Berean Bible Study
The Seven Letters to the Seven Churches
Revelation
1, Continued
OK,
I’m posting this temporarily as is so that you have something to refer to from
our September 18 study. However, this is not the least bit formatted, and it is
probably loaded with every kind of typing mistake. It is really just my notes
for myself from that day – kind of a stream of consciousness
sort of writing that I did in order to have it done on time. I will go back and
fix it so that normal people can understand it, but won’t have time immediately
to do that.
Revelation
1
1:1
The Revelation (went through this last time – something
revealed or uncovered – like unveiling a statue) of Jesus Christ, (this does not mean Jesus Christ is giving us all these
revelations. It means that Jesus, Himself, is being revealed) which God
gave Him (what is this? God gave Jesus) to show
This show is to show by making known – to show by proving. It’s
showing things as they are in God’s eyes.
It’s also “show” as opposed to “tell.” Kind of in the picture is worth a
thousand words kind of way. For example, if you look at Revelation 5:
Rev 5:1
And I saw in the right hand of Him who
sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven
seals. 2 Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, "Who is worthy
to open the scroll and to loose its seals?" 3 And no one in heaven or on
the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it.
4 So I wept much, because no one
was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look at it. 5 But one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep. Behold,
the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the
scroll and to loose its seven seals."
6 And I looked, and behold, in the
midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the
elders, stood a Lamb as though it had
been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven
Spirits of God sent out into all the earth.
Look
at all that is able to be conveyed in that picture. It looks back to the
original Passover and all that it meant. It looks back to the crucifixion, and
how Jesus was killed at the exact time the lambs were being killed in the
temple. It brings up all that was meant by the sacrifices in Moses’ law. It
brings up the resurrection, because though the lamb has been slain, it is
alive, standing in the midst of the throne and the elders.
Do you see what is meant by “show?”
His
servants — (doulos – bond
slaves. This is more than just any
Christian. This implies a certain level of maturity)
things
which must (these things are required. God has said
they will happen, and they will )shortly
(not as in a short amount of time from now, but as in
when they happen, they happen very fast. It is the word “Tachos”
like we get our word “tachometer” from.
take
place. And He sent (apostello – like apostles - sent ones)
and signified (turned it into signs )it
by His angel to His servant John, (turn to Rev.
22: 6-9) 2 who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of
Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw.
(this is more than just
that John “saw” these things. He certainly did. However, his three years with
Jesus, and his long life of testifying to what he had heard and witnessed from
and about Jesus is what qualifies him here. ) 3 Blessed
is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those
things which are written in it; for the time (a fixed
and limited amount of time. An expected time. The
waited for time) is near. ???
4
Greeting the Seven Churches
John,
to the seven churches which are in Asia (I highly doubt
if the picture I put here is going to come through on the web site. I will have
to load the proper code to do that. Meanwhile, you can find it here: http://home.cfl.rr.com/lwood/maps/revchurches.gif
Grace
to you and peace from Him who is and
who was and who is to come (1),
Treasury
of Scripture Knowledge from http://www.blueletterbible.org/tsk_b/Rev/1/4.html
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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. |
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And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT
I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the
children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. |
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Before the mountains were brought
forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the
world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou [art] God. |
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Of old hast thou laid the
foundation of the earth: and the heavens [are] the work of thy hands. |
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They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a
garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and
they shall be changed: |
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But thou [art] the same, and thy
years shall have no end. |
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Who hath wrought and done [it],
calling the generations from the beginning? I the LORD, the first, and with
the last; I [am] he. |
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For thus saith
the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity,
whose name [is] Holy; I dwell in the high and holy [place], with him also
[that is] of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the
humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. |
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But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, [though] thou be little among the thousands of
Judah, [yet] out of thee shall he come forth unto me [that is] to be ruler in
Israel; whose goings forth [have been] from of old, from everlasting. |
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In the beginning was the Word, and
the Word was with God, and the Word was God. |
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And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning
hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: |
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They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; |
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And as a vesture
shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed:
but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail. |
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But to which of the angels said he
at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine
enemies thy footstool? |
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Jesus Christ the same yesterday,
and to day, and for ever. |
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Every good gift and every perfect
gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. |
and from the seven Spirits
who are before His throne,
If
you look at the note at the bottom of the NIV, you’ll see that it says “or the
sevenfold spirit”, which is more correct. There are not seven Holy Spirits –
there is one, complete Holy Spirit – sevenfold, as in fully complete.
