Revelation- VICTORY IN JESUS!!!
Week Two

We established last week, what the state of the Christians world was like at this time. Rome was doing all in its’ power to abolish this “blasphemous” religion! Alone, this was problem enough, but they had even more issues at hand! Another force was brewing within themselves! This was heresy and false teachings. Teachings of mystic Judaism and the prevalent Gnosticism of the Romans, combined with idolatry was leaking its’ way into the early church, causing controversy and dissension!

So place yourself there. All around you Christians are being killed, exiled and stripped of their belongings because they will not renounce their religion. Now, evils are threatening to dismantle your church from the inside. Do you think these people saw ANY hope for their future? If so, what? I believe that the book of Revelation is God’s answer to these people!

Conditions of the Roman Empire
If Revelation IS talking about the Church facing Roman persecution, we need to clearly get a picture of this “great enemy”. When the book was being written, Rome was reaching her greatest period! Her boundaries stretched from Britain to Africa, and from the Atlantic to the Euphrates. To most people of the time, ROME WAS THE WORLD!

It had the largest and deadliest trained army of all time. The legionnaires seemed invincible! From all of their victories, they continually brought more and more spoils of wealth into Rome! It was a place of great decadence and riches!

Also in Rome, in contrast to the wealth, there was MUCH extreme poverty! There were no jobs to be found, as all jobs were usually given to slaves. The poor would swarm the streets of the capitol to be fed by the dole system and to find amusement as escape in the many facets of city life.

The moral condition of the Roman Empire was even worse! Teachers taught purity and lived immorally. There was no consistency! Romans were proud of the fact that they would cast away all that was good and honorable. Crime was rampant. Lust and wickedness reigned supreme. Marriage was seen as more of a business/commercial transaction than a union of love. As a result, divorce became popular. Children were seen as a burden rather than blessing, often left abandoned to be die or become slaves.

Rome was not only the center of government and wealth, but it was also the center of religion. The religion of the culture and time was a blend of fear, superstition, mysticism, and ceremonies. All were called to worship the Emperor as well. This was forced on the Christians to test their loyalty to the state.

How do you think THIS made the Christians feel? I imagine that they feel much like we do in modern times. They looked at their surroundings with revulsion. They saw this as just another way their religion was being crushed by a bigger system. And I think they doubted a victorious outcome. This book was BADLY needed to assure them of victory!

PURPOSE OF THE BOOK
In this perspective, I think the book of Revelation was to show that a power as great as Rome was doomed to be overthrown and in the end the kingdom of the Lord would be victorious and Christ Jesus would reign supreme! I think it served as a reminding call to maintain faith and loyalty at all costs, even in this face of persecution and martyrdom!

Is this message relevant today? How so? Still today this message rings clear! Hold tight to the Lord….you will win! God is telling us through John to choose the eternal! To refuse to compromise to this world! To cherish with full assurance his promise of victory!!!! Not only was he talking to those under Domitian’s reign, but also any other chaotic period in history…such as 2005!!! 

Let’s start reading what John shares with us:


CHAPTER ONE
(read Chapter one entirely)

Important items to note:

