Revelation 1

1 ”The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto Him, to shew

unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass; and He

sent and signified it by His angel unto His servant John:” It

means the revelation which Jesus Christ makes, not that which reveals him.

John is the writer, Jesus Christ the Author, of the book. Revelation

(απόκαλυψις – apokalupsis – unveiling; uncovering) is a word reserved for the gospel.

It means the unveiling of Divine mysteries (Ephesians 3:3), and from this it easily

slips into meaning the mystery unveiled. Christ is both the Mystery and the

Revealer of it. He comes to reveal Himself, and in Himself the Father,

whose Image He is. Thus in its opening words the book takes us beyond

itself. What is revealed is not secrets about the future, but a Person. And

the Revealer is not man, but God; not John, but the Divine Son,

commissioned by the Father. “must shortly come to pass;” This Divine "must"

is frequent in the Gospel (John 3:7,14,30; 9:4; 10:16; 12:34; 20:9). In the language

of the seer, past, present, and future are interwoven together as seen by God, and

more truth is contained than the seer himself knows. The whole book ought to be

received as a single word uttered in a single moment. Signified. Jesus Christ

signified, i.e. made known by symbol and figure, the things which must come

to pass. (σημαίνειν – saemainein - signify) is characteristic of John, to whom

wonders are (σημεῖα - saemeia -- signs) of Divine truths.

2 “Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus

Christ, and of all things that he saw.” Who bare record. (μαρτυρεῖν –

marturein - to bear witness) and (μαρτυρία – marturia - witness; testimony),

are characteristic of John’s writings, and serve to connect together his Gospel,

the First Epistle, and the Apocalypse. Such words should be carefully noted,

and, so far as possible, uniformly translated, in order to mark their frequency in

the English Version. The Authorized Version rings the changes on “bear

witness,” “bear record,” “give record,” and “testify,” for μαρτυρεῖν - and

on “witness,” “record,” and “testimony,” for μαρτυρία. The Revised

Version has here made great improvements. To bear witness to the truth

and the Word of God was John’s special function throughout his long

life, and to this fact he calls attention in all his chief writings

(Habakkuk 1:5; Acts 13:41)

This verse emphasizes the extremely important fact that the Book of

Revelation is an actual eye-witness record of real events and real people.

Just as Genesis is the record of the people and events of the world’s

primeval history, so Revelation is the record of the terminal events of

history, written by one who was there. John was miraculously translated

in time and space; to enable him actually to see and hear these momentous

events of the future. John makes the claim “I heard” twenty-eight times,

4 x 7; and “I saw” forty-nine times, 7 x 7) (Henry Morris – The

Revelation Record)

3 “Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this

prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the

time is at hand.” He that readeth this book publicly in the church, and they that

hear the book read, are equally blessed. There is grace promised to both

minister and congregation who live up to the spirit of the Scriptures. It is God's

call to repentance, obedience, steadfastness, and prayer that must be kept by

both reader and hearers in order to bring a blessing. And if the words are to be

kept, they can be understood. We have no right to set aside the Revelation as

an insoluble puzzle. The time is at hand. The appointed time, the

season foreordained of God (καιρός – kairos – season; era; a fixed or definite

period - not χρόνος – chronos – a space of time, whether short or long), is near.

We may ask, with F.D. Maurice, “Did not the original writer use words in their

simple, natural sense? If he told the hearers and readers of his day that the time

was at hand, did he not mean them to understand that it was at hand?” No

doubt. But that does not preclude us from interpreting the inspired words

as referring, not only to events near John’s time, but also to other

events of which they were the foretastes and figures. To us the meaning is

that the type of the end has been foretold and has come, and the end itself,

which has been equally foretold, must be watched for in all seriousness.

Introduction: The Purport of the Book (vs. 1-3)

That the Christian may remain steadfast and fearless where he is, even though it

should be in the midst of a falling world, this book is fitted to render for

such a purpose a most important service. It has thus proved a blessing even

to many who have very imperfectly understood it. For it is wonderful how

the edifying power that resides in the book forces its way even through the

most imperfect understanding of its contents, if only the soul that applies to

it is hungry and thirsty, weary and heavy laden, if it only stands in living

faith on the Divinity of Scripture and the glorious consummation of the

kingdom of Christ. In full accord with the convictions of the value of the

Apocalypse do we now commence for homiletic purposes to unfold its plan.

Our first sketch must needs be like the first three verses — introductory.

