The Book of The Revelation
Chapter One

Revelation 1:1
The revelation of 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,

The word “revelation” in the Greek (apokalupsis) is the same word from which we get our English word “Apocalypse.” It literally means, “an uncovering.” We learn from this verse that the book is an uncovering of what must soon take place (i.e., “history in advance” that is certain to happen) by Jesus Christ, which historical truth was given to Him by God the Father for the purpose of revealing it to His servants (believers). Christ did this by sending His angel to the Apostle John. This last book of the Bible is divided into three distinct sections. Section one covers the “Church Age” (Chapters 1-3), Section two covers the period from “The Rapture to the Second Coming of Christ” (Chapters 4-19) and Section three covers “The Millennium and beyond” (Chapters 20-22).

Revelation 1:2
who testifies to everything he saw--that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.

The Apostle John testifies only to what he saw, which is the Word of God as given by and through (the testimony of) Jesus Christ. In other words, the writings of this book are not the imaginations of a man. They are the infallible words from Almighty God regarding certain future events.

Revelation 1:3
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.

A proclamation of blessing is pronounced on anyone who reads the Book of Revelation and to those who listen to its words and take it seriously, because the “time is near.” God did not provide us this book for it to be ignored. It is to be read, heard and taken to heart. The “time” that is referred to in this verse is the imminent coming of Jesus Christ to retrieve (snatch up) His Church (all believers) into the air; otherwise, known as the “The Rapture.” [see 1 Thessalonians 3:13-17, to follow] The Rapture can take place at any time - from now, to ten minutes from now, to a month or 10 years from now; although, from all apparent earthly indications, it is almost upon us.

Revelation 1:4
To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from Him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before His throne,

This book is addressed to seven literal churches located in what was then called Asia, parts of modern day Turkey. These churches, which are named in verse 11, represent the existing spiritual condition of each of them back then, the conditions of individual Christians throughout the ages and, most importantly, the seven stages (periods) of development of the Church Age, which started at Pentecost (The Book of Acts, Chapter 2) - 50 days after Jesus arose from the dead on the Jewish holiday called “The Feast of Weeks” - and ends with the Rapture of the Church (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 = Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him. According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.)

A salutation (greeting) of “grace and peace” is made to the churches. Note that grace always precedes peace in Biblical salutations. Without the grace (unmerited favor and mercy resulting in salvation by faith alone in Jesus alone) of God, there can be no peace (assurance of our eternal security as believers) for mankind. The salutation is from God the Father and the Holy Spirit of God (represented by the “seven spirits,” which phrase represents the “sevenfold nature” of the Holy Spirit) who is before the throne of Christ. This sevenfold nature of the Spirit of God is seen in Isaiah 11:2 = The Spirit of the LORD [nature of Jesus] will rest on him--the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD).

In Christ alone we have peace.

John 14:27 = Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

John 16:33 = "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

The author of this grace and peace is Almighty God who is eternal and everlasting, which is expressed as “the One who is, who was and who is to come.” It may be noted at this time that the number seven is God’s number for perfection within the Bible.

Revelation 1:5, 6
and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the Ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve His God and Father-to Him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.

The salutation is also from Jesus Christ who is the “faithful witness.”

John 3:11 = I [Christ] tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony.

John 3:32 = He [Christ] testifies to what He has seen and heard, but no one accepts His testimony.

John 8:14 = Jesus answered, "Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going . . .

John 8:18 = I [Christ] am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me.

Jesus Christ is also the “first born” or “first begotten” from the dead. This designation is applicable only to Jesus, even though others before Him were brought back from the dead, because only Christ was resurrected to never die again. He rose from the dead and now in His glorified body sits at the right hand of God in Heaven as our (believer’s) High Priest. Two salient points in this discussion:

One - the words “first born” or “first begotten” refer to Christ’s resurrection. Acts 26:23; Romans 8:29; Hebrews 1:6; and Colossians 1:15, 18.

Two - the words “only born” or “only begotten” refer to Christ’s incarnation. John 1:14; 3:16, 18.

The designation “Ruler of the kings of the earth,” is applicable to Christ now but will become crystal clear to every disbeliever upon and subsequent to His Second Coming to this earth (verse 7 and Chapter 20).

John then speaks in honor and recognition of Jesus Christ who continues to love us and who freed us from sin by the shedding of His blood. The shedding of blood is a major theme throughout the Old Testament, representing God’s mercy by allowing the temporary covering of one’s sins by his offering (of faith, i.e., taking God at His word) of an animal sacrifice. In like manner, Christ became the permanent sacrifice for the sins of all mankind. His dying on the Cross of Calvary represented His sacrificial spiritual death upon the cross, which was done in our place and for the permanent payment (remission) of our sins. He also died physically upon the Cross when He gave up (no one killed Him) His spirit in order that He could come back from the physical dead in 3 days time to validate and insure His person and character (Deity) and His promise (of our salvation and resurrection as believers).

