Revelation 01
Note: If one desires to understand the Book of Revelation at the deepest level, then he must first understand the 65 books that precede it. It is also important to study the book with proper hermeneutics. "If the plain sense of Scripture makes perfect sense, then seek no other sense." Most of the events in the Book of Revelation are to be taken literally, unless there is a figure of speech used, such as a simile, metaphor, or typology. Almost every symbol in this book is either a symbol from an earlier Old or New Testament source, or it is explained later in this same book. Those who spiritualize the text are interjecting their human viewpoint into this study. This kind of exegesis should be rejected.
The Prologue
1:1 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must happen very soon. He made it clear by sending his angel to his servant John,
The Greek word for "revelation" is ἀποκάλυψις (apokalupsis), meaning an unveiling. There is no Greek article, so this should be translated as "an unveiling."
The Greek word for "Jesus" is Ἰησοῦς (Iasous), which comes from the Hebrew word יְשׁוּעָה (Yeshua), meaning God is salvation.
The Greek word for "Christ" is Χριστός (christos), which comes from the Hebrew word מָשִׁיחַ (mashiach), meaning Messiah, or anointed one. More specifically, it means the Messianic-God-man-King who was predicted in the Old Testament to be virgin born, perform miracles, be crucified, resurrected, ascended to heaven, and then to return as King of kings and Lord of lords.
There is a five step revelation of this book. First, God the Father gave the revelation to the Lord Jesus Christ. Second, Jesus gave this revelation to the angel. Third, the angel gave this revelation to the apostle John. Fourth, John gave this revelation to the church. Fifth, the church is now revealing this book to others throughout the world.
There is no Greek article, so the text should be translated as "an unveiling of Jesus Christ." John will personally experience an exalted Jesus in this book.
This is not the revelation of John, but a revelation concerning Jesus. Angels often gave revelation from God to humans, as seen in Daniel. Moses also received the Mosaic Law from angels. Zechariah was mediated by angels.
Notice that these events were to come "very soon." However, it has been over 2000 years and Christ has not yet returned. The "very soon" means that once the first prophetic event occurs, the rest of the prophetic events will occur in rapid succession.
The author was John. According to church tradition, John was imprisoned on the island of Patmos in 96 A.D. by the Emperor Domitian. This imprisonment of John was an attempt to silence the gospel from influencing the satanic Roman Empire. Domitian violated the Abrahamic Covenant. He died later in that same year.
1:2 who then testified to everything that he saw concerning the word of God and the testimony about Jesus Christ.
Daniel and Paul saw things in the third heaven that they were not allowed to reveal. John also saw things in the third heaven, but he was commanded to reveal them.
1:3 Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy aloud, and blessed are those who hear and obey the things written in it, because the time is near!
This is the only book that promises a blessing to those who read it. It is by no accident that many churches forbid the reading of this book. This is nothing but a satanic ploy to keep this information out of the mind of the church. Any church that encourages its members not to read this book is keeping them from a God-given blessing. The Holy Spirit knew that this book would receive this type of disinformation inside many modern local churches, so He began this book with an encouragement for believers to read and study it. Satan does not like this book because it ends badly for him. He wants his prophetic demise out of the ears of those whom he is attempting to deceive.
Those who hear the words of this book will also be blessed, meaning that it should be taught so others can hear it. Those who obey these things will be blessed. There will be many who will miss the Rapture and have one more opportunity to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. There is a very good chance that those who are left behind at the Rapture will be studying this book in detail during the dark days of the Great Tribulation.
1:4 From John, to the seven churches that are in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from “he who is,” and who was, and who is still to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne,
The author was the Apostle John, who at this time was about 90 years old. He was writing this book during the last decade of the first century from the island of Patmos. He was writing to the seven churches in Asia Minor, which is the location of modern Turkey. John was the only apostle who was alive at this time. The other eleven apostles had already been martyred. John was the only apostle who died of old age. The Emperor Domitian arrested John while he was pastoring at the Church of Ephesus. The blood of the martyrs was the seed of the church. The Emperor did not want to spread more seed, so he exiled John to prison on the island of Patmos in order to silence him. The New Testament Canon will come to the completion at the end of this book. Therefore, there will be no more divine revelation coming from God until the two great witnesses appear later during the Great Tribulation.
