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There are several things which we need to pay attention to in this section of the book of Revelation: (1) the meaning of the revelation, (2) the procedure through which the revelation came, and (3) the importance of the revelation.
"The revelation of Jesus Christ." Revelation is different from inspiration. A revelation is an unveiling for man to see, whereas an inspiration is a leading within him. The words, "the revelation of Jesus Christ," have two meanings:
(1) It is Jesus Christ Himself who removes the veils for us to see the things which are to be fulfilled in the future, the things which are spoken of in this book.
(2) This book also reveals Jesus Christ Himself, that is, it reveals how He Himself will triumph, obtain glory, and be enthroned as King.
(1) "Which God gave to Him." Here we can see the order in the universe. God is the highest: "But all things are out from God" (2 Cor. 5:18). Revelation 1:1 also shows us that, even though the Lord has ascended to the heavens, He still holds the position of a slave. As He was on the earth (John 5:19-20; 12:49-50; Mark 13:32), so He is in the heavens. He has not abandoned His position just because He has obtained glory. How very different He is from the archangel Satan! (Ezek. 28:2).
(2) "Sending it by His angel." More than half of the writings in the Bible were given through the hands of angels (Acts 7:53; Heb. 2:2) because the angels are ministering spirits (Heb. 1:14).
(3) "Made it known by signs, sending it by His angel to His slave John." To make known here has the sense of "to demonstrate" in the original language.
(4) "Who testified the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ, even all that he saw." John recorded the revelation he received and has shown it to us. He received the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.
(1) "The things that must quickly take place." "Must" here means unchangeable, and "quickly take place" means that it cannot be delayed; yet we are too careless and too slow to respond to these matters.
(2) "To show to His slaves." This revelation does not concern only a few people; it concerns many slaves. We are all the Lord's slaves because He has purchased us with His blood (1 Cor. 6:20).
(3) "Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy and keep the things written in it." The revelation is a promise. In Revelation 22:7 the same promise is reiterated. There, the two words "reads" and "hear" do not appear again because by the time of chapter twenty-two, all have read and heard. The most crucial thing then becomes to "keep the things written in it."
"For the time is near." "The time" is the day when the Lord comes again. When that day arrives, many things will be involved (11:15-18), yet the main thing referred to here is the blessing of the believers. Since "the time is near," why do we still not see its coming? It is because the Lord is long-suffering toward men (2 Pet. 3:8-9) and, at the same time, the believers are not yet ready. Therefore, the time has not yet come. Nevertheless, the condition of the church and of the world today tell us afresh that the time is at hand.
"John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is coming, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful Witness, the Firstborn of the dead, and the Ruler of the kings of the earth."
Although the individual epistles were written to seven individual churches, John sent the entire book to each of the seven churches in Asia at the same time. Seven is the number of completion. The seven churches represent all of the churches. Therefore, this epistle is related to us also.
The word of greeting here is the same as that used by Paul (1 Cor. 1:3), but the name of the Triune God here is quite different from that used in other epistles.
(1) "From Him who is and who was and who is coming." Here the name of God is mentioned. He is the One who is, who was, and who is coming. He never changes. Everything in the world is changing, and the world itself is changing, but God never changes. Therefore, grace and peace will never change either.
(2) "And from the seven Spirits who are before His throne." "The seven Spirits" does not mean that there are seven Holy Spirits (Eph. 4:4); it only implies that the Holy Spirit has various kinds of work (Rev. 4:5; 5:6).
(3) "And from Jesus Christ, the faithful Witness, the Firstborn of the dead, and the Ruler of the kings of the earth." This speaks of the Lord's work and victory on earth as well as of the glory He will obtain in the future. Such a Triune God is well able to bestow grace and peace upon us.
"To Him who loves us and has released us from our sins by His blood and made us a kingdom, priests to His God and Father, to Him be the glory and the might forever and ever. Amen. Behold, He comes with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the land will mourn over Him. Yes, amen."
