Chapter 1 (Part 3)

Verse 9

John, who identified himself as our brother and companion in tribulation, was a living martyr exiled on the island of Patmos for his faith and witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Notice the mention of 'kingdom' and 'patience' together, signifying not a passive waiting but an active longing for God's kingdom to replace that of fallen, rebellious human government and rule. This 'patience' speaks of endurance in adverse circumstances when the easy way out is to quit or give up.

Verse 10-16

John related his encounter with the glorified Jesus who speaks with great authority and power, telling him to write down what he was about to see into a book, and to send it to the seven churches He mentioned by name. The vivid description of the resurrected Lord is unlike the Son of Man veiled in human flesh which John was familiar and accustomed to. Indeed, Paul himself also was given a preview on his road to Damascus and later in a vision when he was translated to the third heaven (2 Corinthians 12:2-4), where he saw and heard things which he was not allowed to divulge. As a result, he insisted:

Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ in this manner, we no longer do so. (2 Corinthians 5:16)

In John's vision, Jesus Christ was seen walking among the seven golden candlesticks and holding seven stars in His right hand, indicating that He is the Head of the Church, holding its life force in His hand. If we truly believe that we belong to Christ, then our lives should reflect the awe and admission of His right to rule, not just when we feel like it, but in deep awareness every moment and in every breath we take.

The two-edged sword is a representation of the power of God's Word, the very Christ Himself, the Logos of God, with searching eyes like a flame of fire and feet like fine brass of the furnace, to test every thought and word of men:

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing right to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)

The countenance of Christ in full brilliance is reminiscent of John's memory on the Mount of Transfiguration where Jesus revealed His glory before His three closest disciples. Yet within that overwhelming brightness and glory the grace of God flows out to touch any repentant heart that surrenders in contrition of spirit over their sins.

Chapter 1 (Part 2)

Verses 4-6

Revelation was written to the seven churches in Asia Minor which, through their individual qualities and characteristics, represented the body of believers in all ages. In this salutation the Father, the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ, all three Persons of the Godhead are present together, so this is also a strong proof text of the triune God that we believe in and hold on to.

And what a privilege that we are loved by Him who is faithful —the resurrected and ever-living Lord over all powers and authorities, who by His very own blood purged away all our sins, and has given us the honor to serve God as kings and priests, positions that are reserved only for the apple of His eyes. How can we then not echo with John the doxology of gratitude—Hallelujah! All glory and dominion belong to our God for ever and ever. Amen!

Verse 7

Jesus Christ will come again in clouds of glory, just as He ascended back into heaven after His resurrection. This time, however, every living person will witness it, both the Jews (those who pierced and rejected Him) and the Gentiles (all kindreds of the earth). There will be great despair and regret (wailing) when the Jews realize that Jesus (Yeshua) is indeed the Messiah, and the rest of the world are finally convinced that Christianity is true after all. But it will be too late.

Verse 8

The declaration of Jesus Christ as the Alpha (beginning) and Omega (ending), is reinforced by His transcendent attribute to have always existed in the past, the present, and will continue to exist into the future, and by His affirmative status as the Almighty. Christ is thus co-equal with the Father, the Ancient of Days.

Chapter 1 (Part 1)

A VISION WITH A COMMISSION

Verses 1-2

The book of Revelation is often attributed to John, but in the opening verses it declares that the things written therein are the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Humans have a fascination with the future and the unknown. That's why works such as Nostradamus and The Bible Code generated great interests and huge followings—even among Christians. We need to realize that only God and God alone sees the end from the beginning, and declares what can and will happen (Isaiah 46:9-10). We cannot divorce Revelation from the Revealer, for Jesus Christ alone holds the key to unlocking the mysteries and messages contained within its pages. We are given light and understanding only when we yield and submit to the rightful Owner of the book.

