Revelation
All Scriptures are from the New American Standard Bible version.
Introduction
Revelation is about Jesus the Christ and God fulfilling everything He said He would do. It starts with Christ and ends with Christ. It wraps up the entire Bible and brings a conclusion to what God started in Genesis and we messed up by our pride and rebellion. All of the symbols, theology, etc. in Revelation are leading up to the consummation at the end and are very important but we MUST remember it is Y__H and Christ oriented and specific.
Revelation is about Jesus the Christ and God fulfilling everything He said He would do. It starts with Christ and ends with Christ. It wraps up the entire Bible and brings a conclusion to what God started in Genesis and we messed up by our pride and rebellion. All of the symbols, theology, etc. in Revelation are leading up to the consummation at the end and are very important but we MUST remember it is Y__H and Christ oriented and specific.
“It is common to think of prophecy as predictions, but to an Israelite mind prophecy is primarily a proclamation of previously known truth, a call to return and not to forget the important matters. Thus, the Book of Revelation can be called an apocalyptic letter containing prophecy, combining at least three genres in one document (apocalyptic, epistolary and prophetic).” (Book of Revelation in Jewish context – Dr. Eli Lizorkin-Eyzenberg and Peter Shirokov)
{I am sure there are a lot of things out there; however, I don’t know of much that I would trust. Virtually all of the eschatological musings of so-called “prophecy teachers” is wrong. They don’t start with the right premise: God’s good news for humankind (the everlasting Gospel that John wrote about) is that humanity has been given dominion over the whole earth, and nothing has changed. Jesus said that when the judgment comes, he will say to those on his right hand, “Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom (not heaven) prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” There will be new heavens and a new earth in which dwells the righteous. If you don’t start from the premise that the resurrection and “rapture” are gathering mechanisms to initiate the kingdom of God on earth, then you are missing the point of all eschatology. “The meek shall inherit the earth (not heaven).”
We are not told in detail what the many animals and beasts are, nor is it necessary we know the details, it is sufficient we know their power, what they do and the results. Often these are metaphors for what YHWH is doing, why it is being done and the results. In all cases is doing these things to bring people to repentance, acceptance of Christ as Savior and to save people from eternal damnation and separation from Him. What God does is always for our benefit.
Eschatology is any system of doctrines concerning last, or final matters, as death, the judgment, the future state, etc.
Prologue
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John, 2 who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. 3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near.
(JAS Comments – Start)
VERSES 01-02
Verse 1 The word revelation means revealing. Here we have the purpose of this book, the revealing of God’s plan and what He will soon do. We also have a hierarchy. The revelation is given by God to Jesus, Jesus to His servants and the servants to the world. More specifically, Jesus sent His angels (messengers) to tell the Apostle John who wrote it down so the revelation would be made know to other servants of Jesus who would tell the world. Psalm 103:20; Matt 13:49; John 20:12 See Revelation 19:10
VERSE 03:
Note the use of the terms “he” and “those” in this opening passage. There are a few interpretations of the use of these two terms. 1) The term “he” refers to the individual who physically reads this letter to an individual church. This interpretation comes from the practice in the early of a letter being written and passed from church to church to be read aloud to “those” in the congregation. 2) The term ‘the one” refers to a specific individual who God chooses to make the letter contents clear and understood and “those” refers to the believers who will accept what the person chosen by God says. This interpretation has its foundation in the work of John the Baptist, the prophesies in the Old Testament and most certainly in the words of Jesus (Matt. 17:9-11; Mark 9:1; John 21:20-24 “the one” may denote an individual, often it is not a term used in a general manner. {In Greek it is the one reading.} See Matt. 17:10-11 
“the one may also refer to anyone who reads the book. As we look at history we see Y__H often uses one person to open the door to understanding His Word. We see this with Noah, Abraham, Elijah, Isaiah, and Peter. These and others were given the keys to open the door to God’s Word so others could both understand and run with the Word now opened. We can see this clearly with Peter and Paul. Paul is rightly called the Apostle to the Gentiles but Peter opened the door with his visit to Cornelius and his comments to the other leaders in Jerusalem. Paul could not have done his job if Peter had not first unlocked the door. “those” refers to all who hear and take action on the prophesy. A term used in a general manner. {In Greek it is the ones hearing.} Gen. 33:6; Ex. 4:21; Ezr. 10:3, Psa. 70:4; Matt 25:7 “Take to heart” is important. It is important to the entire book of Revelation. This phrase means to internalize. To go beyond listening and considering but to make it a part of your life. To live the words on a daily basis This cannot be stressed enough. We MUST LIVE what we hear and learn. See Abraham, Moses, David, John the Baptist, James 2:17-26. There has been much discussion and argument concerning John’s comment that “the time is near.” Looking at the comment from a human perspective it has been a long time, not near at all. From God’s perspective in eternity the time has been very short. As with all of Revelation we must see with spiritual eyes and hear with spiritual ears and understanding comes through the Holy Spirit) Deut, 7:10, 2 Peter 3:9. (JAS Comments – End)
Greetings and Doxology
4 John to the seven churches that 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, 5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood— 6 and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father—to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
(JAS Comments – Start)
There are three personalities in this passage: 1] God; 2] the seven spirits and 3] Jesus. God was, is and is to come. God is eternal. Jesus, being begotten of God, is also eternal. The seven spirits operate by the Holy Spirit, the third person in the Trinity and is therefore also eternal. The second part of this passage is very important. It establishes the place of Jesus, God’s love for us, Jesus’ love for us, the work of Jesus as the Christ and our place in God’s plan
VERSE 04:
Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and End. God was before the beginning of time and will be after time ends. Genesis 1:1; Genesis 21:33; Deut 33:27; Psalm 41:13, Isa 9:6; John 1:1-5. Seven is the number of perfection. For a description of the seven spirits see the letters to the seven churches in Revelation chapters 2&3. John’s wording here “and from the seven spirits before the throne” let us know the seven spirits are living beings with personalities.
VERSE 05:
Here we have three important attributes of Jesus: 1} He is the faithful witness, 2} He is the firstborn from the dead and 3} He is ruler of all the earth. He is the faithful witness. Jesus was, is, and will be the witness to God, God’s plan and especially God’s love. Jesus faithfully brings God’s message and plan of salvation to the world but it is the responsibility of each person to choose if they will believe and accept that witness. He is the firstborn from the dead. Jesus is the very first to be resurrected bodily from physical death. Satan had no hold on Jesus and therefore Jesus could not be held in death. As the first Adam chose to follow Satan’s lies and partake of the Tree of Knowledge, Jesus, the second man Adam, chose to follow God and is the Tree of Life to all who will believe in and on Him. Despite what the world think Jesus is over all. Everything comes under His rule and Lordship. To deny this or to think something else is not factual and is futile. To live a life based on anything other than Jesus is Lord of all is also futile and wasted. This is the same theme that runs throughout God’s Word. He loves us and freedom from sin is only through the blood of Christ. Without His blood there can be no salvation. If a person does not accept Christ and His Blood and the salvation for their sins they cannot be part of God’s family. A person who not accept the Blood of Christ belongs to the old fallen world led by Satan and cannot be a new creature in Christ. Goodness and right living are not enough.
