I have just begun a study of the book of Revelation with my awesome friend, Leanne. And, just for the fun of it, I thought I would share some of my personal study with you. I remind you first that I am NOT a theologian, and I certainly may get some things wrong. But for what it is worth, I will share some of my thoughts on what I am reading.
INTRODUCTION:
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John, who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near. 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; 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, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him [be] glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. Revelation 1:1-6
We usually read Revelation to understand what is coming, to be prepared. It is often portrayed as a doomsday scenario and is likened by the world to the writings of Nostradamus. However, this is first and foremost a revelation from Jesus Christ to the Church, and so I would expect it to be much more about encouraging and strengthening rather than about fear and terror. Certainly, what is written here will reveal the Person of Jesus Christ and what is to come to the world, but mainly what is to come from the viewpoint of His bond-servants. And, I believe that as the reality of this revelation begins to unfold in time, Jesus Christ will also be revealed as Lord to all the world and to the powers of darkness, as well as to His beloved in all His glory!
God the Father is source of this revelation, and He has intended it specifically for the bond-servants of His Son. God, the Father, has given this revelation to His Son for His church, for His body. As much as all Scripture is inspired by Holy Spirit, yet this revelation seems different. It is specifically given from the Father to Jesus and then communicated to John by an angel to be specifically shared with the body of Christ!
This revelation is written in the sense that these things are imminent. We are to be prepared, watching, waiting, and aware. It is so easy to get caught up in the sense that day by day things just go on as they have always done. Yet, we are to be the faithful servants watching and waiting expectantly for our Lord’s return (see Mark 13:34-36).
John presents himself as an eye-witness, faithfully sharing all he has seen and experienced. He is not writing from his heart, teaching doctrine, or sharing his opinions, but rather he is laying out all that was shown him.
I find it so interesting that this book should promise blessing for those who hear it and heed the things which are written in it. Although we are definitely blessed by reading any part of the Bible. Yet, this is the only part of the Bible (that I can remember) that specifically promises such a blessing. Isn't it the Gospels or Romans or the Psalms that we look to first for a blessing? I wonder what there is in this book that holds such promised blessing. What is there here that we would not find elsewhere? What does it have to reveal that should bless us so?
This prophecy is sent to the seven churches in Asia by the grace and peace of God. I do believe that this book was originally sent to the actual seven churches in Asia. However, because the Bible uses the number seven to indicate "fullness" or "completeness," I also believe that it is intended for the whole body of Christ.
Greetings of grace and peace are sent to the churches from Him which is, which was, and which is to come -- I love that title, doesn't it echo the "I AM WHO I AM" of the Old Testament? And yet, the "is to come" pictures the returning of Jesus Christ. So interesting and so very deep. One of the things that I find interesting (as echoed in the Jewish New Commentary) is how much of Revelation is built on Old Testament references and imagery. And I will certainly try to use commentaries and the references in my study Bible to look back to the Old Testament roots for the revelations.
From the "seven spirits" which are before His throne. I have to admit that I find the "seven spirits" a little hard to understand. However, I believe this to be the Holy Spirit Himself. The fact that He is mentioned in this reference between the Father (the "I AM") and the Son (Jesus Christ), confirms it for me. I also did find that The Jewish New Testament Commentary by Daniel H. Stern points out that there are two passages in the Old Testament prophets that suggest the Holy Spirit is related to the number seven. Isaiah 11:2 lists seven attributes of the Spirit, and Zechariah 4:2-10 which associates some of the "seven" imagery of Revelation with the Spirit.
(1)Jesus Christ is referred to as the "faithful witness" (or faithful martyr). He is the One who can be trusted by the church as the One who witnessed the truth of the Father in His life, in His own death, and through His own death. It is through Jesus Christ that we can know the Father and the truth. I am reminded of how deceptive and confusing this life can be. Someone has said that this world is a sort of digital or virtual reality and not the true substance of reality. Jesus Christ, as the Son of the Father, has given us a glimpse of true, substantial reality.
(2)He is also described as the first begotten of the dead, which says that because of His resurrection, we also anticipate our resurrection to eternal life in fellowship with God. No matter what this world gives us, no matter what we face in the here and now, this is not all there is. We know that after this short time of trial and struggle, there is a hope and a future for us that will not end!! Halleluiah!!
(3)The Prince of the kings of the earth, King of kings and Lord of lords, every knee shall bow before Him. Every tyrant and despot will one day have to bow before Him. Even now those who seem to exercise such power and sway over our lives are actually only given such power as our Lord will allow them. Even Jesus told Pilate that any power he had to execute or free Him was only what authority was granted to him for God's purposes. No matter what comes our way, we can trust our lives are firmly in the hands of our Lord and Savior.
(4)He loves us.
(5)He has cleansed us from our sins by His own blood.
(6)He has made us a new Kingdom, a new Nation. We are no longer of this world, we have become a part of His Kingdom in this world.
(7)And He has made us to be priests unto God, His Father. Serving before His Father in the office of priest.
It is for these seven reasons that the glory and the dominion are to Him for ever and ever!!! (Another use of the number seven. No, I do not believe in numerology. However, God has chosen to use numbers within His Word in very specific ways. The book of Revelation uses the number of seven very extensively as we will see.
Well, I hope that you may have gotten something out of this. I am so excited as Leanne and I are going through this study together. I truly believe that God has provided this book to the Church of Jesus Christ for some very specific purposes, and I take very seriously the promise of blessing for studying and obeying what the Lord has given us in this book. As I said, I am no theologian by any stretch of the imagination, but I hope that this will at least give you a taste of what this book has to offer.
Love,
Ev
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