Revelation — Chapter 1

Authorship & Background

Map & Geography

• Patmos (v.9): Island in the Aegean Sea where John received the Revelation.
• Ephesus (v.11): Major city in Asia Minor (modern Turkey); location of a key early church.
• Laodicea (v.11): City in Asia Minor; one of the seven churches in Revelation.
• Smyrna (v.11): City in Asia Minor; one of the seven churches in Revelation.
• Sardis (v.11): City in Asia Minor; one of the seven churches in Revelation.
• Philadelphia (v.11): City in Asia Minor; one of the seven churches in Revelation.

Places on this map

• PatmosPatmos, GreeceA rocky island of about 13 square miles in the Aegean, some 40 miles off the coast of Asia Minor and 60 from Ephesus. Close enough for a letter to reach the seven churches, remote enough to serve Rome as a place of banishment. Wikipedia
• Ephesusnear Selcuk, TurkeyThe largest port of Roman Asia, at the mouth of the Cayster on the west coast of Asia Minor, and home to the temple of Artemis. Its harbor silted up and the ruins now sit several miles inland, which is why a great seaport has no sea. Wikipedia
• Asia MinorTurkeyThe peninsula between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, a high dry plateau ringed by mountains with the Greek cities on its western coast. Roman Asia, the province Paul worked from Ephesus, was only its western end. Wikipedia
• Laodiceanear Denizli, TurkeyA wealthy banking and textile city in the same valley, with one weakness: its water had to be piped in from miles away and arrived lukewarm, which is the image the letter to it uses. Wikipedia
• SmyrnaIzmir, TurkeyA well-planned harbor city 40 miles north of Ephesus, loyal to Rome and prosperous, whose letter nonetheless speaks only of poverty and pressure. Wikipedia
• SardisSart, TurkeyThe old Lydian capital on a spur of Mount Tmolus, thought unassailable and twice taken by night because nobody watched the cliff. Its letter tells it to wake up. Wikipedia
• PhiladelphiaAlasehir, TurkeyA frontier town on the road east from Sardis, in earthquake country, founded to spread Greek culture inland, which suits a letter about an open door. Wikipedia

Towns sit on their excavated or traditional site. Regions, rivers and seas are ringed rather than dotted, because for those a single point is only an anchor. Coastlines from Natural Earth.

Deep Dive

Setting: The apostle John, now an old man and probably the last of the Twelve still living, is exiled on Patmos, a small rocky island off the coast of Asia Minor, for preaching Christ. Most scholars, following the early church writer Irenaeus, date the book to about AD 95 under Emperor Domitian, who pushed emperor worship hard in the province of Asia. A minority date it before AD 70, under Nero. The churches John pastored, around Ephesus, are under pressure to compromise with Rome and its gods. Revelation is three kinds of writing at once:

• a letter to real churches (1:4);
• a prophecy (1:3);
• an apocalypse, a "revealing" written in vivid symbols drawn from the Old Testament.

How Christians read Revelation

Faithful Christians have read the book in four main ways, and many blend them:

• Futurist: most of chapters 4–22 describe events still ahead, before Christ returns. This is common among evangelicals and taught by Guzik.
• Historicist: the book traces church history from John's day to the end. This was the view of many Reformers, and of Henry and JFB in their own ways.
• Preterist: much of it was fulfilled in the first century, in the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70 or of pagan Rome.
• Idealist: it pictures the timeless battle between Christ and evil in every age.

All agree on the center: Jesus reigns, evil will be judged, and he is coming back. Chapter 1 is common ground for all of them.

Prologue (vv1–3)

• "The revelation of Jesus Christ" (v1). "Revelation" is apokalypsis, an unveiling, like pulling back a curtain. This is where the word "apocalypse" comes from. It means hope revealed, not just disaster. The phrase works both ways: the revelation from Jesus and the revelation of Jesus. He is its source and its subject.
• "Which God gave him… by sending his angel to his servant John" (v1). The chain of revelation runs God → Jesus → angel → John → the churches. "Made it known" (sēmainō) means "signified," shown in signs. That is a hint from the first verse that this book speaks in symbols.
• "The things that must soon take place" (v1). "Soon" and "the time is near" (v3) mean the events have begun and the end is always close at hand (Rom 13:11–12). Preterists read "soon" literally for the first century. Futurists read it as "suddenly" or "certainly." Either way, every generation of believers is meant to live ready.
• "Blessed is the one who reads aloud… and blessed are those who hear, and who keep" (v3). This is the first of seven blessings in Revelation (14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6; 22:7, 14). It assumes the book was read aloud in church, so one reader and many hearers. The blessing is for those who keep it, not for those who decode every symbol.
• Commentators: Henry calls the book's subject "the things that must shortly come to pass." He says the blessing is there to encourage us not to give up on the book "upon account of the obscurity of many things in it; it will repay the labour of the careful and attentive reader." Guzik makes a similar point. The blessing is for anyone who reads and hears, not only those who understand everything, and many miss it by avoiding the book as if only fanatics study it. JFB sees the book as "a manifesto of the kingdom of Christ." It reads v3 as describing "the public reader in Church assemblies, and his hearers."