When John came to this point in his writing, he could not help but begin praising. He praised because of "Him who loves us." The love of Christ has two aspects: (1) that which is in the past — He "has released us from our sins by His blood," and (2) that which is experienced now and will be completely fulfilled in the future — "and made us a kingdom [or, kings], priests to His God and Father." When we consider this, we truly have to say with John, "To Him be the glory and the might forever and ever. Amen."
When John recalled the love he had received, he could not help but begin to praise. Yet at the same time, when he thought of the condition of the worldly people at the time of Christ's second coming, he uttered a word of warning in verse 7. "Behold" means that we need to pay attention. "He comes with the clouds." Just as the Lord ascended to the heavens in the clouds, so also shall He come again with the clouds. This exactly matches what is spoken in Acts 1:9-11. "And every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the land will mourn over Him. Yes, amen" (Rev. 1:7). This word matches that of Matthew 24:30.
"I am the Alpha and the Omega, says the Lord God, He who is and who was and who is coming, the Almighty."
Here God testifies concerning Himself as: (1) the One who never changes and (2) the almighty One. The purpose of this testimony is to cause us to depend entirely on Him in the midst of tribulations.
"I John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and endurance in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. I was in spirit on the Lord's Day."
"I John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and endurance in Jesus." Although John had seen such great visions, he still called himself our brother. What humility this is! At that time he was in the midst of tribulation, yet he did not mention his tribulation only. He also mentioned the kingdom because to enter the kingdom, one must pass through tribulation (Acts 14:22). Since we have the hope of the kingdom, we need endurance. This is the endurance of one patiently waiting for the kingdom. "Fellow partaker" indicates that we all have a share in this kingdom. Since we have a share in the kingdom, we should have a share in the tribulation and endurance as well.
"I...was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus." John was being persecuted for the sake of the word and had been exiled to the island of Patmos. He was lonely with nowhere to go, yet the Lord was with him. The gate of heaven was opened wide to him, and he received new revelation. By this we see that tribulations are a great blessing to us.
"On the Lord's Day." This is the first day of the week. Some have said that this is "the day of the Lord," that is, "the great day of Jehovah."
"I was in spirit." Although John was suffering in the body, his spirit was strong and living.
"And [I] heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, saying, What you see write in a scroll and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamos and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea. And I turned to see the voice that spoke with me; and when I turned, I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment reaching to the feet, and girded about at the breasts with a golden girdle. And His head and hair were as white as white wool, as snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire; and His feet were like shining bronze, as having been fired in a furnace; and His voice was like the sound of many waters. And He had in His right hand seven stars; and out of His mouth proceeded a sharp two-edged sword; and His face shone as the sun shines in its power."
"A loud voice like a trumpet." A trumpet was used to gather the people together. The Lord specifically called John and charged him to write to the seven churches. Although these seven churches were actual churches at that time, the Lord specifically chose them to typify the churches throughout the ages. The different conditions of the church from the time of the apostles to the second coming of Christ are represented by these seven churches.
The seven golden lampstands are the seven churches (v. 20). The lampstands represent God's view of the churches and what their spiritual reality should be. The church should shine for the Lord to illuminate this dark world. But the lampstands cannot shine on their own; they must be filled with oil. Therefore, the church must be filled with the Holy Spirit.
The Son of Man was in the midst of the lampstands, watching over the churches (2:1). What was the appearance of this Son of Man? He was "like the Son of Man." This implies that His appearance was different from what it had been on earth because He only looked like the Son of Man. His appearance was recorded as follows:
(a) "Clothed with a garment reaching to the feet." This denotes the Lord's glory, the glory which He had before He was born on the earth (Isa. 6:1). The Lord has now been restored to His former glory. This garment not only denotes that the Lord has obtained His former glory; it also denotes that He is a priest. The Lord is now our High Priest (Heb. 8:1).
(b) "Girded about at the breasts with a golden girdle." This denotes that He is righteous and faithful (Isa. 11:5).
(c) "His head and hair were as white as white wool." This means that He is full of glory (Prov. 16:31; 20:29) and holiness (Dan. 7:9).