Verses 5 and 6 state three things Christ did for us, and they follow:

    1. He loved and continues to love us. See John 13:1; 34, 35; Romans 8:37-39 and Ephesians 3:18, 19

    2. He washed us in His blood to remove our sins. See Titus 3:5; Psalms 103:12; Isaiah 38:17; 44:22; Micah 7:19; Acts 10:43; 1 John 1:7

    3. He made us kings and priests unto God. See 1 Peter 2:9

Revelation 1:7
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.

This verse is a preview snapshot of what will take place in Chapter 19:11-16, when Christ will return (Second Coming) with His saints to set up His Millennium Kingdom upon this earth. It reveals that the Israelites will view this return in a special manner. They will recognize Him as He comes in the clouds and as the one they had pierced on the Cross and have rejected down through the Church Age.

Zechariah 12:10, 11 = And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for Him as one grieves for a firstborn son. On that day the weeping in Jerusalem will be great, like the weeping of Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo

Jude 14 = . Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men: "See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of His holy ones.

This will be an extremely sad day for all those, both Jews and Gentiles, who have through their life turned their backs on Christ Jesus. In grace and mercy He came the first time. The second time He comes will be in judgment.

Revelation 1:8


Many interpret this verse as Christ declaring Himself as the Alpha and the Omega, which are the first and last letters in the Greek alphabet. I think rather that this is an injection by God the Father; although, we will see that near the end of this book (Revelation 22:13) that Christ does also declare Himself as such. This speaks of the eternal nature of God - the beginning and ending of all things and the fact that He (as well as Christ) is the Creator and Sustainer of all temporal matter. It is concrete Biblical doctrine that both God the Father and Christ are one in essence and both worked together in the creation of all matter. See Genesis 1, particularly verse 26. See also the following.

John 1:3 = Through Him [Christ] all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made.

Ephesians 1:10 = to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment--to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.

Colossians 1,16, 17 = For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together

Hebrews 1:3 = The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word . . . .

It appears that in verses in the New Testament where the term “Lord” (Gk: kurios) and the term “God” (Gk: theos) are used together to refer to one person, it is with one exception, referring to God the Father. The following is a list of such Scriptures. The one exception, which refers to Jesus Christ, will come at the end of this list.

Luke 4:8, 12
Luke 10:27
(any corresponding passages in the other Gospels)
Acts 7:37
1 Peter 3:15
Jude 4
Revelation 4:8
Revelation 11:17
Revelation 15:3
Revelation 16:7
Revelation 18:8
Revelation 19:1, 6
Revelation 21:22
Revelation 22:5, 6

The one exception is in John 20:28 in which Thomas is speaking to the risen Christ and says to Him, “My Lord and my God.”

Revelation 1:9
I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.

The Apostle John was on the Isle of Patmos when he received this revelation. The Isle of Patmos is a small island in the Mediterranean Sea. The Roman Emperor Domitian imprisoned John there because he would not deny Jesus Christ. Although every Christian has the peace promised by Christ, every Christian is also subject to persecution for his testimony of Christ.

John 15:18-20 = If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me [Christ] first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember the words I spoke to you: `No servant is greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.

John 16:33 = "I [Christ] have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

Revelation 1:10, 11
On the Lord's Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, which said: "Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea."

The Apostle John was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day. The “Lord’s Day” was most likely the first day of the week. By this time in John’s life, according to Bible scholars, Christians had adopted the practice of worshiping on Sunday - the first day of the week. Two reasons for selecting this day was (1) Jesus rose from the dead on the first day of the week and (2) Pentecost falls on the first day of the week. Acts 20:7 = On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight.

In verse 11 our Lord identified seven literal churches of that day, which as stated before (1) reflected the actual spiritual conditions of each church, (2) reflects spiritual conditions of various believers throughout time and, more importantly, (3) reflects the different stages (periods) of development of The Church Age. These churches were Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea - all of which were located in what is now modern day Turkey.

John was instructed to write what he saw and send it to the churches. How fortunate we are to have God’s Word in print. In this regard, we are more fortunate than even the apostles of that day. Today we have a very detailed accounting of the “mind of Christ,” who is the Living Word. There is no excuse for not regularly learning Bible doctrine.