Greeting to the Seven Churches (vv4–8)

• "John to the seven churches that are in Asia" (v4). These were real congregations in the Roman province of Asia, in western Turkey. Seven is the number of completeness in Revelation, so the seven also stand for the whole church in every age. There were other churches in the region (Colossae, Hierapolis), so the selection is deliberate.
• "Grace to you and peace" (v4). This is the standard Christian greeting. Grace always comes first, because peace flows from it.
• "From him who is and who was and who is to come" (v4). This is a reflection on God's name in Exodus 3:14, "I AM." Notice it doesn't say "who will be" but "who is to come." God's future is his arrival.
• "The seven spirits who are before his throne" (v4). Most interpreters take this as the Holy Spirit in his fullness, echoing the seven lamps of Zechariah 4:2–10 and the sevenfold Spirit of Isaiah 11:2. The phrase sits between the Father and the Son, which makes it a greeting from the whole Trinity. Some read the seven spirits as seven chief angels.
• "Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth" (v5). Three titles cover his past, present and future: - Faithful witness (martys): he held to the truth even to death. Pilate's court was his "testimony" (1 Tim 6:13). - Firstborn of the dead: he rose first and leads the way for others (Col 1:18). - Ruler of kings: this was a direct challenge to Caesar. - All three come from Psalm 89:27, 37.
• "To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood" (vv5–6). "Loves" is present tense, an ongoing love. "Freed" is past tense, a finished work. He also "made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father". This is Israel's calling at Sinai (Exod 19:6) given to everyone in Christ (1 Pet 2:9). The praise bursts out before the visions even begin.
• "Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him" (v7). This joins Daniel 7:13 (the Son of Man on the clouds) with Zechariah 12:10 (they will look on him whom they pierced). Jesus combined the same two texts (Matt 24:30), and John alone records the spear (John 19:34, 37). It is the theme of the whole book: the crucified One returns as Judge. "All tribes… will wail" can mean grief in repentance or terror at judgment, and perhaps both.
• "I am the Alpha and the Omega… the Almighty" (v8). Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, "A to Z." God is the beginning and the end of everything. "Almighty" (pantokratōr, ruler of all) appears nine times in Revelation and only once elsewhere in the New Testament (2 Cor 6:18). It answers the claim of every emperor. In 22:13 Jesus takes this same title for himself.
• Commentators: Henry sees the greeting given "in the name of God, of the whole Trinity." He notes the book "begins and ends with a prediction of the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ," and urges readers "to meditate frequently upon the second coming." In v8 he says Jesus "justly challenges the same honour and power that is ascribed to the Father." JFB holds the seven churches "represent the universal Church of all times and places," with seven "the covenant number." Guzik applies the doxology personally. Giving Jesus "glory and dominion" means letting him rule every part of life, not just saying the words. The Tyndale notes add that "ruler of the kings" was costly to confess: Rome expected Caesar to be acknowledged as lord, and many Christians died rather than say it.

Vision of the Son of Man (vv9–20)