Introductory, however, though the verses are, they are amazingly full of

holy and blessed teaching. We have here:

THE NAME GIVEN TO THE BOOK. “The Revelation

(απόκαλυψις – apokalupsis – unveiling; uncovering)” (v. 1). At the forefront

of the book this is its avowal. It declares itself to be nothing less than the

disclosure of what was behind a veil, and so invisible to mortal sight, until

the veil was drawn aside and unseen things were thereby disclosed. That

there are other realms than our globe, peopled with moral and spiritual beings,

is again and again declared in Scripture; that there are mysterious forces of

good and of evil in the distant places of creation is also told us. That there is

many a contest over man in these far-off realms; that there is a Divine Being

who watches over the conflict, and who will “bring forth judgment unto

victory;” (Isaiah 42:3; Matthew 12:20) that the theater on which the issue is

to be fought out is this globe; and that at the consummation the direst enemies

of the world and of man will be put to an utter shame; — all this could no

philosophy forecast, nor any science teach; all this lies behind an impenetrable

veil. If we are to know these things, they must be revealed to us, and THIS

CAN ONLY BE DONE BY OUR GOD!

THE METHOD OF THE REVELATION. The several steps are

shown us — the terminus a quo and the terminus ad quem. We have:

Ø Its origin. “God” — God the Father. If God be the Father of all men,

that He should let them know something about Himself is most

reasonable.

Ø Its channel. “Jesus Christ.” God gave it to Him. HE is the Medium,

the Mediator between God and man; and the clearest disclosures of

God and his purposes come to us through the everlasting Son.

Ø Its agents.

o “He sent … by His angel.” Angelic ministry is one of the steps

by which the revelation is brought to us. The existence and

ministry of angels are very clearly shown to us.

o “To his servant John.” The beloved apostle, in his old age and

exile, received the revelation from angelic hands.

Ø Its mode. “He signified it.” The word means “to signify by symbols.”

Ø For whom? “To show unto His servants,” etc. The Word of God is

committed as a trust to those who love and serve Him. The faith was

“once for all delivered to the saints.” (Jude 1:3) Compare Matthew

13:10-11).

THE CONTENTS OF THE REVELATION

Ø “Things which must shortly come to pass.” The next great crisis of the

world is the second coming of the Son of God. He is on the way. But

at what point of time the Son of man will be revealed it is not given to

man to know. The series of events that prepare the way for the second

coming began immediately after the first and are going on now. Not a

moment is lost. Heaven’s great harvest day is coming on.

THE USE TO BE MADE OF THIS REVELATION. (v. 3.)

Reading, hearing, doing.

Ø It was to be read in the Churches. “He that readeth,” e quivalent to

“he that reads it in the assemblies of the saints.” The Word of God

is not to be hid in a corner, but publicly read. It is not the preserve of

the few, but the charter for the many.

Ø The people are to hear. God’s truth was to be set before men through

the ear. The doctrine that it is more effective when set before the eye,

finds in such a passage as this no support. (Contrary to the emphasis

by contemporary Christianity – CY – 2015)

Ø The hearers must keep the things written therein. Note: If the book is

so obscure that no one can understand it, it is hard to say how men can

keep the things that are herein written. The blessing pronounced on those

who do keep them implies that they are sufficiently plain for that purpose.

How, then, are we to “keep” these things?

o Seize the principles of the book, and abide in them.

o Study its prophecies, and wait for them.

o Learn its promises, and lean on them.

o Ponder its precepts, and obey them. “If ye know these things,

happy are ye if ye do them.” (John 13:17)

THE BLESSEDNESS OF THOSE WHO RIGHTLY USE THIS

REVELATION. “Blessed is he,” etc. (v. 3). It is not difficult to see in

what this blessedness consists.

Ø Such will have a good understanding; for they will know the meaning

and plan of the world’s course and destiny.

Ø They will have a sure resting place in the absolute certainty of the final

triumph of truth and righteousness.

Ø They will have a good hope. “Looking for the mercy of the Lord Jesus

Christ unto eternal life.” (Jude 1:21)

The address and greeting. (vs. 4-8) Of this section only vs. 4-6 are,

strictly speaking, the salutation; vs. 7, 8 constitute a kind of summary, or

prelude — v. 7 being more closely connected with what precedes, v. 8

with what follows. The salutation proper (vs. 4-6) should be compared

with the salutations in Paul’s Epistles.

4 “John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you,

and peace, from Him which is, and which was, and which is to

come; and from the seven Spirits which are before His throne;”

The number seven appears repeatedly in the Apocalypse; and that it is arbitrary and

symbolical is shown by the fact that there were other Churches besides these seven,

Colossae, Hierapolis, Tralles, Magnesia, Miletus. The repeated formula,

“He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the Churches,”

proves that the praise and blame distributed among the seven are of

universal application. The seven Spirits. The Holy Spirit, sevenfold in His operations

(ch. 5:6). They are before His throne, ever ready for a mission from Him (compare

ch.7:15). The number seven once more symbolizes universality, plenitude, and

perfection; that unity amidst variety which marks the work of the Spirit and

the sphere of it, the Church. (See Isaiah 11:2)

5 “And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first

begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto

Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood,”

The f aithful Witness. This was His function — “to bear witness

unto the truth” (John 18:37). The Firstborn of the dead. Christ was the

first who was born to eternal life after the death which ends this life.

Unto him that loved us. The true reading gives “that loveth us”

unceasingly. The supreme act of dying for us did not exhaust His love.