Isaiah 11:1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear
fruit.
2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him —
the Spirit of wisdom and of
understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of
power,
the Spirit of knowledge and of
the fear of the LORD —
3 and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.
NIV
From http://www.biblebb.com/files/macqa/1301-E-3.htm
What are the
seven-fold Spirits of God? (asked of John MacArthur)
Answer
If you’ll look at Isaiah 11:2, you’ll find that. Now
you’ll have to go to Revelation, of course, for the initial indication relative
to the seven-fold Spirit. That’s probably where the confusion comes from. It
talks about the seven-fold Holy Spirit, the seven-fold Spirit in the Book of
Revelation. As you go into Isaiah eleven you find it clearly defined there.
“And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest on Him..” And
here are seven different ways to describe the Holy Spirit, that’s all.
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 awe,
or the spirit of reverence or the spirit of worship.
The seven-fold Spirit
doesn’t mean there are seven different Spirits. And when in Revelation 1:4 it
says “…the seven Spirits…” it doesn’t mean there are seven different Holy
Spirits, it means there is one Holy Spirit with a seven-fold manifested
ministry. And that is what it is saying. You don’t need to believe that there
are seven different Holy Spirits. There is one, but there is a seven-fold
manifestation of His ministry according to all of these things, Spirit of the
Lord, wisdom, understanding, counsel, power, knowledge and reverence or
worship.
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And unto the angel of the church
in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath
the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou
hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. |
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And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and
voices: and [there were] seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which
are the seven Spirits of God. |
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And I beheld, and, lo, in the
midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders,
stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the
earth. |
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For behold the stone that I have
laid before Joshua; upon one stone [shall be] seven eyes: behold, I will
engrave the graving thereof, saith the LORD of
hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day. |
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For who hath despised the day of
small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see
the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel [with] those
seven; they [are] the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the
whole earth. |
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And the angel answered and said
unto me, These [are] the four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from
standing before the Lord of all the earth. |
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Now there are diversities of
gifts, but the same Spirit. |
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And there are differences of
administrations, but the same Lord. |
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And there are diversities of
operations, but it is the same God which worketh
all in all. |
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But the manifestation of the
Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. |
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For to one is given by the Spirit
the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; |
5
and from Jesus Christ (2)
This is used as a title here, one of many in this chapter. We get so
used to seeing “Jesus Christ” as though it is His name, but it is His title. Jesus, the Messiah – the anointed one, the long-expected one,
prophesied by all the prophets. , the faithful witness
Witness is martys, mä'r-tüs (which we get
our word “martyr” from)
1) a witness
a) in a legal sense
b) an historical sense
1) one who is a spectator of anything, e.g.
of a contest
c) in an ethical sense
1) those who after his example have proved
the strength and genuineness of their faith in Christ by undergoing a violent
death
(3) the
firstborn from the dead (4),
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That Christ should suffer, [and]
that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles. |
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But now is Christ risen from the dead, [and] become the firstfruits
of them that slept. |
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For since by man [came] death, by
man [came] also the resurrection of the dead. |
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For as in Adam all die, even so in
Christ shall all be made alive. |
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But every man in his own order:
Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are
Christ's at his coming. |
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And he is the head of the body,
the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all
[things] he might have the preeminence. |
and the ruler over the
kings of the earth (4).
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And the seventh angel sounded; and
there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are
become [the kingdoms] of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for
ever and ever. |
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These shall make war with the
Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of
kings: and they that are with him [are] called, and chosen, and faithful. |
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And he hath on [his] vesture and
on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. |
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Yea, all kings shall fall down
before him: all nations shall serve him. |
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Also I will make him [my]
firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth. |
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By me kings
reign, and princes decree justice. |
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By me princes rule, and nobles,
[even] all the judges of the earth. |
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Then the king commanded to call
the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for
to shew the king his dreams. So they came and stood
before the king. |
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And there was given him dominion,
and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should
serve him: his dominion [is] an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass
away, and his kingdom [that] which shall not be destroyed. |
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And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in
heaven and in earth. |
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Which he wrought in Christ, when
he raised him from the dead, and set [him] at his own right hand in the
heavenly [places], |
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Far above all principality, and
power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in
this world, but also in that which is to come: |
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And hath put all [things] under
his feet, and gave him [to be] the head over all [things] to the church, |
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Which in his times he shall shew, [who is] the blessed and only Potentate, the King
of kings, and Lord of lords; |
To
Him who loved us and washed us from
our sins in His own blood,
John 13:8-11
8 Peter said to Him, "You shall never wash my feet!"
Jesus answered him, "If I do not wash you, you have no part
with Me."
