Why Should We Study Revelation? - English Sermon

Revelation of Jesus Christ: Biblical Commentary on the Book of Revelation by Hegumen Fr Abraam Sleman - Chapter 6 - The Lamb and the Six Seals

In Revelation 5:1–7, Christ received from God the Father the scroll sealed with seven seals until. The scroll contained the plan of redemption for all the mankind and the creation. The scroll contained description of the divine plan of redemption, how God execute this plan through His Son Jesus Christ.

Each of the scroll’s seven seals (Rev 5:1) represents specific work of the divine redemptive plan. Apparently the seventh seal contains the seven trumpets (Rev 8:1–11:19) and the seventh trumpet (Rev 11:15) contains the seven vials (Rev 16:1–21). The seven seals thus contain all the divine plan of redemption that leads to the coming of New Jerusalem down from heaven and the dwelling of God and the lamb among His people (Rev 21:3).

Those events took place according to the purposes of the sovereign God in heaven and revealed in the fullness of time in Jesus Christ our Lord. They are good news still.

The First Four Seals: Introduction

1 Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, “Come and see.” 2 And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.
3 When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come and see.” 4 Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword.
5 When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. 6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, "A quart* of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine.”
7 When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come and see.” 8 So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth (Revelation 6:1-8).

Many commentators have seen the first four seals as the appearance of the Antichrist, wars, famine and death. However, the message of the Bible is not that “God so loved the world that He sent wars, famine and earthquakes.” The good news is that “God so loved the world that He gave His One and Only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Still this is the message of the Book of Revelation as it is the culmination book of the Bible.

It makes no sense to know that the death of the lamb and His blood were to bring destruction and calamities. Moreover, why St. John would weep bitterly, looking for someone worthy to unlock the sealed scroll (Rev 5:4). Were the praises of the four living creatures, the twenty four priests, the angels and all the creatures for unlocking the news of the coming horror and destruction (Rev 5:8-14)? This would be absurd.

As we go deeper in our journey of discovering “the Revelation of Jesus Christ”, opening the seals of the scroll and releasing the riders of four horses, in (Revelation 6:1-8), unveil how such events have come to be good news.

The four living creatures acted as evangelists preaching the good news of Jesus Christ. As the lamb opened each seal, of the first four seals, one of the four living creatures cried out, “Come and see”. Their cries grasped the attention of St. John and the readers to see specific horses with their riders.

The horses imagery has its Hebraic roots in the visions described in (Zechariah 1:7-17 and 6:1-8). The angel of the lord was depicted as a man riding a red horse in (Zechariah 1:8-9). The chariots with the horses in Zechariah 6 were “the four spirits of heaven, going out from standing in the presence of the Lord of the whole world” (Zech 6:5, NIV). Angels are spirits, a flame of fire (Psalm 104:4).

In the old Testament, they also sent the letters by couriers on horseback riding fast horses as in (Esther 8:10). Here the angels riding horses acted as couriers carrying messages from the throne of God. Each one in his turn when the lamb opened one of the seals. Moreover, their form and color represented the message delivered with opening each seal.

The First Seal: The Word Became Flesh

1 Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, “Come and see.” 2 And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer (Revelation 6:1-2).

Opening the first seal of the scroll marks the beginning of God’s redemptive plan by sending His Son, the Logos in sinless human body to our world. It the opening message of the gospel of St. John, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:1,14).

He shared in our humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death - that is, the devil (Hebrews 2:14). In His body, He fulfilled god’s will:
When He came into the world, He said: “Sacrifice and offering
You did not desire,
But a body You have prepared for Me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin
You had no pleasure.
Then I said, 'Behold, I have come —
In the volume of the book it is written of Me —
To do Your will, O God'" (Hebrews 10:5-7).

White is the color of holiness and purity. Daniel saw that the clothing of the Ancient of Days was as white as snow and that his hair like the purest wool. This white color is reference to the holiness and purity of God. This what God want us to be like. “Come now, and let us reason together," Says the LORD, "Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool” (Isaiah 1:18, NASB). “Let your clothes be white all the time” (Ecclesiastes 9:8, NASB).

In His flesh, the Lord Jesus loved a sinless and perfect life. “He had done no violence, Nor was any deceit in His mouth” (Isaiah 53:9). He was guilty of no sin, neither was deceit (guile) ever found on His lips” (1 Peter 2:22, AMP). “For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens” (Hebrews 7:26).

On the mount of transfiguration, the appearance of the Lord Jesus was changed in front of disciples; His face shone like the sun and His clothes became as white as light (Matthew 17:2). In Revelation, St. John saw Jesus clothed in a robe reaching to His feet, and girded across His chest was a golden sash. His head and His hair were white like wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire (Revelation 1:13-14). It was also said of the saints that they were standing in front of the throne of the lamb and were wearing white robes (Revelation 7:9); The person who conquers in this way will wear white clothes (Revelation 3:5).

The rider of the white horse had a bow but without arrow. The bow is a sign of the convent as in Genesis 9:13. The Lord God foretold Malachi that Jesus would come as “the messenger of the covenant”:
“And the Lord, whom you seek,
Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant,
In whom you delight. Behold,
He is coming” (Malachi 3:1).

Jesus is also “the Mediator of the new covenant” (Hebrews 12:24). Jesus offered His Blood for the New Covenant. After supper, He took a cup and said to His disciples, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you” (Luke 22:20).

Further, the white horse is also a symbol of the “conquering Christ” who has defeated the forces of evil in the world. This rider wears a stephanos, a crown won as a prize. In Rev 19:12, Christ also wears many diadēmas, royal crowns.

Jesus overcame the world as He said, “be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Satan could not take hold of Him in anything. Jesus said, “[T]he ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me” (John 14:30).

The Second Seal: Christ Became Sin

3 When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come and see.” 4 Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword (Revelation 6:3-4).

Colors and forms of the second, third and fourth horses and their riders had been changed. It is hardly to believe that they still represent Christ and the plan of redemption. How can images that portrait wars, famine and death fit with the Son of God? Such paradox blurred the eyes of commentators to see Christ in them. However, we see such paradox in Isaiah’s description of Jesus (Isaiah 53:2-6). Jesus had become with “no form” or “beauty” for “our transgressions” and “iniquities”. Isaiah said:
He has no form or comeliness;
And when we see Him,
There is no beauty that we should desire Him.
He is despised and rejected by men,
A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
Surely He has borne our griefs
And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted.
But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:2-6).

The fiery red horse and its rider had the message that Jesus had become “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). The paradox overlaid its shade when the Father planned to make Jesus, the sinless one to be “sin for us” (2 Corinthians 5:21). St. Paul said, “For He [God the Father] made Him [Jesus] who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

The color of the second horse was fiery red. It is the color that is often associated with terror and blood shed: the red dragon (Revelation 12:3), the red beast (Revelation 17:3).

It was granted to its rider “to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another”. John also noted that a great sword was given to the rider. Machaira (sword) refers to the short, stabbing sword a Roman soldier carried into battle. It was also a weapon used by assassins. The vision depicts a great sword to describe the extent of the war. The whole description fitted perfectly with “sin” that is behind taking peace away, causing wars and killing as with great sword. “There is no peace,” Says my God, “for the wicked” (Isaiah 57:21).

Jesus the sinless has become for you and me that we might become righteous. Jesus ”who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness- by whose stripes you were healed” (1 Peter 2:24).

Jesus ascended on the tree of the cross having our old nature to be crucified with Him that we might be a new creation in Him. “knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him [with Jesus], that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him (Romans 6:6-8). “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

The Third Seal: Christ Became A Curse

5 When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. 6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, "A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine” (Revelation 6:5-6).

As the Lamb opened the third seal, the mighty voice of the third living creature heralded the coming of the third horse and rider. The color black is often connected with famine. “Our skin has become as hot as an oven, Because of the burning heat of famine” (Lamentations 5:10, NASU). A shortage of food will always drive up prices and force the government to ration what is available. “To eat bread by weight” is a Jewish phrase indicating that food is scarce (Leviticus 26:26).

