Revelation Chapter 1

By David Maas
{TO THE CHURCHES}

[Click on the title below to open an article]


{FIRST VISION}
  1. What Things Must Occur - {PDF Copy} - (At the beginning, Revelation states that its purpose is to show God’s servants what things must soon come to pass – Revelation 1:1-3)
  2. The Prologue - {PDF Copy} - (The prologue presents the basic themes of the book and declares that the season of fulfillment has arrived – Revelation 1:1-3)
  3. The Season is Here! - {PDF Copy} - (In Revelation, the period known as the last days began following the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ)
  4. A Call to Action - {PDF Copy} - (Through a series of seven beatitudes, Revelation summons believers to faithfulness despite hostility and persecution)
  5. Overview of the Book - (The book of Revelation is an account of the visions received by John while in exile on the Isle of Patmos - “on account of the testimony of Jesus”) - {PDF Copy}
  6. Greetings from the Throne - {PDF Copy} - (The salutations from the throne highlight key themes of the book, especially the victory and present reign of Jesus)
  7. The Faithful Witness - {PDF Copy} - (In the salutation to the seven churches, Jesus is called the Faithful Witness because of his self-sacrificial death)
  8. The Firstborn of the Dead - {PDF Copy} - (Jesus is the Firstborn of the Dead, a reference to his past resurrection and the basis for the future resurrection of the saints)
  9. Supremacy over the Earth - {PDF Copy} - (The faithful witness, Jesus, now reigns supreme over the Kings of the Earth and even over his enemies, and he is shepherding the nations)
  10. Unlocking Prophecy - (Jesus, the Word become flesh, is THE one and only interpretive key that unlocks the Hebrew Scriptures and Bible prophecy) - {PDF Copy}
  11. Priestly Kingdom - {PDF Copy} - (Disciples reign with Jesus as priests who render service in his Tabernacle and mediate his light and Word in the world)
  12. He Who Is - {PDF Copy} - (God is the One who is and who was and who is coming, the Almighty who sits on the throne at the center of Creation)
  13. The Seven Spirits of God - {PDF Copy} - (Greetings are sent to the seven churches of Asia from God, Jesus, and the seven spirits of God that are before the throne)
  14. Tribulation, Kingdom, Endurance - (Exiled on Patmos, John is a fellow participant in the tribulation, the kingdom, and the endurance that are in Jesus – Revelation 1:9) - {PDF Copy}
  15. Isle of Patmos - {PDF Copy} - (John was exiled to Patmos for his testimony – A fellow participant in the Tribulation and Perseverance in Jesus)
  16. The Lordly Day - (On the isle of Patmos, John found himself in the Spirit and projected to the Day of the Lord – Revelation 1:9-10) - {PDF Copy}
  17. The Son of Man - (The first vision presents the image of Jesus as one like a Son of Man who walks among the churches of Asia – Revelation 1:9-20) - {PDF Copy}
  18. The Book's Recipients - (In its entirety, Revelation is addressed to seven churches located in the Roman province of Asia in the first century A.D.) - {PDF Copy}
  19. Provided Interpretations - (Revelation communicates symbolically, and it provides the reader with many key interpretations of its images) - {PDF Copy}
{BACKGROUND}
  1. Unsealing the Scroll - (Daniel was commanded to seal the scroll, but the angel sent by Jesus commanded John NOT to do so since the season was now at hand) - {PDF Copy}
  2. Fourfold Structure - {PDF Copy} - (The four major literary divisions are marked by John coming to be in spirit)
  3. Common Errors of Interpretation - (The real-life relevance of Revelation for today is lost if we begin to interpret it with incorrect presuppositions) - {PDF Copy}
  4. End-Time People - {PDF Copy} - (The church is the battlefield where the final war is being waged between the Lamb and that Ancient Serpent, Satan)
  5. The Missing Seventy Weeks - {PDF Copy} - (Despite its frequent use of Daniel, Revelation does not apply Daniel’s seventy weeks prophecy to any of its visions)
  6. Linear Chronological Sequence? - (Are Revelation’s visions presented in chronological sequence? If so, how do we explain the many parallel descriptions that link them?) - {PDF Copy}
  7. Literal and Nonliteral Language - {PDF Copy} - (From its opening verse, the book of Revelation demonstrates that it communicates via symbolism)
  8. The Wrath of God - (Wrath refers to the final judicial sentence of God on His enemies. Tribulation is what the church endures) - {PDF Copy}
  9. Why do the Nations Rage? - (The conspiracy by the earth’s kings to unseat God’s Son is applied by the New Testament to the plot to destroy Jesus – Psalm 2:1-6) - {PDF Copy}
  10. The Choice - {PDF Copy} - (In Revelation, humanity is divided into two and only two groups – followers of the Lamb or subjects of the Beast)
  11. Only in Jesus - (Jesus of Nazareth, the Crucified One, is the interpretive key that unlocks the Hebrew scriptures and especially prophecy) - {PDF Copy}

{ONLINE COMMENTARIES}

POPULAR POSTS

Destruction of Babylon

By David Maas
The complete destruction of Babylon, especially her economic power is God’s response to her persecution of the “saints”  –  Revelation 18:9-24 .  Next,  Revelation  presents the detailed description of the destruction of the “ Great City ,” and the justification for this action. In part, her demise is caused by the hatred of the “ ten kings ” that are allied with the “ Beast ” and driven by God to desolate and “ burn her utterly with fire ” for her dominance of world commerce and her “ sorcery. ”
Click to read more »

The Little Horn

By David Maas
The description of the Little Horn in Daniel fits the known history of the Seleucid king, Antiochus IV, who waged war on the Jewish nation . The “ Little Horn ” is a key component of Daniel’s visions. It represents a king from one of the four Hellenic kingdoms that evolved from Alexander the Great’s short-lived empire. Passages in the Book of Daniel concerning this figure also provide Paul with the model for his “ Man of Lawlessness ” described in his second letter to the Thessalonians.
Click to read more »