The Book of Revelation
Historical Information
Most authorities place the time of writing of the book of Revelation during the period in 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 (or perhaps finished) sometime after exile since John writes “I WAS” in the isle that is called Patmos. Considering several latter passages in Revelation, however, John faintly indicates that he probably wrote at least some of the Book of Revelation at the time he received the visions (while actually on the isle of Patmos).
The early authorities; Eusebius, Clement of Alexandria and Irenaeus all agree that the Book of Revelation was never penned until sometime during 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, Moses was 80 when God called him to free the Hebrew slaves. We should not think it was a great task for God to 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 but for the generation of 70 A.D.
Opinions concerning the time of writing are as varied as denominations today, but as we will see much later in this study, it is not possible that the 6th seal has yet passed.
About the Entire Study
During this study of The Book of Revelation, it will be necessary to divert from the immediate scripture at hand in order to present background, certain “pre-requisite” scriptures and other necessary foundational teaching. My endeavor is to provide enough background scripture everyone to gain a proper understanding of the current verse(s). There are many scriptures that you should be familiar with in order to understand Revelation!
Revelation Chapter 1
The book opens with the first verse declaring to us that this is “The Revelation of Jesus Christ”.
The book is literally a ‘revelation’ or ‘unveiling’ of Jesus. The writer identifies himself as 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 and discover It written to the seven churches of Asia.
Note the phrase “from him which is, which was and which is to come: this phrase 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 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 searching, a single reference that seems to make sense. Could this be the answer? I can’t positively answer that it is, but it certainly does 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?
- “…the spirit of the Lord…”
- “…the spirit of wisdom…”
- “…the spirit of understanding…”
- “…the spirit of counsel…”
- “…the spirit of might…”
- “…the spirit of knowledge…”
- “…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:
- The faithful witness (verse 5)
- The first begotten of the dead (verse 5)
- The prince of the kings of the earth (verse 5)
- Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood (verse 5)
- The one who made us kings and priests unto God and his Father (verse 6)
- The one to whom be glory and dominion for ever and ever (verse 6)
- 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 The Elijah Project.
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.
The Lord's Day
Remember when I told you that during the study of this Book of Revelation, it would be necessary to divert from the immediate scripture to give some background?
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, there are many people who attempt to read a spiritual meaning into a literal meaning of physical 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.
- What does it mean to be “In the Spirit” and
- 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.