Following the appearance of the black horse and its rider, John heard something like a voice in the center of the four living creatures. Since the four living creatures were stationed around the throne (4:6), this is likely the voice of God, the One sitting on the throne (4:2–3). God also speaks in connection with the fifth seal (6:11).

God speaks here as a reminder that the famine is a direct judgment from Him as a curse for disobedience. “All these curses will come upon you. They [the enemies] will pursue you and overtake you until you are destroyed, because you did not obey the Lord your God and observe the commands and decrees he gave you. They will be a sign and a wonder to you and your descendants forever” (Deuteronomy 28:46-48, NIV).

God’s pronouncements reveal how devastating the famine conditions will be. A quart of wheat is barely enough to sustain one person for one day, while a denarius represents one day’s wages for an average worker. People’s labor will barely provide enough food for themselves and not enough to feed their families. Those with families will be able to purchase three quarts of barley for a denarius. That will provide food for their families, but barley was low in nutritional value and commonly fed to livestock. Thus, a person’s wages will barely feed three people with low quality food.

Those scenarios represent starvation wages, and signify severe curse conditions. "For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: How much worse will it be when I send against Jerusalem my four dreadful judgments - sword and famine and wild beasts and plague - to kill its men and their animals!” (Ezekiel 14:21, NIV).

Before the death of Christ, all were under a curse. All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law” (Galatians 3:10, NIV).

When the Lamb opened the third seal, God revealed further step in the plan of redemption, Christ became a curse for us. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree” (Galatians 3:13, Deuteronomy 21:23).

In light of those extreme conditions, God not to damage not to damage (waste) the oil and the wine. This is significance indication that nothing has affected the fullness of the Spirit and the inner joy of the Lord Jesus Christ despite being a curse for us. “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).

In the New Jerusalem, “there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him” (Revelation 22:3-4).

The Fourth Seal: Christ Died

7 When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come and see.” 8 So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth (Revelation 6:7-8).

The fourth seal in the vision follows the pattern of the first three. The Lamb broke the seal and the fourth living creature heralded the fourth horse and its rider. John described the final horse as an ashen horse. Chlōros (ashen), from which the English words “chlorophyll” and “chlorine” derive, refers to a sickly, pale, yellow-green color. It describes green vegetation in its only other New Testament uses (8:7; 9:4; Mark 6:39). The horse’s color vividly portrays the pale-green pallor of death characteristic of the decomposition of a corpse. Fittingly, the rider who sat on it had the ominous name Death.

In this terrifying scene, John saw Hades following with Death. Death and Hades are also paired in 1:18 and 20:13, 14. Authority was given to Death and Hades to destroy a fourth of the population of the earth.

Death use four tools in his grim task. The first three elements, the sword, famine, and pestilence, are often linked together in Scripture (e.g., 1 Chronicles 21:12; 2 Chronicles 20:9; Jeremiah 14:12; 24:10; 44:13; Ezekiel 6:11), and all four elements appear in (Ezekiel 14:12–21).

Death came to all men through the disobedience of Adam. He disobeyed His command when He said to him, “you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die” (Genesis 2:17, NIV). “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12, NIV).

Opening the fourth seal revealed the great gift of God. In His plan for redemption, God decreed that “if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!” (Romans 5:15, NIV).

Christ “humbled himself and became obedient to death, even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:8, NIV). “We see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone” (Hebrews 2:9, NIV).

Through baptism, the death of Christ is considered our death to live as new creation. “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life” (Romans 6:4, NIV).

The Fifth Seal: Christ Descended into Hades

9 When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. 10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” 11 Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed (Revelation 6:9-11).

As with the first four seals, when the Lamb (the Lord Jesus Christ, who alone has authority to execute the plan of redemption(Revelation 5:4–5) broke the fifth seal another sequence in the unfolding of divine plan was revealed, in which John saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain.

Souls of Those Who are Slain: Who Are They?

The Greek word [μάρτυς martus], which gives us our English word martyr, simply means “a witness” (see Revelation 2:13; 17:6). These saints were unjustly slain by their enemies because of their witness to the truth of God and the message of Jesus Christ.

The Apostle Paul had the same idea in mind. He wrote to the Philippians, “I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith…” (Philippians 2:17). He also wrote to Timothy, “I am already being poured out as a drink offering… I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness…” (2 Timothy 4:6-8). In his epistles to the Romans, he quoted Psalm 44:22 and wrote, “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter” (Romans 8:36).

In Old Testament imagery, blood represents life, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood” (Leviticus 17:11). When the Old Testament priest presented an animal sacrifice, the victim’s blood was poured out at the base of the brazen altar (Leviticus 4:7, 18, 25, 30). So, here in Revelation, the souls of the martyrs “under the altar” indicates that their lives were given sacrificially to the glory of God but went under the base of the alter, to Hades [Sheol].

Souls of Those Who are Slain: Where Are They?

In the early Hebrew thought, Hades is the abode of the souls of the dead, wither the are righteous or evil. Jacob said to his children, “you will bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow” (Genesis 42:38, NASU).

In the story of Moses, Korah, Dathan and Abiram, the ground split apart under them, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the men with Korah, with all their goods. So they and all those with them went down alive into the pit; the earth closed over them, and they perished from among the assembly (Numbers 16:31-34).
Solomon said, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might; for there is no activity or planning or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol where you are going” (Ecclesiastes 9:10, NASU).

In Jewish apocalyptic literature Hades was an intermediate place (1 En. 51 :1) where all the souls of the dead awaited judgment (22 :3f). The dead were separated into compartments, the righteous staying in an apparently pleasant place (v. 9) and various classes of sinners undergoing punishments in other compartments (vv. 10-13). In the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, “being in torments in Hades, he [The rich man] lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom” (Luke 16:23).

The depths of Hades are contrasted with the heights of heaven (Matthew 11:23, Luke 10:15; Isaiah 7:11). The Lord spoke again to Ahaz through Isaiah, saying, "Ask a sign for yourself from the Lord your God; make it deep as Sheol or high as heaven" (Isaiah 7:10-11, NASU).

Hades has gates like a city (Isaiah 38:10, Job 38:17, Matthew 16:18). Isaiah said, “In the middle of my life I am to enter the gates of Sheol; I am to be deprived of the rest of my years” (Isaiah 38:10, NASU). God said to Job, “Have the gates of death been revealed to you, Or have you seen the gates of deep darkness?” (Job 38:16, NASU). Jesus said to Peter, “upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it” (Matthew 16:18, NASU).

The Good news is that Christ has the keys of Death and Hades. “[I am] the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades” (Revelation 1: 18, NASU).

Souls of Those Who are Slain: Meaning of Their Prayer

Before Christ, in Genesis 4, we read about the first innocent blood shed, the crying blood of Abel. God said to Cain, “What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood cries out to Me from the ground. So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand” (Genesis 4:10-11). Then comes, “all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah” (Matthew 23:35).

Is it acceptable for these martyred saints to pray for vengeance on their murderers? Both Jesus and Stephen prayed that God would forgive those who killed them. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34). Nearing death, Stephen knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin." And when he had said this, he fell asleep” (Acts 7:60).

Even God Himself declares, “As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel?” (Ezekiel 33:11, NIV). He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9, NIV).

There is no doubt that these martyrs also prayed for their persecutors and killers; and this is the right thing to do. The Lord Jesus taught them, “I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:44-45).

It is really absurd to hear that martyrs will change their minds after their death and ask for God’s vengeance as one of the commentator wrote, “Prayer will play a vital role in the outpouring of God’s judgments on the earth. This prayer is very different from the one by the martyr Stephen (Acts 7:60) in which he prayed for his killers to not be held guilty by God.”

I do deny that God will finally judge the unrepeated sinners, however this was not what the martyrs prayed for. However, the real enemy of the saints are not the people but Sin and the power of Death and Hades (Galatians 5:24), which dwell on earth.

In Revelation 6, sin was portrayed as “fiery red horse” and “it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword” ( Revelation 6:4). St James said, “Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?” (James 4:1).

In Revelation 17, “Sin” is portrayed as a woman called Babylon, “The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication. And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH” (Revelation 17:4-5).

