(Chapter 1)
The Preface
(Chap. 1:1-3)
The Apostle John begins by stating that this book is “The Revelation of Jesus Christ.” It is the inspired title. It is noteworthy that in giving this prophecy to John, the Lord “signified” it (vs. 1). This means that the means of communication is symbolic. To attempt to interpret the book literally will leave us hopelessly bereft of its meaning and application. Even though the book is written in symbolism, the symbols themselves represent literal things, and in this sense, we believe in a literal interpretation of Scripture. John tells us that there is a special blessing of those who simply “read,” “hear,” and “keep” (but not necessarily understand) the words in this book.
The Greeting
(Chap. 1:4-6)
The book of Revelation was written “to the seven churches which are in Asia” (vs. 4). These churches can be read for their practical value and much can be gleaned from it in this way. But the primary interpretation of these churches present a prophetic history of the Church on earth—from Pentecost to the Lord’s coming (the Rapture). Since it was given to the Church as a whole, it means that the Lord gave this book of prophecy to the Church for its profit. Some think that prophecy is not for the Church, but these verses clearly remove that false idea. The Lord wants Christians to know about future events that lead up to His eventual reign in His millennial kingdom.
The proper effect of reading this book of prophecy will lead to worship, praise, and thanksgiving to the Lord Jesus Christ. This is illustrated in John’s doxology of praise (vs. 6b). While we are on earth, and we know in part, our praise of Him is limited. This is illustrated in the fact that the praise mentioned here has but two notes—“glory and dominion.” In heaven we find that the praise of the Lamb will be complete as denoted in the seven notes of praise in chapter 5.
The Twofold Purpose of the Book
(Chap. 1:7-8)
Vs. 7—The purpose of the book is two-fold:
• The first is to show that all mankind will be held accountable for the way in which they have lived in this world and will be judged accordingly when Christ intervenes at His Appearing to set this world right.
• The second is to show how God will work to reach His ultimate end of exalting and glorifying the Lord Jesus Christ in the very scene in which He was dishonoured and rejected by men.
The Lord’s Coming
The announcement is made: “Behold, He cometh.” This is the first mention of the Lord’s coming in the book. Scripture indicates that there are two distinct phases to His coming, which the prophetic student must take note of, if he wishes to understand the scheme of prophetic events in the Bible. The main difference is:
• The first phase of His coming has to do with the Lord taking His saints to heaven in a glorified state. This will involve raising the New and Old Testament saints from the dead in a glorified state, and transforming the living saints into a glorified state, and then taking them all to heaven together (Matt. 25:6, 10-13; John 14:2-3; 1 Cor. 15:23, 51-56; Phil. 3:20-21; 1 Thess. 4:15-18; 2 Thess. 2:1; 3:5; Titus 2:13a; Heb. 9:28; 10:37; 11:40; Rev. 1:7; 3:10-11; 22:20). This has been called the Rapture––a word taken from the Latin, meaning “caught up.”
• The second phase has to do with the Lord bringing the glorified saints out of heaven with Him when He appears to judge the world in righteousness and to establish His millennial kingdom (Matt. 24:27, 30, 36-41; 25:31; 26:64; 1 Thess. 3:13; 4:14; 2 Thess. 1:7-10; 2:8-9; Jude 14-15; Rev. 11:15; 14:14-16; 16:15; 19:10-21). This is called “the revelation of Jesus Christ” (2 Thess. 1:7; 1 Peter 1:13; 4:13) or “the appearing” of Christ (2 Thess. 2:8; Matt. 24:30; Col. 3:4; Titus 2:13; 2 Tim. 4:1, 8; 1 John 3:2).
The Old Testament saints knew something about the REVELATION (the Appearing – Isa. 30:27-28; Jude 14-15; Zech. 14:5), but they didn’t know about the RAPTURE and the glorification of the saints. This latter thing is something that was not revealed until the New Testament times (1 Cor. 15:51-56; Phil. 3:20-21; 1 Thess. 4:15-18). Although the Lord comes out of heaven on both occasions, these two phases are vastly different. Some of these differences are:
The Rapture will occur when the Lord comes for His saints (John 14:2-3); the Appearing of Christ will occur when He comes with His saints which had been taken to heaven at the Rapture (1 Thess. 3:13; 4:14; Jude 14; Zech. 14:5).
