Tag: Book of Revelation

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Revelation 1:12 And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;

Zechariah 4:1-6 And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep, And said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all ofgold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which areupon the top thereof: And two olive trees by it, one upon the right sideof the bowl, and the other upon the left sidethereof. So I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying, What arethese, my lord? Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord. Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This isthe word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.

The church is described as the golden lampstand. The tabernacle contained one lampstand made of pure gold with seven lamps (Exod. 25:31, 37). Solomon’s temple had ten golden lampstands: five on the left and five on the right in front of the inner sanctuary (1 Kings 7:49); and Zechariah saw only one golden lampstand with seven lights with seven pipes supplying oil to the lights (Zech. 4:2). Even though John’s imagery is based on the Old Testament, here he uses the word lampstands, to which he supplies the number seven. The lampstands are seven churches (Rev. 1:20), and seven denotes completeness. That is, John presents a picture of the entire church.[1]

Zechariah saw a special candlestick, which the Jews call the Menorah. It is of solid gold and very precious. The candlestick had seven branches. This 5th vision signifies the completion of the Temple. The Manorah is a significant furnishing in the tabernacle and temple. It is to shine forth as light and witness to the world of the living and true God. Israel is to be the light of the world by their worship of Him, reflecting God’s light, just like the Church today.

Every church is symbolized by a lamp into which God puts the light which is to be reflected and spread abroad. Holding forth the word of life is the sacred mandate of every local church. The Holy Spirit is the power that energizes the church in her efforts of missions and evangelism.

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A Coming Judgment Unveiled

(1) Prediction (v1-7)

The Apostle John would reveal future events that “must shortly come to pass” (v1). These events that he saw by vision was to be written the defense of the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. Who are the recipients of the message? It was the 7 churches in Asia Minor (v11) whom John named who were given the mandate to disseminate this prophecy to God’s people (v3) that they may be blessed with the truth!

(2) Presence (v8-16)

Jesus promised that His presence and His power would protect His people as they fulfilled His commandment upon earth till His return again on the same spot He would be ascended to heaven. This book is a sequel giving the events leading to His coming upon earth physically and thereafter.

(3) Preparation (v17-20)

When John came in the presence of God, He was as one who has no strength before Him like the prophets Isaiah (Isa. 6) and Daniel (Dan 2, 7, 8-12). Jesus assured that He came to give him courage to stand for Him. He was asked to “Fear not”. Jesus is the first and the last, He is in full control of human affairs and the happenings upon earth. And He asked John to write concerning the message He has for His people in the church.

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Revelation 1:10-13 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last:and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send itunto 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. And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; 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.

John saw the vision of Jesus Christ who manifested His presence on a Lord’s Day. Jesus spoke directly to him by a great voice like a trumpet ensuring that this message will be as it were broadcast to every believer in His church during the church age. The trumpet’s function is to summon, warning call to warfare, to announcement dawning of Christ’s physical kingdom upon earth. This truth is understood in the light of Daniel 2 and 7. John said that he was a fellow companion in tribulation. By this time, Jerusalem has been destroyed. Persecution by the Roman Caesar is at its peak. Acknowledging Christ means losing their livelihood, home, even their lives. But if we have understood the judgment of hell, what men have to endure for eternity, persecution in this life is pales to the judgment to come!

Although the Apostle John is under chains, he was not standing alone for the testimony of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was with him. This is the vision that he was led to see Jesus Christ was in the midst of His church as He had promised before His ascension.

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Revelation 1:11-12 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. And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. 12 And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; 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.

The book of Revelation gives to us the most comprehensive account of God’s coming future judgment upon mankind for their rebellion against their Creator God. This judgment comes in the wake of severe persecution that would come upon all who stand for “the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.” (Rev. 1:9).

This book, written by the Apostle John from the prison cell in the island of Patmos in Greece during A.D. 90., will close the entire canon of God’s revelation. [1]

The Romans persecuted the Christians who acknowledged not Caesar but Jesus Christ as Lord; Romans officials considered John an instigator of the Christian religion. Tradition says that after Domitian’s death, his successor Nerva released John and permitted him to return to Ephesus.[2]

There is a rescue mission for salvation of souls of men and women through Jesus Christ who has the solution over man’s greatest problem of death and judgment in hell for He alone “holds the keys of hell and of death” (Rev. 1:18b).

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Revelation 1:11 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.

These 7 churches are “the seven churches which are in Asia Minor” – Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.

It was a Sunday around A.D. 90, when the Apostle John, a prisoner on the island of Patmos, saw the exalted and resurrected Christ in the fullness of His glory speaking to him. The first church is Ephesus. If you would travel to modern day Turkey today and if you stand in the ancient of Ephesus, you could see the island of Patmos with a hill on a clear day. The church at Ephesus would have existed for 40 years by now with Paul as the first pastor and there was Timothy. And strong church tradition tells us that John pastored there after Paul’s death and now John is asked to write a message to that church, after a time has lapsed.

