Revelation 1

Summary:

*Words spoken by Jesus are written in red.

Prologue
Verses 1-3

This is the revelation of Jesus Christ.  God revealed it to Jesus to show His servants what will soon occur.  Jesus sent His angel to John to make this revelation known.  John testifies to all he saw - the word of God and Christ's testimony.

"Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near."  (Verse 3)

Greetings and Doxology
Verses 4-8

John writes to the 7 churches in Asia.  He wishes them grace and peace from Him who is, was, and is to come.  This greeting is also being sent from the 7 spirits before His throne (I believe the 7 spirits are the same as the 7 angels he later writes about).  Also, this greeting is from Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and ruler of the kings of the earth.  (It is such a comfort to know who the real Master is.)  Glory and power forever be to Him who loves us, freed us from our sins by His blood, and made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve God the Father.  Amen.

"Look, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of Him.  So shall it be!  Amen."  (Verse 7)

" 'I am the Alpha and the Omega,' says the Lord God, 'who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.' " (Verse 8)  (That is, He is the First and the Last.  He has always been and always will be.  He is the I Am.  **See Exodus 3:14**)

One Like the Son of Man
Verses 9-20

John writes as our brother and companion in suffering, in the kingdom, and in patient endurance that belong to us in Jesus.  He writes from the island of Patmos, because of God's word and the testimony of Jesus.  (I believe he was exiled here because of his faith.)  On the Lord's day, he was in the Spirit.  He heard behind him a voice like a trumpet say, " 'Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.' " (Verse 11)

John turned to see the source of the voice and saw:
- 7 golden lampstands
- Someone 'like a son of man' **See Daniel 7:13**, dressed in a robe down to His feet, with a golden sash around His chest.  His head and hair were as white as wool or snow.  His eyes were like blazing fire, His feet like bronze glowing in a furnace.  His voice was like rushing waters.
- Seven stars in His right hand
- A sharp double-edged sword from His mouth
- His face was like the sun, shining in all its brilliance

John fell at His feet, as though dead.  The Son of Man placed His right hand on him and said, " 'Do not be afraid.  I am the First and the Last.  I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever!  And I hold the keys of death and Hades.
'Write, therefore what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later.  The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.' "  (Verses 17b-20).

Lori's Thoughts:

I was quite intimidated on starting this book.  I felt that I'm not strong enough in my faith or wise enough to handle the contents of Revelation.  But, these are thoughts from the devil in an attempt to keep me ignorant.  God has shown us what it will be like soon before He returns.  He warns us about the traps of this world, but promises to protect us if we choose to serve Him.  Everyone serves something - the latest phone or car, a position of power or money, celebrities (have you seen all the hype on Charlie Sheen?), video game success, etc.  Don't delude yourself into thinking you serve no one.  If you choose to serve the Lord, He will give you the peace of mind and endurance to make it out of this earth alive.  Even if you die of illness or old age, you will be made alive in Christ when He returns.

As I was walking to the train station, this morning, I passed by a small brook.  The water sang as it moved quickly over the cobblestones.  I told God that I love this sound and He reminded me that, in the Bible, it says that God's voice resembles the sound of running water.

As I opened Revelation and read the first chapter, I had to ask God, twice, to remove evil spirits from interfering with my studies.  Normally, I need to ask once, if at all.  I think the devil was working extra hard to distract me.  Well, my God is greater.  As I read about John's experience with the Son of Man, that is Jesus, he described Him as sounding like running water.  This is one way that God told me He was with me and wanted me to read this book.  Trust me, I considered doing another Chronicles chapter, because I didn't feel "ready" for Revelation.  But, He encouraged me to dive in.

A second sign that He is with me is when I came across the verse that references the book of Daniel.  I decided to look it up and my hand turned right to the book.  Coincidence?  I think not.  I think God was saying, yes, I want you to study this.

Hey, guess what?  He's real.  If you seek Him, you'll find Him. 

"But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find Him if you look for Him with all your heart and with all your soul."  (Deuteronomy 4:29)

" 'If you seek Him, He will be found by you, but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.' "  (II Chronicles 15: 2b)

" 'For everyone who ask receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.' "  (Matthew 7:8)

In verse 7, it says that the people of the earth will mourn when they see Him.  These are the ones that did not choose God.  We who have chosen Him are children of God, not people of the earth.  The people of the earth will see themselves, finally, as people in need of salvation from sin.  They will mourn because it is too late to act.  Don't wait until then to decide who you want to live for.

I imagine I would faint if I saw Jesus in all of His glory.  I wonder how a human body can contain Him?...

Jesus told John not to be afraid and He identified Himself as Christ.  This is how we can test the spirits.  Those that proclaim that Jesus is Lord are of God.  They are also the ones that will tell us not to fear (but, this isn't as important as the first statement).  I think demons want us to be afraid of them, because they feel empowered.  Fear God alone.  The thing I detest the most is the absence of Him.  I'd rather be dead than separated from my Father.

I thought the symbolism of this book would be lost on me.  I love how Jesus plainly states what the seven lampstands and seven stars are.  In the chapters to come, we'll learn more about the seven churches and the seven angels' messages to the churches.

This is going to be fun.  :)