Overview of Revelation

Overview of the Revelation

Overview
1:9 is a useful introduction to the book, answering a number of questions we might ask.
Rev. 1:9 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.
Who wrote it? “John.” Understood by both Irenaeus (~130-202) and Justin Martyr (~100-165) to
be the apostle. The strongest argument against this is the difference in his Greek (though we will
see several key ideas in common).
Where was it written? Patmos, an island off the SW coast of modern Turkey (Figure 1, chart).
(Or perhaps after returning from Patmos to Ephesus.)
When was it written? A time of persecution, when John was exiled because of his open witness to
the Lord. The earliest testimony, from Irenaeus (130-202), is that it comes from the reign of
Domitian, 81-961 (chart). Some
have advocated an earlier date,
Nero (54-68), under whom Paul
was executed. Based on the
ancient testimonies, we assume
authorship during the time of
Domitian. (This rules out the
preterist interpretation, which
sees the Olivet Discourse, an
important source for the
Revelation, as fulfilled in the
fall of Jerusalem.)
To whom was it written? 1:4,
“the seven churches of Asia.”
“Asia” here is the Roman
province at the western end of
Anatolia (modern Turkey).
Why was it written? “your
brother, and companion in
tribulation.” John is suffering
tribulation. The Lord gives him
an extended revelation about
the conflict between the church
and Satan, and he writes to
encourage his brethren to stand
fast. Figure 1: The Roman Province of Asia, Patmos, and the Seven
Churches
1 See Alford’s introduction

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 Overview of Revelation

The book develops the theme of John 16:33 (chart),

John 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the
world κόσμος G2889 ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome
νικάω G3528 the world.
Three words in this verse deserve our attention.
κόσμος is a favorite word of John’s, appearing 102/187x in the gospel and 1 John, though only
3x in the Revelation. But Paul uses it extensively as well (47x). It is not the same as “earth” γη
G1091. “Earth” refers to the planet; “world,” to the social and cultural system, currently
dominated by Satan. One of the three instances in the Revelation looks forward to the end of this
system:
Rev. 11:15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying,
The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he
shall reign for ever and ever.
The other two remind us that though God permitted this system to come into being at a past time,
he always made provision for a people that would be separate from that system. He prepared a
redeemer to deliver them from their sin:
Rev. 13:8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written
in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
And he enrolled them in the book of life:
Rev. 17:8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless
pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were
not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the
beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
The second key word, νικάω, is overwhelming in Rev (17/28), 6x in 1 John, only here in gospel:
24/28x in John’s writings.
Rev. 3:21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also
overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
It reminds us that in spite of the world’s antagonism to the Lord, God’s people can be victorious.
The third significant word is “tribulation” θλίψις G2347, the same word that John uses in 1:9.
Many Christians use this term as a proper noun, “the Tribulation,” and think of it as a time of
divine judgment on the earth. This is misleading. It appears 45 times in the NT, and only three
(Rom 2:9; 2 Thes 1:6; Rev 2:22) refer to divine judgment against men. Overwhelmingly, the
term reflects the world’s persecution of believers. Furthermore, only six occurrences (Matt
24:21, 29; Mark 13:19, 24; Rev 2:22; 7:14) are end-time events. In the NT, “tribulation”
describes what believers should expect from unbelievers.
Thus Paul and Barnabas made it the capstone of their teaching to the churches they founded on
their first missionary journey:
Acts 14:21 they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch, 22 Confirming the
souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through
much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.

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 Overview of Revelation

This characteristic explains why the NT name for the age in which we live is not “age of grace,”
or “church age,” but “this present evil age” (Gal 1:4). Believers in northern India, or North
Korea, or China, or Russia, or Arab countries understand the reality of tribulation and the need to
be prepared for it. We in the west have enjoyed relative freedom from persecution, but we must
not be taken by surprise if it comes upon us as well.