(d) "His eyes were like a flame of fire." Fire is used for testing (1 Pet. 1:7); it exposes the good as well as the evil. With His eyes as a flame of fire, whatever the Lord looks at will immediately be exposed as either good or evil. The fire in 1 Corinthians 3:13 is this fire of the Lord's eyes. When we stand before the judgment seat of Christ, He will test each one's work. The meaning of 1 Corinthians 4:5 also corresponds with what is said here in Revelation 1:14. There it says, "So then do not judge anything before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and make manifest the counsels of the hearts, and then there will be praise to each from God."
(e) "And His feet were like shining bronze, as having been fired in a furnace." Feet are for walking, and in the Bible bronze signifies judgment. Wherever these bronze feet go, judgment follows. Here the Lord's feet are in the church; thus, the Lord must judge the church first (1 Pet. 4:17).
(f) "And His voice was like the sound of many waters." This means that His voice is full of majesty and power (Psa. 29:4) and that no man can withstand it.
(g) "And He had in His right hand seven stars." The seven stars are the messengers of the seven churches (v. 20). That the messengers are in the Lord's hand means that they are used, controlled, and protected by the Lord.
(h) "And out of His mouth proceeded a sharp two-edged sword." This sword is used to deal with the church (2:16) and the worldly people (19:15, 21).
(i) "And His face shone as the sun shines in its power." The Lord appeared in the same way on the mount of transfiguration (Matt. 17:2). The mount of transfiguration typifies the kingdom because in the kingdom the Lord is very glorious.
"And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead; and He placed His right hand on me, saying, Do not fear; I am the First and the Last and the living One; and I became dead, and behold, I am living forever and ever; and I have the keys of death and of Hades. Write therefore the things which you have seen and the things which are and the things which are about to take place after these things. The mystery of the seven stars which you saw upon My right hand and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the messengers of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches."
Whenever the Lord appears to someone, He has a commission for them, and His appearance here was no exception.
"And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead." Because John saw the glory of Christ, he was as a dead man. This was not only true of John, but Isaiah (Isa. 6:1-5), Job (Job 42:5-6), and Daniel (Dan. 10:8-9), all reacted in the same way. Not only was John saved, but he was very intimate with the Lord. Yet when he saw the Lord's glory, even he fell as dead. If an unsaved person or a saved yet fleshly person were to see the Lord, I really do not know what would happen. This is why the Bible says that fleshly persons cannot inherit the kingdom of God (Gal. 5:19-21) nor can the unregenerated see the kingdom of God (John 3:3). This is very meaningful! A filthy, fleshly person is truly unworthy to see the glorious Lord. When Christ comes again, His glory will be even greater than it is today. No wonder men will be so frightened that they will lose heart and cry out to the mountains to cover them (Rev. 6:16).
"And He placed His right hand on me, saying, Do not fear." Oh, how loving this is! Although He is in glory, His love has not diminished. If the glory in the future is not mingled with love, it is hard to see how that glory will be of any great benefit to us. When He was on the earth, He laid His hands on many sick ones, and with His words He comforted many brokenhearted ones. He is still doing the same today. His hand and His word not only comforted John, but they also strengthened him. This meaning can be realized by referring to Daniel 8:17-18 and 10:9-10, 18-19. The hand was to strengthen him, and the word was to cause him to realize the strength. When John realized that the Lord's love was the same as before, spontaneously, the fear was removed and strength was brought forth.
"I am the First and the Last and the living One; and I became dead, and behold, I am living forever and ever; and I have the keys of death and of Hades." Here we see that the Lord used two ways to reveal Himself. First, He revealed Himself through His glory. John recognized this immediately. Second, He revealed Himself through His word. This was something inward which John could not see with his eyes. The Lord had to use words to reveal Himself. From this passage we can see that the Lord revealed Himself in three aspects:
(1) In His position: "I am the First and the Last." This is the Old Testament way of addressing Jehovah (Isa. 41:4; 44:6; 48:12), indicating that He is the eternally unchanging God.