The Rapture occurs before the seven-year tribulation period begins (Rev. 3:10), and the Appearing of Christ occurs “immediately after the tribulation” (Matt. 24:29-30).
The Rapture could take place at any moment (Matt. 25:13), but the Appearing of Christ will not occur until seven years after the Rapture (Col. 3:4).
At the Rapture, the Lord will come secretly, in “a twinkling of an eye” (1 Cor. 15:52); at His Appearing, He will come publicly and every eye shall see Him (Rev. 1:7).
At the Rapture, He will come to deliver the Church (1 Thess. 1:10); at His Appearing, He will come to deliver Israel (Psa. 6:1-4). The Church will be delivered from going into the Tribulation (Rev. 3:10), whereas the Jews will go through it but will be delivered from it in the end, by the Lord’s bringing the Tribulation to a close.
At the Rapture, He will come in the air for His Church because they are His heavenly people (1 Thess. 4:15-18); at His Appearing, He will come back to the earth (the Mount of Olives) for Israel because they are His earthly people (Zech. 14:4-5).
At the Rapture, He will take the believers out of this world and leave the wicked behind (John 14:2-3); at His Appearing, the wicked will be taken out of the kingdom of the heavens for judgment and the believers (those who have been converted through the gospel of the kingdom that will be preached during the Tribulation) will be left to enjoy blessing on earth (Matt. 13:41-43; 25:41).
At the Rapture, He will come to deliver His saints (the Church) from the “wrath” to come (1 Thess. 1:10); at His Appearing, He will come to deliver the “wrath” (Rev. 19:15).
At the Rapture, the Lord will come as “the Bridegroom” (Matt. 25:10), but at the Appearing, He will come as “the Son of Man” (Matt. 24:30, 37, 39, 44, etc.)
At the Rapture, He will come as the "Morning Star" which rises just prior to daybreak (Rev. 22:16); at His Appearing, He will come as the "Sun of Righteousness," which is daybreak (Mal. 4:2).
At the Rapture, He will come without any signs, because the Christian walks by faith and not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7); at the Appearing, His coming will be surrounded by signs, because the Jews seek a sign (Luke 21:11, 25-27; 1 Cor. 1:22).
Reformed Theology sees the Rapture and the Revelation (Appearing) as one event, and it has brought in nothing but confusion regarding Israel and the Church. These two events couldn’t possibly happen at the same time because there are several things that Scripture indicates which occur between them that make it unfeasible. For example, when the Lord comes and calls us away from the earth, He takes us into “the Father’s house” and formally introduces us to that heavenly scene (John 14:2-3). Shortly after that, the “judgment seat” review will take place (2 Cor. 5:10). After that, there will be a time of worship “round about the throne” in heaven (Rev. 4-5). Then, after that, there will be “the marriage of the Lamb” and “the supper” that ensues it (Rev. 19:6-10). It is only after these things have occurred that the Lord comes out of heaven with us at His Appearing (Rev. 19:11-21). If you make the Rapture and the Appearing into one event, it leaves no room for these things to happen.
The Land, the Earth, and the World
Three great sectors in the human race are distinguished in verse 7 in connection with the Lord’s coming. These three spheres on earth have varying responsibilities according to the degree of light that they have had from God. They are:
• “Every eye shall see Him”—The Christianized nations (vs. 7a).
• “They also which pierced Him”—The nation of Israel (the Jews particularly) (vs. 7b).
• “All kindreds of the earth”—The nations outside the prophetic earth (vs. 7c).
