seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Revelation 1:1 The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 2 who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. 3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud 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.
Here's the introduction from the Easy English Commentary. I'm going to bookmark this commentary.
Imagine what it would have been like, to live at the end of the first century. Your city is a part of the Roman Empire. You are a Christian. You are a member of a local church. There is only one church in your city. Your nearest church neighbor is over 40 miles away. There are good Roman roads. You could travel on your horse. You might reach your nearest neighbor in less than a day. Your leader is John the apostle. But the rulers have sent him away to another country. The reason was that he was a Christian. There are no large meetings where Christians worship together. There are no Christian books to encourage you. There is no New Testament to give you hope.
There have been many earthquakes in your country. There have been many local wars. You are afraid about many things. You wonder what will happen next.
Your neighbors do not like you. You are different from them. You have a different religion. Every day you are in danger. You turn to other religious groups for help. But there is no help from them. They do not agree with your religion. They even report you to the authorities. They say that you do not believe in God.
The rulers of the nations do not feel confident. They think that other people want to become leaders. They fear that another will take their place. They are jealous of any new religion. They see other people as a danger to their authority. They bring in new laws. The nation has become their religion. Their leader has become their god. Moreover he is the only one that you may worship. You ask yourself whether you may one day bow down to a strange god. It would be easy to do this. Some of your Christian brothers and sisters have already given up. They have turned away from Jesus Christ, their Lord.
This is how it was with the 7 churches in Asia. The description of their situation is in the book of Revelation chapters 1 to 3. There was then a period of much persecution of Christians. The period was at the end of the first century.
Hear what the Spirit says to the Churches. This request appears 7 times. It is in the second and third chapters of the book of Revelation. These letters went to 7 churches in Asia. The period is in the first century. Maybe the Spirit speaks to Christians in churches today about other matters. But the church in the 21st century still has the same problems. So these three chapters are still very important today.
There is an extra blessing. Those who read these letters will be happy people (Revelation 1:3). Those who hear them will be even happier. They will be even happier if they obey the words in the letters. There is a warning at the end of the book. It warns about anyone who might change the message. They must not add to it or take anything away from it (Revelation 22:18-19).
There have been many earthquakes in your country. There have been many local wars. You are afraid about many things. You wonder what will happen next.
Your neighbors do not like you. You are different from them. You have a different religion. Every day you are in danger. You turn to other religious groups for help. But there is no help from them. They do not agree with your religion. They even report you to the authorities. They say that you do not believe in God.
The rulers of the nations do not feel confident. They think that other people want to become leaders. They fear that another will take their place. They are jealous of any new religion. They see other people as a danger to their authority. They bring in new laws. The nation has become their religion. Their leader has become their god. Moreover he is the only one that you may worship. You ask yourself whether you may one day bow down to a strange god. It would be easy to do this. Some of your Christian brothers and sisters have already given up. They have turned away from Jesus Christ, their Lord.
This is how it was with the 7 churches in Asia. The description of their situation is in the book of Revelation chapters 1 to 3. There was then a period of much persecution of Christians. The period was at the end of the first century.
Hear what the Spirit says to the Churches. This request appears 7 times. It is in the second and third chapters of the book of Revelation. These letters went to 7 churches in Asia. The period is in the first century. Maybe the Spirit speaks to Christians in churches today about other matters. But the church in the 21st century still has the same problems. So these three chapters are still very important today.
There is an extra blessing. Those who read these letters will be happy people (Revelation 1:3). Those who hear them will be even happier. They will be even happier if they obey the words in the letters. There is a warning at the end of the book. It warns about anyone who might change the message. They must not add to it or take anything away from it (Revelation 22:18-19).
John is on Patmos.
Patmos is an island. On it, there are many rocks. There is not much plant life. It is eight miles long and five miles wide. It is 40 miles away from the main land of Asia. It is about 65 miles from Ephesus. John was probably not a prisoner. One of the rulers in Asia had sent him there. John had a special relationship with the 7 churches. But he was alone. He could not visit his friends. He knew that persecution was increasing. It affected all the believers in Asia. So he writes to them. He wants to help them to be strong. God brings a message to John. The message is for the Christians in the 7 churches. The message is in the Book of Revelation.
This is what David Guzik writes in his commentary.
It is true that the signs used in Revelation have been a source of confusion or controversy for some readers. Yet the signs are necessary because John expresses things of heaven, which Paul said he heard with inexpressible words (2 Corinthians 12:4). John described things he saw, so he could only use symbolic images to explain it. To us, this book is prophecy, but John simply recorded history unfolding before him, as he saw it. "John had visions from heaven; but he described them in his own language and manner."
Though it is filled with signs, the Book of Revelation is accessible to those who have an understanding of the first 65 books of the Bible, and especially an understanding of the first 39 books of the Bible, the Old Testament. The Book of Revelation is rooted in the Old Testament. It contains more than 500 allusions to the Old Testament, and 278 of the 404 verses in Revelation (that is almost 70%) make some reference to the Old Testament.
John lived the New Testament but he didn't have it in writing as I do.
