Revelationchapter 1
20 verses · John, by tradition · AD 95 or 96 · Revelation
This is the revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants what must soon come to pass. He made it known by sending His angel to His servant John,
Introduction
John, by tradition, Revelation, Revelation Overview.
This chapter opens the last book of the Bible, written by a man named John while he was held on the island of Patmos. He writes to seven congregations in the Roman province of Asia, small groups living under pressure from their cities. The chapter is the door to the whole book. It says what the book is, greets its hearers and gives the vision from which the rest follows. Listen for the titles given to Jesus, since most of them return in the letters of chapters 2 and 3. Listen also for the number seven, and for the command to write.
Context
- Who
- Seven real congregations on the Roman postal road through western Asia Minor, meeting in houses under an empire that expected honors for its emperor
- What
- The opening of the book, with its title, a greeting to seven churches and a vision of the risen Christ.
- Where
- Written on Patmos, an island off the west coast of Asia Minor, to churches in cities on the mainland.
- When
- Late in the first century, about AD 95 under Domitian on the majority view, with a minority dating it before AD 70.
- Why
- To show seven churches under pressure who is speaking to them, and to send John to write what he sees.
Historical context
Patmos is about ten miles long, hilly, and poor, the kind of place Rome used for a punishment called relegation. A person could be banished to an island without losing his life or, always, his property. John says he was there "for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus."
Show the rest of the historical context, 4 more paragraphs
The seven cities named are not a random list. Draw a line from Ephesus north to Smyrna and Pergamum, then east and south through Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea, and you have a loop, the natural circuit a courier would ride to deliver one letter to all of them. Whoever carried this scroll would have read it aloud in each city in that order.
Ephesus was the port and gateway; the whole province ran through it. These were Greek cities with Roman government on top, proud of their temples, their games, and their standing with the emperor.
The vision itself is dressed in the temple. Seven golden lampstands, a figure in a long robe with a golden sash, hair white as wool, eyes like fire, feet like burnished bronze, a voice like many waters. Anyone who knew Daniel 7 and 10 would hear the echoes immediately, this is the Son of Man of Daniel's vision, walking among the churches.
John says it happened "on the Lord's day." That phrase, used this early for Sunday, tells us something plain about how Christians already marked the week.
Significance
The first thing these congregations heard was not a prediction. It was that the risen Jesus was standing in the middle of their seven small assemblies, holding their messengers in His right hand, and that He was alive forevermore and held the keys of death.
Show the rest of the significance, 1 more paragraph
For people who could lose their trade, their standing, or their lives, that opening did the heavy lifting. The one writing to them had already been dead and was not dead. "Fear not" comes from a mouth that has been through it.
The heads below are this chapter's scenes. The numbered points under each are its verses.
Blessed Is He Who Reads This Prophecy
Revelation 1:1-3
the revelation of Jesus Christ: The book names itself in its first words, the revelation of Jesus Christ, the Greek apokalupsis, an unveiling. Verse 3 gives the first of the book's seven blessings, on the one who reads aloud the words and on those who hear and obey.
Revelation 1:1
“John, the apostle whom Jesus most loved, the son of Zebedee and brother of James... In the fourteenth year then after Nero Domitian having raised a second persecution he was banished to the island of Patmos, and wrote the Apocalypse, on which Justin Martyr and Irenæus afterwards wrote commentaries.”
Jerome · written before 420 · De Viris Illustribus (On Illustrious Men), Section 9patristic
who testifies to everything he saw: Adam Clarke asks whether the word of God here points back to the Word of John 1, and settles on the plainer sense. John set down the prophecies revealed to him. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown read the testimony of Jesus by Revelation 19:10, where it is the spirit of prophecy.
Revelation 1:2
The word of God constitutes his testimony; Re 1:3, "the words of this prophecy." the testimony of Jesus--"the Spirit of prophecy" (Re 19:10). and of all things that, &c.--The oldest manuscripts omit "and." Translate, "whatsoever things he saw," in apposition with "the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ."
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
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Revelation 1:2
“Who bare record of the word of God - Is there a reference here to the first chapter of John’s gospel, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, etc.? Of this Word John did bear record. Or, does the writer mean the fidelity with which he noted and related the word - doctrines or prophecies, which he received at this time by revelation from God? This seems more consistent with the latter part of the verse.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Blessed is the one who reads aloud: The one who reads aloud and those who hear are both blessed. Albert Barnes takes the words as read aloud to the churches, so that the one who reads and those who hear are blessed together. Victorinus of Pettau presses obey, so that reading leads to doing.
