Revelation 1

{TO THE CHURCHES}

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{FIRST VISION}

1. What Things Must Occur - {PDF Copy} - (From the start, Revelation declares its purpose is to show God’s servants what things must SOON COME TO PASS – Revelation 1:1-3)
2. Revelation of Jesus - {PDF Copy} - (The Prologue of Revelation presents 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, resurrection, and enthronement of Jesus)
4. 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. He Who Is - {PDF Copy} - (God is the One Who is, Who was and Who is coming, the Almighty, the One Who sits on the Throne at the center of Creation)
8. The Seven Spirits of God - {PDF Copy} - (Greetings are sent to the Seven Assemblies of Asia from God, Jesus, and the Seven Spirits of God that are before the Throne)
9. The Faithful Witness - {PDF Copy} - (In the greetings sent to the Seven Assemblies, Jesus is called the Faithful Witness because of his self-sacrificial death – Revelation 1:5)
10. The Firstborn of the Dead - {PDF Copy} - (Jesus is the Firstborn of the Dead, a reference to his resurrection and the basis for the future resurrection of the saints – Revelation 1:5)
11. Ruler of Kings - {PDF Copy} - (The Faithful Witness now reigns supreme over the Kings of the Earth, and he is shepherding the nations)
12. Redeeming the Nations - (The kings and nations of the Earth are found in New Jerusalem because of the Lamb’s redemptive work) - {PDF Copy}
13. Decoding Bible Prophecy - (Jesus, the Word become flesh, is THE one and only interpretive key that unlocks the Hebrew Scriptures and Bible prophecy) - {PDF Copy}
14. 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)
15. 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}
16. Patmos - {PDF Copy} - (John was exiled to Patmos because of his testimony. He was a fellow participant in the Tribulation and Perseverance in Jesus - Revelation 1:9)
17. 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}
18. The Son of Man - (The first vision presents the image of Jesus as one like a Son of Man, a priestly figure who walks among the Assemblies of Asia – Revelation 1:9-20) - {PDF Copy}
19. 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}
20. Provided Interpretations - (Revelation communicates symbolically, and it provides the reader with many key interpretations of its images) - {PDF Copy}
21. Martyrs and Overcomers - (Jesus is the Faithful Witness who summons his disciples to emulate his example by giving faithful testimony before a hostile world) - {PDF Copy}
22. The Testimony of Jesus - (The men purchased from every nation by the blood of the Lamb become priestly witnesses who persevere in the Testimony of Jesus) - {PDF Copy}

{НА РУССКОМ ЯЗЫКЕ}

1. Откровение Иисуса Христа - (В прологе Откровения излагаются темы Книги и объявляется, что настало время исполнения – Откровение 1:1-3) - {PDF}

{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 is here - Revelation 22:10) - {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. An 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 vs Nonliteral - {PDF Copy} - (The Book of Revelation informs the reader from the start that it communicates visually and symbolically)
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} - (Disciples and others who give their allegiance to the State are at risk of taking the Mark of the Beast)
11. Priestly Slaves - {PDF Copy} - (To be a priestly citizen of the Kingdom of God requires a life of self-sacrificial service to others, not power over them – Mark 10:35-45)

{ONLINE COMMENTARIES}

• The Epistles to the Seven Churches, (By Richard Trench. PDF - Read online or download [public domain])
• Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia, (By William Ramsay. Read online or download PDF [Christian Classics Ethereal Library - ccel.org]).

[Creator - Photo by Denis Degioanni on Unsplash]