The Revelation of Jesus Christ

1:1-8, Opening 1:1-3, Title
1:4-6, Letter Opening
We will develop our outline of the book as we work through 1:7-8, The Coming Eternal One
it. 1:1-8 form an opening, with three internal sections that are
echoed at the end of the book (Figure 2, Chart). 1:9-22:11, TBD

1:1-3, The Title 22:12-13, The Coming Eternal One

22:16-20, The Lord’s Last Words
The first three verses alert us that the message we are about to 22:21, Letter Closing
read passes through a chain: God → Christ → Angel → John
→ seven churches. Figure 2: The Envelope of the
Revelation
Rev 1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ,—The title of the
book in the KJV notwithstanding, this is not the Revelation of John, but the revelation of Jesus
Christ.2 The phrase can be understood in two ways: the revelation about Jesus Christ (objective
genitive), or the revelation that Jesus Christ revealed (subjective genitive). Paul uses the
subjective sense in describing how he gained his spiritual insight:
Gal. 1:12 For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of
Jesus Christ.
But Peter twice uses the objective sense to describe the second coming of the Lord:
1Pet. 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth,
though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the
appearing of Jesus Christ:
1Pet. 1:13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the
grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
The rest of this verse emphasizes that John is revealing the message (subjective), but the climax
of the entire book is his appearance from heaven to subdue his enemies and establish his rule
over the earth (ch. 19-20). The ambiguity of the expression may well alert us that our Lord here
is both the one revealing and the one revealed.3
which God gave unto him,—The revelation does not start with our Lord, but with his Father.
The culmination of the book is his kingdom, something that he told his disciples was in the
Father’s hands:
Mar 13:32 But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in
heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.
to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass—The conclusion echoes
this theme (Table 2, chart). The expression has led some to suggest that the contents of this book

2 See note for the importance of this distinction on understanding this phrase.
3 Zerwick 1963, §§ 36-38, calls this the “general genitive.”

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 Overview of Revelation

were fulfilled soon ch. 1 ch. 22

after it was written.
Those who adopt this 6 the things which must shortly be done.
1 things which must shortly come to
7, 12, 20 behold, I come quickly
position, called pass
10 the time is at hand
“preterism,” usually
1 and he sent and signified it by his 16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you
insist (contrary to angel unto his servant John: these things in the churches.
strong early
16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you
testimony from the
2 the testimony of Jesus Christ 20 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I
church fathers) that come quickly
the emperor of the
3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they 18 … the words of the prophecy of this book,…
persecution is Nero, that hear the words of this prophecy, 19 … the words of the book of this prophecy,
and try to relate all of
3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they
the prophecies to that … keep those things which are 14 Blessed are they that do his commandments,
events between then written therein:
and the destruction of
the temple in AD 70. Table 1: The Title and the Conclusion
The expression “shortly” ἐν τάχει can express suddenness, without necessarily implying the
length of time until the event happens. Our Lord gives an example of this in the parable of the
unjust judge, who finally vindicates the widow after her long pleading.
Lk 18:7 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though
he bear long with them? 8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily ἐν τάχει.
The Lord “bear[s] long” with his people, and yet is said to “avenge them speedily.” The
emphasis is on the suddenness and unexpectedness of the coming, not that it will occur within
some short period of time.4 We cannot know the day or the hour when the Lord will return.5
and he sent and signified it by his angel—The message comes from the Father to the Lord
Jesus, and then to an angel. The conclusion echoes the role of the angel in 22:16.
This angel appears in 17:1 and continues to instruct John through the end of the book. The fact
that he only appears there suggests that those chapters really are the climax and point of the
book, and everything else is in a sense background.
unto his servant δοῦλος John:—The next link in the chain is John. He describes himself with
the same term that he uses for those to whom the message is finally addressed. He has come a
long way from the day when his mother asked the Lord to give him and James a special place in
the kingdom (Matt 20:21).
Mat 20:20 Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children with her sons, worshipping
him, and desiring a certain thing of him. 21 And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith
unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on
the left, in thy kingdom.
The Lord responded,

4 In the LXX, the term is concentrated three times in Deut 28, vv. 20, 24 and 63 . The last shows that the reference
is to the captivities, which were still 700 years in the future when Moses gave this warning.
5 See “The Rapture and the Tribulation” ([Link] for a distinction between this
weak sense of imminency and the stronger sense, asserting that we cannot know any moment when the Lord
might not appear. This strong sense is not supported by Scripture.