The judgment of Babylon is portrayed in Revelation 19. St John heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God! For true and righteous are His judgments, because He has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication; and He has avenged on her the blood of His servants shed by her” (Revelation 19:1-2).

The desire of lustful pleasure are warring against the saint not only from outside through their persecutors but also from within. “I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members” (Romans 7:23).

In Revelation 6:8 the personified Death and Hades seem to represent the ungodly powers of the underworld as they were dominating on earth before the death of the Lord Jesus. “Power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth. Revelation 6:8

It is not personal revenge that they seek, but vindication of God’s holiness and their vindication to have rest. It is also the prayer of every believer today who sincerely prays, “Thy kingdom come!”.

Christ Descended Into Hades

Then comes the blood of Jesus, “the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel” (Hebrews 12:24). The Cross for the Lord Jesus was the alter of the burned offering. Earth opened its mouth to receive the blood of Jesus as of Abel. Christ descended into Hades and was identified with the souls of the saints captured in Hades.

St Paul spoke about the ascension of Christ that it means first His descending to the lower part of the earth to give rest the souls of the Old Testament saints. He said, “He ascended”--what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth [Hades]? He who descended [into the lower parts of the earth, Hades] is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things” (Ephesians 4:9-10).

Jonah as a type of Christ prophesied the deliverance of Christ from the Hades. He said in His prayer, “I went down to the moorings of the mountains; The earth with its bars closed behind me forever; Yet You have brought up my life from the pit [Hades], O Lord, my God” (Jonah 2:6).

David also prophesied the descending of Christ into Hades and His deliverance, “For You [O God] will not abandon my soul to Sheol; Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay. You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand [mighty power] there are pleasures forever” (Psalms 16:10-11, NASU).

In the Book of Acts 2 and on the Day of Pentecost, St Peter quoted David and then he said, “because he [David] was a prophet… he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that HE WAS NEITHER ABANDONED TO HADES, NOR DID His flesh SUFFER DECAY. This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses” Acts 2:30-32, NASU).

In His descending to Hades, Christ preached the spirits in prison. “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, 19 by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water” (1 Peter 3:18-20).

God raised the spirits of the saints with Christ. “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive” (Ephesians 4:8) as it was prophesied by David, “You have ascended on high, You have led captivity captive” (Psalms 68:18). “Death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them” (Revelation 20:13, NASU). The Lord God said to His Son through Isaiah:
In an acceptable time I have heard You,
And in the day of salvation I have helped You;
I will preserve You and give You
As a covenant to the people,
To restore the earth,
To cause them to inherit the desolate heritages;
That You may say to the prisoners, 'Go forth,'
To those who are in darkness, 'Show yourselves.' (Isaiah 49:8-9).

By His death, the redeemed have victory over death and Hades, “Death is swallowed up in victory, O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory? The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:54-57).

White Robes And Rest

When God redeemed His Son from the power of Death and Hades, He redeemed also the souls of His saints. He “raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6-7).

One of the saints who was figurativly raised up from Hades is David the prophet. He said, “Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits - who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit [Hades] and crowns you with love and compassion” (Psalms 103:1-4, NIV).

Two elements made up God’s response to His martyred saints: a symbolic gift, and a spoken word. In front of the injustice of Sin, Death and Hades, God gave a gift to each of them, a white robe [στολὴ stolē; a long robe flowing to the feet]. By having the white robes, God declared that these saints are perfected by the blood of the lamb. They “washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Revelation 7:14).

The basis of their redemption and justification is the death of Christ. God saw their blood identified through the blood of His Son. "For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified" (Hebrews 10:14).

Along with this gift came God’s spoken word, namely that they should rest for a little while longer. It is God’s decree to enter the blessing of God’s rest until the second coming of Christ.

God have promised His people a “rest”, a promise not fulfilled in Canaan but in Jesus. “For we who have believed do enter that rest… For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. There remains therefore a rest for the people of God” (Hebrews 4:3, 8-9).

In the New Testament Christ's great offer is rest to the soul. “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

The blood of the Lamb gives inner peace from the conscious of sin. For this St Paul said, “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:22-23).

The Sixth Seal: Jesus’ Resurrection and the Following Glories

12 I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. 13 And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. 14 Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. 15 And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, 16 and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand? (Revelation 6:12-17).

The opening of the sixth seal revealed what looked like worldwide convulsions and catastrophes, including the first of three great earthquakes mentioned in the Book of Revelation (Revelation 6:12; 11:13; 16:18-19). All of nature had been affected: the sun, moon, and stars, as well as the heavens, the mountains, and the islands. These verses describe a scene that frighten even the most courageous person.

As we continue reading, the narrative of the events stops us and makes us rethink the whole issue. The one who opened the “Sixth Seal” is the meek and gentle Lamb of God (Matthew 11:28-30). He also said, “I did not come to judge the world but to save the world” (John 12:47). For me, the Lamb of God would not open “The Sixth Seal” to put in trash God’s creation but to renew it.

So far, with the opening of the previous five seals, it was revealed to us that Jesus took a sinless human body, carried our sin, became a curse for us, died and went to Hades. Following the sequential process of God’s plan of redemption in Jesus Christ leads us the resurrection of Jesus and the glories that would follow.

Great Earthquake: Resurrection of Jesus

I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake…
Revelation 6:12

In general, the Bible uses earthquakes as symbols of God's revelation of His power (2 Samuel 22:8), presence (Psalms 68:8), revelation (Exodus 19:18), and judgments (Ezekiel 38:19-23). The exceeding greatness of God’s power, revelation and judgment was manifested when God raised His Son Jesus Christ from the dead. St. Paul prayed for the Ephesians to be enlightened in their mind to the excellence of God’s power in Jesus Christ when He raised Him:
[I pray that] the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places.
Ephesians 1:18-20

Amazingly, what would declare the mightiest power of God in the resurrection of Jesus is the “Great Earthquake”! According to the Gospel of Matthew, an earthquake occurred at the crucifixion of Jesus leading to the resurrection of many saints (Matthew 27:51-53). A “Great Earthquake” occurred at the resurrection of Jesus (Matthew 28:2):

Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many (Matthew 27:51-53).

Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it (Matthew 28:1-2).

If the planet earth was hit with a massive earthquake, everything would be destroyed, this would be the negative side of the earthquake. But still there would be a positive side as the old things would go away leaving the space for the new thing to be build. What happened with resurrection of Jesus was that all the universe, not only the earth, was hit with the divine power of God through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. His resurrection was like a great earthquake that has shaken the foundations of the heaven and earth ushering the beginning of a new creation. It had to get rid of the old things to have the new things. “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). “No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear is made worse. Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved" (Matthew 9:16-17).

The rest of Revelation 6 tells us about the negative side of the resurrection, the getting rid of the old things. Revelation 7 is a continuation of Revelation 6 and it tells us about the positive side of the resurrection, building up the new things by the Holy Spirit.

Darkness of the Sun and the Moon: Darkness of Old Israel

The sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood (Revelation 6:12b).

6:12b On the heels of the earthquake came what looked like a second disaster, as “the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair. “Sackcloth” was rough cloth worn by mourners, usually made from the hair of “black” goats. Following the violent earthquake that devastates the earth, the sun will turn as black as a mourner’s robe. The looking like third disaster is closely connected with the darkening of the sun, as “the whole moon became like blood”.

Isaiah also described this strange and terrifying phenomenon, writing in Isaiah 13:10, “The sun will be dark when it rises and the moon will not shed its light.” Joel adds, “the sun and the moon grow dark” (Joel 2:10). Joel spoke of the sun being darkened and the moon being turned into blood (Joel 2:31; cf. Acts 2:20).

On the other hand, when God created the sun and the moon, He “God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good” (Genesis 1:17-18). The Lamb of God would not offer His life on the cross and open the “Sixth Seal” to struck what “God saw it was good” with darkness. These looking like disasters are not related the literal sun and moon.

The Book of Genesis give us a clue of what was meant with the sun and the moon in Revelation. In Genesis 37, Joseph [type of Christ] dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers, and said, “Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me.” So he told it to his father and his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall your mother and I and your brothers indeed come to bow down to the earth before you?” And his brothers envied him, but his father kept the matter in mind (Genesis 37:9-11).

