The Biblical book of Revelation was authored by a man named John, a person who identifies himself by name three times within this book (1:4, 1:9, 22:8). John is traditionally recognized as John the Apostle, the same man who produced the Gospel of John, along with the Biblical letters of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John. The date of authorship was approximately 90-100 A.D. when John was probably ninety years of age.
Some Biblical translations refer to this book as the “Revelation of John.” However, it would be more accurate to view this book as the “Revelation of Jesus Christ” that was given to John. That’s because the word “revelation” refers to “an unveiling.” Here within the book of Revelation, God will remove the veil from a variety of things we couldn’t have known unless He revealed them to us.
While certain portions of the book of Revelation can be difficult to understand, it’s important to remember that difficult is not the same as impossible. In this respect, a good understanding of the book of Revelation is much like other good things that don’t come easily; we must be willing to study and work at understanding it.
Next, we should recognize that the book of Revelation devotes a great deal of content to the subject of heaven. Since there are certain aspects of heaven that are inexpressible, this book faces the unenviable task of expressing the inexpressible. This helps explain why we see a substantial amount of symbolic language in the book of Revelation.
Finally, the book of Revelation must communicate with an audience that has little or no frame of reference concerning the subjects it will discuss. We can illustrate that reality with a hypothetical example. Let’s say we have a farmer who is living in the 10th century A.D. Our farmer lives in the house where he was born, and has never left his village. The greatest technological advancement he has ever seen is a donkey pulling a cart.
Now let’s say that someone from the 21st century has traveled back to the 10th century to meet with our farmer. How could someone from the 21st century explain a mobile phone, a television, or a jet aircraft to a 10th century farmer who has no conception of such things? In some respects, we are much like our hypothetical farmer as we seek to grasp the book of Revelation.
However, we’ll soon find that Revelation chapter one will explain some of the symbolic language that will be used in the rest of the book.
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“The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who testifies to everything he saw– that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near (Revelation 1:1-3).
The first verse of the last book of the Bible identifies itself as “The revelation of Jesus Christ.” This (along with the rest of this opening paragraph), tells us that Revelation is a book from Jesus and about Jesus. However, this passage also says, “…which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place.” This can be difficult to understand since the book of Revelation was written almost two thousand years ago and many of the events depicted within it have yet to occur. So how is it that these verses speak of things that “must soon take place“?
It’s interesting to note that the word “soon” referenced here in Revelation 1:1 is also translated “speedily” in Luke 18:8. So it is not as if the events in the book of Revelation must take place immediately. Instead, the pace of these events will quicken as they unfold. Much like a snowball rolling downhill, they will accelerate once they begin.
Verse three goes on to say, “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near” (NIV). This passage is important, for the book of Revelation was originally written at a time when much of the population could not read. In addition, it was difficult and costly to produce an adequate number of copies for everyone to have their own edition of this book.
Therefore, Revelation 1:3 offers a blessing that applies to everyone- those who can read the book of Revelation for themselves (like many over the last few hundred years), and those who can listen to it. But whether we listen to the book of Revelation or read it for ourselves, there is a condition attached: we must take to heart what is written here.
This echoes an important reminder from the New Testament book of James: “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says” (James 1:22).
Except as indicated, all Scriptural references taken from New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
One notable aspect of Revelation 1:4 involves the repetition of the number seven. This holds considerable significance, for the number seven recurs fifty-four times within the twenty-two chapters of Revelation.
You see, numbers often carry symbolic meaning in the Book of Revelation, just as they do in our contemporary world. For example, suppose one person said to another, “You’re number one!” This does not mean that someone is a number in a literal sense. Instead, the number one is used to identify a person who is first or best. In a similar manner, “take five” is a phrase we use to indicate a brief rest period that lasts about five minutes. In this instance, the number “five” symbolizes the approximate duration of that break.
The book of Revelation employs the number seven in a similar way. In addition to its numeric value, the number seven also holds significance as a link to the symbolic ideas of fulfillment, completion, and perfection. For instance, some commentators believe this reference to “the seven Spirits who are before His throne” speaks of the Holy Spirit in His complete fullness.
We should also note the original audience for this epistle: “the seven churches in the province of Asia” (GW). We’ll talk more about these churches as we move forward into Revelation chapters two and three. However, this reference to seven churches suggests that these messages have an intended audience that goes beyond a handful of first-century congregations. Instead, the author has something important to say to the entire Christian community.
So when we speak of Jesus, we are not speaking of someone who merely resembles God, but of someone who is the exact counterpart or image of God. In Jesus, we witness the perfect visible expression and representation of the invisible God, like an image on a coin or a reflection in a mirror.
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In considering this passage, it’s important to recognize that “firstborn” doesn’t necessarily mean “born first.” Instead, firstborn can refer to priority in time, or supremacy in rank. (1) In Jesus’ case, both are true: as God, Jesus is before any created thing, and as God, Jesus is greater than any created thing. Thus, Jesus has a position of authority and superiority over everything. Firstborn “…of the dead” simply refers to His resurrection as a herald of things to come for God’s people.
Some of Jesus’ disciples had a similar experience when a cloud overshadowed Peter, James, and John while they were together with Him on the Mount of Transfiguration (Mark 9:2-8). That was the place where the voice of God spoke to them from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” (Mark 9:7 NIV).
While clouds often tend to obscure our view, the Biblical presence of these clouds serve to reflect or illuminate God’s power and glory. Thus, we should not be surprised to learn, “…He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him.”