Revelation 1:3
"The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to Him, and showed unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass, and signified it. Blessed are they who read and hear the words of this prophecy, and keep the things which are written." The beginning of the book promises blessing to him that reads and hears and keeps, that he who takes pains about the reading may thence learn to do works, and may keep the precepts.
Victorinus of Pettau · written before 304 · Commentary on the Apocalypse of the Blessed Johnpatristic
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Revelation 1:3
“Blessed is he that readeth - That is, it is to be regarded as a privilege attended with many blessings, to be permitted to mark the disclosures to be made in this book; the important revelations respecting future times. Prof. Stuart supposes that this refers to a public reading, and that the phrase “those who hear the words of this prophecy,” refers to those who listened to the public reader, and that both the reader and hearer should regard themselves as highly favored.”
Revelation 1:3
“Revelation is the only book of the Bible that promises a special blessing to the reader!”
Chuck Missler · The Book of Revelation (article) (2022)Calvary Chapel-influenced Independent
Revelation 1:3
“Note: the term "prophecy" has relation to the human medium or prophet inspired, here John: "Revelation" to the Divine Being who reveals His will, here Jesus Christ. God gave the revelation to Jesus: He by His angel revealed it to John, who was to make it known to the Church.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
ConnectionsRevelation 22:7
Grace From Him Who Is, Who Was, and Who Is to Come
Revelation 1:4-6
Him who is and was: The greeting comes from Him who is and was and is to come, the Name of Exodus 3:14 in three tenses. It comes from the seven Spirits before His throne, with Isaiah 11:2 behind them, and from Jesus Christ. The praise, a kingdom, priests, gives the calling of Exodus 19:6.
Revelation 1:4
"Grace unto you, and peace, from Him which is, and which was, and which is to come." He is, because He endures continually; He was, because with the Father He made all things, and has at this time taken a beginning from the Virgin; He is to come, because assuredly He will come to judgment. "And from the seven spirits which are before His throne."
Victorinus of Pettau · written before 304 · Commentary on the Apocalypse of the Blessed Johnpatristic
2 more voices on this verse
Revelation 1:4
“And from the seven spirits which are before his throne - Christ is he who "hath the seven spirits of God." "The seven lamps which burn before the throne are the seven spirits of God." " The lamb hath seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God." Seven was a sacred number in the Jewish church: but it did not always imply a precise number.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
Revelation 1:4
“The churches are compared to candlesticks, because they hold forth the light of the gospel to advantage. The churches are not candles: Christ only is our light, and his gospel our lamp; but they receive their light from Christ and the gospel, and hold it forth to others.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
ConnectionsRevelation 3:1
the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead: Verse 5 gives Jesus Christ three titles: the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown tie the second title to Psalm 2:7, the begetting of the King.
Revelation 1:5
“And from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the first begotten from the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth - Three glorious appellations are here given him, and in their proper order. He was the faithful witness of the whole will of God before his death, and in death, and remains such in glory.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
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Revelation 1:5
“Although it was after us that he was made man for us and became our brother by likeness of body, still he is called and is the firstborn of us. Since all people were lost through the transgression of Adam, Christ's flesh was saved first of all and was liberated, because it was the Word's body. Henceforth also we, having become joined together with his body, are saved through it.”
Athanasius of Alexandria · written before 373 · Discourses Against the Arians 2.61patristic
Revelation 1:5
“The image is not as if the grave was the womb of His resurrection-birth [ALFORD]; but as Ac 13:33; Ro 1:4, treat Christ's resurrection as the epoch and event which fulfilled the Scripture, Ps 2:7, "This day (at the resurrection) have I begotten Thee." It was then that His divine Sonship as the God-man was manifested and openly attested by the Father.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Revelation 1:5
“He has loved them, and, in pursuance of that everlasting love, he has, First, Washed them from their sins in his own blood. Sins leave a stain upon the soul, a stain of guilt and of pollution. Nothing can fetch out this stain but the blood of Christ; and, rather than it should not be washed out, Christ was willing to shed his own blood, to purchase pardon and purity for them.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
ConnectionsPsalms 89:27, Revelation 3:14, Revelation 5:9
made us to be a kingdom, priests: Adam Clarke reads a kingdom and priests as a kingdom of priests, and John Gill traces the words to Exodus 19:6. The One who loves His people and released them from their sins by His blood made them so. Tertullian held that lay believers are priests too.