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 Overview of Revelation

Mat 20:25 Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they
that are great exercise authority upon them. 26 But it shall not be so among you: but
whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; 27 And whosoever will be
chief among you, let him be your servant δοῦλος: 28 Even as the Son of man came not to be
ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
This is the title that John now takes for himself.
2 Who bare record μαρτυρέω G3140—This is the verb that corresponds to the noun
“testimony” later in the verse. John says here that he bore testimony, and at the end of the book,
so does the Lord Jesus, in 22:16, 20. The word means to report what one has seen and heard.6
of the word of God, and of the testimony μαρτυρία G3141 of Jesus Christ, and of all things
that he saw. —This phrase (“the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ”) is the reason
that he was on Patmos (1:9), and the reason that many were slain (20:4).
The latter phrase is probably subjective genitive, the testimony that Jesus Christ bore, that is, the
teaching that he delivered during his earthly ministry (see note). John wrote before there was a
recognized New Testament, so “the word of God” probably summarizes the OT scripture and
“the testimony of Jesus” the teachings of Christ that are the heart of the NT (cf. 1 Tim 6: 3). Four
more times (1:9; 6:9; 12:17; 20:4) the saints are said to “have” this revelation or to suffer because
of it. Throughout the ages, it has been the duty of God’s people to align themselves with the
word of God and the testimony of Jesus, whatever the cost.
Here, John describes “all things that he saw,” namely, in his vision, in the same terms. We have
been told already that God has given this message to his Son, who conveys it to John. This book
is both the word of God and the testimony of Jesus (who is repeatedly described as “testifying”
throughout the book: 1:5; 3:14; 22:16, 18; 22:20). John, having received it first-hand, bears
witness of it, and it forms a fitting capstone to the rest of the books that we gratefully receive as
“the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.”
3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear—A letter addressed to a group was typically
read aloud by one person, and heard by the others. John anticipates this setting, and advises us
that we will be blessed if we hear the message that has passed from God to Jesus, to the angel,
and then to him. This is the first of seven blessings (14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6; 22:7, 14).
the words of this prophecy,—The conclusion (22:18, 19) also describes the book as a
“prophecy,” classing it with the utterances of those who spoke for God in the OT, starting with
Samuel. We usually associate prophecy with the future, but the biblical prophets exhorted their
hearers, and that leads to the third part of the blessing:
and keep those things which are written therein:—Hearing alone is not enough. To receive
the blessing, we must also obey the principles that the book presents to us. This principle is also
repeated in the conclusion (22:14).
for the time is at hand.—Again, he reminds us of the imminent nature of his return.

1:4-6, The Letter Opening

The final link in the chain is for John to deliver the message to God’s servants. He does this by
writing a letter to the churches among which he ministered. 1:4-6 form a standard opening to a