VERSE 06:
Our purpose and work as believers in Jesus the Christ. We must consider the gravity, importance, confidence in us and responsibility that is ours in this statement. In the ancient world and up until modern times, kings and priests were the most important members of society. If we look at ancient Egypt and even the Holy Roman Empire we see priests were considered to be higher than kings. (JAS Comments - End)
7 Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen.
8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
(JAS Comments – Start)
VERSE 07:
Why are they mourning? It is because we crucified the Christ or because the world recognizes the terrible day of the Lord has come (Isaiah 1:4)? Isaiah 61:2 states the day of God’s favor and the day of His vengeance. In Luke 4:17-21 Jesus only reads the section concerning God’s favor. That was why Jesus came, to spread God’s favor, to save us. This passage in Revelation is the day of God’s vengeance. It will not be a happy time for the world. There is some thought that verse 7 applies directly to Israel, God’s chosen land and people. The problem with this interpretation is the verse clearly states “every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him” so every one on earth will see Christ return even (including those who were responsible for murdering the Christ (Jew, Gentile, Satan and Satan’s servants.) “What is interesting is that in the Christian religious imagination, all peoples of the world here are mourning the piercing of the Christ of God; but given the fact that this is a Zecharaic allusion (see above), doubtless the tribes of Israel are in fact in view. Earth/Land (Arets) is standard designation not of all the earth in Hebrew, but of the Land of Israel in particular.”
VERSE 08:
This passage again establishes Jesus as a part of the Trinity and therefore existing with God the Father from before the beginning of creation. Alpha and Omega signify the beginning and the end. In the English alphabet it would be similar to saying from A to Z. This is saying God and therefore Jesus are our beginning and our end. Christ created us and saves us. We have our entire physical and spiritual being in Him. This is specific to creation. When applied to God the term Alpha and Omega does not go far enough. The second part of the verse provides a more far reaching description. God is, was and will be the Almighty. That is, God always was and always is and always will be. God is totally independent of time. Something we have a difficult time understanding. In eternity is simultaneously the past, present and future. With God, unlike with His creation, there is no beginning and end. Again, there is always the past, present and future as one, a unity. Very hard for us to wrap our heads around. The world will finally realize what they did to the Lord, their Creator. This does not refer to just Israel but to everyone. See Psalm 82:8 and Ecc. 1:9-10 (JAS Comments - End)
John’s Vision of Christ
9 I, John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet, 11 saying, “Write in a book what you see, and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.””
(JAS Comments – Start)
VERSE 09:
Gives John’s location and why he was there. John was on the isle because of his testimony and work for the Lord. He was not on vacation but was banished to Patmos as a result of his love for the Lord.
VERSE 10:
“Lords Day” This is not the Sabbath or Sunday but rather on the day of the Lord. The day when Christ returns. The day Christ comes to restore things and rule. Is. 13:6; 13:9; Joel 2:1, 11; Amos 5:18 “I was in the Spirit” John’s spirit is communing directly with God’s Spirit. The state of John’s body is not known or important at this point. John sees what will happen through the Holy Spirit. Trumpets denote a warning cry and a call to battle
VERSE 11:
Note the recurrent seven in Revelation. Here, at the beginning we are told there are seven spirits before the throne and then to send the message to the seven churches. This is not a coincidence. Each of the seven churches either has or is missing a specific spirit. By looking at what is evident or missing we can identify what is needed to be a perfect Church, or Bride, of Christ. (JAS Comments - End)
12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands; 13 and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His chest with a golden sash. 14 His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire. 15 His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters. 16 In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength.
(JAS Comments – Start)
VERSE 12:
Again seven. Lampstands raise a light source to where it gives more light to a larger area. Following through with the seven spirits these lampstands give the light of Christ to a much larger area. In Matthew Jesus tells us we are to be a light. We are to spread the light of Christ to the entire world.
VERSE 13:
“golden sash around His chest” is purity. Gold is made pure by being refined in fire. I wonder if this denotes His heart is truly pure. He has been tested in the fire and is found to be without sin, his heart is truly pure?
VERSE 14:
“white as snow.” White is the symbol of purity. “a flame of fire” Fire purifies. When Christ looks at us He sees us as we really are. All of the dross, what we want people to think we are is burned away and our true self is revealed to us, others and especially Christ. See Zechariah 4
VERSE 16:
“seven stars” Again, seven. “double-edged” See comments about the Spirit being a sharp sword that cleaves between body and spirit. This also gives us a hint about the Trinity. Hebrews 4:12 “sun shining in all its brilliance.” The sun brings light and warmth, the opposite of darkness and cold. Later in Revelation John states the New Jerusalem will not need the sun, Jesus will be the light of the city. (JAS Comments - End)
17 When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, 18 and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades 19 Therefore write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after these things. 20 As for 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 are the seven churches.
(JAS Comments – Start)
VERSE 17
The sight of the glorified Christ was enough to put John into a deep faint. What happens next shows the consistent character of Christ. He comforted John and told him not to be afraid. Jesus then identifies Himself as the First and the Last. The Alpha and Omega. This makes it very clear that God the Father and God the Son are one.
VERSE 18
Christ then goes to the next part of His being. He was dead and is now alive, forever. Jesus was crucified and was truly dead but was resurrected from the dead and is now alive. He is the Living One. In addition Jesus the Christ holds the key of death and Hades. Neither has any power or control over Him. In fact, Jesus has all power and control over both death and Hades.
VERSE 20
Stars represent angels? If so how does this apply to seeing the starts falling from the heavens later in Revelation? Can it mean seeing Satan and his following angels falling from Heaven? Each church has a star, or angel. Again, the seven churches are to bring the light of God’s Word, Christ, to the world. Often stars represent Angels and, as noted, lampstands provide light. This leads us to understand that each church had an Angel looking after that church to help and protect them. The Angel also identified the shortcomings of the church, let the church know what they are and help them to overcome these through Christ. Finally the Angel would recognize when the backsliding or apostasy of the church was too great and the church would lose their lampstand, their walk with Christ and ability to be a light to the world.) (Job 7:8; 1Kings 07:49; Ecc. 1:9-10; Isaiah 2:1-22; Isaiah 13:6; Isaiah 13:9; Isaiah 30:27-33; Isaiah 32:1-2; Isaiah 32:1-2; Isaiah 35:3-1; Isaiah 61:2; Ezekiel 7:10-11; Daniel All; Joel 2: 1,11; Amos 5:18-20; Amos 5:18-20; Ezekiel 7:5-9; Zephaniah 1:7; Zeph 1:13-18; Nahum 2:3-4; Ezekiel 12:26-28; Matt. 17:10-11; Matt. 17:11-13; Mark 9:1; Luke 4:17-21; John 1:1-5; 1 Thess 04:13-18 (JAS Comments - End)
Revelation 2
To the Church in Ephesus (Love seems to be the Spirit here. jas)
“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands, says this: 2 ‘I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; 3 and you have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary.
