The first verse announces the theme of the book, namely what "must soon take place." The Book of Revelation is primarily a revelation of the future. This "revelation" of future events was given by God to "Jesus Christ." The Lord Jesus then entrusted it to his "angel," and this angel made it known to "his servant John." John's purpose in writing this book was to convey this information to the "servants" of the Lord, i.e., all true believers. In doing so, John has borne witness to the prophetic "word of God" that was spoken to him. The same applies to the "testimony" for which "Jesus Christ" was the witness. In short, John testified to "all that he saw" in his heavenly visions.
Verses that belong to this explanation: 1-2
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.
 | Author: William MacDonald Rank: Author Posted on: 2024-06-29 Source: Title: Commentary on the New Testament Year (original): 1989 Author: William MacDonald Number of pages: 1504 Publisher/Editor: CLV Print: GGP Media GmbH, Pößneck |
Purpose of the Book
[Verse 1]. The first word of the book, “revelation”, indicates that something is about to be unveiled. There is something to be made known which formerly was hidden. It is therefore remarkable that to many Christians this book is incomprehensible and mysterious. I do not claim that everything is easy to explain, but I do say that the events in this book are not obscure, but are made clear. The veil over the future is taken away.
You shall indeed have to make efforts to figure out in which way the future is clarified here. Many symbols, for example, are used. But your attempts to also understand this part of God’s Word will be doubly rewarded if you continually remind yourself that God finds this the best way to communicate to you His thoughts about the future.
If you only read this first verse carefully and allow that to sink in, you will see that it is full of instructions for understanding the contents of this book. It says that it is the revelation “of Jesus Christ”. That means that Jesus Christ is the One, Who reveals or makes known (cf. [Gal 1:12]). He acts. At the same time it is of course also true that the revelation refers to Him, which means that He is the One Who is revealed. He is both the Center and the Executor of God’s counsels.
Then you read that “God gave Him” that revelation. That means that the Lord Jesus is seen here as Man, Who has taken a place of dependence. He receives everything out of the hands of God. He is so truly Man, that it is written of Him that He as Man does not know when the fulfillments of the things will take place [Mark 13:32]. Here you stand before the inconceivable mystery of God and Man in one Person.
Then John writes about the purpose of the revelation and that is “to show His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place”. The bond-servants here are in the first place the prophets [Rev 10:7]; [Rev 11:18], but they also represent the believers in a general sense [Rev 7:3]; [Rev 19:5]; [Rev 22:3]; [Rom 6:19-22]. To be able to see the future things and to take them in, you need the mind of a bond-servant. Conversely, knowing the things to come will make you a better slave. You will be serving with insight in accordance to the great plans of God, with a view to the church, professing Christianity, Israel and the world.
The word “show” plays an important role in the book of Revelation. God continually ‘shows’ things to John, and John in his turn passes on what has been ‘shown’ to him. The aim of this book is to show that the judgment is coming. It must “soon” take place or ‘in a hurry’, which is rapidly, quickly.
You may say that it is not that soon, for it is nearly two thousand years ago that this has been written down and it still has not happened. But don’t be mistaken. This word remains in force, for time doesn’t count for God and for faith [Ps 90:4]; [2Pet 3:8]. And it “must” happen. You may say that there is mention here of a Divine must. God is not only the omniscient God Who tells what is going to happen, He is also the omnipotent God Who makes things happen the way He wants.
To make known His plans with the world and most of all to reveal His Son, He has used angels. Angels have been used more often by God as mediators [Acts 7:38]; [Gal 3:19]. The fact that God uses angels indicates that there is a distance between Him and John to whom He gives His messages. This goes even more for those to whom John in his turn has to pass on those messages.
Formerly John received messages from the Lord while he was reclining on His bosom [John 13:23-26]. That indicates confidentiality. However, John is not apostle here, but prophet. Prophets speak to God’s people when decay takes place. They warn for of the judgment that is imminent. John is the last one in the chain of five links through which the revelation of God reaches His bond-servants:
1. the revelation is from God;
2. comes of Jesus Christ;
3. by His angel;
4. to John;
5. to His bond-servants.