6 The noun and verb appear 115x in the NT: 64x in John’s gospel and epistles, 13x in the Revelation, total 77.

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 Overview of Revelation

letter, such as we might expect at the start of one of Paul’s epistles (Table 2, chart). Like the title,
the letter opening anticipates the book’s close with a standard epistolary benediction (22:21).
1:4 John to the seven churches which are in Asia:—These are enumerated in 1:11. But they
are not the only churches in Asia in the first century: Paul wrote to the Colossians, mentioning
believers in both Laodicea and Hierapolis (4:13), and Acts 20:6 describes a meeting of the
church in Troas where Paul addressed the believers on his way home from his third missionary
journey. Why does the Lord (1:11) select these seven? There are two suggestions.
First, the order in which the churches are named suggests that they lie along the route of a major
road along which a messenger could have carried the book. Col 4:16 shows that churches
receiving a letter were expected to share it with other nearby churches:
Col 4:16 And when this epistle Colossians Revelation
is read among you, cause that 1:1 Paul … and
it be read also in the church of Sender Timotheus
1:4 John
the Laodiceans; and that ye
1:2 to the saints … to the seven churches which
likewise read the epistle from Recipients
which are at Colossae are in Asia
Laodicea.
Grace to you and Grace be unto you, and
So the Lord’s purpose in peace peace
addressing these churches is to Greeting from God our Father from God … and from the
ensure the rapid distribution of the and the Lord Jesus seven Spirits … and from
book around this major circuit, Christ Jesus Christ
from where it could then be Praise to 1:3 We give thanks to 1:5 Unto him that loved us
circulated to other churches. God God … be glory and dominion ...
Figure 1 shows Ramsay’s Prayer for
reconstruction of the secondary praying always for you (lacking)
Readers
circuits by which letters delivered Body ch. 1-4 ch. 1-22
along the main route would be 4:18 Grace be with 22:21 The grace of our Lord
distributed to outlying districts. Farewell
you. Jesus Christ be with you all.
Recall Paul’s sense that in the Table 2: The Revelation as an Epistle
gospel, he had possession of
something intended for others:
Rom 1:14 I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the
unwise.15 So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome
also.
Once we receive the word of God, we owe it to those around us.
Second, we should not overlook the clear symbolic use of the number “seven” throughout the
book, to denote completeness. For example, the seven kings of Rev 17:10 cannot easily be
aligned with any historical set of seven Roman emperors (Beckwith), but represent the complete
set of emperors. So the Lord presents these seven churches as a vignette of all the churches.
Though each of these seven has a focus, the book is sent to all seven of them, that they might
learn from one another, and the principles we see in them are applicable to every church.
Grace be unto you, and peace,—This is the standard greeting in a Christian epistle, sometimes
(1, 2 Tim, Titus, 2 John) supplemented with “mercy.” The two go together: “grace” is the divine
quality that saves us, while “peace” is the result that we experience, peace with God.

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 Overview of Revelation

We must cling tightly to this greeting. A pervasive theme of the book is the persecution that
unbelievers bring upon believers, which had become institutionalized at the national level during
the time that John writes. Yet he greets his readers with the promise of “peace.” We are not
assured of peaceful lives in our daily experience, but we have peace with God, and secure in his
love, we can deal with the difficulties of life in the world.
The greeting identifies the One who gives us grace and peace: Father, Spirit, and Son.
from him God7 which is, and which was, and which is to come;—The Father is defined as the
eternal one. The name by which he identified himself to Moses emphasizes his timeless character
(chart). First he emphasizes himself as the One who always is:
Exo 3:13 And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and
shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me,
What is his name? what shall I say unto them? 14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I
AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.
Next, he reminds Moses of his past actions, the One who was:
15 And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The
LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob,
hath sent me unto you:
Finally, he anticipates his future activity:
this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.
Isaiah explores this theme at length:
Isa 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.
Isa 43:10 Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye
may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God
formed, neither shall there be after me.
The statement that God “is to come” echoes another OT theme, anticipating the Messiah:
Psa 50:3 Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him, and
it shall be very tempestuous round about him.
Isa 40:10 Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him:
behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.
and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;—In a parallel with references to the
Father and the Son, we expect a reference to the Spirit (chart):
Matt 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
1 Cor 12:4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 And there are differences
of administrations, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the
same God which worketh all in all.
2Co 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of
the Holy Ghost, be with you all.
7 Majority reading