The blood of Jesus Christ cleansing us from all sin is a frequent thought with

the apostle who witnessed the piercing of the side (ch.7:13-14; I John 1:7;

5:6-8).

These titles testify to:

Christ’s sinless suffering unto death,
His victorious resurrection from the grave, and
His imminent triumphant return.

The Greek word μάρτυς – martus – witness – is the source of our word “martyr.”

Jesus Christ, like many other “witnesses” to God’s truth before and since, was

faithful unto death, a martyr. He, unlike other martyrs, however, had power to

lay down His life and power to take it again (John 10:18), and thus became the

firstborn from the dead (see Acts 13:33; Colossians 1:18). Although many kings

and great men of the earth continually try to rebel against Him (Psalm 2:1-3),

He is ἄρχων – archon – prince; chief; first – and must soon be acknowledged

“king of kings and Lord of lords” (ch. 19:16). (Henry Morris – The

Revelation Record)

6 “And hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father; to

Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” And hath made us

kings and priests; rather, as in the Revised Version, and He made us (to be) a

kingdom, (to be) priests. “Kingdom,” not “kings,” is the right reading. Christians

are nowhere said to be kings. Collectively they are a kingdom — “a kingdom

of priests” (Exodus 19:6), or, as Peter, following the Septuagint, gives it, “a royal

priesthood” (I Peter 2:9). Each member of Christ shares in His eternal priesthood.)

In this verse and ch. 5:10, the most authentic manuscripts have the word βασιλείαν –

basileian – kingdom - instead of the plural of βασιλεύς.- basileus - kings (KJV).

The Revised Version - “a kingdom (to be priests),” and “a kingdom (and priests).”

The kingdom was conditionally offered by God to Israel, that they should be to Him

“a kingdom of priests,” Exodus 19:6, the entire nation fulfilling priestly worship and

service. Their failure to fulfill His covenant resulted in the selection of the Aaronic

priesthood. The bringing in of the new and better covenant of grace has constituted

all believers a spiritual kingdom, a holy and royal priesthood, I Pet. 2:5, 9.

Every believer is a priest unto God. He stands, as it were, between a world that

knows not God, and Him, whom to know is life: that so he may point the way,

yes, lead the wanderer home; that he may plead with him for God and plead

with God for him, thus truly fulfilling the priestly function of helping man

Godward. God has given to us “the ministry of reconciliation.” (I Corinthians

5:18-21)

In the coming kingdom, we are promised that we shall actually “reign with Him”(ch. 20:6;

II Timothy 2:12) But though we reign with Him, we are still His servants (ch. 22:3) and it

will be our joy to acknowledge His glory and dominion for ever! (Henry Morris – The

Revelation Record)

(vs. 7-8) It is difficult to determine the exact connection of these

verses with one another, and with what precedes and follows. It seems best

to make v. 7 a kind of appendix to the salutation, and v. 8 a kind of

prelude to the whole book. They each give us one of the fundamental

thoughts of the Apocalypse:

v. 7, Christ’s certain return to judgment;
v. 8, His perfect Divinity.

7 “Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him, and

they also which pierced Him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail

because of Him. Even so, Amen.” He cometh. He who loveth us and

cleansed us and made us to be a kingdom will assuredly come. (The

Second Advent) With the clouds. This probably refers to Mark 14:62,

“Ye shall see the Son of man … coming with the clouds

of heaven” (compare Daniel 7:13, “Behold, one like the Son of man came with

the clouds of heaven”). And they also; better, (οἵτινες – hoitines - they who)

pierced Him. This is strong evidence of common authorship between the Fourth

Gospel and the Apocalypse.

John alone mentions the piercing.
Here and in John 19:37 the writer, in quoting Zechariah 12:10, deserts

the Septuagintand follows the Masoretic Hebrew text. The Septuagint

softens down “pierced” into “insulted” (κάτωρχήσατο – katorchaesato –

danced a victory dance), “piercing” appearing a violent expression to use

respecting men’s treatment of Jehovah.

Here and in John 19:37 the writer, in translating from the Hebrew,

uses the uncommon Greek word ἐκκεντᾷν – ekkentan - pierced. The reference

here is to all those who “crucify the Son of God afresh,” not merely to the

Jews. In what follows the Revised Version is to be preferred: “and all the

tribes of the earth shall mourn over him? The wording is similar to Matthew

24:30 and the Septuagint of Zechariah 12:10. The mourning is that of

beating the breast, not wailing, and it is (ἐπ᾿ αὐτόν – ep auton – over Him).

Even so, Amen. Ναί Αμήν – Nai Amaen – Yea Amen - like “Abba, Father”

(Mark 14:36; Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6), combines a Hebrew word with

its Greek equivalent (compare II Corinthians 1:20).

8 “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the

Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.”