Jacob, who was formerly named Israel in Genesis 35:10, understood that the sun, the moon and the eleven stars are Israel himself, his wife and his children that became the twelve tribes together with Joseph (Genesis 37:10).

Fading of the lights of the sun and the moon refers to fading the light of Israel according to the flesh. “Blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in” (Romans 11:25-26).

Now, in Christ Jesus, “Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what matters” (1 Corinthians 7:19). “For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God” (Romans 2:28-29).

With the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ, all was done with the Old Covenant leaving the way to the New Covenant with blood of Jesus. The is with the Leviticus priesthood:
But now He [Christ] has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. Because finding fault with them, He says: "Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah..” (Hebrews 8:8-10).

If perfection were through the Leviticus priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need was there that another priest should rise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be called according to the order of Aaron? 12 For the priesthood being changed, of necessity there is also a change of the law (Hebrews 7:11-12).

Fall of the Heavenly Bodies: Fall of Satan and His Angels

And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind (Revelation 6:13).

6:13 The fourth looking like disaster was that the “stars of the sky fell to the earth”. The word “Stars” in the Bible the word star is used as a generic term for all the heavenly bodies-including stars, planets, comets, and meteors-but excluding the sun and the moon. In this general sense, the phrase the host of heaven sometimes refers to all the astronomical phenomena visible in the night sky (2 Kings 17:16; 21:3-5; 23:4-5).

Some commentators believed that this is most likely a reference to asteroid or meteor showers bombarding the earth. Modern experts believe that the impacts of asteroids, comets, and meteors striking the earth would be devastating and cause unprecedented destruction. There would be so many such bodies hitting the earth that John, in a vivid analogy, likens the scene to “a fig tree that casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind”.

The word star is also used as a figure of speech for angels. Job 38:7 speaks of "the morning stars" singing together and all "the sons of God" shouting for joy. The morning stars are a poetic way of speaking of angels. This symbolic usage is most obvious in the Book of Revelation (Revelation 8:10-11; 9:1-2). Not only the holy angels that are called “stars” but also Satan himself is called a “mourning Star” in (Isaiah 14:12).

The fall of the heavenly bodies, the stars by the mighty wind (Revelation 6:13) refers to the fall of Satan and his angels from the heaven to earth. This vivid picture finds a parallel in Isaiah:
All the host of heaven shall be dissolved,
And the heavens shall be rolled up like a scroll;
All their host shall fall down
As the leaf falls from the vine,
And as fruit falling from a fig tree (Isaiah 34:4).

Two Old Testament passages-Isaiah 14:12-15 and Ezekiel 28:11-19-furnish a picture of Satan's original condition and the reasons for his loss of that position. These passages were addressed originally to the kings of Babylon and Tyre. But in their long-range implications, many scholars believe, they refer to Satan himself. They tell of an exalted angelic being, one of God's creatures, who became proud and ambitious. He determined to take over the throne of God for himself. But God removed him from his position of great dignity and honor.

Building upon this foundation, Revelation sketches the further stages in Satan's work of evil. In his fall from God's favor, Satan persuaded one third of the angels to join him in his rebellion (Revelation 12:3-4). Throughout the Old Testament period he sought to destroy the messianic line. When the Messiah became a man, Satan tried to eliminate Him (Revelation 12:4-5). Because of the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ, was thrown out of the heavenly sphere (Revelation 12:7-12).

The Lord Jesus told His disciples: “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you” (Luke 10:18-19).“Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out” (John 12:31). Revelation 20 notes the final phases of Satan's work. Stan is bound for a “thousand years” and then finally cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:2,10).

Movement of the Sky, Mountains and Islands: Birth Bangs of the Creation

Then the sky [heaven] receded [split apart] as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place (Revelation 6:14).

6:14 John described the sixth looking like devastating natural phenomenon as he likened the sky to an unrolled scroll that splits in the middle and rolls up on either side. “Every mountain and island were moved out of their places”.

After the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ, heaven and earth are moving from their old state toward their renewal. There would be a new heaven and a new earth according to God’s promises as in Isaiah and seen fulfilled in Revelation:
“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth;
And the former shall not be remembered or come to mind” (Isaiah 65:17).
Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea (Revelation 21:1).

The Lord Jesus Christ is “the Beginning of the creation of God” (Revelation 3:14) in the general sense. Because of His resurrection, He became also the beginning of the “new creation” in the special sense. “He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence” (Colossians 1:18).

Christ ascended to heaven, for “heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things…” (Acts 3:21). This anticipated time is the time of the renewal of heaven and earth. Movement of the heaven and the earth in Revelation 6:14 refers to groaning and the birth bangs of the creation looking for its redemption:

For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body (Romans 8:22-23).

End of People of the Earth: Getting Rid off the Old Human Nature

15 And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, 16 and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand? (Revelation 6:15-17).

The seventh looking like disaster was a hopeless massive human escape before God and the Lamb. “Wrath of the Lamb” and “the great day of His wrath” are two phrases taken from the lips of this panic crowd and emphasized as being the theme of the whole Book of Revelation. The Book, which culminating the gospel of the good news, has been used to terrorize the people of God.

The message of Revelation is the same message of the Gospel. “God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 5:9). “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit (Romans 8:1).

Some see Revelation 6:15-17 as a picture of the final “Judgment Day”. Yes, I believe in the “Judgment Day” in which God "will render to each one according to his deeds" (Romans 2:6). However, if these verses specifically are portrait of the judgment day, then where are the saints? Will they flee with everyone and hid them selves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains? The Lord Jesus said that the saints will be mixed with wicked people in the “Judgment Day”. “All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats” (Matthew 25:32). The narrative in these verses does not indicate of the presence of saints among these crowds.

The analogy used seven categories embracing the concept of discrimination and the law of segregation, “the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man”. Such act is not is not of the saints. “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28).

The massive hopeless crowd in Revelation 6 is not people but the “old man” that was living in people before the death and the resurrection Christ. It is the “old man” that sees people in segregation and does not accept the love of God and of the Lamb.

The analogy also introduced people who have misconception about God the Father. While Jesus said, “the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God” (John 16:27), they wanted to hid themselves from “the face of Him who sits on the throne”.

Their misconception extended to their view of “the Lamb of God”. The phrase “wrath of the Lamb” seems a paradox. “Wrath of the lion” would be more consistent. These people had misconception of the Lamb of God. Christ said of Himself, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28-29).

Instead of seeing the love, the meekness and gentleness of Christ, they saw “wrath of the Lamb”. The old man in us relate himself to the rocks and the mountains , the dust of the earth, “the Mother Nature” not “God the Father and His Son”.

The “Day of the Lord” is “the Day of Wrath” on that old man in us that is called “the man of sin”. “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men [all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men NOT on men], who suppress the truth in unrighteousness (Romans 1:18).

In Revelation, sin is portrait as a city called “Babylon”. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God judged Babylon:
And there were noises and thunderings and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth… And great Babylon [the city of evil] was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath (Revelation 16:18-19).

The God news is that the “Old Man” has gone away by the Holy Spirit with the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Before putting on the “New Man”, the old one has been buried with Christ in the Baptism:

[You are] buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead (Colossians 2:12).

This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk… that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:17-24).

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new (2 Corinthians 5:17).

In conclusion, “The Sixth Seal” is not about ecological destruction, devastation or cosmic disturbances. It is about “the great and awesome day of the Lord” (Acts 2:20). That day has been already witnessed by many through the death, resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and “the glories that would follow” (1 Peter 1:11). It has been preached by St Peter, in the Day of Pentecost, and later by many.

This is the day anticipated by David and many. It is the day to be glad and rejoice, not to be scared and frightened, “This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalms 118:24). The rest of the good news revealed in opening the Sixth Seal follows in Chapter 7.

Revelation of Jesus Christ: Biblical Commentary on the Book of Revelation by Hegumen Fr Abraam Sleman - Chapter 1 - Introduction & Opening Vision

1 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, to all things that he saw.