There were more than seven churches in Asia Minor, such as the Church of Colossae (which was a very large church). The Greek article precedes the seven churches. Since the number seven denotes completion throughout the Scriptures, this was a circular letter written to all of the churches of Asia Minor. It is also important to note that this letter was written to the whole church, including past, present, and future churches.
John is the secondary author. The primary author is the Holy Spirit.
1:5 and from Jesus Christ – the faithful witness, the firstborn from among the dead, the ruler over the kings of the earth. To the one who loves us and has set us free from our sins at the cost of his own blood
The Lord Jesus Christ is also a co-author of this book. He is the faithful witness. He is the only witness that the believer can trust. Since He is God and man simultaneously, then He knows all things and can share all things truthfully.
The Greek word for "firstborn" is πρωτότοκος (prototokos), meaning the first of a kind. He is the first one to be resurrected and receive a glorified body. He is the prototype. He is the mold who produces the copies. He is the first, but there will be more copies to come.
The Lord Jesus Christ is also the King of kings and the Lord of lords. All kings on the earth will bow their knees to him and confess that Jesus is Lord.
The Lord Jesus Christ loves the believer. He has set the believer free from their sins by His atonement on the cross. The price of this freedom was His own blood.
1:6 and has appointed us as a kingdom, as priests serving his God and Father – to him be the glory and the power forever and ever! Amen.
The Lord Jesus Christ has appointed believers as governmental officials to administrate in the coming government of the Millennial Kingdom.
In the Old Testament, only members of the Levite family were appointed as priests. It was the job of the priests to teach and perform rituals that pointed to Christ. In the New Testament, all believers are to become priests. There is not just one priestly family. The role of the New Testament priests was to take the good news to the lost and to feed the sheep.
There are only two rituals that New Testament priests are to perform, and they both point to Christ. Water baptism by immersion points to the conversion process of the believer. The Lord's Supper points to the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Both of these rituals are symbols that teach about the mind of God. They are not what one must do for salvation. Salvation comes by faith alone in Jesus Christ alone. There are five sacraments that the Catholic Church has invented, but none of them are found in Scripture. Therefore, the Catholic sacraments are nothing but the traditions of men.
The Lord Jesus Christ possesses the Shekinah Glory. He also possesses the power to take the keys away from Satan and bring in the Millennial Kingdom to this earth. Satan possessed the title deed of this earth only temporarily. He took it from Adam at the Garden of Eden. By His atonement, the Lord Jesus Christ possessed the kingdom of the earth for eternity. He will execute this transfer of authority and power at His Second Coming.
The Greek word for "Amen" is ἀμήν (amain), which comes from the Hebrew word אָמַן (amin), meaning most assuredly, this is of divine importance, so be it, and let it happen!
1:7 Look! He is returning with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all the tribes on the earth will mourn because of him. This will certainly come to pass! Amen.
This imperative command is the entire theme of the book. The Greek word for "look" is ὁράω (horaow), an aorist active imperative verb, meaning a command to immediately and urgently see and understand with the spiritual mind a very important divine concept that God is about to reveal.
The theme of this book is the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. This book will detail the chronological events that precede, occur, and come after the Second Coming. The Old Testament recorded over 2000 prophecies of this prophetic event, but they were scattered throughout the Old Testament. They were not placed in chronological order. It would be impossible for anyone to place them in the exact prophetic order in which they will occur. Therefore, John recorded the chronology of these events that have already been prophesied by the Old Testaments. Those who die before these events will be blessed, because they know the good guys win in the end. They will know that their suffering on this earth will amount to a glorious and victorious eternal life. Those unbelievers who are living on the earth during this time will either be scared to death and hiding in caves, or they will become believers. The believers during the Great Tribulation will be blessed by studying this book. The unbelievers will most likely refuse to study this book and will be cursed with death and destruction. Their lack of knowledge of this book will cause them to be deceived by the Antichrist. There will be a price for liberalism, because it leads to self-deception and destruction.
When Jesus was on the earth during His first visit, only a few people saw Him. There were a few shepherds at His birth. Only a few kings paid homage to Him, because they had to travel from Babylon just to see the Eternal King in the form of a baby. At His first coming Jesus appeared in human flesh, not in his Shekinah Glory form. All of His disciples forsook him. He died alone on the cross with only a few eyewitnesses. He died, rejected by the nation of Israel, just as Isaiah 53 predicted.
