2 Peter 1:20 - “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private (own) interpretation.”
1 Corinthians 2:13 - “Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.”
We must compare verses in the book of Revelation to verses in other parts of the Bible to understand prophecy.
Revelation Chapter 1 - Verse 1 to 4
“1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:
2 Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.
3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.
4 John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne”
Revelation 1:1–4 shows that God has a chain of command for communicating His will:
👉God, the Father, conveyed the message to Jesus.
👉Jesus sent the message to His angel.
👉The angel conveyed the message to John.
👉John conveyed the message to the churches.
👉The churches are to share the message with other Christians.
Revelation 1:3 pronounces a blessing on those who read the book.
However, they are blessed not only because they read or listen, but also because they keep or obey the words of the book.
Revelation 22:7 - “Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.”
The book addresses four audiences:
(1) The literal churches.
(2) The saints who have an ear (Revelation 13:9, Revelation 2:29)
(3) The seven church/Christian types.
• Ephesus - The pure church that lost its first love
• Smyrna - The church under persecution
• Pergamos - The church under compromise
• Thyatira - The church during the Dark Ages
• Sardis - The church of the Reformation
• Philadelphia - The church with the open door
• Laodicea - The lukewarm church under the judgement
(4) The seven church ages throughout history.
The Holy Spirit is illustrated as seven spirits. “The seven Spirits” means the Holy Spirit is active in all seven churches. This image refers to the omnipresence of the Holy Spirit and His constant work among God’s people through history, enabling them to fulfill their calling.
Revelation Chapter 1 - Verse 5 to 6
“5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen”
a. Faithful Witness
b. The first-begotten of the dead
c. Prince of the kings of the earth
a. Faithful witness
We can believe Revelation's message because it contains Jesus' truthful testimony. Jeremiah 42:5 is the source of the word 'faithful witness', referring to the LORD as the true and faithful witness.
Jeremiah 42:5 - “Then they said to Jeremiah, The Lord be a true and faithful witness between us, if we do not even according to all things for the which the Lord thy God shall send thee to us.”
b. The first-begotten of the dead (His resurrection)
Jesus is the firstborn of all creation.
The words “first-begotten” and “first-born” are identical in Greek. The words do not refer to order of origin but rather preeminence.
Colossians 1:15, 18 - "15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence."
The resurrection of Jesus is superior to all other resurrections because it makes all others possible. Jesus said, “Because I live, you shall live also.
1 Corinthians 15:20-23 - "20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming."
c. Prince of the kings of the earth (His reign in heaven)
In this context, the word "prince" is to be interpreted as "ruler". Revelation 17:14 refers to Jesus as the King of Kings because He possesses complete authority over all earthly kings.
What Jesus did for us
• He loved us (John 15:9, Galatians 2:20 )
• Washed us (1 John 1:7)
• Made us kings and priests (1 Peter 2:9-10)
Revelation Chapter 1 - Verse 7
“7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.”
The text indicates Jesus' physical, literal, and visible return. Everyone living on earth at the time, including those who pierced Him, will witness His arrival.
Jesus will judge those on earth who have rejected His kindness, mercy, and love. But He will also provide relief to those who are waiting for Him.
Revelation Chapter 1 - Verse 8
“8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.”
- Alpha is the very first letter of the Greek alphabet and is something that is first according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary.
- Omega is the very last letter of the Greek alphabet and also means the final part or end, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary.
Therefore, Jesus is the first and the last, the beginning and the end. He is also the Almighty. By calling Himself the Alpha and Omega, Jesus is calling Himself God.
Isaiah 44:6 - "Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel, and his redeemer the Lord of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God."
Revelation Chapter 1 - Verse 9
“9 I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.”
Patmos is a desolate, rocky island in the Aegean Sea that is ten miles long and six miles wide at its widest point. The Romans used it and the other nearby islands as a penal colony for exiled political prisoners.
According to historians, the emperor Domitian (AD 81–96) tossed John into a cauldron of boiling oil with the intention of burning him alive, but he escaped. Because he could not kill John, he sent him to the Patmos Island.
Revelation Chapter 1 - Verse 10
“10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,”
Some Christians have an incorrect idea about the definition of the Lord's Day. Because Jesus rose on Sunday, some people believe it is Sunday (the first day of the week). However, no biblical evidence supports this. The idea that the Lord's Day is Sunday is an assumption that cannot be proven. Jesus never stated that He was the Lord of Sunday, or the first day of the week.
There is only one day that Jesus associated himself with, which is the Sabbath Day (the seventh day of the week, which is on Saturday).
Mark 2:28 - “Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.”
Therefore, it is reasonable to conclude that the Sabbath day is the Lord’s day. Jesus appeared to John on the seventh day, which is the day that God has made holy (Genesis 2:2-3).
The Sabbath is also the day that demonstrates that you worship the God of the Bible.
Ezekiel 20:20 - “And hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am the Lord your God.”
Revelation Chapter 1 - Verse 11
“11 Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.”
In John's day, the book was sent as a letter to the seven churches in Asia Minor. However, John wrote the Revelation for all Christian generations throughout history, not just for them.