A prelude to the book. In the simple majesty of its solemn

language it reminds us of the opening of John’s Gospel and of his First

Epistle. “I am the Alpha and the Omega” is here not followed by “the

Beginning and the End,” which the Vulgate and some other authorities

insert from ch.21:6 and 22:13. Who is “the Lord,” that utters

these words? Surely the Christ, as seems clear from v. 17; ch.2:8; 22:13.

To attribute them to the Father robs the words of their special

appropriateness in this context, where they form a prelude to “the

Revelation of Jesus Christ” as God and as the Almighty “Ruler of the

kings of the earth.” Yet the fact that similar language is also used of the

Father (ch. 21:6) shows how clearly John teaches that

Jesus Christ is “equal to the Father as touching His Godhead.” These

sublime attributes are applicable to each. Like the doxology (see on v.. 6),

the statement of these Divine attributes increases in fullness as the writing

proceeds. Here “the Alpha and the Omega;” v. 17 and ch.2:8, “the First and

the Last;” in ch. 21:6, “the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End;”

in ch.22:13, “the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning

and the End.” Of these four, the second and fourth certainly apply to the Son, and

the third certainly to the Father, the first probably to the Son. The Almighty. With

the exception of II Corinthians 6:18, where it occurs in a quotation, this

expression (ὁ Παντοκράτωρ – ho Pantokrator – The Almighty) is in the New

Testament peculiar to the Apocalypse, where it occurs nine times. In the Septuagint

it represents more than one Hebrew expression; e.g. Jeremiah 3:19; Job 5:17.

This is the first of the seven great “I am’s” of Revelation. “I am Alpha and Omega!”

He who is the first Word, from the first letter to the last letter of all language itself,

comprises all there is, to know and be. In Him “are hid all the treasures of wisdom

and knowledge.” (Colossians 2:3) Further, He is the Almighty (ὁ Παντοκράτωρ - see above)

meaning “the One of all power.” He is omnipotent, as well as eternal and omniscient!

And this is Jesus Christ, the One who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood!

(Henry Morris – The Revelation Record)

The introductory vision. (vs. 9-20) This section is introductory, not

merely to the epistles to the Churches, but to the whole book. In it the seer

narrates how he received his commission; and with it should be compared

Isaiah 6; Jeremiah 1:1-10; Ezekiel 1:1-3; Daniel 10, especially vs. 2, 7, where

“I Daniel” is exactly parallel to “I John” here. The Revised

Version is again much to be preferred to the Authorized Version.

9 “I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation,

and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that

is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of

Jesus Christ.” In the tribulation and the kingdom and patience. The order of

the words is surprising; we should have expected “kingdom” to have come

first or last. But “and patience” seems to be added epexegetically, to show

how the tribulation leads to the kingdom (compare ch. 2:2-3,19;

3:10; 13:10; 14:12). “In your patience ye shall win your souls” (Luke

21:19). “Tribulation worketh patience” (Romans 5:3); and “through

many tribulations, we must enter into the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22).

It is in tribulation that believers specially love this book. The Church of Asia,

particularly after the prosperous time of Constantine, had a low opinion of the

Apocalypse; while the African Church, which was more subject to persecution,

highly esteemed it. “Everything tends to show that the Apocalypse was

acknowledged in Africa from the earliest times as canonical Scripture”

(Westcott, ‘On the Canon of the New Testament,’ p. 238). Was in the isle. Here and

in v. 10 “was” is literally “came to be” (ἐγενόμην – egenomaen – I came to be),

implying that such was not his ordinary condition; compare γενόμενος ἐν Ρώμη –

genomenos en Pomae – coming to be in Rome - (II Timothy 1:17).

That is called Patmos. Its small size and rugged character made it a suitable place

for penal transportation. (John was here as a prisoner for his work for God –

CY – 2015) It was in exile that Jacob saw God at Bethel;

in exile that Moses saw God at the burning bush; in exile that Elijah heard

the “still small voice;” in exile that Ezekiel saw “the likeness of the glory of

the Lord” by the river Chebar; in exile that Daniel saw “the Ancient of

days.” For the Word of God, and the testimony of Jesus. No doubt the

Greek (διὰ τὸν λόγον – dia ton logon – because of the word) might mean that

he was in Patmos for the sake of receiving the word; but ch.6:9 and 20:4 are decisive

against this. These passages and “partaker in the tribulation” here prove that John’s

“coming to be in Patmos” was caused by suffering for the Word of God. The

testimony of Jesus. This, as in v. 2, probably means the testimony that he bore, rather

than the testimony about Him.

This was in the time of Domitian, among the cruelest of the Roman emperors. John himself was

in prison, banished because of his preaching to a small barren island in the Aegean Sea. His

offense, he says, was exactly that of which he had been guilty for over sixty years, bearing

witness of the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. (Compare v. 2)

(Henry Morris – The Revelation Record)

10 “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great

voice, as of a trumpet,” — I was in the Spirit. I came to be (see on v. 9) in a state

of ecstasy capable of receiving revelations; (Compare Acts 22:17; II Corinthians 12:2-4).