When Jesus returns, it will be a global event. He will return in the clouds as the Shekinah Glory, which is a glory brighter than the sun itself. This is the Jesus who revealed His Shekinah Glory to the three inner disciples at the Mount of Transfiguration. Every eye of every Jew and Gentile on the earth will see Him return in His Shekinah Glory form.
The ones "who pierced Him" are the Jews. "All the tribes of the earth" are the Gentiles. Both groups will visually see the exaltation of Christ in his Shekinah Glory form at His Second Coming. Both groups will mourn for Him. The Greek word for "mourn" is κόπτω (koptwo), a future middle indicative verb, meaning a prophecy that the Jews and Gentiles will wail and sing lamentations for Him. A lamentation is a funeral song.
1:8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God – the one who is, and who was, and who is still to come – the All-Powerful!
The Greek for "the Alpha and Omega" is Ἐγώ εἰμι τὸ Ἄλφα καὶ τὸ Ὦ (ego eimi to alpha kai omega). This verb form is present active indicative, meaning that the Lord Jesus Christ has been, is continually, and will be forever the Alpha and the Omega. The alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet. The omega is the last letter of the Greek alphabet. Therefore, the Lord Jesus Christ has been continually existing as the complete Greek alphabet. He is the ABC's of deity. Anything that the Greek alphabet can spell out, then Christ has the power and authority to execute. Notice also that "alpha" is spelled out, but the "omega" is not. Why? Because Christ is the beginning, and the beginning is already completed. However, the end has not yet come, so He did not spell out the omega in this instance.
The Greek for "the Lord God" is Κύριος ὁ Θεός (kurios ho theos), meaning that the Lord Jesus Christ is deity.
"The one who is" is Christ in His present role as intercessor sitting at the right hand of the Father. Satan is presently at the throne room of God slandering the saints. The Lord Jesus Christ is currently sitting at the right hand of God defending the saints as their advocate. An advocate is a lawyer. Jesus is a Jewish lawyer who has never lost a case.
"The one who was" is Christ in His past role as prophet and Savior. Jesus fulfilled this role at His first coming. It is very interesting to note that John the Baptist did not announce Jesus as "the Lord of Lord and King of Kings." Nor did he announce Jesus as the Messiah. Nor did he announce Him as the Great High Priest. Instead, he announced Him as "the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world."
"The one who is to come" is Christ in His future role as King. This is the way that He will be revealed in this book.
The Lord Jesus Christ is the beginning and the end of all things.
The Greek word for "the all-powerful" is παντοκράτωρ (pantokratoowr), meaning unrestricted power representing authority over all dominion. This verse teaches that Jesus is deity with all power and all authority in heaven and earth.
The Jehovah Witnesses falsely teach that Jesus is a created angel with limited, but not all, power and authority. They falsely claim that Jehovah, not Jesus, is the speaker in this verse. However, notice that Revelation 1:7 says that someone “is coming.” Who is coming? Verse 7 states that it is someone who was “pierced.” Who was it that was pierced when He was nailed up to the cross? Jehovah was not pierced and nailed to the cross, but Jesus was. Therefore, the one who is coming is Jesus, not Jehovah.
However, verse 8 states that it is Jehovah God who “is coming.” Could it be that there are two who are coming? No, there is only one who is coming. Therefore, verse 8 refers to “the One who … is coming," which is the Lord Jesus Christ.
Revelation 1:8 clearly states that Jehovah God is the Alpha and the Omega. This is also confirmed later in Revelation 22:12-13: “Look! I am coming quickly … I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last. …” So, Jehovah God is coming quickly. But notice the response when He says it again: “Yes; I am coming quickly. ‘Amen! Come, Lord Jesus’” (22:20, NWT). The Lord Jesus Christ is Jehovah God. This can only be true as He is the second person of the trinity.
1:9 I, John, your brother and the one who shares with you in the persecution, kingdom, and endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony about Jesus.
This verse begins with the Greek word ego. It is an emphatic identifying mark. John wants us to know that it is him speaking. The Lord God was speaking in verse 8.