The distance of the cites of Symrna and Pergamos from Ephesus were like the distance from Singapore to Kulai and Muar, in Johore between 70 and 160 km. When we were on the Holy Land tour in 1998 going to the 7 churches of Revelation in modern day Turkey, we were on a coach. The places were within driving distance from each other. Little is known concerning the beginning of these churches, we can surmise that they came as a result of the spread of God’s Word from the church in Ephesus where Paul nurtured for two whole years Acts 19:9-10 tells us:

Acts 19:9-10 …disputing daily in the school of one Tyrannus. 10 And this continued by the space of two years; so that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.

Possibly the gospel went out and a gospel outpost were established that became beacons of light in the region beyond.

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Revelation 1:11 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.

There were three actions commanded by our Lord Jesus Christ to the Apostle John. He was to first observe carefully what was before him in the vision and he was to write in a book and he was to send it to a targeted audience – the seven churches in Asia.

Here is captured a personally drawn visual of what has been written in Revelation 4, in my own simple picture, to help me see what was written.

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Revelation 1:10-11 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, 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.

The Lord’s Day, the day of worship, the day set aside for the church’s witness to the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. A time set aside to be dwelling in the presence of God. This marked the special day that the Apostle John had fellowship and sweet communion with his Lord. A most blessed time of worship and beholding the glory of Christ.

It was on the Lord’s Day, that is, the first day of the week. That was the day of Christ’s resurrection, of two subsequent appearances to His disciples, of the descent of the Spirit at Pentecost. The disciples gathered to break bread on the Lord’s Day, and Paul instructed the Corinthians to take a collection on the first day. Some think that John refers to the time of judgment about which he will be writing, but the expression is quite different in the original. [MacDonald]

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Revelation 1:10-11 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, 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.

In Lev 23:23-25 the first day (new moon) of the seventh month is set apart as a solemn rest, “a memorial of blowing of trumpets” (the Hebrew leaves “of trumpets” to be understood), signalized further by “a holy convocation,” abstinence from work, and the presentation of “an offering made by fire.”

Horns are emblems of power, dominion, glory, and fierceness, as they are the chief means of attack and defence with the animals endowed with them (Da 8:5,9; 1Sa 2:1; 16:1,13; 1Ki 1:39; 22:11; Jos 6:4-5; Ps 75:5,10; 132:17; Lu 1:69, etc.). The expression “horn of salvation,” applied to Christ, means a salvation of strength, or a strong Saviour (Lu 1:69). To have the horn “exalted” denotes prosperity and triumph (Ps 89:17,24). To “lift up” the horn is to act proudly (Zec 1:21). [Easton Bible Dictionary]

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Revelation 1:10-11 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send itunto 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.

When our Lord Jesus entered human history, He spoke at the beginning of His ministry in by the Sea of Galilee. This address, commonly known as “The Sermon on the Mount,” is recorded in Matthew 5 to 7, consisting of 107 verses. The multitudes that followed Jesus came from as far as Syria and beyond Jordan, and as near as the vicinity of Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem and Judaea (Matt 4:23-25).

Matthew 5:1-2 And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying…

Why did Matthew record that Jesus“opened his mouth”? I believe it is to emphasize the importance of Jesus’ speech and to mark the sacredness of the words that will proceed out of His mouth. God is speaking (Jn 1:18, 10:30, 14:9)! And behold what tremendous blessings are proceeding! This is the longest recorded speech of our Lord in His entire earthly ministry. Contrast this with the close of our Lord’s earthly ministry when He remained silent amidst betrayal and tremendous persecution, “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth” (Isa 53:7 cf. Matt 26:63; 27:12-14). It is as if to say: “Whatever you need to know with regard to matters of your eternal blessings, I have already given you! Will you not receive it for your blessing?” We can observe here the hardness of the unregenerate human heart! Our Lord had to go the way of the cross (to suffer and to die) in order to seal the promises of His words that whosoever will come may inherit the Kingdom of God.

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Revelation 1:10-11 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, 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.

Bodily, the Apostle John was in Patmos, but in the Spirit, the Lord Jesus Christ met with him. The Apostle Paul testified that he was caught up into paradise when he said in 2 Corinthians 12:3-4 And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.

It was on the 69th year of Israel’s captivity in Babylon that Daniel the prophet sought the Lord to know Israel’s future when the 70 years of captivity is ended. The Lord revealed it to him in the record of Daniel 9.

Daniel 9:1-3 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans; In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:

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