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 Overview of Revelation

Eph 4:4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and
through all, and in you all.
The closest parallel is in the opening of 1 Peter, which even has the same order as our text:
1Pe 1:2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of
the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ:
In such a context, the reference must be to the Holy Spirit. We will see his activity frequently as
we go through the book. But why “seven spirits”? A hint comes in John’s vision of the throne:
Rev. 5:6 And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the
midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes,
which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.
That vision in turn draws from Zechariah’s vision of the self-fueling lampstand:
Zec 4:10 For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see
the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven [lamps]; they are the eyes of the
LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth.
Four hundred years earlier, David understood that God’s Spirit is the means by which he is
omnipresent in the world:
Psa 139:7 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? 8 If I
ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. …
Let us put these clues together:
• The threefold greeting leads us to expect a reference to the Holy Spirit.
• The reference in Rev 5:6 emphasizes the Spirit’s omnipresence and omniscience in the world.
• “Seven” emphasizes the completeness and thoroughness of the Spirit’s work.
5 And from Jesus Christ,—In terms of the structure of a letter (Table 2), this is the third
element of a trinitarian greeting. John gives the Lord Jesus three titles, in chronological order
(Table 3, chart, column 1), but
these prepare for the next section 1:5a, Greeting: His Person 1:5b-6, Praise: His Work
of the letter, the praise to God unto him that loved us:
(second column). the Faithful Witness:
Earthly John 13:1 having loved
Mic 5:2 whose goings forth have
who is the faithful witness,— ministry his own which were in
been from of old
the world
Throughout the OT, our Savior’s
washed us from our sins
“goings forth were from of old,” the First Begotten of the Dead:
in his own blood
witnessing the things of the Father Passion Rom 4:25 delivered for our 1 John 1:7 the blood of
to men, and his earthly ministry offenses, raised again for our
Jesus Christ his Son
was also one of constantly bearing justification
cleanseth us from all sin.
witness to the Father.
the Prince of the Kings of the earth: hath made us kings and
and the first begotten of the Rev. 11:15 The kingdoms of this priests unto God and his
Future
dead,—His earthly ministry world are become the kingdoms of Father:
victory
culminated in his crucifixion and our Lord, and of his Christ; and he 1 Pet 2:9 a royal
shall reign for ever and ever. priesthood (cf. Rev 20:4)

Table 3: Praise to the Lord for his Person and Work

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 Overview of Revelation

resurrection. John, like Paul, emphasizes the importance of the resurrection, without which the
value of his death is unproven.
Rom 4:25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.
and the prince of the kings of the earth.—The third stage is yet future. He is king in heaven
now, but does not yet rule an earthly kingdom. This book will show us how
Rev. 11:15 The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his
Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
After the greeting, the next element at the start of an epistle is praise to God. John focuses on
three actions of the Lord Jesus, which align in time with the three titles.
Unto him that loved us,—We commonly associate our Lord’s love for us with his death on the
cross, but John reminds us in the gospel that his love for his disciples permeated his entire life:
Joh 13:1 Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that
he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the
world, he loved them unto the end.
He loved them, and served them by washing their feet, leaving us an example in our relation to
one another.
and washed us from our sins in his own blood,—The culmination of that love was his death in
our place, to wash away our sins.
1 John 1:7 the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father;—We are now “a royal
priesthood” (1 Pet 2:9), and that heavenly position will become concrete when he becomes
“prince of the kings of the earth” (Rev 20:4, “they lived and reigned with Christ”).
to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.—Note that “be” is in italics. The
clause can be read as a statement of fact, not just aspiration, and in a prayer of praise, probably
should be this way.
It is not uncommon for a Bible writer to ascribe eternal glory and power to God. Consider, for
example (chart):
Rom. 11:33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! … 36 For
of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.
Rom. 16:27 To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen.
Eph. 3:21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world
without end. Amen.
Phil. 4:20 Now unto God and our Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
1Pet. 5:10 But the God of all grace, … 11 To him be glory and dominion κράτος for ever
and ever. Amen.8

8 1 Pet 4:11 is grammatically ambiguous. Though “Jesus Christ” is the nearer antecedent, it is subordiante to “that
God may be glorified,” and the repetition of the root δόξα connects the final ascription with the God who is
glorified; thus Alford.