(JAS Comments – Start)
VERSE 01
The seven starts are the angels of the seven churches? The seven lampstands are the seven churches?
VERSE 02
They were working to make Jesus the Christ known to others. See John’s admonition to try the spirits to see if they are of God. 1 John 4:1
VERSE 03
The church is commended for persevering for the Lord. The church has held on to their belief despite the attempts of Satan to shake it through false teachers and prophets. They test the spirits and teachings to determine if they match up with the Word of God. (1 Thess. 5:21; 1 John 4:1-4) (JAS Comments - End)
4 But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. 5 Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place—unless you repent. 6 Yet this you do have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.’’’
(JAS Comments – Start)
This second section would appear to be in some contradiction to the first. How can they work hard, persevere and identify false teaching while, at the same time, forsaking the love they had at first? There is no contradiction. We can see the same condition in churches in all time frames, including ours. People can know the Word inside and out. They can identify false teachers and heretical teachers. At the same time, they can lose their focus on God and why they are working hard and identifying false teachings. When this happens people can (and often do) wander away from God’s light and eventually become technicians of the Word and not true believers. They end up having a similitude of the real thing but not the real thing. (2 Tim 3:5; 2 Tim 3:7; 1 John 3:9-10) Please see the comment above on Chapter 01 verse 14. There are a number of thoughts concerning who the Nicolaitans were and their beliefs and errors. The two most common are: 1) They were a group of Gnostics who believed and taught once a person was saved they were free from the Law of God. Therefore, anything they did, sexual immorality, eating food sacrificed to pagan deities, etc. did not affect the soul since the soul was saved. 2) They were a group that divided the church into clergy and laity with the clergy having control over, and being on a higher level than, the laity. These two trains of thought seem to derive from the definition of the word Nicolas. Perhaps the true answer lies in a combination of the two thoughts with the division of the church into clergy and laity and one of those being privileged to practice lifestyles they did not allow the others to practice. This was (is) much like the Pharisees & Sadducees vs. the common people in the time of Jesus. Nicolaitans believed that, since we are saved by grace through Christ, the sins of the body (sins) had no effect on the salvation of the person. This resulted in people saying they were saved yet continuing to commit the same and even worse sins after claiming salvation. (1 Corinthians 6:15; 1 John 3:8-10; 1 John 5:18) Nicolaitans also believed the priests/ministers were a higher order than the laity and were to, in effect, rule over the laity. Loving one another, except in a physical sense, did not seem to be in their doctrine.
VERSE 04
You have forsaken the love you had at first.’ is critical. It would seem they have drifted from their original passion for the Word and doing God’s Will. Perhaps the cares of the world caused their priorities to shift their focus away from serving God. Perhaps their message of Christ became important in their daily communication and lives. They are warned to return to Christ and God’s Love as the focus for their lives. If they do not, then they will move farther away from the light of the Word and God will come and remove the light they have. (Luke 9:62; Gal. 4:9; Heb. 6:4-8; Heb. 10:38-39) The reason I think the Spirit of this church is love is they need to restore their love, zeal and passion for Jesus. This is also a lesson that we cannot let the fallacies, false teachings brought into the church stand unchallenged. The church must return to, love and restore what God requires and teaches. Perhaps we need to look at this verse from the perspective of being a new Christian. When people first become Christians, they are excited and want to tell everyone about their experience and the Lord. As people walk with Christ through time that zeal and excitement become less. Christians tend to stay in their own groups more and spread the Word less. We need to keep the zeal and the excitement and continue to let others know about Christ.
VERSE 05-06
The church is told to look at themselves honestly and recognize their current state and how far they have fallen away from where they started. What do we do at first? We love the Christ with all of our heart. We repent of our sins. As much as possible we make restitution. We tell others about the Christ. Our actions and priorities change. “remove your lampstand from its place.” Take away the light of the Word and the Spirit of God. The one thing they are doing right is they have no use for the philosophy, teaching and practices of the Nicolaitans.
VERSE 07
We may read this and think, we all have ears. Generally speaking we all have physical ears and can hear physically. The question is, do we have spiritual ears to hear spiritually? (JAS Comments - End)
To the Church in Smyrna (Preservation seems to be the Spirit here. jas)
8 “And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write, ‘These things says the First and the Last, who was dead, and came to life: 9“I know your works, tribulation, and poverty (but you are rich); and I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. 11“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.”’
(JAS Comments – Start)
The Church in Smyrna shows the Spirit of Preservation of the Faith Christ looks at things much differently than the world. Where the world sees affliction, poverty and trials Christ sees riches. This is a clear indication that the spiritual is much more important than the temporal. They are warned about what is coming but also comforted that Christ is with them even through physical death. Their faith must be preserved regardless of the apparent circumstances. By keeping faith with Christ, they will have eternal life. They will be victorious because physical death is not the end. In the middle of this message Christ defines who is a true Jew.
VERSE 08
Christ starts by identifying who He is, the First and Last, who died and came to life again. This leaves no doubt who was addressing them and would also affirm their belief in Him
VERSE 09
Compare Smyrna to Laodicea. Laodicea thought they were rich but were really in poverty.
VERSE 10
The church is told that suffering is coming. Some members would be jailed. Being jailed in that time often involved torture and perhaps death. Jesus tells this will happen to them but there is and end to the suffering and those who persevere through it all will receive eternal life.
VERSE 11
Notice the two deaths mentioned and the difference between them. The first death is physical and temporal. The second death is eternal, not temporal, and does not happen to the true believer in Christ. Revelation 20:11-15.e The believers are preserved through their faith in Christ. It is also important that they, and we, are told not to be afraid of the suffering we go through for Christ. (JAS Comments - End)
To the Church in Pergamum . (Marking the things of Y__H seems to be the Spirit here. jas)
12“And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: The One who has the sharp two-edged sword says this: 13‘I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is; and you hold fast My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days of Antipas, My witness, My faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. 14But I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit acts of immorality. 15So you also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16Therefore repent; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of My mouth.
