The Greek word for "revelation" in verse 1 is apokalupsis which means "an uncovering" or "unveiling."
The old King James version titles it "The Revelation of St. John the Divine." That is categorically wrong. The NIV calls it simply, "Revelation." That also is wrong. The book names itself in the very first verse: The revelation of Jesus Christ.
Why have self-proclaimed scholars missed that point? You got me. I have no idea. It is so clear that you almost don't need the Holy Spirit to reveal it to you. (But trust me, you DO need Him to get it right.)
So get it straight. This book is the revelation of Christ given to John.
The second thing to learn is that The Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ is not about churches in Ephesus, Thyratira, Sardis or anywhere else. It is not about strange beasts, black and white horses, lamp stands or who is or is not sealed. It is about Jesus Christ.
The third thing to learn is that The Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ was not given to tell us about how "end times" affects or will affect us. The prophecies contained in the book are there to show the superiority of Christ and His ultimate victory. (Praise God! We get to share in it!)
If you are immersed in white robes, trumpets, angels and dragons and miss Jesus, you have misinterpreted the book.
The final thing to learn is that there are NO mysteries in the book. Everything in the book is explained in the book, and any attempt to ascribe to its content anything but the supremacy of Christ is heresy.
Many, many...far too many TV preachers have complicated the book in order to make themselves look smart, scholarly or insightful. Do not listen to them. They are false prophets of the kind Jesus warned about in Matthew 7, that Paul spoke of in Galatians, 1 Timothy and other books, and that John addressed in 1st. 2nd and 3rd John.
You might have noticed that I listed four things to learn. In reality, there is only one, and His name is Jesus Christ.
So...let's get to it.
The Book of the Revelation Chapter 1
Verse 1-2 - Here the book is named. Here we also learn that God gave this revelation to John. He gave it to John to show to His servants. (More on this in a moment.) He gave it to John because John is the only disciple who was present for ALL of Jesus' ministry, right up to the cross and the resurrection. He gave it to John because John "testifies to everything he saw - that is the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Verse 3 - We who read this book (prophecy), hear this book and take it to heart (that is, accept its protagonist: Jesus Christ) will be made deeply satisfied (blessed). The time of Christ's triumph was, is and always will be. It is near right now. As the song writer once penned: He's as close as the mention of His name.
Verse 4 - No debate here. The earthly author of the book is John. This is John the Beloved. This is John who watched the crucifixion. This is John who ran to the tomb to witness the resurrection. This was John who was present at the ascension.
He proclaims Christ's grace and His peace. He calls Christ the one who is, who was, and who is to come. He also claims to bring greetings from the "seven spirits" before the throne of Jesus.
Scholars do not agree on who or what these seven spirits are. Three interpretations prevail:
1) they use a biblical number of completeness or perfection (7) to signify the Holy Spirit;
2) they are angelic beings like the seraphim or cherubin;
3) they are the seven spirits listed in Isaiah 11:2 [ (1) Spirit of the Lord; (2) Spirit of Wisdom; (3) Spirit of Understanding; (4) Spirit of counsel; (5) Spirit of Power; (6) Spirit of Knowledge and (7) Spirit of the fear of the Lord.]
I personally lean toward #1, but can also see #3. I cannot accept #2.
Verse 5 - Once again, the issue is not who the spirits are, but who Christ is: the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
Verse 6 - Christ loves us, He died for us and He makes us into a kingdom of priests. This is not the first or only reference to Christians being priests. Check out 1 Peter 2:5; 1 Peter 2:9; and Hebrews 7:11, 7:12, 7:14 and 7:24.
A priest is one who has access to God. You are a priest, not just figuratively, but in every sense of the word. Our very purpose is single-fold: to serve God, who is glory and power forever. AMEN!
Verse 8 - Jesus was a member of the Godhead in the beginning, during His life and from now throughout eternity. He says of Himself that He is the "Alpah and Omega, who is, and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."
"The almighty!" Can there possible be any clearer that Jesus and God are One?
2 comments:
Revelation, the concluding book of the Scriptures, unfolds the great events bringing history to consummation, including the revelation of Jesus Christ at His second advent. The word “revelation,” used as the title of the book, is from the Latin revelatio, which means (as does the Greek apokalupsis, from which the English word “apocalypse” is derived) disclosure of that which was previously hidden or unknown. C. I. Scofield, DD looking forward to the rest of the story. Paul Harvey
Jeff: "The word “revelation,” used as the title of the book, is from the Latin revelatio, which means (as does the Greek apokalupsis, from which the English word “apocalypse” is derived) disclosure of that which was previously hidden or unknown."
I try not to use Latin as my word source, as that requires a double translation. I prefer to defer to the original language as best we have it, thus: GR: apokalupsis - to unveil or to uncover. It's just my preference.
And now, the rest of the story.
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