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 Overview of Revelation

Jude 25 To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion κράτος and
power, both now and ever. Amen.
All these are addressed to God or the Father, and not specifically to the Lord Jesus. Only one
instance is clearly addressed to him:9
2Pet. 3:18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To
him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.
And even here, it is only glory, not dominion (κράτος G2904, “strength, power”), that is assigned
to the Lord Jesus. (See Note for NT words for power.)
One explanation for this imbalance is that during his earthly ministry, our Lord withheld his
glory. He ministered in humility and in weakness, not glory and power. Isaiah described him:
Isa 53:2 he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that
we should desire him. 3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and
acquainted with grief:
Only twice is his glory said to be revealed during this time: at his first miracle in Cana of Galilee,
Joh 2:11 This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his
glory; and his disciples believed on him.
and on the mount of transfiguration,
2Pe 1:16 For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you
the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For
he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him
from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. 18 And this
voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.
But while he ministered in humiliation, he looked forward to being glorified after his
resurrection and at his return:
Joh 17:1 These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour
is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: … 5 And now, O Father, glorify
thou me …
Mat 24:30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the
tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven
with power δύναμις and great glory. … 25:31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory,
and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
Throughout the NT, we are exhorted to that future glory:
Tit 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our
Saviour Jesus Christ;
Now John opens his epistle by ascribing both glory and power, not to the Father as in other NT
epistles, but to the one “who loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood.” He sees
the time of which the Lord spoke on Olivet, the time of his glorious return, and frames his
greeting accordingly.

9 See note for some ambiguous passages

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 Overview of Revelation

1:7-8, The ch. 1 ch. 22

Summary 7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; … 12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is
and all kindreds of the earth shall wail with me, to give every man according as his work
The opening ends because of him. shall be.
with a summary of 13 I [the one who comes quickly] am Alpha and
the entire book: the 8 I am Alpha and Omega, the
Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and
promise of the Lord’s beginning and the ending, saith the Lord the last.
return with clouds,
described near the Table 4: The Coming Eternal One
end in ch. 19, and
drawing heavily on OT promises. These two verses again anticipate ch. 22 (Table 4, chart). but
these correspondences are in chiastic order to those in the title and letter opening.
In 1:7, someone announces the coming of the Messiah, according to OT promise. 1:8 identifies
the speaker as the Lord, fulfilling the Father’s promise to the Son,
Psa. 110:1 The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine
enemies thy footstool.
This is, after all, “the revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him.” So it begins with the
Father’s introduction of the returning Son.
7 Behold, he cometh with clouds;—John takes us back to a prophecy of Daniel (chart). After a
vision of four beasts that represent the four great kingdoms from Babylon to the end, Daniel sees
the heavenly court.
Dan 7:13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the
clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. 14
And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and
languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass
away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.
We will hear much in the coming chapters of world kingdoms and terrible beasts, but this
promise takes us all the way forward to the return of the Lord Jesus to set up his kingdom.10
and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth
shall wail κόπτω G2875 because of him. Even so, Amen.—Again, he takes us back to the OT,
this time to Zechariah:
Zech 12:10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem,
the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have
pierced, and they shall mourn κόπτω for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall
be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. (+3x in vv. 11-12)
But he goes beyond Zechariah. That prophet anticipated that Israel would mourn for the Messiah;
John sees “all the kindred of the earth” joining in this repentance. He is not inventing this
extension of the prediction, but following what he heard the Lord Jesus teach in the Olivet
Discourse, again associating Daniel 7 and Zechariah 12:

10 Compare 14:14, concluding the interlude after the seventh trumpet, where one “like unto the Son of man” sits on
“a white cloud” to reap the harvest of the righteous, while another angel gathers the wicked to judgment.
Tentatively, I am aligning the ends of the seals, trumpets, and bowls, and if this is correct, the vision of ch. 14
corresponds with ch. 19-20.

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 Overview of Revelation

Matt 24:29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days … 30 And then shall appear the
sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn
[extension of Zech 12:10-14], and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of
heaven with power and great glory [Dan 7:13, 14].
Now the speaker identifies himself with the first of the three entities named as the source of
Grace and Peace in 1:4-5.
8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending,—1:4 described “God” as the one
who was, and is, and is to come, a title of eternity. Three other such titles appear throughout the
book (Table 5, chart), and we now encounter one of them.11