The revelation was “communicated” or “signified” (NKJV) to John. This expression “signified” is typical for this book. It is derived from the word ‘sign’. John often receives the messages on the things to come by the means of signs or symbols, through which he gets to see what must take place. Something like that we see in Matthew 13 where the Lord makes use of parables. He uses them to teach. He tells His disciples why He does that and says that through His explanation they will be able to understand the deeper meaning of these parables, while it will remain hidden for the mass of people [Matt 13:10-17], [Matt 13:34-35].
In this book you will see that the symbols which are used especially are borrowed from nature:
celestial bodies – the sun, the moon, the stars;
the natural phenomena, such as wind, lightning;
the world of plants, such as trees, grass;
the world of animals, such as lamb, the grasshopper;
the world of men, such as mother and child, harlot and bride;
the world of culture, such as musical instruments;
agricultural tools.
Also the many numbers used in this book are often symbolic: two, three, three and a half, four, five, six, seven, eight, ten, twelve, twenty-four, forty-two, one hundred and forty four, six hundred and sixty six, one thousand, twelve hundred and sixty, sixteen hundred.
Its explanation is not left to your imagination. The symbols are explained
1. by the book itself,
2. by the context of the book and
3. by the use of it in the Old Testament.
That does not mean that there is always one unambiguous explanation for each symbol. It also happens that certain matters or events are no symbols, but that they must be taken literally.
All in all, by opening this book to read it we stand at the beginning of an exciting discovery journey. Let us do that with the humble mind of people who are aware that the omnipotent God wants to share His plans with us. Let us at the same time pray that what He reveals to us will have the effect that we put our life at His disposal.
You shall indeed have to make efforts to figure out in which way the future is clarified here. Many symbols, for example, are used. But your attempts to also understand this part of God’s Word will be doubly rewarded if you continually remind yourself that God finds this the best way to communicate to you His thoughts about the future.
If you only read this first verse carefully and allow that to sink in, you will see that it is full of instructions for understanding the contents of this book. It says that it is the revelation “of Jesus Christ”. That means that Jesus Christ is the One, Who reveals or makes known (cf. [Gal 1:12]). He acts. At the same time it is of course also true that the revelation refers to Him, which means that He is the One Who is revealed. He is both the Center and the Executor of God’s counsels.
Then you read that “God gave Him” that revelation. That means that the Lord Jesus is seen here as Man, Who has taken a place of dependence. He receives everything out of the hands of God. He is so truly Man, that it is written of Him that He as Man does not know when the fulfillments of the things will take place [Mark 13:32]. Here you stand before the inconceivable mystery of God and Man in one Person.
Then John writes about the purpose of the revelation and that is “to show His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place”. The bond-servants here are in the first place the prophets [Rev 10:7]; [Rev 11:18], but they also represent the believers in a general sense [Rev 7:3]; [Rev 19:5]; [Rev 22:3]; [Rom 6:19-22]. To be able to see the future things and to take them in, you need the mind of a bond-servant. Conversely, knowing the things to come will make you a better slave. You will be serving with insight in accordance to the great plans of God, with a view to the church, professing Christianity, Israel and the world.
The word “show” plays an important role in the book of Revelation. God continually ‘shows’ things to John, and John in his turn passes on what has been ‘shown’ to him. The aim of this book is to show that the judgment is coming. It must “soon” take place or ‘in a hurry’, which is rapidly, quickly.
You may say that it is not that soon, for it is nearly two thousand years ago that this has been written down and it still has not happened. But don’t be mistaken. This word remains in force, for time doesn’t count for God and for faith [Ps 90:4]; [2Pet 3:8]. And it “must” happen. You may say that there is mention here of a Divine must. God is not only the omniscient God Who tells what is going to happen, He is also the omnipotent God Who makes things happen the way He wants.
To make known His plans with the world and most of all to reveal His Son, He has used angels. Angels have been used more often by God as mediators [Acts 7:38]; [Gal 3:19]. The fact that God uses angels indicates that there is a distance between Him and John to whom He gives His messages. This goes even more for those to whom John in his turn has to pass on those messages.
