revelation 20:13).

[keys of hell and of death] Keys signify power and authority (Rev. 3:7; Matthew 16:19; Matthew 18:18; Isaiah 22:22).

Our sins have convicted and sentenced us, but Jesus holds the keys of death and Hades. He alone can free us from eternal bondage to Satan. He alone has the power and authority to set us free from sin’s control. Believers don’t have to fear Hades or death, because Christ holds the keys to both. All we must do is turn from sin and turn to him in faith. When we attempt to control our lives and disregard God, we set a course that leads directly to hell. But when we place our lives in Christ’s hands, he restores us now and resurrects us later to an eternal, peaceful relationship with him.42

In addition to the divine being telling John not to be afraid he said: “I am the First and the Last, the Living One, I was dead, but look…..I am alive forever and ever”. Christians look at this verse and say that obviously this being is Christ. Once again we see John’s words conflating standard Jewish imagery of God the Father (The First and the Last) with standard Believer’s imagery of God the Son (I was dead but now I’m alive). I remind you 42 Life Application Notes

40

that what is happening is that this is NOT John editorializing in his own words what he saw; it is John recording what this being said to him, whether he clearly understood what he heard or not. Here’s where this gets sticky: nowhere does Yeshua ever call Himself “The First and the Last” in the Gospel accounts. At the same time God the Father certainly didn’t die and then come alive again. And yet if we look at Christian articles and commentaries it is usual to find them say that Christ is the First and the Last; but guess what they use as their biblical proof? This statement right here in Revelation! This mysterious divine being says He is the First and the Last but doesn’t give us His name. It is only Christian doctrine that says this is Christ; the being doesn’t say so and there are no words to that effect. And since Christian doctrine says this is Christ, then the description of First and Last must also apply to Him. It’s a circular argument. The reality is that atthis point of chapter 1, based on the First and the Last description we could say thatthis is The Father speaking just as easily as we could say that the ‘died and alive again’ description says this is Yeshua. Obviously this divine person speaking to John defies conventional theological characterization as understood in his era and ours. The point is this: we have forever attempted to put the form, nature and substance ofGod in a nice neat box. That box is usually labeled The Trinity; and then rather rigiddescriptions and functions of each “person” are defined. Any disagreement is met with the charge of heresy. There is no denying the multiple attributes of God (sometimes called persons) that the Bible itself identifies clearly as God the Father, God the Son, and the Holy Spirit. However the Old Testament also adds other attributes of God called the Shekinah and the Angel of the Lord. Yet just how these attributes mesh together and how precisely they function and what form or forms they appear in is not so cut and dried in the Holy Scriptures. Yes, it is biblically explicit that God the Father is preeminent. It is equally explicit that God the Son (Jesus Christ) saves sinners and the Holy Spirit empowers Believers with new natures. But beyond that the functions and forms of each are not exhaustively defined and seem to have rather elastic boundaries. For instance, I have shown you in previous lessons that Zechariah 14 actually turnson its head the nearly universal Christian doctrine that when Christ returns He’ll stepfoot on the Mt. of Olives and then it splits. Yet the original Hebrew of the Bible saysunequivocally that YHWH, God the Father, is coming and it is HE that will step footon the Mt. of Olives and split it in two. John seems to agree with Zechariah by identifying God the Father as the One who is, was, and is coming. And now we see this divine being in John’s vision identify Himself in non-standard terms that seem to mix the long standing attributes of God the Father with the unmistakable attributes of God the Son. How are we to decipher this? First, I think it unwise to simply apply a tidy solution in order to not have to deal with what is clearly an untidy problem.Rather we should take these unconventional descriptions of unnamed divine personswith an open mind as a mystery, knowing that in one form or another this is the Godof Israel, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Our real challenge is that as modern humans, including Believers, we just don’t like lingering unanswered questions about God. So the quickest solution is to decide that one of the Trinity MUST be assigned to this divine being of John’s vision because there is no other choice. New Testament Christianity insists this can only be Christ. I’m not saying it isn’t. I’m saying something is very different about this being because His description is unlike anything we’ve seen to