(1) See discussion of prototokos from Colossians 1:15, the same word translated “firstborn” here in Revelation 1:5: Constable, Thomas. DD. Colossians. (n.d.). https://soniclight.com/tcon/notes/html/colossians/colossians.htm [1:15b]
In the original language of this passage, Alpha and Omega function much like the letters A and Z, for they each represent the first and last letters of their respective alphabets. Thus, we can understand this reference to mean that Jesus is the first, the last, and the “A to Z” of everything. Therefore, our text from Revelation 1:8 establishes Jesus as the beginning and the end of all things.
(1) G2875 – kopto – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (kjv). (n.d.). Blue Letter Bible. https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g2875/kjv/tr/0-1/
(2) John Foxe, The Project Gutenberg eBook of Fox’s Book Of Martyrs (n.d.). https://www.gutenberg.org/files/22400/22400-h/22400-h.htm [pg 20]
The seven churches discussed in this text were not symbolic representations; they were actual churches that existed in John’s era. In fact, one can embark on a tour of these church locations today. The distance between these congregations varied from approximately thirty to fifty miles (48 to 80 km), and a first-century messenger would likely distribute this book in the order mentioned here.
As mentioned earlier, the fact that seven churches are referenced in this passage should alert us to the possibility that there is something more to these messages. As we move into our exploration of Revelation chapters two and three, we’ll find that these churches also reflect various aspects of the historic Christian community and continue to do so today. Some of those characteristics are honorable and virtuous, while others are much less so.
The answer to that question becomes easier when we consider the function of a lampstand. The purpose of a lampstand is to provide light to others. This correlates with Jesus’ message to His followers in Matthew 5:14: “You are the light of the world…” With this in mind, we can say that these lampstands represent the assemblies of God’s people who serve as the light of the world. But even more significant is the fact that Jesus is in the midst of these lights, as we’ll see next.
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We might find the answer to that question in the verses that follow…
- He had a golden sash around his chest.
- His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow.
- His eyes were like blazing fire.
- His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace.
- His voice was like the sound of rushing waters.
- In his right hand, he held seven stars.
- Out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword.
- His face was like the sun “…shining in all its brilliance” (NIV).
This was Jesus, but He was not like the person who called John to serve as His disciple many decades earlier. This helps explain John’s use of a qualifier here in Revelation 1:13. He was like the Son of Man John once knew, but now, John saw Him as much, much more.
“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” (Revelation 1:17-18).
While some erroneously consider Satan to be the “keeper” of death and Hades, this passage identifies the one who actually possesses those keys. Therefore, we would be well-advised to make our peace with Christ, for He is the one who says, “I hold in my hand the keys of death and the grave” (Phillips).
This passage begins by saying, “Write, therefore, what you have seen…” In other words, John the Apostle was entrusted with the task of recording what he had witnessed up to that point. Next comes a reference to “…what is now.” This serves to identify the things that were taking place within these churches at the time John received the Book of Revelation. Jesus will elaborate on many of those topics in chapters two and three, where He will personally address each of these seven churches.
Finally, He says, “Write, therefore… what will take place later.” This is where the Book of Revelation begins to talk about the future, or the things that will occur later. So to summarize this passage, we can say that it speaks of…
- The past, or “what you have seen.”
- The present, or “what is now.” This reflects many of the subjects that will be discussed in chapters two and three.
- The future, or “what will take place later.”
This should raise an important question for modern-day readers of Revelation: “Where do current-day audiences fit within this ‘Table Of Contents?” The answer to that question largely depends on how one views the end of verse nineteen and its reference to “what will take place later.” We can look to various translations of Revelation 1:19 for help in finding an answer. For instance,
- If you are reading the GNT version, it says, “the things that will happen afterward.”
- The NKJV it says, “after this.”
- The KJV and ASV each use the word “hereafter.”
- The NASB and NET have the words, “after these things.”
- The NIV references “what will take place later.”
So, regardless of the translation, this portion of Scripture clearly points to future events. But how do we know when the future starts in the book of Revelation? We will address that question in the final installment of our look at this chapter next.
“Therefore write what you have seen, what is, and what will take place after this. The mystery of the seven stars you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches” (Revelation 1:19-20 CSB).
So Revelation 1:19 provides us with a reference to the past (“what you have seen“), the present (“what is“), and the future (“what will take place after this“), all within a single verse. That being said, how do we know when the future begins in the book of Revelation? How can we separate the present from the future within this book?
Well, as mentioned earlier, Revelation chapters two and three comprise letters to seven churches that appear in verse eleven…
Furthermore, the same words that are used to signify “what will take place after this” in Revelation 1:19 are the very same words that open Revelation chapter four in the original language of each passage. Those words are “meta tauta” or “after this.” So the end of Revelation chapter one aligns with the beginning of Revelation chapter four. In between are Jesus’ letters to the churches as detailed in chapters two and three.
With this in mind, we can zero in on the question that opened this study: how do we know when the future begins in the book of Revelation? If the “past” ends here in Revelation chapter one, but the future doesn’t begin until Revelation chapter four, where does that leave us in the present? The answer is that it leaves us with Jesus’ letters to the seven churches, as we’ll see in the following chapters.
Those letters identify and evaluate the positive and negative qualities exhibited by individuals and church congregations then and now. Therefore, we would do well to pay close attention when Jesus speaks to these churches. While those messages applied to them, they also apply to us as well.
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