(JAS Comments – Start)
The Church in Pergamum shows the Spirit of Marking - making visible, plain and clear the things of God. Hab. 2:2-3 Pergamum was a political center in the Roman Empire. It was also a center of pagan worship with temples to the Roman emperors, Athena and Zeus. The pagan worship was so important to the people of Pergamum that Antipas, as leader of the Christian church in Pergamum, was executed because of his testimony and work for the Lord. The city was so evil that it was referred to as the throne of Satan. In other words, Satan felt comfortable enough to make his home there.
VERSE 12
Hebrews 4:12 and Rev 1:16 show the sword referred to here is the Word of God and is fundamental to this message. An important fact about the written word is, however much a person agrees, disagrees, believes or disbelieves after all has been said and argued what was written does not change. The Word of God makes it plain what God requires, how we are to act, why God requires these things, what has happened, is happening and will happen. God has marked out the future and the road for us. He has made it plain. We have no excuse. (Romans 1:16; Eph 6:17)
VERSE 13
Pergamum had a very prominent temple dedicated to the Greek god of healing. In addition, the first Christian martyr, Antipas, was murdered there. In the midst of all the pressure to renounce Christ the church stayed true to Him. This pressure would be cultural, economic, physical and familial.
VERSE 14
Nicolaitans were those who taught that, since a person had been born again they could do anything they wanted to do. The body did not matter and any sin to, in or with the body did not affect the spirit. The two, food sacrificed to idols and sexual immorality are linked here. This linking indicates far more than [unknowingly] eating food sacrificed to idols but rather joining in the idol [pagan] worship. The false doctrines of Balak and the Nicolaitans is specifically noted. We have addressed the Nicolaitans above. Balak was the King of Moab who hired Balaam to curse Israel. Balak’s idea was for Balaam to put God under an obligation to help Balak defeat Israel. When that did not work Balaam came up with the idea to lead the Israelites astray by intermarriage and leading the Israelites into idolatry. The error of Balak and the Nicolaitans were similar in nature. Both were designed to lead believers away from God through the sins of the flesh. (Numbers 22-24)
VERSE 15
See previous comments concerning this group.
VERSE 16
The believers in Pergamum stayed with Jesus and made the Word clearly known, to the point that the first Christian martyr [Antipas] was martyred there. (JAS Comments - End)
17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it.
(JAS Comments – Start)
VERSE 17
Manna, heavenly food. Does this mean more of the Word of God will be revealed to those who have the true desire to hear the Holy Spirit speaking? Not food for just everyone? Names were very important in earlier times. A person’s name told much about the person and their parent’s expectations for them. The new name is given by God and tells much about the person and God’s love and expectations for the person. The name is very, very personal and therefore is not shared. (JAS Comments - End)
To the Church in Thyatira (Teaching seems to be the Spirit here. jas)
18“And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: The Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet are like burnished bronze, says this: 19‘I know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and perseverance, and that your deeds of late are greater than at first. 20But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.21I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality. 22Behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds. 23And I will kill her children with pestilence, and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds.
(JAS Comments – Start)
The Church in Thyatira shows the Spirit of Teaching.
VERSE 18
Again, Jesus the Christ introduces who He is in no uncertain terms. He is the Son of God. He is all powerful. He is I AM. I am is present tense but means He always is, always has been and always will be I AM. Regardless of where we go in time Jesus is. The introduction to this message identifies the person whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. It is the Son of God, Jesus the Christ. Fire refines and Jesus sees us for who we really are and, if we allow, through the Holy Spirit He will refine us, eliminate the dross. The term “His feet are like burnished bronze” seems to be difficult to understand. It may come from a technical term used by metal workers. The actual word is a combination of Hebrew and Greek words. Perhaps (and I emphasize perhaps) the idea is Christ will carry His words to all nations, Jew and Gentile. There is also the idea that God’s Word is beautiful, stable and completely dependable, like polished high-grade bronze. The message starts off with a compliment on their perseverance and growth doing the works of God. Immediately after the compliment the church is taken to task for allowing a woman who is a false prophet to teach. The woman is identified as Jezebel. This may not be her name but certainly does identify her spirit and actions. As Jezebel, the wife of Ahab, led the Israelites into idolatry so this woman, by her false teachings is doing the same. (1 Kings 18:4; 1 Kings 21:25)
VERSE 19
Christ, through John, lets the Thyatira Church of God know that He is very aware of their deeds, their works, what they do daily. It is important to see that Christ does NOT point out specifics but rather sees the deeds as the natural result of the love, faith, service and perseverance through Christ. In effect Christ looks at the state of their heart which results in Christian works. This is very much the same as what James said {James 2:17-19}. Christ also notes they have grown. Their faith, love, service and perseverance have grown and become stronger.
VERSE 20
This points up the importance of teaching and how it can be used for evil. It seems this woman is promulgating the teaching of the Gnostics and the Nicolaitans. Both groups taught the body and spirit were separate therefore what was done in the body did not affect the spirit. This led to believers sinning while thinking it did not matter to their salvation. This is not consistent with God’s Word. Looking at the works of this woman we can see a great similarity to the works of Balak, Balaam and the Nicolaitans. The woman is leading believers astray by her teaching. The importance of teaching the Word of God can be clearly seen in Matt. 5:19; 1 Tim. 1:3; 1 Tim 4:10-11; Titus 1:10-11; Titus 2:1-15. Despite her false teaching God gave her opportunity to repent but she refused to do so. She was caught up in her false teaching and the supposed power it brought her. There is a clear delineation between those who follow her false teachings and those who do not follow her but rather follow the teachings of God.
VERSE 21-22
Even in the case of this false prophet Christ allows time and room for repentance. The person chose not to repent therefore her punishment is what she chose. In addition to her punishment those who follow her and take part in her teachings and actions will, if they do not repent, share in her punishment.