1:1 The Book of Revelation, like the other books in the Bible, is “inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17, NASB).
The book is “the Revelation of Jesus Christ” (Revelation 1:1). The word translated “Revelation” simply means “unveiling.” Revelation is an open book in which God reveals His plans and purposes to His church. It reveals the majesty and glory of God in the face of the Lord Jesus Christ.

It contains truths that had been concealed, but have now been revealed. When Daniel finished writing his prophecy, he was instructed to “shut up the words, and seal the book” (Daniel 12:4). But John was given opposite instructions: “Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book” (Revelation 22:10). Why? Since Calvary, the Resurrection, and the coming of the Holy Spirit, God has ushered the “last days” (Hebrews 1:1-2) and has fulfilled His hidden purposes in this world. “The time is at hand” (Revelation 1:3; 22:10).

John’s prophecy is primarily the revelation of Jesus Christ, not the revelation of future events. You must not divorce the person of Jesus Christ from the prophecy, for without the Person there could be no fulfillment of the prophecy. “For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (Revelation 19:10). Whatever you do as you study this book, get to know your Savior better.

The Writer and Style

1:2 John wrote Revelation about 95 AD, during the reign of the Roman emperor Titus Flavius Domitian. The emperor had demanded to be worshiped as “Lord and God,” and the refusal of the Christians to obey his edict led to severe persecution. Tradition says that it was Domitian who sent John to the island of Patmos, a Roman penal colony off the coast of Asia Minor.

According to Revelation 1:1-2, God the Father gave the “Revelation” to His Son Jesus Christ. The Son shared it with the apostle, using “His angel” as intermediary. Sometimes Christ Himself conveyed information to John (Revelation 1:10); sometimes it was an elder [priest] (Revelation 7:13); and often it was an angel (Revelation 17:1; 19:9-10). Sometimes a “voice from heaven” told John what to say and do (Revelation 10:4). The book came from God to John, no matter what the various means of communication were; and it was all inspired by the Holy Spirit.

The word “signified” (Revelation 1:1) is important. It means “to show by a sign.” In Revelation, the noun is translated as “sign” (Revelation 15:1), “wonder” (Revelation 12:1, 3), and “miracle” (Revelation 19:20). This is the same word used in the Gospel of John for the miracles of Jesus Christ. His miracles were events that carried a deeper spiritual message than simply the display of power. As you study Revelation, expect to encounter a great deal of symbolism. Much of the symbolism related to the Old Testament.

Symbolism is a kind of “spiritual code”. It is understood only by those who know Christ personally. To understand John’s symbolism, however, we must be careful not to allow our imaginations to run wild. Biblical symbols are consistent with the whole of biblical revelation. Some symbols are explained (Revelation 1:20; 4:5; 5:8). Others are understood from Old Testament symbolism (Revelation 2:7, 17; 4:7). Some symbols are not explained at all like the “white stone” in (Revelation 2:17). Nearly 300 references to the Old Testament are found in the Book of Revelation! This means that we must anchor our interpretations to what God has already revealed, lest we misinterpret this important prophetic book.

Blessings of the Book - Revelation 1:3-4

3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near. 4 John, to the seven churches which are in Asia…

1:3 The book was originally sent to seven actual local churches in Asia Minor. Revelation was first read aloud in local church meetings. However, John makes it clear that any believer may read and profit from it (Revelation 1:3). God promised a special blessing to the one who would read the book and obey its message: “Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it” (Revelation 1:3).

John did not send this book of prophecy to the assemblies in order to satisfy their curiosity about the future. God’s people were going through intense persecution and they needed encouragement. As they heard this book, its message would give them strength and hope. But even more, its message would help them examine their own lives to determine those areas needing correction. They were not only to hear the Word, but they were also to “keep it”—that is, guard it as a treasure and practice what it said. The blessing would come, not just by hearing, but even more so by doing (James 1:22-25).

There are seven “beatitudes” in Revelation: 1:3; 14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6; 22:7, 14. The number seven is important in this book because it signifies fullness and completeness. In Revelation, God tells us how He is going to complete His great work and usher in His eternal kingdom. In Revelation, you will find seven seals (Revelation 5:1), seven trumpets (Revelation 8:6), seven vials (Revelation 16:1), seven stars (Revelation 1:16), and seven lampstands (Revelation 1:12, 20). Other “sevens” in this book will be discussed as we study.

1:4 The special messages to each of the seven churches are given in Revelation 2-3. These letters remind us that Jesus, the exalted Head of the church knows what is going on in each church. Our relationship to Him and His Word determines the life and ministry of the local body.

Keep in mind that the churches in Asia Minor were facing persecution and it was important that they be rightly related to the Lord and to each other. They are pictured as seven separate lampstands, each giving light in a dark world (Philippians 2:15; Matthew 5:14-16). The darker the day, the greater the light must shine. Situations existed in at least five of these assemblies that required correction if their lights were to shine brightly. As you read Revelation 2-3, note that the Lord always reminded them of who He is, and encouraged them to be “overcomers.”

To all Christians at all times, the promise of Jesus Christ’s coming should be a motivation for obedience and consecration (Revelation 1:3, 7; 2:5, 25; 3:3, 11; 22:7, 12, 20; 1 John 1:1-3). Believer should not study prophecy merely to satisfy his curiosity. When Daniel and John received God’s revelations of the future, both fell down as dead men (Daniel 10:7-10; Revelation 1:17). They were overwhelmed! We need to approach this book as wonderers and worshipers, not as academic students.

Benediction and Doxology - Revelation 1:4-6

4 Grace to you and peace from Him

who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, 6 and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

1:4-5 At the opening of the Book of Revelation, St. John sent his benediction of peace and grace to his readers from God the Father who is described as the Eternal One, “who is and who was and who is to come” (Revelation 1:8; 4:8). He is God who had saved them in the past, saves them in the present and would keep them safe in the future as they faced the fiery trials of suffering.

St. John sent the benediction of peace and grace also from “the seven Spirits who are before His throne”. Some see “the seven Spirits” as the Holy Spirit in His fullness. They refer to (Isaiah 11:20 as a reference, where the holy Spirit is described in sevenfold expressions: the Spirit of “the Lord”, “wisdom”, “understanding”, “counsel” , “might”, “knowledge” and of “the fear of the Lord”.

Psalm 104, makes a direct reference to the “angels” as “spirits”. David said, “Who [the Lord] makes His angels spirits, His ministers a flame of fire” (Psalms 104:4). Then “the seven angels of God” are “the seven spirits of God”. They are mentioned in the Book of Revelation in many places as in (Revelation 8:2, 8:6, 15:1, 15:6, 15:7, 15:8, 16:1, 17:1, 21:9).

After sending the benediction for ‘the seven spirits of God”, St. John sent the benediction also from “Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth” (Revelation 1:5). Mentioning Jesus after “the seven spirits”, who are “the seven angels” is a reference to “the humbling process” that Jesus went through in His flesh. “He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:8). “But [now] we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor” (Hebrews 2: 9).

Jesus Christ is seen as “the faithful witness”. Revelation 3:14 calls Him “The Amen, the faithful and true Witness”. Jesus is the perfect witness to the nature of God. “He is the image of the invisible God”(Colossians 1:15), “the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person” (Hebrews 1:3). “For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world,” He declared to Pilate, “to testify to the truth” (John 18:37).

The second description of Jesus, “the firstborn of the dead”, does not mean He was chronologically the first one to be raised from the dead. There were resurrections before His in the Old Testament (1 Kings 17:17–23; 2 Kings 4:32–36; 13:20–21), and He Himself raised others during His earthly ministry (Matt. 9:23–25; Luke 7:11–15; John 11:30–44). Prōtotokos does not mean firstborn in time sequence, but rather first in preeminence. Of all who have ever been or ever will be resurrected, He is the premier one. God declares of the Messiah in Psalm 89:27, “I also shall make him My firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth.” The book of Revelation records the unfolding of that promise.

Jesus is also “the firstborn of the dead” in a sense that He is the first one who rose from the dead and lives forever. He said to John, “I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys [the authority over] of Hades and of Death” (Revelation 1:18). “knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him” (Romans 6:9).