On the Lord’s day. The expression occurs here only in the New Testament, and beyond

all reasonable doubt it means on Sunday. No longer observing sabbaths, but fashioning

their lives after the Lord’s day. Great voice. The voice is evidently Christ’s; but

throughout the Apocalypse the speaker is frequently not named.

The weight of the evidence shows that John was in a time of meditation and prayer – “in the Spirit” –

on a certain day, a first day of the week, in his barren prison land, remembering his beloved Lord,

when he heard the great voice behind him, loud and clear as a trumpet, and he suddenly was aware

that the Lord Himself had come from heaven to be with him on that great Lord’s day, to show him

things to come! (Henry Morris – The Revelation Record)

11 “Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest,

write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto

Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto

Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.” Write in a book; literally,

into a book (εἰς βιβλίον – eis biblion – into a book; scroll). Over and over again, twelve

times in all, John reminds us that he writes this book by Divine command (v.19;

ch.2:1,8, 12,18; 3:1, 7, 14; 14:13; 19:9; 21:5; compare ch.10:4). The seven Churches.

The order is not haphazard. It is precisely that which would be natural to a person

writing in Patmos or traveling from Ephesus. Ephesus comes first as metropolis;

then the city on the coast, Smyrna; then the inland cities in order, working

round towards Ephesus again. In short, it is just the order in which John

would visit the Churches in making an apostolic circuit as metropolitan.

With the exception of what is told us in these chapters, the history of the

Churches of Pergamum, Thyatira, and Sardis in the apostolic or subapostolic

age is quite unknown. It was an ancient objection to the Apocalypse that in

Thyatira there was no Church (see on ch. 2:18).

(Wikipedia)

This incomparable claim incorporates all existence, all knowledge, all reality. It is the same

claim made by God Himself three times in Isaiah. (Isaiah 41:4; 44:6; 48:12) The voice

said “Write what you see in a book!” Just as there was a book of the generations of Adam

(Genesis 5:1), so there is to be a book of the last generations, both serving to anchor and

guide all other generations. Initially, this book (Greek - βιβλίον – from which we get our word

Bible – see above) was to be sent to the seven churches among whom John had evidently

ministered. The churches were all in southwest Asia Minor, more or less facing the Isle

of Patmos on which John was imprisoned and enumerated in clockwise order. (see map)

(Henry Morris – The Revelation Record)

12 “And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned,

I saw seven golden candlesticks;” To see the voice. As in Genesi s 3:8, “the voice”

is put for the speaker. This is the right method in studying the Revelation; we must,

like John, “turn to see the voice.” We must look, not to the events

about which it seems to us to speak, but to Him who utters it. The book is

“the Revelation,” not of the secrets of history, but “of Jesus Christ.” Seven

golden candlesticks. The word λυχνία – luchnia – lampstands - occurs in Matthew

5:15; Mark 4:21; Luke 8:16; 11:33; Hebrews 9:2; and seven times in this book.

In Exodus 25:37 we have seven λύχνοι (lamps) on one λυχνία (lampstand)

seven lamps on one lamp stand. So also in Zechariah 4:2. It is by no

means certain that a similar figure is not meant here; the seven-branched

candlestick familiar to all who know the Arch of Titus. If the Christ stood

“in the midst of the candlesticks,” His form would appear as that which

united the seven branches. But it is perhaps more natural to understand

seven separate lamp stands, each with its own lamp; and these, in contrast

with the seven-branched stand of the temple, may represent the elastic

multiplicity of the Christian Churches throughout the world in contrast

with the rigid unity of the Jewish Church of Jerusalem.

The Great Voice, like a trumpet, was behind John so he turned and saw a most glorious

sight ever beheld by mortal eyes – none other than the glorified Christ there in the midst of

seven golden candlesticks. These “candlesticks” probably called to John’s mind the

Menorah, the lampstands in the tabernacle, each of which had one main and six side branches

(Exodus 25:31). These lampstands seen by John, however had equal branches.

(Henry Morris – The Revelation Record)

13 “And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of

man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the

paps with a golden girdle.” In the midst of the candlesticks. “For where two or

three are gathered together in my Name, there am I in the midst of them”

(Matthew 18:20; compare II Corinthians 6:16). Like unto the Son of

man. Here and in ch.14:14 we have simply υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου - - huios anthropou-

son of man - as also in John 5:27 and Daniel 7:13; not ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου –

ho huios tou anthropou – the son of man - as in Acts 7:56 and everywhere else

in all four Gospels. It is not certain that the absence of the articles forbids us to

render the phrase, “the Son of man;” but it is safer to render, “a son of man.”