John was the only living apostle at this time. He had apostolic authority over these seven churches, unlike today where a pastor-teacher is over one local congregation. Everyone knew John. He was the final authority.
John was exiled by the Emperor Domitian because of his testimony at the Church of Ephesus.
Daniel was also a prophet who was writing a book of prophecy. He used the word "I" and his name after it (Dan 8:1; 10:2).
The word brother is (ἀδελφός) adelphos in Greek. He is speaking as one of the members of the family of God. At the moment of salvation, the believer becomes a part of God’s family. This family relationship is found throughout scripture.
John was taken over completely by the Holy Spirit. The Lord's Day was not Sunday, but it was an "imperial" day, or a day for the coronation of a King. It was a special imperial day in which God chose to reveal Jesus as King. Jesus had already fulfilled His role as prophet at His first coming. During the church age, Jesus fulfilled His duty as priest, interceding at the right hand of God for the defense of the believers. In this book, Jesus will be revealed in His future office as King.
1:10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day when I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet,
The words “I was” is the one Greek verb is (γίνομαι) ginomai, and it does not mean “was.” It means “to become.” This verb is in the aorist tense, which means it's in a point in time when John entered this condition of being filled with the spirit. It is in the middle voice, but it has an active meaning, which means he had the status of being filled with the spirit. Literally, “I came to be in [the] Spirit.” John came into a certain condition which we are going to see here in a moment as that of being filled with the spirit.
What did John’s condition need to be in order for him to be “in Spirit”? John has made confession of all known covert and mental sins. (I John1:9) John perhaps sat down that Sunday in order to spend time in a personal worship service. He was all alone. There were probably no other believers with him on the island Patmos. He was there in the status of spirituality, sins confessed, and therefore in the state of being filled with the spirit. His status of being filled with the spirit was a prerequisite to his being able to ever receive any divine viewpoint communication.
What does he mean by “on the Lord’s Day”? Lord is not a noun here. “Lord” is the Greek (κυριακός) kuriakos, an adjective meaning “belonging to the Lord,” One translation says it was a “lordy day.” A special day in which John fell under the control of the Holy Spirit. In all likelihood, what he was referring to is the day that believers call Sunday. in the New Testament church, Sunday had become the day in which the believers gathered for fellowship and worship and for the study of the word of God. The reason they did this was because Sunday was the day Jesus Christ was resurrected from the dead. Sunday was also the day that the church began, on the day of Pentecost.
Could this be referring to the Day of the Lord? No, The Day of the Lord refers to the Tribulation period plus the Millennium. It is a very specific, identifiable period of time. It begins with the period of darkness, or the tribulation seven year period. Then, it ends with a period of light, or the period of the thousand year reign of Christ on the earth.
So, on Sunday morning, John is on the island of Patmos in meditation and personal worship. What happens? John heard a magnificent voice so great that he compared it to a trumpet. “Heard is the Greek word (ἤκουσα), ēkousa means intelligible sounds. John understood the words he heard. When Jesus Christ spoke, John could understand what he was saying. God always speaks the words which can be understood by those who are to receive the communication.
Only Satan communicates in gibberish, because Satan's purpose is to move the emotions - not convey information. Satan wants to control emotions to move people emotionally to perform his will. He has no need to convey intelligible information and he doesn't. One can search through the Bible and will discover that God never, never, never speaks in unintelligible sounds. (φωνὴν) Phōnēn is a loud voice. it is a human voice that John hears. The voice sounds like a trumpet. John did not actually hear the Tijuana Brass playing behind him at Patmos. He is sitting there thinking about the things of the Lord. Suddenly, there is a blaring sound like a blast on a trumpet.
1:11 saying: “Write in a book what you see and send it to the seven churches – to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”
These were the seven main churches of Asia Minor, which is modern Turkey.
What two commands was John given? He was to write in a book what he saw. John was told this twelve times to record what he saw.
What does this indicate? John was to write after seeing each vision. John was to send these writings to the seven churches.
What is God’s intention for this book? God intends for the church to have and know the contents of the book of Revelation
1:12 I turned to see whose voice was speaking to me, and when I did so, I saw seven golden lamp stands,
The seven lamp stands are the seven churches of Asia Minor, as identified in verse 20.