9 Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, not my feet only, but also my
hands and my head!"
10 Jesus said to him, "He who is bathed needs only to wash his
feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of
you." 11 For He knew who would
betray Him; therefore He said, "You are not all clean."
NKJV
(6)
and has made
us kings and priests to His God and Father (7),
1 Peter 2:9-10
9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy
nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who
called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 who once were not a
people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have
obtained mercy.
NKJV
to Him be glory and
dominion forever and ever. Amen.
7
Behold, He is coming with clouds,
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And I looked, and behold a white
cloud, and upon the cloud [one] sat like unto the Son of man, having on his
head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. |
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And another angel came out of the
temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle,
and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for
the harvest of the earth is ripe. |
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And he that sat on the cloud
thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped. |
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Clouds and darkness [are] round about
him: righteousness and judgment [are] the habitation of his throne. |
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The burden of Egypt. Behold, the
LORD rideth upon a swift cloud, and shall come into
Egypt: and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence, and the heart
of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it. |
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I saw in the night visions, and,
behold, [one] like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to
the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. |
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The LORD [is] slow
to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit [the wicked]: the
LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds [are] the
dust of his feet. |
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And then shall appear the sign of
the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn,
and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power
and great glory. |
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Jesus saith
unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see
the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds
of heaven. |
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And then shall they see the Son of
man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. |
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And Jesus said,
I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and
coming in the clouds of heaven. |
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And then shall they see the Son of
man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. |
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And when he had spoken these
things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of
their sight. |
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And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men
stood by them in white apparel; |
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Which also said, Ye men of
Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this
same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like
manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. |
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Then we which are alive [and]
remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord
in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. |
and
every eye will see Him,
Job 19:25-27
25 For I know that my Redeemer lives,
And He shall stand at last on the earth;
26 And after my skin is destroyed, this I know,
That in my flesh I shall see God,
27 Whom I shall see for myself,
And my eyes shall behold, and not another.
How my heart yearns within me!
NKJV
even
they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of
Him. Even so, Amen.
Rev 1:7
Look, he is coming with the clouds,
and every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him;
and all the peoples of the earth
will mourn because of him.
NIV
Zech 12:10-14
10 Mourning for the Pierced One
"And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants
of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one
mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn. 11
In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning at Hadad Rimmon in the plain of
Megiddo. 12 And the land shall mourn,
every family by itself: the family of the house of David by itself, and their
wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself, and their wives
by themselves; 13 the family of the house of Levi by itself, and their wives by
themselves; the family of Shimei by itself, and their
wives by themselves; 14 all the families that remain, every family by itself,
and their wives by themselves.
NKJV
8
"I am the Alpha and the Omega
(8), the Beginning and the
End (9)," says the Lord
(10), "who is and who
was and who is to come (11), the
Almighty (12)." This deserves your great study.
9
Vision of the Son of Man
I,
John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and
patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the word
of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. 10 I was in the Spirit on the
Lord's Day, What does this mean? Does this mean Sunday?
If so, this is the only place in the whole Bible to refer to Sunday that way.
All other places (8, as a matter of fact), it says, on the first day of the
week (which is very interesting, because what number of the week would that be?
It is either first, or 8th, right?) Why would this be the one place
to say something different?