The third title, the ruler of the kings of the earth, depicts Christ as the sovereign King of the earth (Revelation 19:16; Psalm 2:6–8; Jeremiah 23:5; Zechariah 9:9; Matthew 2:2; 21:5; Luke 19:38; 23:3; John 1:49). He is Lord, having a name “above every name” (Philippians 2:9–11). He grants believers His royal blessing of grace and peace according to the will of His Father.

1:6 In His love, God called Israel to be a kingdom of priests (Exodus 19:1-6), but the Jews failed God and their kingdom was taken from them (Matthew 21:43). Today, God’s people [the new Israel] are His kings and priests (1 Peter 2:1-10), exercising spiritual authority and serving God in this world.

Announcing the Second Coming - Revelation 1:7-8

7 Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen. 8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty”

1:7 The statement in Revelation 1:7, “Behold, He cometh with clouds,” describes our Lord’s return to the earth. The event described in Revelation 1:7 will be witnessed by the whole world. It will be public, not secret (Matthew 24:30-31).

The theme of the Book of Revelation is unveiling the divine purposes for the creation in Jesus Christ. God’s plans reaches its climax with the second coming of Jesus Christ. ‘For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself” (Philippians 3:20-21).

1:8 The titles given to God in Revelation 1:8 make it clear that He is certainly able to work out His divine purposes in human history. Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. God is at the beginning of all things and also at their end. He is the eternal God (Revelation 1:4). He is also the Almighty, able to do anything. Almighty is a key name for God in Revelation (Revelation 1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7, 14; 19:6, 15; 21:22).

Vision of the Son of Man - Revelation 1:9-19

9 I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. 10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet, 11 saying, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last," and, "What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea”.

1:9 This is the third time in the first nine verses of this book that John referred to himself by name (Revelation 1:1, 4). This time, his amazement at receiving this vision caused him to add the demonstrative personal pronoun “I”.

John was an apostle, a member of the inner circle of the twelve along with Peter and James, and the writer of a gospel and three epistles by the Holy Spirit. Yet he humbly identified himself simply as “your brother”. He did not write as one impressed with his authority as an apostle, commanding, exhorting, or defining doctrine, but as an eyewitness to the revelation of Jesus Christ that begins to unfold with this vision.

John further humbly identified with his readers by describing himself as their “companion”, sharing with them first of all in “tribulation”. Like them, John was at that moment suffering severe persecution for the cause of Christ, having been exiled with other criminals. He could thus identify with the suffering believers to whom he wrote. John was part of the same kingdom as his readers; the redeemed community over which Jesus reigns as Lord and King (Revelation 1: 6).

Finally, John identified with his readers in the matter of “patience [perseverance]”. “perseverance” literally means “to remain under.” It speaks of patiently enduring difficulties without giving up.

John further described these experiences as “in Jesus”. Suffering persecution for the cause of Christ, belonging to His kingdom, and patiently enduring trials are distinctly Christian experiences.

When he received this vision, John was in exile on “the island that is called Patmos”. Patmos is a barren, volcanic island in the Aegean Sea, at its extremities about ten miles long and five to six miles wide, located some forty miles offshore from Miletus (a city in Asia Minor about thirty miles south of Ephesus; cf. Acts 20:15–17). According to the Roman historian Tacitus, exile to such islands was a common form of punishment in the first century. John was probably sent to Patmos as a criminal , as a Christian, he was a member of an illegal religious sect. If so, the conditions under which he lived would have been harsh. Exhausting labor under the watchful eye (and ready whip) of a Roman overseer, insufficient food and clothing, and having to sleep on the bare ground would have taken their toll on a ninety-year-old man. It was on that bleak, barren island, under those brutal conditions, that John received the most extensive revelation ever given.

John’s only crime was faithfulness for “the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ”. Those two phrases appear to be synonymous. John suffered exile for his faithful, uncompromising preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

1:10 John received his vision while he “was in the Spirit”. Under the Holy Spirit’s control, John was transported to a plane of experience and perception beyond that of the human senses. In that state, God supernaturally revealed things to him. Ezekiel (Ezekiel 2:2; 3:12, 14), Peter (Acts 10:9), and Paul (Acts 22:17–21; 2 Corinthians 12:1) had similar experiences.

John received his vision on “the Lord’s day”. While some argue that this refers to the time of eschatological judgment called the Day of the Lord, some understand it as a reference to Sunday.

John received his commission to record the vision in dramatic fashion: I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet, saying, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last," and, "What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea”.
The “loud voice” (Ezekiel 3:12) was that of the Lord Jesus Christ (revelation 1: 12–13, 17–18), sounding to John in its piercing, commanding clarity like the sound of a trumpet. Throughout the book of Revelation, a loud voice or sound indicates the solemnity of what is about to be revealed(Revelation 5:2, 12; 6:10; 7:2, 10; 8:13; 10:3; 11:12, 15; 12:10; 14:2, 15, 18; 16:1, 17; 19:1, 17; 21:3).

The scene is reminiscent of the giving of the Law at Sinai: “So it came about on the third day, when it was morning, that there were thunder and lightning flashes and a thick cloud upon the mountain and a very loud trumpet sound, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled” (Exodus 19:16).

1:10 The sovereign, powerful voice from heaven commanded John, “Write in a book (or scroll) what you see.” This is the first of twelve commands in the book of Revelation for John to write what he saw (Revelation 19; 2:1, 8, 12, 18; 3:1, 7, 14; 14:13; 19:9; 21:5); on one other occasion he was forbidden to write (Revelation 10:4).

After writing the vision, John was to “send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea”. These cities were located in the Roman province of Asia (modern Turkey). These seven churches were chosen because they were located in the key cities of the seven postal districts into which Asia was divided. They were thus the central points for disseminating information.

The seven cities appear in the order that a messenger, traveling on the great circular road that linked them, would visit them. After landing at Miletus, the messenger or messengers bearing the book of Revelation would have traveled north to Ephesus (the city nearest to Miletus), then in a clockwise circle to Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. Copies of Revelation would have been distributed to each church.

Christ in the Glory - Revelation 1:12-16

12 Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. 14 His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; 15 His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters; 16 He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength.

1:12 At the outset of the vision John had his back to the voice, so he “turned to see the voice that spoke with” him. As he did so, he first “saw seven golden lampstands”, identified in verse 20 as “the seven churches”. These were like the common portable oil lamps placed on lampstands that were used to light rooms at night. They symbolize churches as the lights of the world (Phil. 2:15).

The seven churches are “golden” because gold was the most precious metal. The church is to God the most beautiful and valuable entity on earth—so valuable that Jesus was willing to purchase it with His own blood (Acts 20:28).

“Seven” is the number of completeness (Ex. 25:31–40; Zech. 4:2); thus, the seven churches symbolize the churches in general. These were actual churches in real places, but are symbolic of the kinds of churches that exist through all of church history.

1:13 In the middle of the lampstands John saw one like a son of man (Daniel 7:13). Most of the church’s fathers and even modern commentators said that the One seen Revelation 1:9-20 by St John is the Lord Jesus Christ in the glory.

The evidence of this is that He said to St John, “I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore…“(Revelation 1:18). The one who was dead and now lives is the Lord Jesus Christ. Moreover, He sent a message to the angel of the church in Thyatira saying, “These things says the Son of God…” (Revelation 2:18). In fact, this vision introduces to us the Lord Jesus Christ in amazing way.

The glorified Lord of the church moving among His churches. Jesus promised His continued presence with His church. In Matthew 28:20 He said, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 18:20 promises Christ’s presence during the difficult work of confronting sin in the church. On the night before His death, Jesus promised His disciples, “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. … If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him” (John 14:18, 23). Hebrews 13:5 records His promise, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you.”

In this vision, Christ did not appear to John as a heavenly angelic being but in the likeness of “Son of Man”. Jesus has been known with the title “Son of Man” that refers to His human nature. Now, we see Jesus glorified in His human nature as Daniel said:
“I was watching in the night visions,
And behold, One like the Son of Man,
Coming with the clouds of heaven!
He came to the Ancient of Days,
And they brought Him near before Him.
Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom,
That all peoples, nations…” (Daniel 7:13-14).