What does I turned tell us? In Greek, it tells us several things. It is the word epistrephō (ἐπιστρέφω) and means to turn the body 180 degrees. It is in the aorist tense, meaning that John turned when he heard the voice. It is active, which indicates that his body was under full control of his own muscle power. Why is it important that this verb is active? This is in contrast to the charismatic religions that would have it being passive – meaning God actively caused them to move/convulse, etc. This verb is also in the indicative mood, meaning that it is simply a statement of fact.
The word "to see" is important. It is the word blepō (βλέπω), meaning to look in terms of focusing on details. It is active voice, meaning that John was able to use his own eyes and that he was not in a trance or dream He was in full control of his eyes. It is in the infinitive mood, which indicates that ‘seeing’ was his purpose in turning. He was to see who was speaking to him.
John’s focus was to see who and where this sound was coming from. The Greek word is the word phōnē (φωνὴ), meaning sound. Spoke is the word laleō (λαλέω). It is in the imperfect tense, indicating something that is done repeatedly. The voice kept speaking to John. The verb is active, indicating that Jesus is doing the speaking himself.
Having turned, ἐπιστρέφω (epistrepho), John is now facing in the direction of the voice. This verb us un the aorist tense, meaning at that point in time when he turned and looked. It is in the active voice, again meaning John is using his own eyes are taking this in and he is in control of where his eyes are looking.
John saw seven golden lampstands. This time the word for see/saw is eidon (εἶδον), It is different in that it means seeing in general or a panoramic view. The lampstands are not candlestick holders, but lamps that were used in the ancient world that were fed by oil. They had a wick, which would cause them to burn. They were not in the form of those used in the temple of the Jews (Ex. 25:31-40), because what John saw was true of the church age in A.D. 96.
John saw seven golden lampstands. The Greek word for seven is hepta, representing a perfect condition or completeness. These seven golden lampstands were not connected like a menorah. These seven golden lampstands represented seven specific, individual, local churches.
These churches were not the source of the light, but they were simply the bearers of the light.
The gold is significant, because In scripture, gold speaks of the divine glory of God.
Based on the symbolism here the local churches were to be maintaining the local and geographical glory of God.
These lamps will not burn without oil in them. Oil in scripture represents God the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the source of light of all local churches (past, present, and future) should be the person of God the Holy Spirit. He is the revealer of divine viewpoint. Therefore, local churches are designed to be lighthouses.
1:13 and in the midst of the lamp stands was one like a son of man. He was dressed in a robe extending down to his feet and he wore a wide golden belt around his chest.
The Son of Man was the title that was given to the Messiah by the prophet Daniel in 7:9. The Lord Jesus Christ also used this title for Himself. Jesus was wearing the clothing of a High Priest as well as the clothing of a Judge.
1:14 His head and hair were as white as wool, even as white as snow, and his eyes were like a fiery flame.
His head and hair picture wisdom and purity. His eyes like a flame of fire speak of His penetrating insight and eyewitness knowledge of the total life of the church. Jesus watches the church like a hawk. He knows who attends, who skips, who sins, and how much one gives or does not give. He is also the Ancient of Days mentioned in Daniel 7:9.
John’s eyes move up to the head. He observes that the hair, trichos (τριχός), is leukon (λευκόv), or pure snowy white. John compares this white hair to the whiteness of wool or snow.
Daniel 7:9a “While I was watching, thrones were set up, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His attire was white like snow; the hair of his head was like lamb’s wool." Notice that John which connects this kind of appearance with the eternal God.
Why do believers wear black at funerals today? White is the color of eternity/deathlessness (also personal purity). Funerals today have the pagancustom of wearing black, but believers should be wearing white for victory over death. Black means defeated in death. White means victory over death,
John is next captivated by the eyes of the Lord Jesus Chrisr. The eyes resembled (hos, ὡς), "as" a flame (phlox, φλόξ). The flaming eyes signify penetrating righteousness, because the Lord Jesus Christ will use these eyes to judge the world.
God is a God of wrath toward sin. He is going to express that wrath with a penetrating judgment that is going to search out evil. Like fire, his gaze will spread like dry timber. The flame of his eyes will penetrate everywhere and consume evil.