The One who is, and The First

Alpha and The Beginning
who was, and who is and the Last
Omega and the Ending Who is in
Ref to come ὁ πρῶτος Evidence
τὸ Ἄλφα ἡ ἀρχὴ καὶ τὸ View?
ὁ ὢν καὶ ὁ ἦν καὶ καὶ ὁ
καὶ τὸ Ὦ τέλος
ὁ ἐρχόμενος ἔσχατος
1:4 X Father “God”; Trinitarian greeting
The eternal Lord, 1:4
1:8 X X (x) Father Almighty = (LORD of
Hosts)
Stands in the midst of the
1:11 (x) (x) Son
candlesticks, 1:12
1:17 X Son Was dead, is alive, 1:18
2:8 X Son Writer to Smyrna
4:8 X Father Vision from Isaiah 6
He that sat upon the
21:6 X X Father
throne (21:5); father (21:7)
The one who comes
22:13 X X X Son
quickly (22:12)
Table 5: Titles of Divine Eternity in the Revelation. (x) indicates an occurrence of the title in the
Textus Receptus (and thus the AV) but not in the Majority Text. X is the first occurrence.
“Alpha” is the first letter of the Greek alphabet, and “Omega” is the last. Thus listing these two
together is an expression of totality. This is a Greek echo of an attested Hebrew expression for
totality, “from Aleph to Tau” (Gill; Strack-Billerbeck), and may also reflect a common Christian
graffiti, the SATOR-ROTAS word square (Beasley-Murray).
saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come,—Once again, we hear the title
of the Father from 1:4, with one additional title:
the Almighty.—This Greek word is the dominant (119/181) LXX translation of ‫ צבאות‬H6635,
“hosts, armies,” in the name “Jehovah of Hosts.” The speaker is the one Israel knows as Jehovah.
Yet “who is to come” clearly anticipates the Messiah. The trajectory of the titles moves toward
affirming the deity of the Lord Jesus; cf. the merger of characteristics in 1:13-16.
11 In the Majority Text of the Revelation, the second title is lacking in this verse. Instances of (x) in the Table show
titles in the TR that are not in the MT.

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 Overview of Revelation

Notes
1:1 Is “the apocalypse” an apocalypse?
The terms “apocalypse” and “apocalyptic” are in vogue as describing a particular style of
prophetic literature epitomized by 2 Esdras and 1 Baruch, and with echoes in Daniel 7-9 and
Ezekiel, characterized by a vision of the future in which God rights the injustices that his people
have suffered. The writer often reports visions in which a heavenly being guides him to this
understanding.
These works do not describe themselves using the word. The word family does not occur at all in
2 Esdras or Daniel, or (in this sense) in Ezekiel. It is an academic term, capturing the result of a
particular scholarly classification. So it is misleading to justify an interpretation of the Revelation
dominated by the notion of “apocalyptic” based on 1:1. The book does have much in common
with such literature, and relies heavily on Daniel and Ezekiel. But the term in 1:1 simply refers to
a divine revelation (see Milligan’s note in his commentary on Thessalonians), and the only other
instances of “revelation of Jesus Christ” in the NT have no reference to this class of literature.
John calls his work “prophecy” (1:3; 22:18, 19), and we should so understand it.
If 1:1 meant to identify the book as an apocalypse, it would be named after the seer, “the
apocalypse of John” (as indeed the KJV does).

1:2, 9 testimony of Jesus Christ

We commonly speak of our role in “witnessing for the Lord,” opening the possibility that the
phrase here could be objective genitive. But the NT uses the word family for eyewitnesses: Acts
1:8, 22. And the contrast in 1 Tim 6:12, 13 between our Lord (who witnessed a good confession)
and Timothy (who confessed a good confession) suggests that we should favor the subjective
genitive.
The use of the word family μαρτυ* in the Revelation is consistent with a careful distinction.
John himself bears witness to the vision that he has recorded:
1:2 Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and even of
all things that he saw.
Several verses speak of the testimony of the Lord Jesus, usually in parallel with the word of God,
as something to be kept by his saints:
1:2 Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all
things that he saw.
1:9 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.
6:9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were
slain for the word of God, and for the testimony of the Lamb which they held:
12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of
her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