For the vision of “the Son of Man” here in Revelation 1, there is a similar vision in the Book of Daniel (Daniel 7:9), but of the Father. The description of the Father in Daniel 7 is identical with the description of the Son in Revelation 1 as you might notice while reading the two quotations:

I watched till thrones were put in place, And the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as snow, And the hair of His head was like pure wool.
Daniel 7:9

And in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire… and His countenance [face] was like the sun shining in its strength.
Revelation 1:13-17

The reason behind this similarity is that because the Son is “the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15) and He is “the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person…” (Hebrews 1:3). Jesus said to Philip, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9).

As far as we know, the apostle John had not heard his Lord’s voice since Christ had returned to heaven more than sixty years before. St. John saw Christ while being in the flesh on earth, in “the form of a bondservant”. In Revelation, He saw Him in the glorified state, in “the form of God”. On these two forms, St. Paul said: “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:5-7).

What we are about to see is Jesus in the glory of His Father after His resurrection and ascension to heaven. Daniel saw such vision by the Spirit of prophecy. He said: “I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold, a certain man clothed in linen, whose waist was girded with gold of Uphaz! His body was like beryl, his face like the appearance of lightning, his eyes like torches of fire, his arms and feet like burnished bronze in color, and the sound of his words like the voice of a multitude” (Daniel 10:5-6).

Three of Jesus’ disciples saw a glimpse of this glory. Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him(Matthew 17:1-4).

Later, St. Peter witnessed to this incident in his second epistles: “For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’ And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain” (2 Peter 1:16-18).

It is not mentioned in the Bible that Jesus appeared to anyone after His ascension except to Saul [St Paul] in Acts 9 and to St John in Revelation. The two visions have their strong impact in the life and theology of the church. Jesus will come back in the glory of His Father as He said, “For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works” (Matthew 16:27).

Before going into the details of this vision, it is worthy to mention that we should not interpret this vision or any part of Revelation literally. From this vision and the interpretation given afterward in Chapter 1, we learn that we must not interpret the Book of Revelation literally. It is made up of symbols. We see a great example for this in Revelation 1:20 where the seven lampstands are said to be the seven churches and the seven stars are the seven angels of the churches.

Jesus’ Garments

The first thing John noted was that Christ was clothed in a robe reaching to the feet (Revelation 1:13). The word translated robe was used most frequently (in six of its seven occurrences) in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, to describe the robe worn by the high priest. The robe here pictures Christ in His role as the Great High Priest of His people.

As we see Christ glorified in this vision, we see also glorification to our human nature. Christ has been gloried in His human nature that we the human might share with Him in His glory. Christ made us to share with His glory as He said to the Father, “And the glory which You gave Me I have given them…” (John 17:22). He “made us kings and priests to His God and Father…” (Revelation 1:6).

The Father glorified His Son, while being in human nature, and called Him to be the High Priest in heaven. “No man takes this honor to himself, but he who is called by God, just as Aaron was. So also Christ did not glorify Himself to become High Priest”, but He was “called by God as High Priest, according to the order of Melchizedek” (Hebrews 5: 4-6,10).

The book of Hebrews says much about Christ’s role as our Great High Priest. In Hebrews 2:17–18 St. Paul notes, “Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.”

In Hebrews 3:1 he refers to Christ as the “High Priest of our confession,” while in Hebrews 4:14 he reminds believers that “we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God.”

Our Great High Priest is “able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25). His offering was infinitely superior to that of any human high priest: “But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption” (Hebrews 9:11–12).

As our High Priest, Christ once offered the perfect and complete sacrifice for our sins and permanently, faithfully intercedes for us (Romans 8:33–34). He is able to sympathize with us in all our dangers, sorrows, trials, and temptations: “since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted. … We do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 2:18; 4:15). The knowledge that our High Priest is moving sympathetically in our midst to care for and protect His own provides great comfort and hope to His afflicted people.

Jesus’ Golden Band

St. John saw Christ “girded about the chest with a golden band” (Revelation 1:13). In Daniel vision, he saw “a certain man clothed in linen, whose waist was girded with gold of Uphaz!” (Daniel 10:5). Seeing Christ girded across His chest with a golden sash reinforces identity of Christ as the High Priest, since the high priest in the Old Testament wore such a sash (Exodus 28:4; Leviticus 16:4).

On the other hand, the “golden band” or “belt” refers to the commitment of Christ to “fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15). Isaiah prophesied of Jesus that “Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, And faithfulness the belt of His waist” (Isaiah 11:2-5).

In comparison with St John the Baptist, we see Jesus having the band “about the chest” (Revelation 1:13) but we see St. John with “a leather belt around his waist” (Mark 1:6). Righteousness of Jesus Christ is much higher that that of St. John. Jesus was “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

In Christ, we see higher standard of righteousness. He said, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:17-20). "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren do so?” (Matthew 5:43-47).

When Christ entered to His glory, His righteousness has been credited for us. The Father said of Him in Isaiah, “He [Christ] shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities” (Isaiah 53:11). “And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:16-17).

St. Paul admonished the Ephesians, “Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace…” (Ephesians 6:14-15).

Jesus’ Hear and Head

1:14 Having described Christ’s clothing in verse 13, John described His person in verses 14 and 15. John’s description of Christ’s “head and … hair as white like white wool, like snow” is an obvious reference to Daniel 7:9, where similar language describes the Ancient of Days (God the Father). The parallel descriptions affirm Christ’s eternal, glorious, holy truthfulness:
“And the Ancient of Days was seated;
His garment was white as snow,
And the hair of His head was like pure wool” (Daniel 7:9).

The white hair symbolizes His eternality, “the Ancient of Days” (Daniel 7:9, 13, 22). Seeing Christ in His glory having the white hair is a reference to the glorification of our human nature in Him, we are destined to have eternal life in Him. This is an awesome answer to His prayer to the Father in the night before His death, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him” (John 17:1-2). “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life” (John 5:24).

Jesus’ Eyes

Continuing his description of the glorified Christ, John noted that “His eyes were like a flame of fire” (Revelation 1:14, 2:18; 19:12). This is parallel to Daniel’s vision when he saw the man whose “eyes like torches of fire” (Daniel 10:6).

The fiery eyes refer to the divine knowledge by the Holy Spirit. God has such wonderful knowledge. Many of the Old Testament profits, like David and Jeremiah, emphasized the impact of God’s knowledge in their lives :
“O Lord, You have searched me and known me.
You know my sitting down and my rising up;
You understand my thought afar off…
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is high, I cannot attain it” (Psalms 139:1-2, 6).

“You [O Lord] are great in counsel and mighty in work, for your eyes are open to all the ways of the sons of men, to give everyone according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings” (Jeremiah 32:19).

His searching, revealing, infallible gaze penetrates to the very depths of His church, revealing to Him with piercing clarity the reality of everything there is to know. Jesus declared, “There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known” (Matthew 10:26).

Christ in His glory recognizes and deals with His church according through His divine knowledge. He sent a message to the angel of the church in Thyatira saying, “These things says the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet like fine brass: I know your works, love, service, faith, and your patience; and as for your works, the last are more than the first” (Revelation 2:18-19). All the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works” (Revelation 2:23).

Jesus’ eyes see all (Revelation 1:14,19:12) , enabling Him to judge righteously according to the authority of God’s word (Hebrews 4:12). “For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son” (John 5:22).

Jesus’ Feet

1:15 St John saw Christ’s feet were like “fine brass, as if refined in a furnace” (Revelation 1:15). This similar to the vision of Daniel when he saw the man and “His arms and feet like burnished bronze in color” (Daniel 10:6).

Bronze was essential in establishing the tabernacle. The altar of burnt offering was overlaid with bronze. Its pans, shovels, basins, forks, fire-pans and all its utensils of bronze (Exodus 27:1-4).

Seeing Jesus having His feet like “fine brass, as if refined in a furnace” is a reference to the atoning work of Jesus, by which we can approach to God the Father. “For through Him [Christ] we both [Jews and Gentiles] have access by one Spirit to the Father” (Ephesians 2:18). “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit” (1 Peter 3:18).