(2) In His life: "And the living One; and I became dead, and behold, I am living forever and ever." This indicates that He has eternal life. Although He died for man's sins, He is now resurrected. Moreover, He will never die again since He is living forever and ever.
(3) In His authority: "And I have the keys of death and of Hades." We have to look at this point in detail. "Death" concerns the body. "Hades" concerns the soul. Once a man dies, his soul enters Hades, which means the world below, that is, the center of the globe (Matt. 12:40; Num. 16:30-33). Hades is divided into two sections. One is the place of suffering, where the unbelievers go; the other is the place of rest, where the saved ones go (Luke 16:19-31). However, this is only temporary; the eternal separation is between the new heaven and the new earth on one side and the lake of fire on the other. "Keys" are for opening doors. This shows that both death and Hades have doors which may be locked (Matt. 16:19; Acts 2:24). Whoever holds these keys in his hand has the authority. This authority over death and Hades was originally in the hand of Satan (Heb. 2:14), but ever since the Lord was resurrected from the dead, death and Hades have lost their power. Moreover, the keys of death and of Hades have been put into the Lord's hand. Oh, what a victory this is! Because of this, at the coming of the millennial kingdom, the Lord will be able to release those who belong to Him.
"Write therefore the things which you have seen and the things which are and the things which are about to take place after these things." The word "therefore" shows that this continues the foregoing passage. The Lord has won the victory; therefore, we should write it down. This verse lays the sections of this book clearly before us: (1) "the things which you have seen" (past), (2) "the things which are" (present), and (3) "the things which are about to take place after these things" (future). The word for "have seen" in the original language is in the perfect tense, which means that John had already seen something. This refers to the vision which John saw in chapter one. "The things which are" refer to the things which are now occurring, that is, the things happening in the church age as recorded in chapters two and three. "The things which are about to take place after these things" are those things that will continue after the church age. Everything from chapter four through chapter nineteen is a record of the things which are about to take place.
"The mystery of the seven stars which you saw upon My right hand and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the messengers of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches." Although the book of Revelation has many mysteries, these mysteries become a clear revelation once they are explained. We all have to admit that the lampstands are the churches. The seven stars, however, are said to be the seven messengers. Who then are these messengers? Some have said that these messengers refer to pastors or overseers or bishops. If this is so, that is, if the messengers refer to something else, then what do the churches refer to? Since the churches are simply the churches (and do not refer to something else), then the messengers should simply be messengers. There is one more point. We know that the messengers explain the mystery of the stars, but if the messengers themselves require further explanation, are we not trying to explain the mystery with another mystery? We know that the Lord would not do this. How then should the messengers be explained? The most accurate answer is that the messengers are messengers just as the churches are simply the churches.
The messengers are the messengers, yet what kind of messengers are they? According to the Bible, there are two kinds of messengers: the angels in heaven (Matt. 22:30) and human messengers (Hag. 1:13). The messengers here definitely do not refer to the messengers of heaven because: (1) the messengers of heaven, though they serve the church, cannot bear the responsibility of the church; (2) the messengers of heaven are spiritual, and therefore, they cannot receive a physical letter; (3) since this book is revealed to John by the Lord through His angel, it cannot be that the angel writes letters through John to other angels; and (4) the Lord asks the messenger of the church in Smyrna to be faithful unto death (Rev. 2:10). If this is an angel, how could he fulfill what is described here?
Since the messengers are not of heaven, they must be human messengers. The Bible gives examples concerning this in 2 Corinthians 8:23 and Philippians 2:25. We must pay attention to one more point concerning the position of the messengers. In the sense that the messengers are representatives, they represent the churches, they bear substantial responsibility in the church, and they must be persons who have influence in the church. This is the position of the messengers with respect to the church. At the same time, with respect to the Lord, these messengers are represented by the stars. Stars are able to shine; this speaks of their condition in life. They are also in the hand of the Lord, which implies that they are used by the Lord and that they have authority.