• "Your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus" (v9). John doesn't call himself apostle or elder. He calls himself brother and partner. The three nouns belong together. For now, the kingdom comes with tribulation and calls for endurance.
• "On the island called Patmos on account of the word of God" (v9). Patmos is a small, rocky, dry island only a few miles across, in the Aegean off the coast near Miletus. Rome used islands like it for exile. Tradition says John was released after Domitian's death (AD 96) and died at Ephesus.
• "In the Spirit on the Lord's day" (v10). "In the Spirit" means a state of prophetic vision (4:2; 17:3; 21:10; Ezek 3:12). "The Lord's day" (kyriakē hēmera) is the earliest use of the phrase. It almost certainly means Sunday, the day of resurrection (Acts 20:7). It is not "the day of the Lord," which is a different phrase in Greek. The empire had days honoring the emperor. Christians had a day honoring their Lord.
• "A loud voice like a trumpet" (v10). Trumpets announced God's presence at Sinai (Exod 19:16, 19).
• The seven cities (v11). They lie on a circular postal road: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea. A messenger could carry the scroll around in order. The letters in chapters 2–3 follow that order.
• "I turned to see the voice… seven golden lampstands" (v12). A lampstand gives light without being the light. The churches carry Christ's light into a dark world (Matt 5:14–16; Zech 4).
• "In the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man" (v13). Jesus walks among his churches. He is not distant. "Son of man" is Daniel 7:13 and Jesus' favorite name for himself. The long robe and golden sash are the dress of a high priest (Exod 28:4) and of the glorious figure in Daniel 10:5.
• "Hairs… white, like white wool, like snow" (v14). In Daniel 7:9 this describes the Ancient of Days, God himself. John gives the Father's features to the Son, a bold statement of Christ's deity.
• "Eyes like a flame of fire" (v14). He sees through everything (Dan 10:6; Heb 4:13). The letter to Thyatira picks this up (2:18).
• "Feet like burnished bronze… voice like the roar of many waters" (v15). Bronze feet mean strength and stability, able to trample evil. His voice is like the voice of God in Ezekiel 43:2. John on Patmos would have heard the surf pounding all around him.
• "Seven stars… a sharp two-edged sword… face like the sun" (v16). The stars are in his right hand, the hand of power and protection (explained in v20). The sword from his mouth is his word, which saves and judges (Isa 11:4; 49:2; Heb 4:12; Rev 19:15). His face shining like the sun recalls the Transfiguration, which John himself had seen (Matt 17:2).
• "I fell at his feet as though dead" (v17). John had leaned on Jesus' chest at the Last Supper (John 13:23). Now, seeing him in glory, he collapses, like Isaiah (Isa 6:5), Ezekiel (Ezek 1:28) and Daniel (Dan 10:8–9).
• "He laid his right hand on me, saying, 'Fear not'" (v17). The same right hand that holds the stars rests on a frightened old man. "Fear not" is what Jesus said to his disciples on the water (Matt 14:27) and on the mountain of Transfiguration (Matt 17:7).
• "I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore" (vv17–18). "The first and the last" is God's own title in Isaiah 44:6 and 48:12. Jesus is not just alive. He was dead and is now alive forever.
• "I have the keys of Death and Hades" (v18). Keys mean authority. Hades is the realm of the dead. Death is no longer a master to fear. It is a door Jesus controls (Heb 2:14–15). For believers facing execution in Domitian's empire, this was the comfort they needed most.
• "Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this" (v19). Futurists often take this as the book's outline: what John has seen (ch 1), the things that are (chs 2–3, the churches), and what comes after (chs 4–22). Others read the three phrases as describing the whole book, which mixes present and future throughout.
• "The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches" (v20). The "angels" (angeloi, messengers) may be guardian angels of the churches, human leaders or messengers, or a personification of each church's spirit. Each letter in chapters 2–3 is addressed "to the angel of the church in…." Whatever the angels are, the point is that the churches and their leaders are held in Christ's hand.
• Commentators: Henry notices John calls himself "brother," which he values above his office. He observes, "Judas Iscariot may be an apostle, but not a brother in the family of God." He says the book shows how "it becomes Christians to speak sparingly and modestly of their own sufferings," since John never says who banished him. He takes "the Lord's day" as "no other than the Christian sabbath, the first day of the week." On v17 he writes that Christ "did not plead against him with his great power, but he put strength into him." JFB highlights Christ's priestly and kingly dress and the Old Testament sources behind each feature. Guzik points out John's collapse though he had been closest to Jesus on earth. Knowing Jesus closely doesn't remove awe at his glory. The Tyndale notes say this vision presents Christ as "a wise, strong, and powerful messenger of God who always cares for his people." They list three readings of the "angels" and favor guardian angels together with each church's character.

Pointing to Christ

Before Revelation shows a single seal, trumpet or beast, it shows Jesus: the faithful witness, the risen firstborn, the ruler of kings, the priest among the lampstands, the Ancient of Days, the one who holds the keys of death. Whatever readers make of the visions that follow, the book insists that its first and last subject is Jesus. The one who walks among struggling churches is the same one who lays his hand on a frightened servant and says, "Fear not… I died, and behold I am alive forevermore."

Commentary

• Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik covers the prologue, the greeting, the doxology, the vision of Christ, and the commission to write.
• Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
• Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.

Videos

Articles

• GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of the book of Revelation -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.

Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.

Reflection

• Blessed to Read and Heed (v.3) — John promises a blessing to those who read, hear, and keep the words of this prophecy, not just study it from a distance. Are you approaching Revelation as truth to obey, or just a puzzle to solve?
• Loved and Washed (v.5) — Before any vision of judgment or the future, John pauses to praise Christ for loving us and freeing us from our sins. Does your view of the end times start from confidence in Christ's love, or from fear?
• Every Eye Will See Him (v.7) — John declares that Christ's return will be visible to everyone, including those who pierced Him. Are you living today in a way that's ready for that moment to arrive?
• The Beginning and the End (v.8) — God identifies Himself as the Alpha and Omega, the one who was, is, and is to come. What situation in your life needs the reminder that God already stands at its ending?
• A Bigger View of Christ (vv.13-16) — John's vision of the glorified Christ is majestic and overwhelming, nothing like a gentle, familiar figure. Has your picture of Jesus grown too small or too casual?
• Fear Not, He Holds the Keys (vv.17-18) — John falls down as though dead before this vision, and Christ's first words are to not be afraid, because He is alive forever and holds the keys of death itself. What fear do you need to hand over to the one who has already conquered death?