VERSE 23
“Her children”…this means all those who follow her teachings, people and organizations? Each person is responsible for their own walk with Christ. Each person is responsible to obey and DO God’s Word. Following another person’s or organization’s set of rules is no help if their rules do not match up with the Word. Being liberal or conservative does not matter if a person is not obeying and doing the Word of God. Paul says to work out our own salvation in fear and trembling {Php. 2:12}. He also said that those in the Berean church were more honorable because they looked into what he said. They did not just take Paul at his word but looked into the law and prophets. We must do the same by listening to what is said, reading what is written, then looking into the Word to see if they match. {Acts 17:10-11} (JAS Comments - End)
24But I say to you, the rest who are in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the deep things of Satan, as they call them—I place no other burden on you. 25Nevertheless what you have, hold fast until I come. 26He who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations; 27and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of the potter are broken to pieces, as I also have received authority from My Father; 28and I will give him the morning star. 29 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’
(JAS Comments – Start)
VERSE 24
The woman called Jezebel was teaching false beliefs. She was trying to use a counterfeit of Christ’s teaching to confuse people and lead them away from the one true God. {During this time in history Mithraism was very prevalent. Mithraism was a “mystery” religion, meaning initiates had to go through many rituals before they could learn the “mysteries” of Mithra. The iconic scenes of Mithras show him being born from a rock, slaughtering a bull, and sharing a banquet with the god Sol {the Sun}. The bull was slaughtered above the initiate with the blood of the bull pouring down on and over the initiate. This is a direct attempt by Satan to mimic what Christ did for us by His death and resurrection. It was intended to confuse those both inside and outside the Y__H’s Church. The Mithraic mysteries were practiced from about the 1st to 4th centuries AD.}
VERSE 25
Exodus 14:13
VERSE 26-27
Finally there is a statement that seems to be a bit odd in this context. “26 To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations— 27 that one ‘will rule them with an iron scepter and will dash them to pieces like pottery’—just as I have received authority from my Father. 28 I will also give that one, the Morning Star. 29 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” [Emphasis mine.] In Rev. 22:16 Jesus calls himself the Bright Morning Star. This is clearly different than the Morning Star. Another point often missed is Jesus said, “the one.” If everyone was to be the morning star the term used would be more inclusive. Job 38:7 tells of a time when the morning stars sang together. Satan rebelled against God’s Will and left his place in heaven. Perhaps the idea is a person to replace Satan and take his place as the morning star. (Is. 14:13; Oba 1:4; Matt 28:20; Luke 10:18; Rev. 22:16)
VERSE 28
Once again, as in Revelation 1:3 it denotes an individual, not anyone in general but a specific individual. Remember, the Morning Star was Satan and, since he rebelled against God and was cast out of Heaven his position must be restored by another taking his place. This is part of Y__H’s actions in Acts 3:21.
VERSE 29
Spiritual ears. Exodus 14:13; Ezekiel 7:10-11; Daniel All; Isaiah 2:1-22; Amos 5:18-20; Hab. 2:2-3; Acts 17:10-11; Php. 2:12; James 2:17-19; 1 John 4:1; Rev. 14:3 (JAS Comments - End)
To the Church in Sardis (Perfection seems to be the Spirit here. jas)
He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars, says this: ‘I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. 2Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God. 3So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Therefore, if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you. 4But you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments; and they will walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. 5He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. 6He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’
(JAS Comments – Start)
The Church in Sardis shows the Spirit of Perfection
VERSE 01
Again, seven, the number of perfection. Christ here introduces Himself as the Perfect One. This seems to be directly related to Christ’s comment to the church at Thyatira. In the previous church Christ tells them He sees their deeds, acts, and sees they are genuine, from the heart, the new heart they received when they were saved. In this case He sees the deeds and acts are not genuine, not from the foundation of Christian love, service, faith true belief and perseverance. Christ sees well beyond appearances to the foundation for our actions, our heart.
VERSE 02
The call to wake up is incumbent upon the ministry and all members of the Church of God to make. {Eze. 33:6-7; Isa 21:6, 11} Going part way is not enough. It is all or nothing. {Luke 9:62} It would seem in this case they are being told not to believe their own press but to see themselves as they are but to realize they are not perfect and return to following God completely. Although the church members and those around them may think they are alive and working hard, God sees into the heart and knows they are really dead. Their motivations are wrong. They do the works but for the wrong reasons. (Matthew 7:21-23) The idea of perfection is seen in verses 4 and 5 with those who have not soiled their clothes with sin. The color white indicates being spotless, without any stain or blot of sin. This can only come through Christ. (Is. 1:18; Is. 61:10; Zec. 3:4; 2 Peter 2:20; 1 John 1:7; 1 John 2:15-16
VERSE 03
They had received the Word and learned the Word but were letting it slip away. It had become a low priority. Echoes Matt 25 and other Scriptures
VERSE 04
Have not walked in sin. Their trust, hope, heart and actions are in Christ. Christ states they will walk with Him. They will have eternal life with Christ. Think of the privilege we have to walk with the Christ. White denotes purity.
VERSE 05
Again, the one. Since this is Christ talking who is He referring to? Is this the same person as in Chapter 1 verse 3? Purity and perfection work together. A person whose heart, thinking and actions are pure will also be perfect. In Matt. 5:48 commands us to “be perfect even as the Father in Heaven is perfect.” This is not a suggestion but a command. To understand this command, we must look at the context of the section. Jesus was talking about love, loving everyone, having a heart that loves regardless of circumstance or past history. Only by having God’s heart of love can we be pure and perfect.
VERSE 06
This is again very similar to Chapter 1. This also emphasizes the importance of the message to the seven churches. There is much to learn from each of the messages and each of the churches. (JAS Comments - End)
To the Church in Philadelphia (Publishing God’s Word seems to be the Spirit here. jas)
7“And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:
He who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens, and no one will shut, and who shuts, and no one opens, says this: 8‘I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have kept My word, and have not denied My name. 9Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—I will make them come and bow down at your feet and make them know that I have loved you. 10Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. 11I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown. 12He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name. 13He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’
(JAS Comments – Start)
The Church in Philadelphia shows the Spirit of Publishing {making known, spreading} God’s Word Hab. 2:2-3
VERSE 07
Here is another aspect of the Christ He shows in His introduction. He is Holy and True. There is no sin or falsehood in Christ. He holds the government in His hands and has the power to control what does and does not happen. (John 8:46 “Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me?” ESV)
Isaiah 9:6-7, 22:20-22. Isaiah 9:6-7 tells us the government shall be upon the shoulder of the Christ. That is, the Christ is the ruler of this world and, after His return, shall govern the world from Jerusalem. Isaiah 22:20-22 repeats that the government shall be upon the shoulders of the Christ but adds the phrase “the key of David.” Further clarification is provided by the statement “so he shall open, and none shall shut; and He shall shut, and none shall open.” There were two doors in the temple. The first opened into the Holy Place. The second door opened into the Holiest of Holies. Christ unlocked and opened both of these doors indicating He is the way to salvation and therefore to God for all peoples, Jew and Gentile. This phrase is a direct repetition of Isaiah 20:22 and a direct link back to the prophets. What Christ does cannot be stopped regardless of man’s efforts to do so. What Christ stops cannot be restarted regardless of man’s efforts.
