Posts from July 2023

“Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this.” (Revelation 1:19) The instruction at the end of chapter 1 sets the context of the vision in vv. 10-20 and previews the rest of the Lord’s message to the churches in chapters 2 and 3 – “…things which you have seen, …which are, and…after this.” By the time John writes what he is told, the vision of chapter 1…

The first three verses of the Revelation provide its readers both the “title” of this book and explain its Source (i.e., “where it came from, and how it was transmitted to them”): “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants– things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, 2 who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ,…

The basic purpose of the Revelation is to provide comfort and consolation to Christians facing or experiencing persecution because of their faith. To the modern (western-culture) reader, this may not seem obvious because the symbols and figures the Holy Spirit employs seem so “strange” to us – we don’t typically relate to images or recognize parallels as readily as we grasp plain, straightforward statements. (People in “eastern” cultures, however, often do not struggle in this way since they are often…

There is only one “revelation” – this letter’s proper “title” appears in its first sentence: “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants– things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John,” (Revelation 1:1). This means the last book of the bible is “the” revelation, NOT “revelations.” The inspired penman is John the apostle, and this letter dates from about 96 A.D. (some biblical scholars…