41

this point in the Bible. Therefore we need to address this with humility, not read predisposed doctrines back into it, and hold whatever our opinions of it might be very lightly. Therefore, I prefer at this point in Revelation to refer to this unnamed divine being as God (meaning the Godhead) and leave it there for now.43

Revelation 1:19Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;

Major organizational verse! This is the only book with divinely inspired outline: [Things which thou has seen] Chapter 1 [Things which are] Chapters 2 & 3 [hereafter] After the things which are, or after the churches of Rev. 2-3.

“Things which shall be after these Chapters 4-22 things (meta tauta)”Stay Christ-centric: It's not about seals, trumpets, bowls, beasts... they are just passing through.

Revelation 1:20The 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 which thou sawest are the seven churches.

[mystery] Greek: musterion (G3466), used four times in Rev. (Rev. 1:20; Rev. 10:7; Rev. 17:5,7).

[angels] Greek: angelos (G32), messenger. The word can be used of human as well as angelic or spirit beings. All use of the word in Revelation seems to refer to heavenly beings. The angels of the seven churches have sometimes been understood to be human messengers or ministers. The normal New Testament meaning of the word angel, as in Revelation (v. 1; 5:2), is of spirit beings, who minister to believers (see Heb. 1:14). It is not unreasonable to view angels as having authority over and responsibility for churches in the present age. This situation will be reversed in the kingdom of God: believers will judge angels (see 1 Cor. 6:2, 3).44

Self-commentary: Angels, used 188 times in NT [A001].

Why These Seven Churches?1) Local: actual churches; valid needs.2) Admonitory: “hear...churches” ...all seven letters apply to all seven churches, and to all churches though all time.

43 Tom Bradford – torahclass.com44 The Nelson Study Bible

42

3) Homiletic; personal: “He that hath an ear....” It applies to you and me personally.4) Prophetic: In their particular order, they lay out the entire history of the church. [They fill the gap implied in Daniel 9:26, and between Rev 12:5 and 6, etc.] Whereas the Book of Acts covered the first 30 years of the church, the Book of Revelation takes it from Acts to His Second Coming (covering about 2000 years).Cf. Matthew 13; Pauline letters...Any other order--it doesn’t fit!A View of Church AgesLetter Church Age Dates (A.D.) Lays out history of all church historyEphesus - Apostolic Age < 100Smyrna - Age of Persecution 100 - 313Pergamos - Imperial Church 313 - 590Thyatira - Age of Papacy 590 - TribulationSardis - Reformation 1517 - TribulationPhiladelphia - Missionary Church 1730 - RaptureLaodicea - Apostate Church 1900 – Tribulation

Anticipatory Homework Ephesus: Acts 18-20; Ephesians 3; 5 Smyrna: Acts 15 Pergamos: Num 22-24; Balaam, Num 33; Acts15; 1 Cor 6 Thyatira: 1 Kgs 16; 21; Jezebel, Naboth’s vineyard; 2 Kgs 9:36 Sardis: Galatians; Romans Philadelphia: Thessalonians Laodicea: Colossians

Old Testament References:1:1 Dan 2:28-291:4 Isa 11:2

43

1:5 Gen 49:11; Ps 89:271:6 Ex 19:6; Isa 61:61:7 Dan 7:13; Zech 12:10-141:8 Isa 41:41:12 Ex 25:37; 37:231:13 Dan 7:13; 10:5, 161:14 Dan 7:9; 10:61:15 Ezek 1:7, 24; 43:2; Dan 10:61:16 Judg 5:31; Isa 49:21:17 Isa 41:4; 44:6; 48:12; Dan 8:17-18; 10:9,10,12,15,191:18 Job 3:17; Hos 13:14

44