VERSE 08
The Christians in Philadelphia are given an opportunity to make know, publish, the Gospel of Jesus the Christ (Messiah). This door to make the Word of God known was opened by Jesus and will stay open as long as God wants it to remain open. Nothing man does can shut that door of opportunity. Only God can shut that door when God determines it is time. This message starts out by making it very clear what God intends will happen and what God does not intend will not happen. This also lets both the church in Philadelphia, and us, know it is not by our power but by God’s power our work is accomplished. Although the church seemed to have little influence or strength they are saved through Christ and God’s hand will save them from all external dangers. (John 4:22; Romans 1:16; Romans 10:10)
VERSE 09
“Those enemies are described to be such as said they were Jews but lied in saying so - pretended to be the only and peculiar people of God but were really the assembly (congregation) of Satan. Assemblies that worship God in spirit and in truth are the Israel of God; assemblies that either worship false gods, or the true God in a false manner, are the synagogues of Satan: though they may profess to be the only people of God, their profession is a lie.” {Matthew Henry Commentary} Henry makes an important distinction here between physical and spiritual Jews. Those born Jewish are not the true Jews, those born again through Jesus the Christ are in fact the true Jews, God’s chosen people. {John 3:1-21} See comments on Revelation 2:9. Specific mention is made here of a synagogue of Jews that appear to be giving the church difficulty. This group claims to be Jews but are not and are liars. This can be interpreted that the group really were not Jews but were falsely claiming to be so. Another interpretation is the group really are Jews by birth but not by belief. This brings up the question of who is a Jew, a member of the covenant. Is the covenant a matter of physical circumcision only or is it a spiritual matter. Is a true Jew a person who accepts the old covenant or the new covenant through Christ? (Romans 2:28-29; Col. 2:11) John 3:3-21 provides guidance in this area. Jesus told Nicodemus, a Jew by birth and circumcised, that a person must be born twice, once physically and once spiritually. Without the spiritual birth and person cannot see heaven. This makes it clear that even a Jew by birth and circumcised must be born again. A true Jew is one who believes in Christ as the Messiah.
VERSE 10
They did not complain or try to shortcut God’s plan but waited and endured having faith that God would do what He said. They did not worry about apparent circumstances but continued to have faith and believe. Because they were patient in faith, they would be spared the hour of trial. Christ does not tell us how they would be spared. The point is made that these people will be kept from the time of testing that will come on the entire earth. Does this mean the time of tribulation (3.5 years), indignation (3.5 years) or all seven years? How will these people be kept safe? It does not specify at this point. Hal Lindsay in his book Late Great Planet Earth states that all true Christians will be taken prior to the tribulation or indignation, in other words no true Christian will go through any of this. His contention is based on the interpretation of one passage in one of Paul’s letters. His theory is based on an interpretation of one passage but is not supported by Scripture.
VERSE 11
This goes back to the previous comment about patience. Keep safe the Word of God in you. Hold fast to the Gospel you have learned. Have faith in Christ and His Word and no one can take away your crown, reward. If you hold fast to the Word, Satan and his followers cannot entice or deceive you to leave your first love, Christ.
VERSE 12 - 13
Finally, they are told they will be a pillar in the temple of God. They will be seen as a group that holds up and supports the Church of God. “I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name.” Their position and faithfulness will be published (written and made known) to all. (Matt. 24:13; Romans 4:16; 1 Cor. 1:8; Heb 3:14) They will be known to all as those who belong to God. This goes back to the previous comment about patience. Keep safe the Word of God in you. Hold fast to the Gospel you have learned. Have faith in Christ and His Word and no one can take away your crown, reward. If you hold fast to the Word Satan and his followers cannot entice or deceive you to leave your first love, Christ. Again, a new name. This time it is the name of God as well as the individual’s new name. God’s name indicates we belong to God. We are His people. We are also given a new name indicating we are special in God’s eyes. He names us as a father names his children. (JAS Comments - End)
To the Church in Laodicea (Evangelism seems to be the Spirit here. jas)
14“To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this:
15‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. 16 So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. 17Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, 18I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. 19those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore, be zealous and repent. 20Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. 21He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. 22He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”
(JAS Comments – Start)
The Church in Laodicea shows the Spirit of Evangelism Ezekiel 7:10-11; Eze. 33:6-7; Daniel All; Job 23:10; Psa. 103:12; Isaiah 2:1-22; Isaiah 9:6-7; Isa 21:6, 11; Isaiah 22:20-22; Amos 5:18-20; Zec. 3:3; Matt. 5:48; Matt. 17:3; Matt 25 all; Matt 28:3; Luke 9:62; John 3:1-21; Acts 3:19; 26:20) The church at Laodicea is seen by many as a church desperately needing revival. Revival has been defined as calling sinners to repentance and Christians to action. Laodicea needed both. Matthew 28:19-20 {“19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” NIV} clearly defines our work and responsibility as believers.
VERSE 14
This introduction is a bit different than the others. Christ immediately establishes His position and credentials. This introduction immediately lets the reader know that Christ will allow no argument to His following remarks. There is no justification for the Laodicean’s present position, philosophies and actions.
VERSE 15
Now Jesus lets the Laodiceans know He is well aware of their attitudes, priorities and actions. They were lukewarm, neither hot or cold. Not good for accomplishing anything. They tried to live in a gray area we humans seem to love but Y__H does not recognize or allow.
VERSE 16
Water was and is very important to those living in arid or semi-arid parts of the world. Hot water can be used to cook. Cold water is refreshing. Lukewarm water is good for neither cooking nor refreshing. Taking a mouthful of lukewarm water when expecting either hot or cold water often results in spitting it out. Make a decision either for or against. Not making a decision is making a decision against Christ. A wrong decision can be recovered. Paul is a great example. He made a decision against Christ, but Christ used that to turn him around and make a decision for Christ. {Acts 7:58; Acts 9:3-6} Not making a decision is difficult to recover from and change direction.
VERSE 17
Because they were wealthy and comfortable by the world’s standards they thought they were also spiritually wealthy. They were wrong. Due to their material wealth they did not see they were spiritually wretched, blind, naked and destitute. Spiritually they were the opposite of what they were materially. They had laid up treasure on earth and not in heaven. Worse, they thought because they laid up treasures on earth those same treasures translated into heavenly treasures. They were blinded by the world and their possessions to their true condition and were in great danger, by their own choice, of being left out of God’s family. (Prov. 27:24; Matt 6:24; Matt. 13:22; Luke 18:22-27; 1 Tim 6:17)
VERSE 18
Regardless of their self-delusion and blindness Christ still holds out His hand with salvation. They can repent of their ways and come back to Christ. They can rearrange their priorities and put Christ first. This will not be easy. Christ’s remarks about gold refined in the fire lets them and we know that. Gold refined in the fire is pure. {Job 23:10} They can become truly rich in the things of God. They can have white clothes {another symbol of purity Matt. 17:3, 28:3} to wear. Souls washed in the blood of Christ become totally white, pure. They can clothe themselves with righteousness and perfection through the love of Christ. Finally, they can have the healing power of Christ and the Holy Spirit, so they can see spiritually, truly see.