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 Overview of Revelation

19:10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy
fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the
testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I
saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God,
and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark
upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand
years.
Our Lord is described as the faithful witness, consistent with 1 Tim 6:13 and numerous
references to his testimony in the fourth gospel:
1:5 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,
3:14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen,
the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;
22:16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the
root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.
22:16 I Jesus … 18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of
this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are
written in this book:
22:20 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come,
Lord Jesus.
Saints are said to bear witness. Consistent with Acts 1:8, 22, these may be people who had seen
the risen Christ. 12:11 has the strongest claim to refer to all believers, though “their testimony”
may be “the testimony of Jesus” which they are said to “have” in 12:17. 17:6 may be
distinguishing saints from those who, like John, were eyewitnesses.
2:13 I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is: and thou holdest
fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my
faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.
11:3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two
hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
11:7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the
bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.
12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony;
and they loved not their lives unto the death.
17:6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the
martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.
The heavenly sanctuary is “the temple of the testimony,” perhaps as the repository of God’s law,
often called his “testimonies” in the OT:
Rev. 15:5 And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony
in heaven was opened:

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 Overview of Revelation

Conclusions:
Gospels
• “the testimony of Jesus” is best Epistles Revelation Row Res
& Acts
understood as subjective
genitive, the revelation that our δυναμις -4.5 5.5 -21.5 4.5
Lord as the Son of God has given κρατος -2 2 17 -55
based on his personal
εξουσια 11 -11 0 0
knowledge.
ισχυς 0 0 18 -56
• Together with “the word of
God,” which for John would Col Res 1 -1 -47 79
primarily be the OT, it makes up Table 6: Residuals from Median Polish
the body of God’s revelation.
• We are to “hold” or “have”
this body of truth. While
the Revelation uses the
ὁμολ* word family only of
our Lord’s confession of his
saints before the Father
(parallel with Matt 10:32),
this response on our part is
consistent with Timothy’s
“confession” of the same
truth to which our Lord
bore eye-witness in the
parallel of 1 Tim 6:12, 13.
Figure 3: Additivity Plot for Words for Strength
Words for Power Gospels
Epistles Revelation Total
Table 7 shows the distribution of δύναμις, & Acts
κράτος, ἐξουσία, and ἰσχύς in the NT. δύναμις, δυναμις 48 60 12 120
and ἐξουσία are the most common, and thus
κρατος 2 8 2 12
likely to be more generic in meaning, while
κράτος and ἰσχύς are much rarer. εξουσια 51 31 21 103
A median polish (Table 6) can help remove the ισχυς 3 5 2 10
overall effects of word and type of literature. Total 104 104 37 245
Clearly, κρἀτος and ἰσχὐς dominate the Total words
84888 45492 9903
Revelation, δύναμις the epistles, and ἐξουσία in book
the gospels. But the data are not simply
Table 7: Words for Power in the NT
additive; Figure 3 is the Tukey plot. If the data
were additive, there would be no trend to the plot of residuals against row * column / overall, but
there is a clear positive slope. More needs to be done.
Table 8 shows the MT-LXX mapping for these words. In the LXX, δύναμις and ἰσχύς dominate
and so are more likely to be generic. The LXX uses ἐξουσία for rule and government, δύναμις
for the instruments of power (armies), and ἰσχύς and κρἀτος for the more abstract idea of
strength and power itself.

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 Overview of Revelation

Who
‫עז המון חיל צבא‬ ‫חזקה חזק‬ ‫ משׁל כח‬etc ‫ *שׁלט‬Total
receives
δυναμις 131 148 4 20 0 0 7 o 0 563
glory?
κρατος 0 0 0 4 0 1 0 1 0 47
Most
attributions of εξουσια 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 10 66
glory in the ισχυς 0 27 7 28 1 0 98 0 326
NT are tot he
Father, but Total 486 245 86 102 291 9 126 103 41
these are Table 8: LXX use of power words
ambiguous:
Gal. 1:3 Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 Who
gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the
will of God and our Father: 5 To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
2Tim. 4:18 And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his
heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Heb. 13:20 Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great
shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, 21 Make you perfect in
every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through
Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

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