Formerly John received messages from the Lord while he was reclining on His bosom [John 13:23-26]. That indicates confidentiality. However, John is not apostle here, but prophet. Prophets speak to God’s people when decay takes place. They warn for of the judgment that is imminent. John is the last one in the chain of five links through which the revelation of God reaches His bond-servants:
1. the revelation is from God;
2. comes of Jesus Christ;
3. by His angel;
4. to John;
5. to His bond-servants.
The revelation was “communicated” or “signified” (NKJV) to John. This expression “signified” is typical for this book. It is derived from the word ‘sign’. John often receives the messages on the things to come by the means of signs or symbols, through which he gets to see what must take place. Something like that we see in Matthew 13 where the Lord makes use of parables. He uses them to teach. He tells His disciples why He does that and says that through His explanation they will be able to understand the deeper meaning of these parables, while it will remain hidden for the mass of people [Matt 13:10-17], [Matt 13:34-35].
In this book you will see that the symbols which are used especially are borrowed from nature:
celestial bodies – the sun, the moon, the stars;
the natural phenomena, such as wind, lightning;
the world of plants, such as trees, grass;
the world of animals, such as lamb, the grasshopper;
the world of men, such as mother and child, harlot and bride;
the world of culture, such as musical instruments;
agricultural tools.
Also the many numbers used in this book are often symbolic: two, three, three and a half, four, five, six, seven, eight, ten, twelve, twenty-four, forty-two, one hundred and forty four, six hundred and sixty six, one thousand, twelve hundred and sixty, sixteen hundred.
Its explanation is not left to your imagination. The symbols are explained
1. by the book itself,
2. by the context of the book and
3. by the use of it in the Old Testament.
That does not mean that there is always one unambiguous explanation for each symbol. It also happens that certain matters or events are no symbols, but that they must be taken literally.
All in all, by opening this book to read it we stand at the beginning of an exciting discovery journey. Let us do that with the humble mind of people who are aware that the omnipotent God wants to share His plans with us. Let us at the same time pray that what He reveals to us will have the effect that we put our life at His disposal.
 | Author: Ger de Koning Rank: Author Posted on: 2023-12-30 Source: Title: Revelation Author: Ger de Koning |
This book is the Revelation of Jesus Christ; the whole Bible is so; for all revelation comes through Christ, and all relates to him. Its principal subject is to discover the purposes of God concerning the affairs of the church, and of the nations as connected therewith, to the end of the world. These events would surely come to pass; and they would begin to come to pass very shortly. Though Christ is himself God, and has light and life in himself, yet, as Mediator between God and man, he receives instructions from the Father. To him we owe the knowledge of what we are to expect from God, and what he expects from us. The subject of this revelation was, the things that must shortly come to pass. On all who read or hear the words of the prophecy, a blessing is pronounced. Those are well employed who search the Bible. It is not enough that we read and hear, but we must keep the things that are written, in our memories, in our minds, in our affections, and in practice, and we shall be blessed in the deed. Even the mysteries and difficulties of this book are united with discoveries of God, suited to impress the mind with awe, and to purify the soul of the reader, though he may not discern the prophetic meaning. No part of Scripture more fully states the gospel, and warns against the evil of sin.
Verses that belong to this explanation: 1-3
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.
 | Author: Matthew Henry Rank: Priest AD: 1714 Source: Title: Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible Author: Matthew Henry |
The Apocalypse, or Revelation. I rather prefer the word Apocalypse, which the Latin interpreter did not think fit to change. — Of Jesus Christ….by his Angel, sent to his servant John. So that these things were immediately revealed to St. John by an Angel, who represented and spoke in the person of Christ.— Which must shortly come; and as it is again said, [Verse 3] the time is at hand. This cannot be meant of all things in the Apocalypse, where mention is also made of the day of judgment, and of the glory of heaven at the end of the world. It can only mean, that some things were to happen shortly, i.e. what is said of the seven churches. [Rev 2] and [Rev 3] Or the persecutions foretold should begin shortly. Or else these expressions are only to signify, that all time is short, and that from the coming of the Messias, we are now in the last age, or the last hour. See [1John 2:18]. (Witham) — St. John excites their attention by the most pressing motives, the approach of the events. Whatever explanation be given of this book, it is equally true in all, that the time is at hand, when it will begin to be accomplished. To find our consolation and happiness in this sacred book, according to the promise of the Holy Spirit, we must peruse it with faith and humility, receive the interpretation of the Church with submission and docility, and practise the truths contained with fidelity and promptitude. What is the life of man, since ages are but moments that escape us? Eternity is but a moment, but a moment that will never end.