The glorified Messiah still wears that human form by which the beloved disciple

had known Him before the Ascension (John 21:7). With the exception of Acts 7:56,

the full form, “the Son of man,” is used only by the Christ of Himself. A

garment down to the feet. The word ποδηρής – podaeraes - robe; outer garment,

reaching down to the feat - sc. χιτών – chiton – the inner vest or under garment –

(vestis talaris), though frequent in the Septuagint (Ezekiel 9:2-3, 11; Zechariah 3:4,

etc.), occurs nowhere else in the New Testament. The robe is an official

one. The Rhemish renders it “a priestly garment down to the foote.”

Compare Joseph’s “coat of many colors,” which literally means a “coat

reaching to the extremities.” In Exodus 28:31 “the robe of the ephod”

of the high priest is ὑποδύτης ποδήρης – hupodutaes podaeraes. The angel in

Daniel 10:5-6 is described in similar language: “whose loins were girded with fine

gold of Uphaz” (compare Isaiah 22:21, “I will clothe him with thy robe, and

strengthen him with thy girdle, and I will commit thy government into his

hand”). Enough is said to indicate that the Son of man claims and fulfils

the office which was assigned to the children of Aaron; that He blesses the

people in God’s Name; that He stands as their Representative before His

Father.

Even through the glory of Christ’s appearance, John recognized Him to be a man, indeed

the very Son of man, the representative man, true man, man as God intended man to be.

This term, “Son of man,” was Christ’s favorite term for Himself; He used it more than

eighty times in the four Gospels. The term is used first in Psalm 8:4, prophesying His first

coming in humility, and last in ch. 14:14, prophesying His second coming in power!

But though He is a true man, He is only like unto the son of man. Adam also was a man,

but was not a son of man. Jesus Christ was “make in the likeness of men” (Philippians

2:7); He was “made like unto His brethren” (Hebrews 2:17); He was sent “in the likeness

of sinful flesh” (Romans 8:3). He was not born of a union of a sinful man and a sinful

woman (terms which apply to all human beings save Jesus), but was divinely conceived

and virgin born. Nevertheless He is to be forever like unto the Son of man.

Note also the fullness of His garments. There is to be no nudity or semi-nudity among the

inhabitants of heaven. Jesus was stripped of His garments when made sin on the cross,

but in heaven, and in the new earth, He is always appropriately arrayed, and so are His

servants! (Henry Morris – The Revelation Record)

14 “His head and His hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and

His eyes were as a flame of fire;” His head. From the garments of the great

High Priest, John passes on to himself. What he had seen as a momentary foretaste of

glory at the Transfiguration, he sees now as the abiding condition of the

Christ. In Daniel 7:9 “the Ancient of days” has “the hair of His head like

pure wool.” This snowy whiteness is partly the brightness of heavenly

glory, partly the majesty of the hoary head. The Christ appears to John

as a son of man, but also as a “Divine Person invested with the attributes of

eternity.” As a flame of fire. “The Lord thy God is a consuming fire”

(Deuteronomy 4:24). “I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins”

(Jeremiah 17:10). The flame purifies the conscience and kindles the affections.

No one living today knows what Jesus looked like during His days on earth, through imaginative

portrayals of Him adorn innumerable homes and churches. The New Testament writers speak

not one word concerning His physical appearance – whether He was tall or short, dark or light, lean

or stout. The omission is significant – He is the representative man! Whatever His appearance

may have been then, His present appearance is far more important, for this is the way we shall

see Him, and this will be His appearance throughout the ages. The most striking description of

John is His snow-white hair. The same appearance was seen by Daniel (Daniel 7:9). The white

hair crowning His head (beards are never mentioned at all in the New Testament) clearly speaks

of His great age. This contrasts with the wistful desire of modern men to retain the appearance

of youth, even using dyes to mask their gray hair. The Bible says: The glory of young men

is their strength: and the beauty of old men is the grey head.” (Proverbs 20:29) “The hoary head

is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness.” (ibid. ch. 16:31) The Scripture

promises that “we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is.” (I John 3:2) Note we shall

see Him as He is, not as He was! His eyes were, as it were, burning with anger. This aspect

was to be seen especially by the immoral church at Thyatira (ch. 2:18) Yet these were the same

eyes that could weep over human need (John 11:35; Luke 19:41-44) His eyes are all-seeing as

He is all-knowing! “All things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have

to do!” (Hebrews 4:13) (Henry Morris – The Revelation Record)

15 “And His feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and

His voice as the sound of many waters.” Fine brass. This may stand as a translation

of χαλκολίβανος – chalkolibanos – copper white; white bronze - a word which occurs

here and in ch.2:18 only, and the second half of which has never been satisfactorily

explained. It may have been a local technical term in use among the metalworkers of

Ephesus (Acts 19:24; II Timothy 4:14). The Rhemish Version renders it “latten.” In

what follows, the Revised Version is to be preferred: “as if it had been refined in a

furnace; and his voice as the voice of many waters.” It is tempting to think that

“the roar of the sea is in the ears of the lonely man in Patmos;” but the image seems

rather to be that of the sound of many cataracts (compare Ezekiel 1:24; 43:2; Daniel

10:6). There is singularly little of the scenery of Patmos in the Apocalypse.