The twenty pillars of the tabernacle and their twenty sockets were in bronze (Exodus 27:10). Christ is also “the chief cornerstone” in our relationship with God. “Now, therefore, you are… fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone…” (Ephesians 2:19-22). When we overcome in Jesus Christ, we become so essential in the heavenly temple. “He who overcomes, I [Jesus] will make him a pillar in the temple of My God [the Father], and he shall go out no more…” (Revelation 3: 12).

Jesus’ Voice

St John heard the voice of Jesus as “the sound of many waters” (Revelation 1:15). The voice of the eternal God was similarly described in Ezekiel 43:2. It is the voice of God speaking in His Son. “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways,” wrote the author of Hebrews, “in these last days has spoken to us in His Son” (Hebrews 1:1–2). Jesus said, “For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak” (John 12:42).

This is the voice of sovereign power, the voice that gives life even to the dead, the very voice that will one day command the dead to come forth from the graves (John 5:28–29). Jesus said, “The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63). When Christ speaks, the church should listen. At the Transfiguration God said, “This is My beloved Son… listen to Him!” (Matthew 17:5).

Jesus’ Right Hand

1:16 In John’s vision, Christ is holding in His right hand the seven stars (Revelation 2:1; 3:1), identified in verse 20 as the angels of the seven churches. That He held them in His right hand refers to Christ’s care and protection of the seven angels. Some suggest that these angels were representatives from each of the seven churches who came to visit John on Patmos and take the book of Revelation back with them. But since Christ is said to hold them in His right hand, they were more likely leading priests, one from each of the seven churches.

These seven men demonstrate the function of spiritual leaders in the church. God holds His servants and places them where He wants them to “shine” for Him. In Daniel 12:3, wise soul winners are compared to shining stars. They are to be instruments through which Christ, the head of the church, shepherd His flock. That is why the standards for leadership in the New Testament are so high. To be assigned as an intermediary through which the Lord Jesus ministers to His people is to be called to a sobering responsibility (1 Timothy 3:1–7; Titus 1:5–9).

Jesus’ Mouth

The sword from Jesus’ mouth certainly represents the living Word of God, “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17). The word of God is very effective, powerful and “sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).

Jesus correct His church using His Word. He introduced Himself to the angel of the church in Pergamos as the one “who has the sharp two-edged sword” (Revelation 2:12). He sent a message to Him saying, “you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam…Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate. Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth” (Revelation 2:14-16).

He also fights the beast and the false prophet overcomes them with the sword that comes out His mouth, “And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh” (Revelation 19:19-21).

Those, who are in Christ, are worriers. The word of God is like a sword in their hand as the those of Solomon:
“Behold, it is Solomon's couch,
With sixty valiant men around it,
Of the valiant of Israel.
They all hold swords,
Being expert in war.
Every man has his sword on his thigh.
Because of fear in the night” (Song of Solomon 3:7-8).

Jesus’ Countenance

John’s vision of the glorified Christ culminated in this description of the radiant glory evident on countenance [His face]. John could only describe as “like the sun shining in its strength” (Revelation 1:16). Daniel also described His face “like the appearance of lightning” (Daniel 10:6).

This vision of Christ was totally different in appearance from the Savior that John knew “in the flesh” when He was on the cross. Isaiah could portray His appearance on the cross by his saying that Jesus was “so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness” (Isaiah 52:14, NIV). “He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him” (Isaiah 53:2, NIV).

Jesus’ shining countenance reminds us of His transfiguration (Matthew 17:2) and also the prophecy of Malachi 4:2 , “the Sun of righteousness [shall] arise”. The sun is also a familiar imagery of God in the Old Testament. In the Psalms, we read, “For the Lord God is a sun ...” (Psalms 84:11, NIV).

Deborah and Barak used the same analogy in their song to describes those who love the Lord (Judges 5:31). They said, “But may they who love you be like the sun when it rises in its strength” (Judges 5:31, NIV). The Lord Jesus Christ used the same analogy to explain the glory of the righteous people, “Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (Matthew 13:43).

This radiant light refer to the glory of Jesus as the righteous and Beloved Son of God. He is “the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person” (Hebrews 1:3).

While God’s glory is manifested magnificently in Jesus, it shines through the Lord Jesus Christ, reflecting His glory in us. “For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6).

The vision of the one like the Son of Man in the midst of the lampstands, is a wonderful picture of the glorified Christ in the midst of the churches, enlightens His people with His fullness of the Holy Spirit and glorifying them through His righteousness. For this reason Isaiah call on the Church, “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn” (Isaiah 60:1-3, NIV).

And the result is that the Father is glorified in the church through Jesus Christ, “to Him [the Father] be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever” (Ephesians 3:21).

Effect of the First Vision - Revelation 1:17-18

17 And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. 18 I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.

19 Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this. 20 The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches.

1:17-18 John was overwhelmed with terror at the manifestation of Christ’s glory and “fell at His feet as a dead man”. This similar to what happened on the Mountain of Transfiguration when St. John saw the glory of Jesus (Matthew 17:6).

The one who fell as dead at the feet of the glorified Christ is the apostle who leaned on Jesus’ breast! (John 13:23). Such fear was standard for those few who experienced such unusual heavenly visions.

When an angel appeared to Daniel, he felt that no strength was left in him, his natural color turned to a deathly pallor and he retained no strength. As soon as he heard the sound of His words, he fell into a deep sleep on his face, with his face to the ground (Daniel 10:8–9; 8:17).
Overwhelmed by the vision of God that he saw in the temple, Isaiah cried out, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts” (Isaiah 6:5). Ezekiel saw several visions of the Lord’s glory and his response was always the same: he fell on his face (Ezekiel 1:28; 3:23; 9:8; 43:3; 44:4).

Saul of Tarsus [the apostle Paul] “saw on the way [to Damascus] a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining all around me and those who were journeying with me” (Acts 26:13). In response, Saul and his companions fell prostrate in the road (Acts 26:14).

Jesus placed His right hand on John and comforted him as He had done so long ago at the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:7). This is a touch of comfort and reassurance. Jesus’ comforting words, “Do not be afraid,” reveal His compassionate assurance of the terrified apostle.

Jesus offered comfort based on who He is and the authority He possesses. First, He said, “I am the First and the Last” to remind John with God the redeemer as Isaiah said, “This is what the Lord says- Israel's King and Redeemer, the Lord Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God” (Isaiah 44:6, NIV).

Jesus also said, “I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore” to remind John with power of Jesus’ resurrection. Christ lives forever “according to the power of an indestructible life” (Hebrew 7:16). “Christ, having been raised from the dead,” wrote Paul, “is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him” (Romans 6:9). That truth provides comfort and assurance, because Jesus “is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession”.

Jesus also holds the keys of death and of Hades. Those terms are essentially synonymous, with death being the condition and Hades the place. “Hades” is the New Testament equivalent of the Old Testament term “Sheol” and refers to the place of the dead. Keys denote access and authority. Jesus Christ has the authority to decide who dies and who lives; He controls life and death. And John, like all the redeemed, had nothing to fear, since Christ had already delivered him from death and Hades by His own death.

Knowing that Christ has authority over death provides assurance, since believers need no longer fear it. Jesus declared, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies. … because I live, you will live also. ” (John 11:25; 14:19). To die, Paul noted, is “to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23). Jesus conquered Satan and took the keys of death away from him: “Through death [Christ rendered] powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and … free[d] those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives” (Hebrews 2:14–15).

1:19 The Book of Revelation is the only book in the Bible that contains an inspired outline of the contents. “The things which thou hast seen” refers to the vision in Revelation 1. “The things which are” refers to Revelation 2-3, the special messages to the seven churches. “The things which shall be hereafter” refer to the visions of God’s work in Jesus Christ that John would see in chapters 4–22.

1:20 All Christians have a duty, like John, to pass on the truths they learn from the visions recorded in the Book of Revelation. Those visions might look like being disturbing or scaring but, in reality, they hold the good news of Jesus Christ. They are “inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16–17), like all the books of the Bible.

As believers study the glory of Christ reflected in the book of Revelation, “we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, [will be] transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18).