Prophecy is laid out in the Scriptures in relation to these three spheres. They are distinguished as: “the land,” “the earth,” and “the world” (Isa. 18:2-3; 24:3-6; 26:9-10). These are concentric circles—each being broader than the previous one. “The land” is the smallest sphere and refers to the land of Israel, not the little bit that they possess today but what was promised to Abraham. “The earth” is a broader sphere; it includes Israel’s promised inheritance but also takes in the nations in which the old Roman Empire conquered in Western Europe. The students of prophecy call this “the prophetic earth.” Prophetically, it refers to the Western nations. Since those who populate the Americas today have mostly come from the nations of Western Europe, most prophetic students see them as included in the prophetic earth (Dan. 2:43 – “ ... shall mingle themselves with the seed of men”). “The world” is a broader sphere yet; it includes the land and the earth, but also takes in the remaining parts of the globe—i.e. the nations outside the prophetic earth.
God knows that we would never be able to grasp the details of prophecy if He were to give us what pertains to each of these spheres all at one time. Therefore, in the prophetic Scriptures, God wisely deals with these spheres one at a time. He gives us details that begin at some point in the Tribulation period and takes us through to the Appearing of Christ, which introduces the Millennium. Then He goes back and covers that ground again from another perspective, again taking us along to the Appearing of Christ and the Millennium. It is important to see this; all Bible prophecy is given in this way. It occurs over and over again throughout the prophetic Scriptures. This is the way in which events are presented in the Prophets, the Psalms, and in the Lord’s prophetic discourses in Matthew 24-25—and it is no different in the book of Revelation. It is the God-appointed way of teaching us prophetic truth. We will see in chapters 6-16, that the Spirit of God takes the reader through the Tribulation period on to the Appearing of Christ three times, each in relation to one of these three spheres.
Vs. 8—As mentioned, the second purpose of the book is to show how God will work all things to His ultimate end of exalting and glorifying the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ is the “Alpha and Omega” (the beginning and ending) of all prophecy (vs. 8). He is the source and goal of all God’s ways in creation, grace, and judgment. Being the central figure of prophecy, God will bring Him into view for all to see at His appearing.
At the Appearing of Christ two things will commence. One is “the day of the Lord” (1 Thess. 5:2; 2:2; Isa. 2:10-22; Joel 1:15; Zeph. 2:2-3; Mal. 4:5), which is when His Lordship authority will be established in the earth by judgment. It will extend for 1000 years—the duration of the Millennium (2 Peter 3:8-10). The other is “the day of Christ” (2 Thess. 1:10; 1 Cor. 1:8; 3:13; 5:5; 2 Cor. 1:14; Phil. 1:6, 10; 2:16), which is the day of His display in glory through the Church during that same time—the Millennium. These two days present two sides of Christ’s reign in that coming day.
The book of Revelation is, therefore, a book of judgment but also a book of blessing. (There are seven blessings mentioned—chap. 1:3; 14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6; 22:7, 14.)
The State of Soul Necessary to Apprehend the Prophecies of the Book
(Chap. 1:9-11)
John speaks of being “in the Spirit on the Lord’s day” when he got this revelation from the Lord. This points to the necessity of being in a right state of soul to take in these prophetic subjects. The book was written by a man “in the Spirit” and will only be understood by men and women who are in the Spirit.
John “turned” and saw Christ as the Son of Man, not in the way that the Spirit would normally set Christ before the believer (as the Son of God in all His grace and love and beauty), but in His judicial character. He had to turn to see Christ in this way because it was not the normal occupation for a child of God. Judgment is “His strange work” in which man’s sin has forced Him to act (Isa. 28:21).
The Vision of Jesus Christ as a Judge
(Chap. 1:12-20)
In this book of many visions, it is fitting that the first should be of Christ in His judicial character. It is significant that He acts as a Judge in connection with the seven churches before He judges the world; “judgment must begin at the house of God”—with those who are most responsible (1 Peter 4:17).
Christ is seen clothed in His judicial garments and “girt about the paps with a golden girdle.” This refers to the fact that His affections are restrained as He acts in this judicial capacity. Seven features of the Judge are mentioned:
• “His head and hairs were white like wool”—speaks of full maturity in judicial understanding (Dan. 7:9).