VERSE 19
Verse 19 gives us the reason God is upbraiding the church for their condition, He loves them. God does not want to see the church leave Him through ignorance of their true spiritual condition. Their spiritual condition is the result of Satan’s work and God is opening their eyes to reality. God holds out His love to those in the church and offers forgiveness and eternal safety. (Prov. 15:5; Eph. 5:11; 1 Tim. 5:20) This verse clearly shows Christ’s love for the wayward church. He does not want any to be lost. Be clear in your recognition of your true spiritual condition, of your sin, and truly repent. {Acts 3:19; 26:20}
VERSE 20
Anyone!! All can open the door of their being to Christ. What that person was or did in the past does not matter {Psa. 103:12} if they truly repent and accept the salvation of Christ.
VERSE 21
Once again we see the use of the phrase “the one.” Is this an individual as in Chapter 1 or is it anyone who is victorious?
VERSE 21
Again, hearing and understanding which comes only through the Holy Spirit. (JAS Comments - End)
The Throne in Heaven
After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things.” 2 Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and One sitting on the throne. 3 And He who was sitting was like a jasper stone and a sardius in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance. 4 Around the throne were twenty-four thrones; and upon the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white garments, and golden crowns on their heads. 5 Out from the throne come flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God;
(JAS Comments – Start)
VERSE 01
John 10:7-9; Rev. 3:8 John was summoned. John did not presume to enter the presence of God until he was summoned. The “door standing open” could symbolize free and open access to God’s salvation for all who wish to enter. It could also refer to the ancient thought that the sky was a dome with heaven above it and a door going from earth to heaven. I believe it is the first. All who accept the salvation Messiah brings have open access to heaven and to be where God is, for those who do not the door is closed. (John 3:16-18)
VERSE 02-03
John is very clear that he is in the spirit when he entered God’s presence. He was not in doubt about what was happening. In ancient times, and even now, a throne is understood to symbolize majesty and power. When a person approaches the person on the throne they bow, acknowledging the majesty and power of the person on the throne. When Handel was asked how he had come to write the Messiah he replied, “I saw the heavens opened and God upon His great white throne.” Jasper is the glory of God, splendor, brightness, magnificence and beauty while ruby indicates great value, costly glories, wisdom, and prized treasure. It is Christ on the throne. The glory of God is spoken of many times in the Bible. The green rainbow is a calming color and was around the throne. We cannot truly understand the awesomeness, breadth, depth and timelessness of God’s glory and saving love. John 11:40 brings us to see and somewhat understand the power of God and His glory when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. Php. 2:10-11; Psa. 24:7-10; 104:31. Proverbs makes it very clear that wisdom is a key. True wisdom comes from the Lord and leads a person to the Lord. Job 32:7-9; Prov. 9:1 & 10; 15:33; 24:3; 30:3-5; Luke 2:40; 1 Cor. 1:24 & 30. Prov. 3:35 ties together wisdom and glory. “The wise shall inherit glory…” Those who believe in and accept Christ as their personal savior shall inherit the glory God has for us. Those who do not accept Christ shall only inherit eternal shame. They will not inherit the glory God has for us. Emerald also denotes the glories of God, fresh, flourishing, essence of life, growth, integrity, new life, increase and prosperity. All of these come from and are a part of God. There cannot be life without God, whether that is life on earth or spiritual life in heaven The rainbow is a sign of God’s promise that He would never again destroy the earth by water. Gen. 9:11-17 As a note water cleanses, fire purifies. At the flood the world was cleansed.
VERSE 04
The 24 elders were pure in their body {actions} and minds {thoughts, etc.} The number 24 is one of many times 24, or two twelves, (12 from the old covenant and 12 from the new covenant.) appear in the Scriptures and especially in Revelation. As we study the Scriptures, we see 12 princes of the tribes of Israel and the initial 12 apostles. (Num. 1:44; Isa. 32:1; Psa. 122:5; Matt. 19:28; 22:30.) Both groups are told they would reign with Christ in eternity. The 24 elders represent God working with His people throughout history. These 24 men were promised they would judge the world and the thrones fulfill Jesus’ promise to them. (Matthew 19:27-29) The Seven Spirits take us back to the seven churches. We have an indication of who and what the Spirits are by looking at what was emphasized in the seven churches. The one commonality between all the churches is communication. God communicates with His creation.
VERSE 05
These show the power in the message of God, a message that demands our attention. Very often in the Scriptures God manifests His presence through thunder and lightnings. We see this in Ezekiel, Psalms, Job, Exodus and throughout the Scriptures. The Menorah is a type of this. In this case the candles were blazing not just burning. Burning means to be on fire. Blazing means to burn brightly and intensely. These were burning with great intensity indicating their importance and vital nature for the believer. See the seven churches and the Spirit each had or was missing The Menorah is a type of the seven lamps of flame, spirits. It is a physical representation of the seven Spirits always before God. (JAS Comments - End)
6 and before the throne there was something like a sea of glass, like crystal; and in the center and around the throne, four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind. 7 The first creature was like a lion, and the second creature like a calf, and the third creature had a face like that of a man, and the fourth creature was like a flying eagle. 8 And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.”
(JAS Comments – Start)
VERSE 06
We are not told the nature of the substance making up the sea. We are told it shone like a sea of the purest glass, a sea of crystal glass, absolutely pure and clear, totally transparent. This sea would shine to the point it would be impossible to look at directly. God is absolutely pure, and His Holiness Purity, Love and Grace shine forth to the point it is impossible for us to look at Y__H directly. Through Christ we can see the holiness, purity, love and grace of God. In the Temple in Jerusalem was a very large vessel of brass called a laver or sea. {1 Kings 7:23} This vessel was filled with water and was to be used by the priests for washing before offering the sacrifice. John sees a sea made of glass and totally clear. This sea could not be used for washing before a sacrifice because Christ is the perfect sacrifice and there was/is no longer any need for washing before the sacrifice. We will not need to sacrifice any animals. Christ is the eternal sacrifice. The sea was clear as crystal. Nothing was/is hidden. Through Christ all things are revealed. The living creatures are very similar to those seen by Ezekiel (EZE. 1:10). Each creature has a characteristic that reflects part of the character of God. The living creatures are always near the throne and the lamb and are constantly praising and worshipping God. Some historians and theologians posit that these beasts came from the deities of the Babylonians. The opposite is the case. Satan, having been a chief angel of God, saw what was in heaven and has tried to replicate it on earth. The Babylonians, via their father Satan, have tried to usurp what is Y__H’s and claim it as theirs.
VERSE 07
A lion is seen as a ruler, mighty and powerful. Gen. 49:9-10; Prov. 28:1; 30:30 The ox is patient, a servant. The ox does not give up but continues until the task is done. The ox has great strength. Prov. 14:4 Gen. 1:26-27; 2:7; Rom. 5:15-19. Man is the only earthly creation made in God’s image. This does not mean Y__H has the same physical appearance as do we but we have the same characteristics as God. We have personality, emotions, intelligence, the ability to make decisions, etc. The creature with the face of a man may be man as God created us, not as we have become. Is. 40:31; Exodus 19:4. The eagle shows power and in ancient times was the symbol of wisdom and rational thinking. A trait of the eagle is the time, patience and effort they give to teaching their young to fly. All these are a part of God’s characteristics. God is wisdom. God loves His creation and take much time to teach us how to follow His word and depend on the Holy Spirit.