John might have already witnessed the whole revelation when he started writing about the things that 'must shortly come to pass.' Some understood the word 'shortly' to mean the period immediately after John wrote it. This is speaking from a human perspective. God, however, regards both time and space rather differently (Psalm 90:4; 2 Peter 3:8).

The first advent of Christ which resulted in the birth of the Church is said to usher in the last days (Acts 2:16-21) and set the prophetic clock ticking after 400 years of silence since Malachi. From the time of the Olivet Discourse, once the signs spoken of by Christ began to manifest, all that is recorded in Revelation will certainly come to pass in quick succession.

Verse 3

God promises a blessing to those who not only read and hear the words of this prophecy or book, but endeavor to keep them diligently in view of the times they live in. And surely it is even more needful for Christians to sit up and take heed to its words in this generation, as we see the turmoil and trying situations that are now affecting the world in general, and challenging the Church in particular.

Addendum

This book originated from a study I did with a group of friends in 2016 after I've completed a one-year Bible reading challenge with a bigger group, some of whom expressed interest for an in-depth study of Revelation. I laid down one condition—that they complete reading the book three times before I commit to taking them through a formal study. Ten of them fulfilled the requirement; subsequently I created a separate chat group and led them through a five-month study.

Besides going through the verses in each chapter, I leveraged on current news and happenings, as well as allured to major world events that have relevance to the visions and imageries in view. Questions were also posted along the way to which I addressed the best I could. The efforts expended were no less short of writing a theological paper. The notes and illustrations gathered were considerable and some of my students asked if there could be any chance I might put into a book form.

I shelved the idea for three years, partly because I wanted to focus on the Daily Reading Journal series which I felt would be more beneficial and better serve the believers individually and communally. Come 2020 and my church decided on the book of Revelation for this year's theme—a first in its 62-year founding history—that I felt led to revisit my notes. After much prayer and careful consideration, I decided it was time to bring my notes up-to-date and then give it a much needed facelift before putting it to print.

As it turned out, the process of collating, updating, editing and spellchecking, etc. took about three months. It might not be as exacting as writing my three-volume journal but the intricacies involved are no less daunting for a book of this nature. Thank God for His grace and enablement! 

How should you proceed in your study of a book of this nature —one that is highly imagery and symbolic in content as well as presentation?

• 
  First and foremost, have a Bible, in printed or electronic form, as a ready reference.
• Turn off all sources of distraction—TV, radio, mobile phone. If you're using a Bible app on your phone, set it to airplane mode so you do not get distracted by any incoming call or message.
• Pray and ask the Holy Spirit for understanding while resisting the urge to impose any preconceived ideas into the text.
• Adopt a humble and reverent attitude.
• Practice good discipline and reading posture, like you would in any devotional exercise.

One more important point to note—the insights and additional references made are solely this author's discretionary views or opinions, and should not be construed as infallible or absolute. Readers should make conscientious effort to verify the sources provided, where possible and necessary. That said, it is the aim of this author to bring greater awareness of what is happening in the world to the average believer who may not have the time or exposure needed to gather these data to stay informed.

The prophetic clock of God's dealing with mankind is ticking away and gathering momentum at this late hour. We should seriously heed the Lord's warning—

Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watches and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and others see his shame. (Revelation 16:15)

Prologue

Revelation cannot be interpreted the way we do with the gospels, epistles, or even the Old Testament historical and poetical books. Due to diversity of opinions, there are four school of thoughts:

1. Preterist—Past. Prophecies were already fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD.

2. Historist—Present. Prophecies are still being fulfilled throughout history until this day.

3. Futurist—Future. Prophecies are yet to be fulfilled in the end times or last days.

4. Allegorist—Figurative. Prophecies are given spiritual fulfillment without reference to any time frame.

Which is the correct view? Personally I'm more inclined to the historist view with the belief that certain prophetic elements still await fulfillment in the last days. I termed it the Prophetist view. Bible prophecy, however, is not just about predicting the future; it is God's light shed on all things—past, present and prospective.