Revelation 1:12
I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands,

In verse 20 we learn that the seven golden lampstands represent the seven churches listed in verse 11, which will be discussed in chapters 2 & 3. This symbolism is fitting in view of the fact that Christians are to be a light unto the world. Matthew 5:14-16 = You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Revelation 1:13
and among the lampstands was someone "like a son of man," dressed in a robe reaching down to His feet and with a golden sash around His chest.

The apostle John sees, and here a better translation is, “like unto the Son of Man.” He saw Christ Jesus standing in the midst of the lampstands. In this scene Jesus is dressed in the garments of the high priest. Why? Because He is our High Priest, and He said when we are gathered together He will always be among us. As High Priest (after the order of Melchizedek - see Psalms 110:4 and Hebrews 5), He continues to intercede (represent and mediate) for us before God the Father. When Almighty God turns to see a believer, He only sees the righteousness of Jesus.

Matthew 18:20
For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.

Hebrews 4:14
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.

Hebrews 7:25
Therefore He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them.

Revelation 1:14
His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes were like blazing fire.

Note the similarity between this description and that of Daniel 7:9-13 = As I looked, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took His seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of His head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze.

The color white represents righteousness, a quality possessed only by Christ but which is accredited to every believer because of His sacrifice on the Cross. Hebrews 7:26 = Such a high priest meets our need--one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens.

The fire of His eyes represents His righteous anger due to the sins of the churches and the sins of mankind. It also foretells of His coming judgment of all those who fail to place faith alone in Christ alone for their personal salvation.

Revelation 1:15
His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of rushing waters.

In the Old Testament bronze spoke of judgement (Micah 4:13). Jesus will someday be our Judge. 2 Corinthians 5:10 = For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. Notice that His feet were like “bronze glowing in a furnace.” Without doubt the day of our judgment will be a hot one. The judgment for believers will be the judgment of their works - not regarding their salvation, which was secured by Christ on the Cross.

Note 1 Corinthians 3:11-15

For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones [divine good], wood, hay or straw [human good], his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.

The voice of Christ was thunderous, like that of “rushing water.” With His voice He spoke everything into existence (creation). With His voice He will call us up into the clouds (The Rapture). His voice is one of full authority over all creation and by it, He sustains all created matter (Hebrews 1:3).

So far we have seen that Jesus is our God (verse 8), He is our High Priest (verse 13) and He is our Judge (verse 15).

Revelation 1:16
In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.

We find in verse 20 that the seven stars represent the seven angels of the seven churches. They appear to be angelic beings and each has specific responsibility for their individually assigned church. The “sharp double-edged sword” comes from His mouth; hence, it is the Word of God. Note Hebrews 4:12, 13 = For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. Keep in mind that we will face His judgment as for as what we’ve done since being saved. His Word, which we have in writing today, will be the standard from which He will exact His judgment. There is no better reason than that for the believer to invest time in learning Bible doctrine.

His face shinning like the sun in all its brilliance speaks of His glory. Matthew 17:2 = There He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.

Revelation 1:17, 18
When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as though dead. Then He placed His right hand on me 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.

Upon seeing Christ, John fell at His feet and moved not a muscle. Christ then placed His right hand on John and told Him he had no need to fear. Again Christ confirmed that He was the Everlasting God. He assured John that even though He suffered death (on the Cross) He was now the “Living One,” and would never more die. Christ also assured John that He was in complete control by stating that He had the keys to death and Hades. Hebrews 2:14, 15 = Since the children have flesh and blood, He [Christ] too shared in their humanity so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death--that is, the devil-- and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. Hades in the Greek is the same as Sheol in the Hebrew, which was the place of the dead. Prior to the Cross, all who died went to Sheol or Hades. This location had two compartments, one for the wicked [the unseen world] and the other for the righteous [Paradise].

Luke 16:22, 23
The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. In hell [Hades], where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away [Paradise], with Lazarus by his side.

Luke 23:43
Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.

Acts 2:27
because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.

Ephesians 4:8-10
This is why it says: "When He ascended on high, He led captives in His train and gave gifts to men." (What does "He ascended" mean except that He also descended to the lower, earthly regions? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)

When Christ died He went to the righteous side (Paradise) of Hades and emptied it. The wicked side (the unseen world) will be emptied in Chapter 20.13.

Revelation 1:19
Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later.

This verse gives us the chronological order of The Book of Revelation. John is to write what he has seen of the past (Chapter 1), of the present (Chapters 2, 3) and of the future (Chapters 4-22). We clearly see that the majority of this book is concerned with the future.

Revelation 1:20
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.

In this verse we have the interpretation of the seven stars and the sever lampstands. The stars are the angels of the seven churches and the seven lampstands are the seven churches. It doesn’t get any clearer than that.