Revelation 1:6
“Are not even we laics priests? It is written: "A kingdom also, and priests to His God and Father, hath He made us." It is the authority of the Church, and the honour which has acquired sanctity through the joint session of the Order, which has established the difference between the Order and the laity.”
Tertullian · written before 220 · On Exhortation to Chastitypatristic
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Revelation 1:6
“Kings and priests - See on 1Pe 2:5 (note), 1Pe 2:9 (note). But instead of βασιλεις και ἱερεις, kings and priests the most reputable MSS., versions, and fathers have βασιλειαν ἱερεις, a kingdom and priests; i.e. a kingdom of priests, or a royal priesthood. The regal and sacerdotal dignities are the two highest that can possibly exist among men; and these two are here mentioned to show the glorious prerogatives and state of the children of God. To him be glory - That is, to Christ; for it is of him that the prophet speaks, and of none other.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Revelation 1:6
“And hath made us kings and priests,.... The Alexandrian copy, and Complutensian edition, read, "a kingdom, priests"; and the Vulgate Latin version, "a kingdom and priests"; and the Arabic version, "a kingdom of priesthood"; reference seems to be had to Exo 19:6, "and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests"; which the Jerusalem Targum renders, "ye shall be unto me", מלכין וכהנין, "kings and priests"; and so the Targum of Jonathan ben Uzziel paraphrases it thus, "and ye shall be before me", מלכין, "kings" crowned with a crown, וכהנין, "and priests" ministering.”
Revelation 1:6
“God and his Father--There is but one article to both in the Greek, therefore it means, "Unto Him who is at once God and His Father." glory and dominion--Greek, "the glory and the might." The fuller threefold doxology occurs, Re 4:9, 11; fourfold, Re 5:13; Jude 25; sevenfold, Re 7:12; Doxology occupies the prominent place above, which prayer does below.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Revelation 1:7-8
He is coming with the clouds: Verse 7 joins the clouds of Daniel 7:13 to the pierced one of Zechariah 12:10: every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him. In verse 8 the Lord God names Himself the Alpha and the Omega, the title Jesus takes for Himself at 22:13.
Revelation 1:7
“Behold he cometh with clouds - That is, the Lord Jesus, when he returns, will come accompanied with clouds. This is in accordance with the uniform representation respecting the return of the Saviour. See the notes on Mat 24:30. Compare Mat 26:64; Mar 13:26; Mar 14:62; Act 1:9, Act 1:11. Clouds are appropriate symbols of majesty, and God is often represented as appearing in that manner. See Exo 19:18; Psa 18:11 ff; Isa 19:1. So, among the pagan, it was common to represent their divinities as appearing clothed with a cloud: “tandem venias, precamur, Nube candentes humeros amictus.”
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Revelation 1:7
“He that cometh saith, Yea; he that testifies it, Amen. The word translated yea is Greek; Amen is Hebrew: for what is here spoken respects both Jew and gentile.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
Revelation 1:7
“Even the godly while rejoicing in His love shall feel penitential sorrow at their sins, which shall all be manifested at the general judgment. because of--Greek, "at," or "in regard to Him." Even so, Amen--Gods seal of His own word; to which corresponds the believer's prayer, Re 22:20. To both Gentiles and Jews His promises and threats are unchangeable.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet; Adam Clarke traces the phrase to Jewish idiom, from aleph to tau. The title echoes Isaiah 41:4, where the LORD is the first and is with the last.
Revelation 1:8
The Godhead of the Son is the Father's. It is indivisible. Thus there is one God and none other but he. So, since they are one, and the Godhead itself one, the same things are said of the Son, which are said of the Father, except his being said to be Father. For instance, it is said that he is God: "And the Word was God." It is said that he is Almighty, "Thus says he who was and is and is to come, the Almighty." It is said that he is Lord, "one Lord Jesus Christ."