VERSE 08
The six wings seem to indicate these are Seraphim. Seraphim are described in Is. 6:1-7; 2:4 The root of "Seraphim" comes either from the Hebrew verb saraph ('to burn') or the Hebrew noun saraph {a fiery, flying serpent}. As an aside, there is thought that Lucifer, Satan, was originally a Seraphim before he chose to rebel against God. (JAS Comments - End)
9 And when the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, to Him who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 11 “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.”
(JAS Comments – Start)
VERSE 09-10
There is a connection here with all the creation in heaven and earth giving praise to God. The four living creature who are and have been in heaven give praise to God and the 24 elders who had been of the earth and now are in Heaven join in the praise and worship to God. 12 old covenant & 12 new covenant
VERSE 11
Gen. 1:1; John 1:1 The Seraphim give praise to God and the 24 elders on the thrones follow. They all recognize God’s glory, power, holiness and as the creator of everything. The elders place their crowns before God’s throne recognizing all they have and are belong to God. This is also because they love God who first loved them.) Php. 2:10-11; Psa. 24:7-10; 104:31; Job 32:7-9; Prov. 9:1, 10; Prov. 15:33; 24:3; 30:3-5; Luke 2:40; 1 Cor. 1:24, 30. Prov. 3:35; Gen. 9:11-17; Num. 1:44; Isa. 32:1; Psa. 122:5; Matt. 19:28; 22:30; 1 kings 7:23; Eze. 1:10; Gen. 49:9-10; Prov. 28:1; 30:30 Prov. 14:4 Gen. 1:26-27; 2:7; Rom. 5:15-19 Is. 6:1-7; 2:4; Is. 40:31; Exodus 19:4 Is. 6:1-7; 2:4 Gen. 1:1; John 1:1; Ezekiel 7:10-11; Daniel All; Isaiah 2:1-22; Amos 5:18-20; John 10:7-9; Rev. 3:8 (JAS Comments - End)
Revelation 5
The Scroll and the Lamb
I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a book written inside and on the back, sealed up with seven seals. 2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the book and to break its seals?” 3 And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the book or to look into it. 4 Then I began to weep greatly because no one was found worthy to open the book or to look into it; 5 and one of the elders *said to me, “Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals.”
(JAS Comments – Start)
VERSE 01
The scroll written on both sides indicate completeness. The seven seals indicate importance and limited access. They also indicate the Seven Spirits which again show completeness and what is written is from God.
VERSE 02
The term “a mighty angel” points out that this angel was/is a bit different from the others. Perhaps this angel had more power than others. His question is proclaimed to all creation within earth and heaven.
VERSE 03
No one and nothing in creation, the entire universe, could open the scroll. This includes any person, creature or angelic being, including Satan. No one and nothing in creation could reveal the mysteries of God except God.
VERSE 04
John was crushed by the fact the scroll could not be opened. His emotion was so strong he wept because no one could be found to reveal what was in the scroll. No one could reveal the mysteries of God.
VERSE 05
While weeping in despair one of the elders comes to John and tells him there is one who can open the scroll. That one is “Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David.” That is Christ. {Gen. 49:10; Isa. 11:1; Isa. 11:10} Jesus the Christ is the only one able to open the scroll. Jesus is NOT part of the creation but is a part of God. Jesus is the Word of God. Only God can open the scroll. “John was weeping and yet his tears were unnecessary. Human grief often springs from insufficient knowledge. If we had patience to wait and trust, we would see that God has his own solutions for the situations which bring us tears.” (Barclay Commentary on Revelation) See Psalm 82:8 (JAS Comments - End)
6 And I saw between the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders a Lamb standing, as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth. 7 And He came and took the book out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. 8 When He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they *sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. 10 “You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.”
(JAS Comments – Start)
VERSE 06-07
John saw Christ. Jesus is the perfect Passover Lamb. John saw Jesus in the center, or midst, of the throne and clearly saw His wound from the crucifixion. It is important we recognize Jesus was in the center or midst of the throne. Jesus was not on the outside looking in as were the elders, angels, creatures, etc. He was in the midst of the throne with God the Father. The seven horns and seven eyes tell us Jesus has perfect power {horns} and perfect knowledge, understanding and wisdom {eyes}. Jesus took {received} the scroll from God. We must take care that we do in read the word “took” as something snatched or taken by some force. In this case it means received, was given.
VERSE 08
Once Jesus took the scroll the elders and creatures worshipped Him as they did/do the Father. The harps are instruments of praise. David played the harp {lyre} to praise God in his psalms. The golden bowls full of incense are the prayers of the saints. The description of the bowels as gold tells us these prayers are pure, the saints have been refined in the fire and their prayers and praises are pure with nothing false at all in them. Again we have a new song being sung by the elders and creatures. The entire church and creation sing this song. In this case we are given the words of the song. The words are praises to Christ for being worthy to open the scroll because His willingness to suffer and die for His creation. This song also makes it very clear Jesus’ blood purchased salvation for everyone, not just one group or nation but all of mankind. Finally the song tells us God’s future plans for those who accept the Salvation of Christ. They will be a nation. They will be priests to God and will reign on the earth under the government of Christ. This could be during the thousand years of Christ’s reign on the earth {Rev. 20:6-7}, on the new earth {Rev. 21} or perhaps both. See Psalm 40:3 (JAS Comments - End)
11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.” 13 And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, “To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.” 14 And the four living creatures kept saying, “Amen.” And the elders fell down and worshiped.
(JAS Comments – Start)
VERSE 11
Notice again that all the angels, living creatures and elders encircled the throne, they were not in the midst of the throne but were outside the throne, surrounding it and praising the Lamb, Christ, who was in the midst {part of} the throne.
VERSE 12
The angels recognize Christ as the lamb slain (the Passover lamb) and His power, strength, glory and praise. The Lamb is worthy to be praised and glorified as well as to receive power, wisdom and strength because of His love and willingness to suffer and be slain for our salvation.
VERSE 13
Now John sees an amazing thing, every creature in all of God’s creation sings praises to the Lamb, Christ, for His salvation. All of creation, every creature, is ecstatic with joy, love, adoration and praises for Jesus’ salvation of mankind.) (Job 7:8; Psalm 40:3; Isaiah 32:1-2; Isaiah 42:10-17; Gen. 49:10; Isa. 11:1; Isa. 11:10)
VERSE 14
As the creation is praising God and Christ the four living creature and the 24 elders said Amen (agreed with the praise and stating there is no more to be added) and also fell before the throne and worshipped.
(JAS Comments - End)
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