The word "revelation" means unveiling or disclosure and this was given to the apostle John on the Isle of Patmos. John was exiled there by the Roman Emperor Domitian for preaching the Christian faith. Patmos is a mountainous, dry, desolate island about 10 miles long and 6 miles wide in the Aegean Sea. Traditionally, John received this message in a cave on the island somewhere between the years A.D. 90-95.
Traditionally, there have been four basic approaches to interpretation of the book. The first approach is to look at it as symbolic of the cosmic conflict between good and evil. The second approach called preterist looks at the book as symbolizing events that took place in the first century church. The third approach called historicist looks at the writings as an overview of the history of Christianity. The final approach called futurist looks at the book as being a prophesy of things to come. We will look at the writings as a combination of all four approaches meaning that parts of the writings happened in the early history of the church, some are unfolding today, and some are going to take place in the future. Though the book contains many symbols, it is possible to understand them through an in depth study that is led by the Holy Spirit.
** Note ** In this study, we will be using the Complete Jewish Bible (CJB) translation which was translated directly from Hebrew into English. You can get your own hardback or paperback copy on Amazon where we will earn a small commission.
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This is the revelation which God gave to Yeshua the Messiah, so that he could show his servants what must happen very soon. He communicated it by sending his angel to his servant Yochanan, who bore witness to the Word of God and to the testimony of Yeshua the Messiah, as much as he saw.
The first two verses answer the basic questions that a journalist would ask if they were investigating something. Those questions are who, what, where, when, why, and how. It is simply telling us that God (who) sent through his angel (how) to John (where) during his exile (when) the revelation (what) to show his servants what must soon take place (why). In this, we see some very important points that are often skipped over and the first is that God the Father revealed this to Yeshua Messiah his son who, in turn, revealed it to John. The second point is that this book was written down for the servants of Yeshua Messiah and not for everyone. Many times, people will use this book to try to scare those who have not accepted Yeshua Messiah into believing but that is not the purpose of these revelations. Their purpose is to prepare the believer for things that are to come.
Blessed are the reader and hearers of the words of this prophecy, provided they obey the things written in it! For the time is near!
The third verse explains that those who read and heed what is written will be blessed. In the Greek, the word for heed is "terountes" and it means "while holding fast". The Greek word used for "blessed" is makarias and it gives the sense of someone who is secure and does not need to worry about anything. So, this verse speaks to the fact that, if we hold fast to the grace of Yeshua Messiah, we do not have to fear or worry about what is contained in this book. This is the first of seven beatitudes (blessings) in this book. In the early church, most people did not have the scriptures and so, when they met, someone would read them aloud for everyone. We see, here, that those who read them as well as those who hold fast to the comfort that is contained in them will be blessed. There are many Christians who do not want to read or study this book because they find it scary but, as we see here, it is not scary for those who are in Christ. This book is meant to comfort the Christian as we wait for its completion.
From: Yochanan To: The seven Messianic communities in the province of Asia: Grace and shalom to you from the One who is, who was and who is coming; from the sevenfold Spirit before his throne; and from Yeshua the Messiah, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead and the ruler of the earth's kings. To him, the one who loves us, who has freed us from our sins at the cost of his blood, who has caused us to be a kingdom, that is, cohanim for God, his Father - to him be the glory and the rulership forever and ever. Amen.
This passage is a personal greeting from John to the seven churches in Asia. The number seven speaks of holiness and the fact that they are not in Israel speaks of exile. These are the churches where John had previously ministered. They are located in what is known as Turkey today. The passage reminds the churches that what is to come in the letter is from God. It also serves to remind them of what Yeshua had done for them as well as the fact that Yeshua was and is still the ruler of all the earth.
Look! He is coming with the clouds! Every eye will see him, including those who pierced him; and all the tribes of the Land will mourn him. Yes! Amen!
The phrase "coming with the clouds" is found in Daniel 7 verses 13 & 14 where it speaks of Messiah presenting himself to God the Father and being given all honor and glory and power. Here, it identifies the fact that Messiah is now returning to the earth. John tells us here that, when Yeshua returns, everyone on the earth will see him coming. The phrase "those who piereced him" speaks of the Jewish people and the fact that they are going to recognize him as Messiah. He also tells us that, because of Yeshua's return, the people will mourn. That may strike us, as Christians, as strange because we are going to rejoice. But, for those that have not accepted him, they will see the end of the world that they love. You see, we all have to decide whether we love Yeshua or this world because we can't love both. For those that have loved the things of this world, Yeshua's return will truly be a time of mourning. They will see that the things they had put their hope in were only temporary and the end has come. Have you chosen Yeshua or the things of this world? That is what we must each ask ourselves before that day.