Athanasius of Alexandria · written before 373 · Discourses Against the Arians 3.4patristic
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Revelation 1:8
“Greek, "I am the Alpha and the Omega." The first and last letters of the alphabet. God in Christ comprises all that goes between, as well as the first and last. the beginning and the ending--omitted in the oldest manuscripts, though found in Vulgate and Coptic.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Revelation 1:8
“I am Alpha and Omega,.... These are the words of Christ himself, appearing at once, and confirming what John had said of him, concerning his person, offices, and future coming: Alpha is the first letter, and Omega the last in the Greek alphabet, and signifies that Christ is the first and the last, as it is interpreted in Rev 1:11, and is a character often given to the divine Being in prophetic writings; see Isa 41:4; and is no small proof of the proper deity of Christ.”
Revelation 1:8
“I am Alpha and Omega - I am from eternity to eternity. This mode of speech is borrowed from the Jews, who express the whole compass of things by א aleph and ת tau, the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet; but as St. John was writing in Greek, he accommodates the whole to the Greek alphabet, of which Α alpha and Ω omega are the first and last letters. With the rabbins מא ועד ת meeleph vead tau, “from aleph to tau,” expressed the whole of a matter, from the beginning to the end.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Connectionsacrostic, Isaiah 44:6, Revelation 22:13
On Patmos: The Son of Man Among the Lampstands
Revelation 1:9-11
on the island of Patmos: John was on the island of Patmos, a small Aegean island used for exile, because of the word of God, as your brother. The seven cities of verse 11 run in order, from Ephesus up the coast and around, a courier's route.
Revelation 1:9
“Thus John drank of Christ's cup, and was baptized with His baptism (Mt 20:22). for--Greek, "for the sake of," "on account of"; so, "because of the word of God and . . . testimony." Two oldest manuscripts omit the second "for"; thus "the Word of God" and "testimony of Jesus" are the more closely joined.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
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Revelation 1:9
“In the affliction, and kingdom and patience of Jesus - The kingdom stands in the midst. It is chiefly under various afflictions that faith obtains its part in the kingdom; and whosoever is a partaker of this kingdom is not afraid to suffer for Jesus, 2 Tim. ii, 12.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
Revelation 1:9
John used the same four keys that Habakkuk did. In Revelation 1:9-11 we find he was in the spirit (stillness), he heard a voice behind him (tuned to spontaneity), saying, "Write in a book (journaling), what you see (vision)."
Mark Virkler · Four Keys to Hearing God's Voice (Christian Leadership University)Charismatic-evangelical
On the Lord’s day: Adam Clarke takes the Lord's day as the first day of the week, kept because Christ rose on it. He reads in the Spirit as the gift of prophecy. Tertullian holds that the soul in that state sees what the flesh cannot, as John saw the souls of the martyrs.
Revelation 1:10
“I was in the Spirit - That is, I received the Spirit of prophecy, and was under its influence when the first vision was exhibited. The Lord’s day - The first day of the week, observed as the Christian Sabbath, because on it Jesus Christ rose from the dead; therefore it was called the Lord’s day, and has taken place of the Jewish Sabbath throughout the Christian world. And heard behind me a great voice - This voice came unexpectedly and suddenly. He felt himself under the Divine afflatus; but did not know what scenes were to be represented.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
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Revelation 1:10
“There is the selfsame difference in respect of the soul's corporeality, which is (perhaps) invisible to the flesh, but perfectly visible to the spirit. Thus John, being "in the Spirit" of God, beheld plainly the souls of the martyrs.”
Tertullian · written before 220 · A Treatise on the Soulpatristic
ConnectionsRevelation 21:10
send it to the seven churches: The seven cities are named in the order a courier would reach them on the road from Ephesus. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown read the seven as representative churches. Taken together, they hold, the seven show the Church of every age, faithful and unfaithful.
Revelation 1:11
“The words, "which are in Asia" are rejected by the oldest manuscripts, A, B, C, CYPRIAN, Vulgate, and Syriac; Coptic alone supports them of old authorities. These seven are representative churches; and, as a complex whole, ideally complete, embody the chief spiritual characteristics of the Church, whether as faithful or unfaithful, in all ages.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Revelation 1:12-16
I saw seven golden lampstands: John sees One like the Son of Man, Daniel 7:13, with hair white like wool as on the Ancient of Days at Daniel 7:9. His voice, like the roar of many waters, is God's voice at Ezekiel 43:2, and the sword recalls Isaiah 49:2.