Christ’s feet once had rough spikes driven through them and, even in His glorified body, the wounds

are still there (Luke 24:39-40). The aspect of judgment is here as these same feet shall trample His

enemies (Psalm 110:1; Isaiah 63:3). “His voice” – the voice that will one day raise the dead

(John 5:28-29) and the same voice that called the world into being! (Genesis 1:3,6,9,11, 14, 20, 24, 26;

Psalm 33:6) (Henry Morris – The Revelation Record)

16 “And He had in His right hand seven stars: and out of His mouth went

a sharp twoedged sword: and His countenance was as the sun

shineth in his strength.” He holds the Churches in His hand as a precious possession,

which He sustains as a glory to Himself. These Churches are as planets,

which shine, not with their own light, but that of the sun; which shine most

brightly in the night of “tribulation,” which (like Him who holds them in His

right hand) are a guide to the wanderer, and are ever moving, yet ever at

rest. Out of His mouth a sharp two-edged sword. This metaphor runs

through both Old and New Testaments. It is frequent in this book

(ch. 2:12,16; 19:15, 21; compare Luke 2:35; Ephesians 6:17; Hebrews 4:12;

Psalm 45:3; 57:4; 59:7; 64:3; 149:6; Proverbs 12:18; Isaiah 11:4; 49:2, etc.). The

sharp words of men and the searching words of God are both spoken of under this

figure of the sword. Tertullian and Richard of St. Victor explain the two edges as the

Law and the Gospel. Other still more fanciful explanations have been

given. “Two-edged” (δίστομος – distomos – two- edged ) is literally “two-mouthed,”

and perhaps expresses no more than the thorough efficiency of the sword. It occurs in

ch.2:12 and Hebrews 4:12; also in classical Greek as equivalent to the more common

ἀμφήκης – amphaekaes. If a double meaning be insisted on, it may be found in the

double character of God’s Word, which not:

only smites the wicked, but
searches the good;
which cuts sometimes to punish,
sometimes to heal.

Thus in these very epistles to the Churches, penetrating words both of blessing and

condemnation are uttered. The word for sword (ῤομφαία – romphaia - sword) occurs

six times in Revelation; elsewhere in the New Testament only Luke 2:35. In classical

Greek it is the heavy Thracian broadsword. In the Septuagint it is used of the

“flaming sword” of the cherubim which kept the way of the tree of life (Genesis 3:24);

also of the sword of Goliath. His countenance was as the sun shineth.

It is the “Sun of Righteousness” and “the Light of the world.” The

exceptional glory of the Transfiguration has become CONSTANT NOW!

Evindently, the majesty of the Son of man was such that His face gave the appearance of the

shining of the sun and the objects in His hand that of shining stars, both set against the

background of the heavens over Patmos. The very appearance of the glorified Christ and

the sound of His majestic voice flowing from the blinding light of His countenance gave every

word a swordlike brilliance and sharpness that was almost visible. (Henry Morris –

The Revelation Record)

17 “And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. And He laid His right

hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:”

I fell at his feet as dead; literally, as one dead — as a dead

man. Peter had fallen at Jesus’ feet when he became conscious of the

ineffable difference between sinlessness and sinfulness (Luke 5:8). How

much more, therefore, would consciousness of the glorified Christ

overwhelm John! Long years of contemplation of the incarnate Son

would not prevent that. In like manner, Joshua (Joshua 5:14), Daniel

(Daniel 8:17, 27), and Paul (Acts 9:4) are affected by the Divine

presence. Fear not. Thus Christ encouraged the terrified apostles on the

lake (John 6:20) and at the Transfiguration. So also the angel cheered

Daniel (Daniel 10:12), Zacharias (Luke 1:13), Mary (ibid. v.30), the shepherds

(ibid. ch. 2:10), and the women at the sepulcher (Matthew 28:5).

The first “Fear not” of the Bible occurs before the first “I am” of the Bible.

(Genesis 15:1) For mortal, sinful man to come into the presence of the Living God

is death, and this would have been John’s experience were he not “in the Spirit.”

The hand in which the seven stars were held was laid upon John and the double-

edged sword from His mouth spoke peace instead of judgment. John need not fear,

for it was his Creator and his Savior who died for him, was speaking.

(Henry Morris – The Revelation Record)

18 “I am He that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for

evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.”

I am He that liveth. This should be joined with what precedes.

“I am the First and the Last, and the Living One; and I became dead, and

behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of

Hades.” “Became” or “came to be” (ἐγενόμην – egenomaen – I became), as in

vs. 9 and 10, indicates an exceptional condition. The “Amen” has been improperly

inserted after “forevermore” (see on “forever and ever,” in v. 6) from

liturgical usage. Most English versions omit it. The keys, as so often, are

the sign of authority (ch, 3:7; 9:1; 20:1; Matthew 16:19).

