Jesus visits John on Patmos
Revelation 1
WARNING!! With all Scripture, we must be careful not to read into it the preferred doctrine of the day or what we believe to be true, but we must read and study each passage as it is written attempting the author to say what the Lord has ordained them to write to us, to utulize sound skills for exegeting each passage maintaining the context and not concluding anything that violates another passage of Scripture. The most difficult thing with prophecy is avoiding speculation, then concluding upon such speculation.
1-2 THE Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw.
The whole Book of Revelation is about Jesus Christ, our soon coming King! He is the Lamb of God slain for all, and alive forevermore! He wants us to know the tribulation that will come upon the earth, the church, the Jew, the antichrist, the false prophet, all the key elements that are integrated into the latter days, the endtimes, and the return of Jesus Christ to the earth to set up His 1000 year reign. All prophecy is centered on Yashua's Parousia!
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 is near.
This Book is not difficult to understand if taken literally! It is important to keep these words of prophecy as the time is nearer today than 1900 years ago in 90-95 AD when John recorded these things while in Ephesus following his release from Patmos where he had been banished after boiling in oil didn't kill him. When we study God's Word, it will edify, it will challenge, it will correct, it will comfort, BUT this Book has an added mention of blessing to all who read it and hear the precious words held within it.
4-6 John, to the seven churches which are in Asia: "Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Jesus greets John and the 7 churches in Asia describing Himself, and the 7 Spirits of God (THE Spirit of: Truth; Grace; Adoption; Life; the Lord; of Christ; God.), how He lived in the flesh, died and now is the 1st born from the dead, and with His blood washed us from our sins.
7 Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.
After the gathering together of God's elect from the heaven and the earth, Jesus will be seen by all left upon the earth as He descends to the Mount of Olives where an earthquake will take place, and He administers justice to the troops that have surrounded Jerusalem led by the antichrist, the bear from the north, and the kings from the east in the battle called Armageddon. These all worshiped the beast, the antichrist and received his mark. Jesus is victorious instituting His kingdom rule for 1000 years when the church (Jew and Gentile that accepted Him and returned with Him from heaven [Col 3:4]) rules and reigns as kings and priests with Him.
8 "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End," says the Lord, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."
Here is conclusive proof in the simplistic terms of an alphabet that Jesus is God in the flesh, the Almighty!! Yashua is, was, and will come again all as Lord. There can be no doubt left, Yashua is Almighty God.
9 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.
John was on Patmos when he had this vision, but recorded the truths in Ephesus circa 90-95 AD.
10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day, 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."
The voice of Jesus Christ sounds in intensity like that of a trumpet. Jesus tells John to record what He tells him about the "7" churches and those things that are going to happen! It is clearly vital to the Lord for John to record the details of each church and the ensuing events to come. Yashua saw such importance as to be specific and speak to John in the Spirit directly. Each church is a church that was in existence at the time of this Book.
12-16 Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 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. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters; 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.
This is not the "nice-nice" Jesus that too many preachers make Him to be! Jesus is a God of justice and judgment, and we would do well to repent and serve our holy Lord! He holds the churches and their messengers in total control, as a matter of prime concern is the life of the church is in that control! So I ask how do we get off thinking that we can say a pretty prayer and wander off in our lives doing what we desire without a second thought of Him? This is profound if you think about it!
17-20 And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, "Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. "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. "Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this. "The mystery 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.
Man can't live in his corruptible earthly vessels in the presence of our Lord! Jesus gives John the strength to listen to Him and to record what he sees. Jesus also tells him to not be afraid at His awesome visage, but to know that He is alive, and with Him the keys to Hades and Death as well as describing who the stars and lampstands are.