Revelation 1:12
“And I turned For he had heard the voice behind him. To see the voice; i.e., the person from whom the voice came. Seven golden candlesticks - Ἑπτα λυχνιας χρυσας· Seven golden lamps. It is absurd to say, a golden silver, or brazen candlestick. These seven lamps represented the seven Churches, in which the light of God was continually shining, and the love of God continually burning. And they are here represented as golden, to show how precious they were in the sight of God.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
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Revelation 1:12
If, then, neither Moses, nor Elias, nor Ezekiel, who had all many celestial visions, did see God; but if what they did see were similitudes of the splendour of the Lord, and prophecies of things to come; it is manifest that the Father is indeed invisible, of whom also the Lord said, "No man hath seen God at any time."
Irenaeus · written before 202 · Against Heresies Book IVpatristic
Revelation 1:12
“She is to be a light-bearer to His glory. The candlestick stood in the holy place, the type of the Church on earth, as the holiest place was type of the Church in heaven. The holy place's only light was derived from the candlestick, daylight being excluded; so the Lord God is the Church's only light; hers is the light of grace, not nature.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
One like the Son of Man: The long robe and the golden sash around His chest dress the Son of Man as a priest among the lampstands. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown note that the high priest's sash was only worked with gold, while this sash is all golden. Jerome reads the sash as binding the heart.
Revelation 1:13
“In the law, John had a leather girdle because the Jews thought that to sin in act was the only sin.… In the Apocalypse of John, our Lord Jesus, who is seen in the middle of the seven lampstands, also wore a girdle, a golden girdle, not about his loins but about the breasts. The law is girdled about the loins, but Christ, that is, the gospel and the fortitude of the monks, binds not only wanton passion but also mind and heart.”
Jerome · written before 420 · Homilies on Mark 75 (1)patristic
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Revelation 1:13
“Righteousness and faithfulness are Christ's girdle. The high priest's girdle was only interwoven with gold, but Christ's is all of gold; the antitype exceeds the type. 14.--Greek, "But," or "And." like wool--Greek, "like white wool." The color is the point of comparison; signifying purity and glory.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
white like wool, as white as snow: John Wesley hears the Ancient of Days of Daniel 7:9, whose hair was white like wool. Daniel's picture of God is here worn by the Son. Victorinus of Pettau reads the fiery eyes as God's commands, which give light to believers and burn unbelievers.
Revelation 1:14
"And His head and His hairs were white as it were white wool, and as it were snow." On the head the whiteness is shown; "but the head of Christ is God." in the white hairs is the multitude of abbots6 like to wool, in respect of simple sheep; to snow, in respect of the innumerable crowd of candidates taught from heaven. "His eyes were as a flame of fire." God's precepts are those which minister light to believers, but to unbelievers burning.
Victorinus of Pettau · written before 304 · Commentary on the Apocalypse of the Blessed Johnpatristic
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Revelation 1:14
“His head and his hairs were white like wool - This was not only an emblem of his antiquity, but it was the evidence of his glory; for the whiteness or splendor of his head and hair doubtless proceeded from the rays of light and glory which encircled his head, and darted from it in all directions. The splendor around the head was termed by the Romans nimbus, and by us a glory; and was represented round the heads of gods, deified persons, and saints. It is used in the same way through almost all the nations of the earth.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Revelation 1:14
“His head and his hair - That is, the hair of his head, not his whole head. Were white as white wool - Like the Ancient of Days, represented in Daniel's vision, Dan. vii, 9. Wool is commonly supposed to be an emblem of eternity.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
ConnectionsRevelation 2:18
His feet were like polished bronze: Albert Barnes sets the feet beside Daniel 10:6 and Ezekiel 1:7, where the same polished bronze gleams. He notes that the Greek word occurs only here and at Revelation 2:18. Thyatira will hear this title again.
Revelation 1:15
“And his feet like unto fine brass - Compare Dan 10:6, “And his arms and his feet like in color to polished brass.” See also Eze 1:7, “and they” (the feet of the living creatures) “sparkled like the color of burnished brass.” The word used here - χαλκολιβάνω chalkolibanō - occurs in the New Testament only here and in Rev 2:18. It is not found in the Septuagint. The word properly means “white brass” (probably compounded of χαλκός chalkos, brass, and λίβανος libanos, whiteness, from the Hebrew לבן laban, white).”
a sharp double-edged sword came from His mouth: The sword comes from the mouth. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown read it as His word, which carries out His will in judgment on sinners. John Wesley reads the seven stars held in His right hand as a sign of favour and protection.