Christ, as the absolutely Living One, who “has life in Himself” and is the

Source of life in others, has control, not merely over the passage from this

world to the other, but over the other world itself. He can recall departed

souls from their resting place. The error of rendering “hell” for ᾍδου – Hadou –

unseen – has often been pointed out; it is not a place of punishment, but the temporary

home of the departed, who are awaiting the day of judgment. “Death,” in

all the best manuscripts and versions precedes “Hades;” and this is the

logical order.

Christ holds the keys to hell and death. Multitudes have searched unsuccessfully for the key to

life and death, even denying that heaven and hell exist. The Bible clearly teaches that both

heaven and hell literally exist in the present cosmos and has not been refuted in any way by

modern science. After death on the cross, Jesus was laid in a tomb, and His spirit “descended

first into the lower parts of the earth.” (Ephesians 4:9) These lower parts of the earth are also

called “the deep” (literally “the abyss” from the Greek word ἄβυσσον – abusson – the deep;

abyss – Romans 10:7) are apparently the same as Hades. But in fulfillment of the prophecy

of Psalm 16:10, “He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that His soul was

not left in hell (Hades), neither His flesh did see corruption.” (Acts 2:31) Until Christ

descended into Hades, it had housed all the souls and spirits of all people who had lived and

died before that time. Those who died in the faith were “comforted” in one compartment

of Hades, all others were separated from these by “a great gulf” and were “in torments”

(see Luke 16:23-26). (See Hebrews 2:14-15) He went and preached to the spirits in prison

(I Peter 3:18-20 Since Christ ascended into heaven, all those who die in Christ are

translated “to be with Christ” in heaven. (Philippians 1:23)The unsaved remain in Hades,

from which they will be brought forth for eternal judgment. (ch. 20:13) In the meantime,

the great abyss in the heart of the earth continues to “enlarge herself” with multitudes

dying in their sins. (Isaiah 5:14) (Henry Morris – The Revelation Record)

19 “Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are,

and the things which shall be hereafter;” Write the things. The true reading and

most English Versions give, “write therefore the things;” i.e. because thou hast seen

me and received thy commission from me. The omission of “therefore” comes from

the Genevan Version. The threefold division of things probably refers to

past, present, and future visions, not to the past, present, and future in

history. But it is possible that “the things which thou sawest” refers to the

visions, and “the things which are,” etc., to the realities symbolized in the

visions.

The same phrase is used in ch. 4:1 and seems to be the events described from ch. 4

onward – the Ages of Judgment and the Kingdom and the New Earth. The last phrase is,

literally “the things which shall be after these things” and is a strong indication that

it relates to events taking place after the initial phases, at least, of the Second Coming.

(Henry Morris – The Revelation Record)

20 “The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand,

and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of

the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest

are the seven churches.” The mystery. In construction this is the accusative after

“write.” A mystery is the opposite of a revealed truth; it is a sacred truth

kept secret, the inner meaning of something which is perceived, but not

generally understood. The angels of the seven Churches. The meaning of

these “angels” has been very much disputed. The common explanation that

they are the bishops of the Churches is attractive on account of its

simplicity. But it has very grave difficulties, especially for those who assign

the Apocalypse to the earlier date of A.D. 68. It is highly improbable that

at that very early time the seven Churches were already so fully organized

as each to possess its own bishop. And granting that they were, and that

the bishops might fitly be called “angels” or “messengers,” would they not

be called messengers of God or of Christ, rather than messengers of the

Churches”? And would not the primitive Church have preserved this title

as a synonym for “bishop”? John’s own language gives the true key to

the symbolism. ‘The seven stars are the angels of the seven Churches, and

the seven candlesticks are the seven Churches.’ This contrast between the

heavenly and the earthly fires — the star shining steadily by its own

inherent eternal light, and the lamp flickering and uncertain, requiring to be

fed with fuel and tended with care — cannot be devoid of meaning. The

star is the suprasensual counterpart, the heavenly representative; the lamp,

the earthly realization, the outward embodiment. Whether the angel is here

conceived as an actual person, the celestial guardian, or only as a

personification, the idea or spirit of the Church, it is unnecessary for my

present purpose to consider. But whatever may be the exact conception, he

is identified with and made responsible for the Church to a degree wholly

unsuited to any human officer. Nothing is predicated of him which may not

be predicated of it. To him are imputed all its hopes, its fears, its graces, its

shortcomings, he is punished with it, and he is rewarded with it … Nor is

this mode of representation new. The ‘princes’ in Daniel (Daniel 10:13,

20-21) present a very near if not an exact parallel to the angels of the

Revelation. The identification of the angel of each Church with the Church

itself is shown in a marked way by the fact that, although each epistle is addressed

to the angel, yet the constantly recurring refrain is, “Hear what the Spirit saith to the

Churches,” not “to the angels of the Churches.” The angel and the Church

are the same under different aspects: the one is its spiritual character

personified; the other is the congregation of believers who collectively

possess this character.

(Henry Morris – The Revelation Record)

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