What this implies is that Revelation does not necessarily reveal specific events of history, but it does set forth principles seen throughout history. This safeguards us from the tendency to forcefully assign dates and events as the fulfillment of specific prophecies, while allowing us to discern the spirit and trend in which historic events are unfolding and leading us towards the predicted end.

I believe this view makes Revelation relevant to believers of every age and enables them to keep its sayings in the times they lived in. After all, Jesus Christ is the One 'which was, which is, and which is to come.' And as we shall find out in this book, the visions that John saw and wrote down contain references to the past, present and future as well.

Symbolism abounds in Revelation. We find numbers, colors, names, places, temple articles, beasts and elements of creation. How do we differentiate what is literal and what is symbolic? Here are some rules of interpretation:

1. Things that can be taken literally should not be interpreted symbolically.

2. Just because a number or object is symbolic does not mean all similar numbers or objects are symbolic.

3. Usually explanation will follow a symbolic description, or there will be other Scripture that do so.

4. Things associate with a symbolic object are usually themselves symbolic.

5. Do not force a symbol to yield more meaning than what it is intended.

6. Look out for the theme or idea in which the symbol is pointing to, and base any details along that line of thought.

7. Pray for discernment and understanding.

The danger of interpreting Revelation is to go off-tangent and treat everything as symbolic or figurative. The Bible in its core is meant to be a literal book and should be treated as such in the norm when reading it. Else the six-day creation account, the two trees in the garden, the flood of Noah, the tower of Babel, etc., would all be relegated to the realm of symbolism instead of actual recorded events.

The approach we will take is first and foremost literal and only symbolic as the case warrants it. The spiritual realm is more real than the physical, despite the limitations of our senses to engage it in our time and space—so bear this in mind.

Preface

Revelation (Greek, Apokalupsis) is the unveiling or revealing of things that will come to pass. Many Christians consider this book confusing because of the cryptic descriptions and rich symbolism found within its pages. Some are frightened by its message of divine judgment while others are fascinated with the mystical characters who will appear in the last days.

But that is not what Christ intended. He expects those who read to understand it because we should all have studied the entire scope of Scripture such that the symbols, signs, and semantics would all be familiar to us. Sadly many Christians never read or study their Bible diligently so when it comes to understanding this book, they are totally lost.

The book of Revelation has been given by God the Father to Jesus Christ to show to His servants—us—what is to come to pass shortly. It is intended for Christians. We are the ones for whom the information will be vital and applicable.

This is the only book in the Bible that has a blessing attached to it. That indicates its importance in God’s eyes. Yet many people, including pastors, do not even study or teach this book. They feel it is irrelevant to Christians. This attitude comes from believing that they won't be here when all these things take place—an unfortunate result of that belief. Now if we don't think we'll have to endure anything mentioned in it, then the blessing becomes irrelevant since there will be nothing for us to 'keep', isn't it?

The blessing is for those who not only read and understand, but keep the words of this book. We can't keep what we can't understand. Therefore, to understand the book, it has to be taken in the context which the writer intended—this is the only way everyone can possibly come to a proper and common understanding. The words of great importance, as we will see, are the words that keep coming up—that Christians are to overcome and patiently endure to the end. The blessing is that we will know what is coming, live accordingly, and possibly escape those things which lie ahead.

Watch therefore, and pray always, that you may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man. (Luke 21:36)

In this age of huge scientific and technological breakthroughs when information travels at lightning speed, we are beginning to see where this rapid progress is taking us and how much of what John had written is starting to make sense.

We should be vigilant and watchful, and not be like the rest of the world, indulging in the temporary pleasures and pursuits of this life. The signs are everywhere for those with eyes to see and take heed. For the majority of people, as well as those who are spiritually asleep, its fulfillment will come as a terrible shock and rude awakening:

And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness and the cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare it shall come upon all that dwell on the face of the whole earth. (Luke 21:34-35)

Indeed, the time is at hand.