Revelation 1:16
“And he had in his right hand seven stars - In token of his favour and powerful protection. And out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword - Signifying his justice and righteous anger, continually pointed against his enemies as a sword; sharp, to stab; two-edged, to hew. And his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength - Without any mist or cloud.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
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Revelation 1:16
And two-edged swords are in their hands. These who exult in their beds—it is said of the saints, it is said of perfect men—what else do they have? And two-edged swords are in their hands. Two-edged swords. The swords of the saints are two-edged. We read in the Apocalypse of John, which is read in the churches and is received—for it is not held among the apocryphal scriptures, but among the ecclesiastical—it is said there, then, of the Lord Savior: "And a sword, he says, sharp on both sides went forth from his mouth."
Jerome · written before 420 · Homily 59, on Psalm 149patristic
Revelation 1:16
“He holds them as a star-studded "crown of glory," or "royal diadem," in His hand: so Isa 62:3. He is their Possessor and Upholder. out of . . . mouth went--Greek, "going forth"; not wielded in the hand. His WORD is omnipotent in executing His will in punishing sinners.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
ConnectionsRevelation 2:12
Revelation 1:17-18
I fell at His feet: John falls like a dead man, and the right hand that holds the seven stars is laid on him. Christ names Himself the First and the Last, once dead and now alive forever, and He holds the keys of Death and of Hades.
Revelation 1:17
“'And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.'Revelation 1:17-18. LOW THOUGHTS OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST are exceedingly mischievous to believers. If you sink your estimate of him you shift everything else in the same proportion.”
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Revelation 1:17
“And I fell at his feet as dead - Human nature not being able to sustain so glorious an appearance. Thus was he prepared (like Daniel of old, whom he peculiarly resembles) for receiving so weighty a prophecy. A great sinking of nature usually precedes a large communication of heavenly things.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
Revelation 1:17
“So fallen is man that God's manifestation of His glorious presence overwhelms him. laid his right hand upon me--So the same Lord Jesus did at the Transfiguration to the three prostrate disciples, of whom John was one, saying, Be not afraid.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
ConnectionsRevelation 2:8
the keys of Death and of Hades: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown note that Hades answers to the Hebrew Sheol, the place of the dead, and differs from Gehenna. John Wesley reads Death as holding the body and Hades the soul, with Christ ruling both. Peter was given other keys, Wesley adds.
Revelation 1:18
“I am he that liveth, and was dead - I am Jesus the Savior, who, though the fountain of life, have died for mankind; and being raised from the dead I shall die no more, the great sacrifice being consummated. And have the keys of death and the grave, so that I can destroy the living and raise the dead. The key here signifies the power and authority over life, death, and the grave.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
2 more voices on this verse
Revelation 1:18
“In the intermediate state, the body abides in death, the soul in hades. Christ hath the keys of, that is, the power over, both; killing or quickening of the body, and disposing of the soul, as it pleaseth him. He gave St. Peter the keys of the kingdom of heaven; but not the keys of death or of hades.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
Revelation 1:18
“His having passed through death as one of us, and now living in the infinite plenitude of life, reassures His people, since through Him death is the gate of resurrection to eternal life. have . . . keys of hell--Greek, "Hades"; Hebrew, "Sheol." "Hell" in the sense, the place of torment, answers to a different Greek word, namely, Gehenna.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Revelation 1:19-20
things that will happen after this: Verse 19 gives the book a threefold outline: the things you have seen, the things that are, and the things that will happen after this. In verse 20 Christ explains the first symbols Himself.
The seven stars are the angels: Christ Himself explains the book's first symbols: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches. The Greek angelos means messenger, and each letter of chapters 2 and 3 is addressed to one of these angels.
Revelation 1:20
“This pastor, bishop, or overseer, had the peculiar care over that flock: on him the prosperity of that congregation in a great measure depended, and he was to answer for all those souls at the judgment seat of Christ. And the seven candlesticks are seven churches - How significant an emblem is this!”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
ConnectionsRevelation 2:1
How this psalm is built
The form: A revelation that God gave to Jesus, which He made known by His angel to John, and John to the church, as Jamieson, Fausset & Brown classes it.