Verses that belong to this explanation: 1-3
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.
 | Author: George Leo Haydock Rank: Author AD: 1849 Source: Title: Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary Year (original): 1859 Number of pages: 571 Print: Edward Dunigan and Brother, New York, New York |
He called it “Revelation” or in Greek “Apocalypse,” which means “revealing the divine mysteries to mankind.”
God was unwilling to punish Sodom and Gomorrah except after informing His beloved Abraham of His intention; also it was His will to reveal to Daniel, the man greatly beloved, what was about to take place. Therefore, it’s rather more appropriate that He announces to His bride - that He paid her dot on the cross - this “Revelation” to show her “things which must shortly take place.”
The more the bridegroom loves his bride the more he opens his heart to her, revealing to her his secrets, specially what concerns his love to her, and what he prepares for her or her wedding day.
The Lord could have sent the “revelation” directly to John, but He “sent and signified it by His angel,” to give the angels the opportunity to have the blessing of sharing their Lord His pleasure of revealing His secrets to His bride. Thus He always gives them the chance to serve those who are being sanctified [Heb 10:14], to show likewise their love towards His bride.
St. John the Beloved also shared in this service, as the angel was sent to him, and he by turn recorded the revelation to the church.
God was unwilling to punish Sodom and Gomorrah except after informing His beloved Abraham of His intention; also it was His will to reveal to Daniel, the man greatly beloved, what was about to take place. Therefore, it’s rather more appropriate that He announces to His bride - that He paid her dot on the cross - this “Revelation” to show her “things which must shortly take place.”
The more the bridegroom loves his bride the more he opens his heart to her, revealing to her his secrets, specially what concerns his love to her, and what he prepares for her or her wedding day.
The Lord could have sent the “revelation” directly to John, but He “sent and signified it by His angel,” to give the angels the opportunity to have the blessing of sharing their Lord His pleasure of revealing His secrets to His bride. Thus He always gives them the chance to serve those who are being sanctified [Heb 10:14], to show likewise their love towards His bride.
St. John the Beloved also shared in this service, as the angel was sent to him, and he by turn recorded the revelation to the church.
 | Author: Tadros Yacoub Malaty Rank: Monk Posted on: 2023-01-06 Source: Title: The book of Revelation Year (original): 1996 Author: Fr. Tadros Yacoub Malaty Number of pages: 257 Publisher/Editor: St. George's Coptic Orthodox Church, Sporting, Alexandria Print: Anba Reuis Press, Abassia, Cairo, Egypt Translation: Victoria and Ramzy Malaty |
But the writer of the Revelation puts himself forward at once in the very beginning, for he says: "The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which He gave to him to show to His servants quickly; and He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, who bare record of the Word of God, and of his testimony, and of all things that he saw."
 | Author: Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite AD: 550 |
By Christ, he says, and not simply by God. But if through Jesus Christ God had this knowledge revealed, it is clear that it was through the Spirit, that is, because through Christ the grace of the activity of the Spirit descends to us.
| Author: Nerses of Lambron AD: 1198 |
John. There was a certain man with us, whose name was John, one of the apostles of Christ, who prophesied, by a revelation that was made to him.
| Author: Justin Martyr AD: 165 |
What John this is, however, is uncertain. John the Apostle, But whether this is the one who wrote the Revelation, I could not say.
| Author: Dionysius of Corinth Posted on: 2022-11-13 |
which God gave unto him. But what is it, which the Son has heard from the Father? Has He heard the word of the Father? Yes, but He is the Word of the Father. When you conceive a word, wherewith to name a thing, the very, conception of that thing in the mind is a word. Just then as you have in your mind and with you your spoken word; even so God uttered the Word, i.e. begat the Son. Since then the Son is the Word of God, and the Son has spoken the Word of God to us, He has spoken to us the Father's word. What John said is therefore true.
 | Author: Augustine of Hippo Rank: Bishop AD: 430 |
The listed verse explanations of the individual persons have nothing to do with the explanations of the other persons. This also applies to the Bible translations.