• “His eyes were as a flame of fire”—the piercing character of His discernment. Nothing escapes His eye.
• “His feet were like unto fine brass”—His firmness in righteous judgment. He will not compromise holiness.
• “His voice as the sound of many waters”—His many facets of speaking governmentally to people.
• “His right hand seven stars”—His authority is vested in responsible persons in the Church.
• “His mouth” had “a two-edged sword” in it—His ability to execute judgment against every wrong.
• “His countenance was as the sun”—He is the supreme authority in the universe. Hence, there can be no appeal to any person higher than Him.
The Judge Speaks
Vss. 17-20—Upon seeing the Lord in the character of a mighty Judge, John falls “at His feet.” It is from this posture that he learns about the state of the Church—its failure in public testimony, as found in chapters 2-3. This is the proper place for us to learn of the true state of the Church—on our faces before the Lord. The Christian testimony is in ruins, and we have all contributed to its sad state, and cannot rightly point a condemning finger at anyone in history or in this present day without condemning ourselves. Therefore, we are to view the failure of the Church in testimony in the spirit of self-judgment.
To dispel John’s fear and trepidation the Lord laid His “right hand” on John and spoke to him, saying, “Fear not.” It is divine consolation and strengthening for the work that John was about to be given—namely, to “write” the prophetic messages to the seven churches (Compare Matthew 17:6-7).
The Lord said, “I am He that liveth, and was [became] dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell [Hades] and of death.” In this, the Lord showed John that He had the right to act as the Judge of all the earth (Gen. 18:25). The Lord has gone into death and Hades and has conquered both. He now has “the keys” of these two conditions. “Death” is what claims the human body; “Hades” is what claims the soul and spirit. Having paid the price for sin in going into death, He has the right and the power to exercise judgment against sinners, and thus consign whom He would to death and Hades. He also has the power to raise them out of death and consign them to a lost eternity, as seen at the end of the book.
John is told to “write” of the prophetic subjects he will see in three great sections (vs. 19):
1. “The things which thou hast seen”—Chapter 1.
2. “The things which are”—Chapters 2-3.
3. “The things which shall be hereafter”—Chapters 4-22.
This shows that these prophecies were given to John in an orderly way and he has written them by the Spirit in an orderly way. Some people look at the book of Revelation as a tangled web of information that only an astute prophetic student could unravel and explain. However, the book only appears confusing; it is really very orderly. If we understand the way in which the Spirit of God presents prophecy throughout Scripture and also recognize that there are parentheses in certain places in this book, the confusion will disappear. One also needs a basic understanding of the meaning of the symbols used in prophecy. Since the book of Revelation has been placed at the end of our Bibles, the Spirit of God assumes that we are familiar with these symbols, having seen them used elsewhere in Scripture. The object of this outline of Revelation that we are about to embark on is to provide the reader with a basic understanding of these things.
Vs. 20—The Lord explains to John the hidden meaning of “the seven stars” which were in His right hand and “the seven golden candlesticks [lamps].” The “stars” are the “angels” of the seven churches. This refers to the double responsibility that the leaders in the churches have. As “stars” they are to be light bearers of the principles of God’s Word. They are to provide light for the saints from God’s Word in matters that concern the local assembly. This means that they must be well grounded in the truth (Titus 1:9). As “angels” they are to be God’s messengers, taking the lead in the assembly and seeing to it that those principles are carried out in the fear of God (Eccl. 5:6; Mal. 2:7 – J. N. Darby Trans. footnote). It is significant that the Lord holds the angel of each church responsible for the state that the church in that locality was in (chaps. 2-3). He is seen walking in the midst of the seven churches, assessing their condition and counseling those who are in the place of responsibility as to what they can do to help the particular condition that that local church was in (chap. 2:1).
The seven “golden candlesticks [lamps]” are the seven churches. They speak of the local assembly being a responsible witness in the community where they are situated.