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Now after the Sabbath, as the first day
of the week began to dawn, Mary
Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. |
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Very early in the morning, on the first day
of the week, they came to the tomb
when the sun had risen. |
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Now when [He] rose early on the first [day]
of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had
cast seven demons. |
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Now on the first day
of the week, very early in the
morning, they, and certain other women with them,* came to the tomb bringing
the spices which they had prepared. |
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Now the first day of
the week Mary Magdalene went to the
tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken
away from the tomb. |
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Then, the same day at evening, being the first [day]
of the week, when the doors were
shut where the disciples were assembled,* for fear of the Jews, Jesus came
and stood in the midst, and said to them, "Peace [be] with you." |
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Now on the first [day]
of the week, when the disciples
came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message
until midnight. |
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On the first
day of the week let each one of you lay something
aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I
come. |
On the other hand, the “Day of the Lord” appears 29 times, “Day of
Christ” appears 3 times, the “day of our Lord Jesus Christ appears once, “the
day of Jesus Christ” appears once, and the Great day of God Almighty appears
once for a total of 35 times (7x5) that a day belongs to God. What does each
and every one of them refer to? Judgment Day.
So what does that mean for here?
and
I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet, 11 saying, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First
and the Last," and, "What you see, write in a book and send it to the
seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos,
to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea." Seven churches, all
in what we now call Turkey.
12
Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw
seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the
seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed
with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band.
14
His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a
flame of fire; 15 His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace,
and His voice as the sound of many waters;
Dan 10:5 I lifted my eyes and looked,
and behold, a certain man clothed in linen, whose waist was girded with gold of
Uphaz! 6 His body was like beryl, his face like the
appearance of lightning, his eyes like torches of fire, his arms and feet like
burnished bronze in color, and the sound of his words like the voice of a
multitude.
Dan 7:9 "I watched till thrones
were put in place, And the Ancient of Days was seated;
His garment was white as snow, And the hair of His head was like pure wool. His
throne was a fiery flame, Its wheels a burning fire;
16
He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged
sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. 17 And
when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead.
Dan 10:7 And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, for the
men who were with me did not see the vision; but a great terror fell upon them,
so that they fled to hide themselves. 8 Therefore I was left alone when I saw
this great vision, and no strength remained in me; for my vigor was turned to frailty
in me, and I retained no strength. 9 Yet I heard the sound of his words; and
while I heard the sound of his words I was in a deep sleep on my face, with my
face to the ground.
But
He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, "Do not be afraid; I am the
First and the Last. 18 I am He who
lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the
keys of Hades and of Death. 19 Write the things which you have seen,
and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this.
Don’t just skip over this. This is the key to the whole book. Write
the things which you have seen. John spent 3-1/2 years with Jesus, which
enabled him to write the description of Jesus that you find here in chapter
1. You could spend years studying all
that is said about Jesus in this one chapter. This is the unveiling – revealing
Jesus AS HE IS.
1 John 3:2 Beloved, now we are children
of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that
when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is .
John was jumped ahead to that day and saw Jesus in His completeness.
In order to truly see Him as He is, we need to be made like Him.
20
The mystery
Mystērion (mü-stā'-rē-on)
1) hidden thing, secret, mystery
a) generally mysteries, religious secrets,
confided only to the initiated and not to ordinary mortals
b) a hidden or secret thing, not obvious to
the understanding
c) a hidden purpose or counsel
1) secret will
a) of men
b) of God: the secret counsels which govern God in dealing with the
righteous, which are hidden from ungodly and wicked men but plain to the godly
2) in rabbinic writings, it denotes the
mystic or hidden sense
a) of an OT saying
b) of an image or form seen in a vision
c) of a dream
It occurs
27 or 28 times, in the Bible, depending on which text you read. It’s the idea
of something that was previously unknown, but now being made known. (Rather
like apocalypse). God apparently thinks it’s important for you to understand
that, because He defines the word several times.
of
the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven
churches, and the seven lampstands which you saw are
the seven churches.
What are lampstands? They are holders of
light. They are not the light themselves – they are the bearers of light.
That’s what the churches are to be – bearers of the light. The seven stars are
the angels of the seven churches. You
know what’s really fun about that?
Job 9:9
He made the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades,
And the chambers of the south;
NKJV
Job 38:31-33
31 "Can you bind the cluster of the Pleiades,
Or loose the belt of Orion?
32 Can you bring out Mazzaroth in its
season?
Or can you guide the Great Bear with its cubs?
33 Do you know the ordinances of the heavens?
Can you set their dominion over the earth?
NKJV
Amos 5:8
He made the Pleiades and Orion;
He turns the shadow of death into morning
And makes the day dark as night;
He calls for the waters of the sea
And pours them out on the face of the earth;
The LORD is His name.
NKJV