The eyes of the Lord Jesus wrist can be compared to a flame thrower, which has a penetrating effect. The flame thrower consumes the oxygen, making one gasp for breath, butthe heat will sear the lungs and death follows. God is merciful, but he is also a God of wrath who will not tolerate evil.
1:15 His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace and his voice was like the roar of many waters.
The feet of polished bronze speak of judgment. These feet will one day squash all the nations like grapes in a winepress.
Notice that the feet were like fine bronze, Chalkolibanon (χαλκολίβανον) is an alloy containing some gold. It is fine bronze and fine brass. The emphasis is upon the brilliant appearance of the metal.
The feet of Jesus Christ had a brilliance such as glowing metal that was being burned or melted in a furnace, kaminos is a kiln which was used for smelting. In the sacrifice of judgment in the Old Testament system, there was the similar brazen altar in Exodus 38:30. This bronze altar was pictured with judgment. The feet of Jesus are the feet that walk in a path of judgment.
The voice of Jesus is a voice of authority. This voice called the world into existence. It calls sinners unto salvation. It sends the soul to Heaven or to Hell.
John comes back to describing the voice (phone) once more. It sounds like many (pools), or like a great volume of waters (hydor) from which comes the prefix hydro. The voice of Jesus sounded like a large volume of water. It speaks of the irresistible force and authority of what God has to say. It reveals the power and majesty that everyone must one day bow. God’s authority is irresistible.
1:16 He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp double-edged sword extended out of his mouth. His face shone like the sun shining at full strength.
The seven stars are explained later in the chapter as the seven angels of the seven churches. The sharp sword coming out of His mouth is explained in Hebrews 4:12 as being the Word of God.
No one can look at the sun directly, especially if it is shining at full strength. The face of Jesus shined like the sun. This shining of the face of Jesus is that of the Shekinah Glory. It is interesting to note that after Moses received the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai, his face shined, reflecting the glory of Jehovah.
1:17 When I saw him I fell down at his feet as though I were dead, but he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid! I am the first and the last,
When Jesus was on earth, John was very close to Him. He was one of the three inner disciples at the transfiguration. He was called the "disciple that Jesus loved." He sometimes gave Jesus advice, such as asking Jesus to bring down fire and brimstone on Bethsaida and Capernaum. At other times, John laid his head on the bosom of Jesus, such as at the Last Passover. However, now Jesus is in His glorified position. All that John could do was to fall face down as if he was dead.
In Isaiah 44:6, Jehovah claimed to be the First and the Last. Jesus made the same claim, meaning that He is Jehovah.
1:18 and the one who lives! I was dead, but look now I am alive – forever and ever – and I hold the keys of death and of Hades!
Who is the First and the Last? Jehovah Witnesses claim that Jehovah was speaking in this passage. However, the Apostle John disagrees with them. He recorded in writing that this one who is the First and the Last is the one who died and then was resurrected for eternity. Therefore, Jesus is the First and Last. He carries the title of Jehovah, because He is Jehovah.
Jesus holds the keys of death and Hades. He now dictates who lives and who dies. When a believer dies, Jesus puts him to sleep.
Is there a principle regarding death and living? Believers can take comfort with death, because whatever may happen, whether one dies in a peaceful sleep or by violence on the highway or as a martyr of the Lord Jesus Christ, or if death comes quickly or is prolonged or if it is expected or unexpected, then believers will be able to say “I live.”
It is interesting to note that in this verse, “was” in Greek is normally eimi, but here it is the word ginomai (γίνομαι). meaning to “become something” rather than just exist. A better translation would be “having become (physically) dead”, because he never died in His deity. Having become nekros (νεκρὸς), the Lord Jesus Christ stated that He is alive now, but He is also alive as one who had at one time in history became dead. Jesus had a real physical death. Therefore, there was no swoon theory, as liberals suggest.
Behold, idou (ἰδοὺ), is an attention gathering word. It is a word to announce something dramatic. The dramatic statement is that "I am alive". The word alive, zaō (ζάω), makes a very strong statement, because the physical life of the Lord Jesus Christ is described by the word zaō (ζάω). It is a present continuing condition, meaning that it is a strong statement of the permanent status of the resurrected Jesus Christ. He had not only become dead, He is not only alive now, but He was never going to die again.