"I am the 'A' and the 'Z,'" says ADONAI, God of heaven's armies, the One who is, who was and who is coming.
Here, God reminds us that he has always been in control. He is the beginning and the end as well as everything in between. Sometimes, we can forget that our God is a jealous God and he must be first. We also have a great promise from this verse as we see that God says that he is "who is to come". We can take comfort that God is coming back to earth to get us and our struggles here will end.
I, Yochanan, am a brother of yours and a fellow-sharer in the suffering, kingship and perseverance that come from being united with Yeshua. I had been exiled to the island called Patmos for having proclaimed the message of God and borne witness to Yeshua.
John now introduces himself to the readers and we see that he is not puffed up with pride but instead speaks of himself as a brother in the faith. At this time in the history of the church, there was widespread persecution of Christians. The Apostle John, in his introduction of himself, reminds the readers that they are not alone. We too can take comfort from this as we see persecution of Christians today.
I came to be, in the Spirit, on the Day of the Lord; and I heard behind me a loud voice, like a trumpet, saying, "Write down what you see on a scroll, and send it to the seven Messianic communities - Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea!"
In the first part of this passage, we see that this revelation was given to the apostle on the first day of the week. The first day of the week was the day that Yeshua was resurrected and it became a day for worship and taking up collections. Many use this tradition as the basis for "going to church on Sunday" but, in the early church, they did not just worship one or two days a week. We are called to worship God in our lives every day and to share our lives with fellow believers as often as we can. That is what the early church did! John says that he was "in the Spirit". This tells us that he was praying by listening to what God would say and that God was using a vision to speak to him. This is when God gave him this entire book and told him to give it to the seven churches. Many people see this and then say that it was written just for these seven churches during this period of time. But, to really understand it, we must remember that, throughout the Bible, God uses the number seven as a symbol of completeness. With that in mind, we can see that this prophecy was given to the entire church for all of time.
I turned around to see who was speaking to me; and when I had turned, I saw seven gold menorahs; and among the menorahs was someone like a Son of Man, wearing a robe down to his feet and a gold band around his chest.
Now, the introduction is over and John begins to describe what he has seen. The seven golden lampstands represent the churches (remember that seven refers to the complete church) and John tells us that Yeshua is among them. The "like a son of man" quote that John uses comes from the book of Daniel and refers to the dream that he had (see Daniel 7). John begins to describe Yeshua and we notice the golden sash which symbolizes royalty. We also see that he wears a full-length robe which is what the high priests wore in the Old Testament times. We are reminded of the fact that only the high priest was able to make atonement for the sins of the people.
His head and hair were as white as snow-white wool, his eyes like a fiery flame, his feet like burnished brass refined in a furnace, and his voice like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, out of his mouth went a sharp double-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.
John describes Yeshua's head and hair as being white which usually symbolizes purity. A pure mind is one that is constantly focused on God and the things of his kingdom. The eyes are described as like a blazing fire. We should remember that fire is used to symbolize refining (removing impurities from something). This can help us to remember that Yeshua sees the real us and not what others may see and think. In the end, what will matter is if Yeshua sees us as one of his sheep or not (whether we have been refined by him or not). The next two verses give us a picture of the power of Yeshua Messiah and a reminder of the very glory of God.
When I saw him, I fell down at his feet like a dead man. He placed his right hand upon me and said, "Don't be afraid! I am the First and the Last, the Living One. I was dead, but look! - I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys to Death and Sh'ol.
John's reaction to seeing Yeshua is very simple as he fell at his feet in worship and could not speak. Then, Yeshua spoke to him and eased his fear as well as reminding John of his resurrection. You see, if we are his disciples, we do not have to be afraid as he says that he has the keys to death and hell. This revelation is not given to scare us but to prepare us for the coming of our Lord and Savior. We can rejoice that Yeshua has overcome death for us!
So write down what you see, both what is now, and what will happen afterwards. Here is the secret meaning of the seven stars you saw in my right hand, and of the seven gold menorahs: the seven stars are the angels of the seven Messianic communities, and the seven menorahs are the seven Messianic communities.
This is still Yeshua talking to John and he tells him to write this book. He explained that some of the things that John was shown were happening at that time in the early church while other things are yet to come. There are some people who do not believe that the things described later in this book are yet to come but here Yeshua is telling John that some will take place later. Then, he explains the meaning of the seven stars and seven lampstands. We must also continue to remember that the number seven stands for complete and Yeshua is referring to all of the church and not just the seven churches listed in the next chapters.
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