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The Book of Revelation
Revelation Chapter 1
Most
authorities place the time of writing of the book of
Revelation in the time period during which John was exiled
to the isle of Patmos under Domitian’s reign from A.D.81 –
A.D.96. Verse 9 of the 1st chapter seems to indicate that
the book was written sometime after exile with John saying
“I WAS” in the isle that is called Patmos, yet considering
several latter passages in Revelation, John seemed to
indicate that he probably wrote at least some of
Revelation at the same time he received the visions.
The
early authorities; Eusebius, Clement of Alexandria and
Irenaeus all agree that the Book of Revelation was never
penned until sometime in the latter reign of Domitian. I
realize there are many today who use the argument that
John would have been an “old man” and couldn’t possibly
have been of any service during his elder years. It’s
tragic that people who purport such ideas are lacking in
both a respect for the elderly and an understanding of
just what God can do. God gave Sarai a child a 90, he can
give John a Revelation at any age!
A 6th
Century writer, Arethas disagrees with the time of writing
and attributes the opening of the 6th seal as being
fulfilled by the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. He
claims the phrase “must shortly come to pass” as found in
the 1st verse of chapter 1 is the prime indicator that the
prophecy was not for a future generation. As we will
see much later in this study, it is not possible that the
6th seal has yet passed.
The
book opens with the very first verse declaring to us that
this is “The Revelation of Jesus Christ”. It is a
‘revelation’ or ‘unveiling’ of Jesus. We then find the
writer identifying himself: It is John the Beloved: the
same Apostle who wrote the gospel of “St. John” and the
additional books (letters if you prefer to call them such)
of 1st John, 2nd John, and 3rd John. Verse 3 declares a
blessing upon all those who read, hear and understand the
book (the keeper of the words).
We read
to whom the book was written as we examine the 4th verse:
It is to the seven churches of Asia. Note the phrase
“from him which is, which was and which is to come: this
will hold a greater significance later in the study. As I
read the last part of verse 4 over the years, I was both
perplexed and disturbed by the end of that verse: “and
from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;”. I
could not for the life of me imagine what those “seven”
Spirits might have been. Were they angels? Were they
something else? I searched the scriptures diligently
looking for a mention of seven Spirits and could not
locate a reference. I found, after years of looking, a
single reference that seems to make sense. Could this be
the answer? I can’t positively answer that it is, but it
certainly makes sense. Examine Isaiah
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…”
(Isaiah 11:2)
Did you
catch those?
1. “…the spirit of the Lord…”
2. “…the spirit of wisdom…”
3. “…the spirit of understanding…”
4. “…the spirit of counsel…”
5. “…the spirit of might…”
6. “…the spirit of knowledge…”
7. “…the spirit of the fear of the Lord…”
Coincidence? Possibly, but I can find no other reference
or mention of seven spirits.
In the
next three verses (verses 5 -7) we see 7 descriptions of
Jesus Christ. He is called:
1. The faithful witness (verse 5)
2. The first begotten of the dead (verse 5)
3. The prince of the kings of the earth (verse 5)
4. Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins
in his own blood (verse 5)
5. The one who made us kings and priests unto God
and his Father (verse 6)
6. The one to whom be glory and dominion for ever
and ever (verse 6)
7. The one who is coming again which every eye
will see and wail over (verse 7)
In
verse 8, we see once again the statement “…which is, which
was, and which is to come…” We have however, a more
powerful statement at the beginning of verse 8. Jesus is
speaking and states: “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning
and the ending. In Isaiah 41:4 and again in Isaiah 44:6
and once again in Isaiah 48:12, we see the same
declaration “I am the first and the last”. The most
powerful part of verse 8, however is the very last word.
Read the entire verse:
“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.”
Alpha and Omega, First and Last, the
Almighty! Those are very powerful titles for Jesus. Do
you know who the Almighty is? There should absolutely no
question as to who the Almighty is. The title is used
from Genesis to Revelation! To put it very basically and
bluntly: Jesus Christ IS God in the flesh. Perhaps you’d
like to find out more about this? Study the teaching on
the
Godhead
found on our site.
In
verse 9, John seems to be writing the introduction of what
he saw while on Patmos. Verse 9 states “I was in
the isle called Patmos” (past tense)! Coupled with verse
10 this could indicate that the book was written after
John’s release from exile (at the end of Domitian’s rule
in A.D.96). If this is true, then the A.D. 70 theory is
false.
During
the study of this Book of Revelation, it will be necessary
to divert from the immediate scripture in order to present
background, certain “pre-requisite” scriptures and other
necessary foundational teaching in order to give a proper
understanding of the current verse(s). Verse 10 is one
such verse for which a bit of background and explanation
is needed.
There
should be NO confusion at all as to the meaning of this
verse. Unfortunately, we have an element of people who
attempt to read a spiritual meaning into a literal time or
vice versa.
“I was
in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a
great voice, as of a trumpet,…” (Revelation 1:10)
There
are 2 issues we must cover here before moving on. (1)
What does it mean to be “In the Spirit” and (2) When is
the Lord’s Day?
What
does it mean when John writes “I was in the Spirit…”?
Let’s find out as we continue on the next page.
Α Ω
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