• Verse One- The book begins by declaring it is a “revelation” (or unveiling or uncovering) of Jesus. It is establishing that it is revealing something to the reader…making it known. The word “revelation” occurs 18 other times in the NT, but it should be noted this is the ONLY time it is used in the Book of Revelation.
• Verse One- pay attention also to the words “what must soon take place”. Why could this be significant in the interpretation of this book? I think it is critical. The original text translates to mean “quickly, swiftly, immediately, in haste”. If this is so, and taken literally, then the futurist method has a HUGE weakness right here! Doesn’t it? It seems that the things, which John is about to reveal, would begin to come to pass immediately!
• Verse Three- 2 important notes to make: 1) It uses the word blessed. It is one of 7 beatitudes in this book. This is further establishing the importance of hearing God’s word! 2) It also declares itself as “prophecy”. What does prophecy mean? Most often we think it to mean a foretelling of the future. But, it also means ANY proclaiming of words from God!!
• Verse Four- Authorship established- He reveals himself only as John. So, evidently, he was well known to the churches of Asia Minor to which he was writing. (John the Apostle would have known the congregations well). He also establishes here that the message was from God (he who was and is…..) and from the Seven Spirits. Any idea what the “seven spirits” are? They are symbolism for God’s HOLY SPIRIT. I believe this to be so for 2 reasons: 1)He is establishing the trinity (he speaks of God and of Jesus, and the 7 spirits are the completion of this!) 2) We established the usage of #7 symbolizes “completeness or perfection”. So hear it is the Completeness of the trinity…and of his spirit- TE HOLY SPIRIT.
• Verse Five- finishes the greetings with “and from Jesus”…now the Godhead is complete, and greetings have been extended from all 3 personalities.
• Verse Nine- this gives more info on the author. He establishes himself as a brother and fellow Christian. No only though was a member of the same family, he was also a fellow-sufferer. Also note usage of the phrase “”your companion in kingdom”- this would indicate that God’s kingdom was in existence WHEN he wrote this, already. This could possibly refute the millennial idea that he will establish a kingdom in the future for a literal 1000 years! Johns’ stating he was a member of God’s kingdom (which was established on the first day of Pentecost after Christ’s resurrection. Read ACTS 2) would only imply that he could not be a member of what had yet to come.
• Verse Nine- also important to note the phrase talking of the Isle of Patmos. This was a very small island some mere 70 miles from Ephesus, which was John’s hometown. It was one of Rome’s places to send its’ prisoners. Historical records (those of Ireaneaus, Eusebius and Jerome) state that John the Apostle was exiled to this island during Domitians reign! Why does it appear he was exiled there? Apparently it was because he preached God’s word and testified in the name of Jesus.
• Verses 10 and 11- these simply establish that when John was given this revelation he was under the direct control of the Holy Spirit and was given it in the form of a vision and through a voice.
• Verse 12- This is the first clear usage of apocalyptic symbols. When he first turns, the 1st thing he sees are the lampstands. So early on, we know what kind of writing this is.
• Verses 13-15- These give a vivid description of Jesus. While we should not get caught up in any the minute details, and our total focus should be on the whole contextual picture here, I do find these interesting. What do you think the white hair could symbolize? Many have interpreted the “head and hair like white wool” to symbolize purity and holiness. What about the “eyes like a blazing fire”? Many believe this to be symbolic of the penetrating effect Jesus has on human hearts. What could the symbolism of “bronze and the sound of rushing waters” be? Most find this to be speaking if his strength, power and ability to speak forcefully. * He also controls the seven stars in his hand…in other words; Jesus controls the angels of the churches (we will discuss later what these angels are). What does the 2 edged sword show? It is the word of God…more specifically, the word of judgment. So, here we have a complete picture of Jesus as ready to judge, and go to battle!
• Verse 18- this further establishes his power. It says he “holds the keys of death and Hades. What does “holding the keys” to something really mean? The idea of controlling a key is that you have control and power over something! You have authority.
• Verse 19- is quite interesting. It is very often a controversial and debate sparking verse for Revelation studies. Can anyone see why? He clearly had a commission to write. He was to write “what he had seen, what was now and what will take place later”. What could this possibly mean? Many interpret this division of his commission as a means to read the entire book. “What was seen” to them is the first vision from Chapter one that we just read. “What is now” would be the letters to the 7 churches that was coming next. And, “What will take place later” is everything from chapter 4 on. Others argue differently. What do you think? Others claim he was simply stating write everything I show you, both right this very second and everything else I WILL show in the future.
• Verse 20- he establishes usage of one of his symbols.
  • Lampstands- are established as the Churches. Why would he use a lampstand? Its primary purpose was to give light to darkness. Isn’t that EXACTLY what a church should do??
  • Stars- are established as the angels of the churches. Any clue of what an angel of these churches was? I truly find this to be one of the most difficult symbols in Revelation to understand. The translated word for angel literally means “messenger”. He states that they are angels “OF” the church and not “TO” the churches. Could there be significance here? Some believe that John is simply writing to designated messengers or literal letter carriers from each church. Others believe he is writing to a specific person in each congregation, most likely a Minister or Elder. Yet others think that these “angels” represent the inner character or condition of each church. If the lampstand represents the visible churches themselves (an outward appearance), then the stars represent the inner life or spirit of the congregation.  Regardless of what you believe, it will not change the interpretation of the book or its context. But it is quite interesting. What do you think?