The patterns in this chapter
| Device | What it does | Where to see it |
|---|---|---|
| Seven, counted through the chapter | The word seven occurs 11 times in the chapter, in verses 4, 11, 12, 16 and 20. It counts churches, Spirits, lampstands and stars, and verse 11 names the seven cities one by one. John Wesley, on verse 4, holds that seven was a sacred number in Israel and did not always mean a precise count.the site's count of the Berean text, the verses of Revelation 1 in the store, translation id 3, the Berean Standard Bible. | Revelation 1:4, Revelation 1:11, Revelation 1:12, Revelation 1:16, Revelation 1:20 |
| The portrait drawn from Daniel | Verses 13 to 15 build the figure from the visions of Daniel. One like the Son of Man comes from Daniel 7:13. The hair white like wool belongs to the Ancient of Days in Daniel 7:9, and the bronze feet come from Daniel 10:6. John Wesley names the Ancient of Days at verse 14, and Albert Barnes sets Daniel 10:6 and Ezekiel 1:7 beside verse 15.John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament, 1755, on Revelation 1:14. | Revelation 1:13, Revelation 1:14, Revelation 1:15 |
| The name in three tenses | Verses 4 and 8 name God as the One who is and was and is to come. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown read the phrase as a way of saying the divine name that belongs to God alone. They note that the Greek leaves it undeclined, to show that He does not change.Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, 1871, on Revelation 1:4. | Revelation 1:4, Revelation 1:8 |
How the chapter is built
7 more paragraphs on the patterns
Revelation 1 stands at the head of the book, so it has no chapter before it to answer. Verses 1 to 3 give the title of the book and a blessing on its reader and hearers. Verses 4 to 8 form the opening of a letter, with a greeting, a song of praise to Christ and a word from the Lord God. Verses 9 to 16 tell how John saw the Son of Man among seven golden lampstands. Verses 17 to 20 give Christ's words of comfort, the command to write and the meaning of the stars and lampstands. The chapter hands its titles of Christ to the seven letters of chapters 2 and 3, where each letter opens with one of them.
Where it draws on the Old Testament
Verse 6 calls the church a kingdom and priests, and John Gill traces the words to Exodus 19:6. Verse 7 joins the coming with the clouds of Daniel 7:13 to the one they pierced of Zechariah 12:10. Albert Barnes sets the clouds beside the words of Jesus in Matthew 24:30. John Gill hears Isaiah 41:4 behind the Alpha and the Omega of verse 8. The portrait of verses 13 to 16 draws on Daniel 7 and 10 and on Ezekiel 1.
The plan of verse 19
Verse 19 names three things to write: what John has seen, what is, and what will happen after this. Albert Barnes takes the things that are as the state of the seven churches then standing. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, on verse 11, read the seven as representative churches that show the Church in every age. Readers who take the book as mostly future, John F. Walvoord among them, read the things after this as the visions that begin at 4:1, which opens with the words After this (The Revelation of Jesus Christ, 1966, on 1:19). The four schools of reading are set out at /featured/four-schools-of-revelation.
Where to go deeper
The book as a whole has its own page at /book/revelation. John's exile has a page at /featured/john-on-patmos, the title of verse 13 at /featured/son-of-man, and the lampstands at /featured/the-lampstand. The seven churches of Asia and the title Alpha and Omega are listed as owed feature pages.
Keep studying
Studies29
- Names of God
- Alpha and Omega
- Revelation: the Canon's Closing Scroll
- Afterlife Vocabulary
- Apocalyptic Literature
- The Designer's Fingerprint
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Subjects1
Sources for this chapter
The summary
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory; John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the New Testament and Matthew Henry, Complete Commentary.
The context
C. F. Keil; E. B. Pusey, The Minor Prophets: A Commentary and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.
The form and classifications
Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments, 1832 to 1869, on Revelation 1:19; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, 1871, on Revelation 1:3 and Victorinus of Pettau, Commentary on the Apocalypse of the Blessed John, 304, on Revelation 1:3.
The exposition
Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes; Athanasius of Alexandria; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, HOMILIES ON MARK 75 (1); John Gill; John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Tertullian and Victorinus of Pettau, Commentary on the Apocalypse of the Blessed John.