John follows with the word Evermore. In Greek it is "eis ho aiōn ho aiōn" (εἰς ὁ αἰών ὁ αἰών). “I am alive unto the ages of the ages.” This is the Greek way of saying time without end, or eternity. In other words, the resurrection of Jesus Christ was permanent, meaning that this permanency is also true for all believers.
How would the last phrase be of comfort to John?Jesus has the keys of death and Hades. “I have” is echō (ἔχω), meaning to literally hold. This verb is active, meaning that Jesus is doing the holding. He is holding kleis (κλεῖς), which are the keys of death and Hades. Holding these keys means that Jesus has the authority to let in or let out anyone to the doorway of death/Hades. In other words, the resurrection of Jesus Christ was permanent and that is also true for believers as well.
The Greek word for "death" is thanatos (Θάνατος), representing the soul and spirit leaving the body so that a person is in a condition which believers call death.
Before the Lord Jesus Christ’s resurrection, Hades was the location of all Old Testament saints and unbelievers. Hades was divided into three compartments, called Paradise (or Abraham’s bosom), Torments, and Tartarus. Everybody who was born again before the resurrection went into the paradise compartment of Hades (remember Lazarus and the rich man). Everybody who was not born again went into Torments. Tartarus was reserved for those angels in Genesis 6 who intermarried with women on earth and formed the pre-flood hybrid race of “giants.”
When Jesus died, His soul went into Hades, it went into Paradise and Torments and He made a proclamation (1 Peter 3:19-22) to the saints and unbelievers. He announced that Satan had been defeated upon the cross, the power of death had been taken from Him, and the hopelessness of these people who were in Torments and Tartarus was now sealed. Jesus turned around and took paradise up to heaven with Him and transferred that whole group of believers into the presence of God. The reason this was necessary was that God had not provided the basis of justification up to this point in time. He was forgiving sins and declaring people righteous on credit (such as He did with Abraham). This credit was on the basis that someday the Lord Jesus Christ was going to come and make the one-time future payment. Once the payment was made, now God could fulfill that which He had given to these Old Testament saints on credit. Now the only people who go to Hades are unbelievers. Believers who die go immediately to heaven to be with the Lord Jesus Christ.
Since the Lord Jesus Christ has the keys of death, then he has authority over death. This means that nobody dies until the Lord Jesus Christ says so. Believers are under this same protective care. Until then, all believers are immortal, Someone can hold a gun to one's head, go into battle, or have a terminal illness. However, the believer's life is secure, until the Lord Jesus Christ uses the key.
For believers that key is the entrance into heaven, but for everyone else, it is the entrance into Hades.
The second death will be explained later in this book. There is no escaping this judgment.
Jesus having these keys means that He is absolutely sovereign. The days of believers are numbered, but the Lord Jesus Christ decides one's last day. (Hebrews 2:13-14) Therefore, a believer has no reason to fear death.
1:19 Therefore, write what you saw, what is, and what will be after these things.
The Book of Revelation is an easy book to understand if one knows the symbols of the Old Testament. The outline of the book is listed in this verse.
"The things which John saw" was the glorified Christ, which is the message in chapter 1.
"The things that are" are the seven churches in chapters 2-3.
"The things that will be" are the future prophetic eschatological events that are recorded in chapters 4-22. Chapters 4-19 predict the chronological prophetic events of the Great Tribulation. Chapters 4-5 is the condition of the church in heaven after the rapture. Chapters 6-19 gives us the events of the Tribulation era. Chapter 20 describes the Millennial Kingdom. Chapters 21-22 gives details of the Eternal Order, a future time period which will follow the Millennial Kingdom.
Daniel and Paul saw events in the third heaven, but they were not allowed to write or speak about them. John also saw these events, but he was told to write about them.
1:20 The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and the seven golden lamp stands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches and the seven lamp stands are the seven churches.
The seven stars are the seven angels that have been assigned to the seven churches. The seven lamp stands are the seven churches. There is no speculation needed on these first two symbols, because they are identified as such in Scripture.
Chapter 20 is about the Millennial Kingdom and Great White Throne Judgment.
Chapters 21-22 identifies the Eternal Order, which is new information that had never been revealed in either the Old or New Testament.
21 the Eternal State and 22 is some closing remarks.