John, 1:1, 1:4 and 22:8. The early church said John the apostle. About AD 250 Dionysius of Alexandria thought it was a different John; see What Dionysius Wrote.
WRITTEN FROM
The island of Patmos, off the coast of what is now Turkey, where John was sent for preaching about Jesus, 1:9.
DATE WRITTEN
About AD 95, near the end of the emperor Domitian's reign, as Irenaeus says. Some scholars date it about AD 68, under Nero.
WRITTEN TO
Seven real churches in the Roman province of Asia, 1:11, and through them to every church.
WHY HE WROTE
To show suffering believers that Jesus is still in control, that evil will be judged, and that God will make all things new. Hold on.
KEY VERSE
Revelation 17:14. They will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings.
Revelation in Papyrus 47
Papyrus 47, copied about AD 250 in Egypt, the oldest large copy of Revelation. This page holds 13:16 to 14:4. On the ninth line, the number of the beast is written in Greek letters, chi xi stigma, 666. Chester Beatty Library, Dublin. Public domain.
OLDER SCRAPS. Papyrus 98, about AD 150 to 200, though some date it later, has part of chapter 1, written on the back of a used sheet. Papyrus 18 has 1:4 to 7 on the back of a scroll of Exodus. Papyrus 115 gives the number of the beast as 616; see its Field Notes page.
ERASMUS' MISSING PAGE. Revelation is the least copied book of the New Testament. In 1516 Erasmus printed the first Greek New Testament with only one copy of it, and it lacked the last six verses. He translated them back into Greek from the Latin. That is why the King James Version says book of life in 22:19, where the Greek copies say tree of life.
The Setting
By the AD 90s the church had been around for sixty years, and Rome was not getting friendlier. Emperors were worshiped as gods; Domitian liked to be called Lord and God. Believers who would not burn incense to Caesar could lose their jobs, their freedom or their lives. John, the last living apostle, was banished to a rocky island. On a Sunday he got a vision, and Jesus told him to write it down. The book is full of symbols drawn from the Old Testament, like a political cartoon with a heavenly message: the beast looks strong, but the Lamb wins.
What Was Going Wrong
Emperor Worship. Christians were pushed to worship Caesar and the gods of the city, 2:13 and 13:4.
Persecution. Some were jailed or killed, like Antipas, 2:10 and 2:13.
False Teachers. Nicolaitans, Balaam's teaching and a prophetess called Jezebel led people into idol feasts and sexual sin, 2:14 to 15 and 2:20.
Lost Love. Ephesus kept the right beliefs but left its first love, 2:4.
Dead And Lukewarm. Sardis had a name for being alive but was dead; Laodicea was rich and lukewarm, 3:1 and 3:15 to 17.
A Greedy World. Babylon's trade made the merchants rich and the saints bleed, 18:3 and 18:24.
Where to Find Jesus
Revelation 1:5. The faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, the ruler of the kings of the earth.
Revelation 1:17 to 18. The First and the Last, the Living One, who holds the keys of death and Hades.
Revelation 5:5 to 6. The Lion of the tribe of Judah, who is also the Lamb who was slain.
Revelation 19:11 to 16. Faithful and True, the Word of God, King of kings and Lord of lords.
Revelation 22:16. The Root and Offspring of David, the bright Morning Star.
Cool Stuff Most People Miss
Not Revelations. The title is singular: one revelation, from the Greek apokalypsis, an unveiling.
A Blessing For Reading. It is the only book of the Bible that opens with a blessing on the one who reads it aloud, 1:3.
Old Testament Everywhere. It never quotes the Old Testament with it is written, yet hundreds of its lines echo Daniel, Ezekiel, Isaiah, Zechariah and the Psalms.
616. Some of the oldest copies give the beast's number as 616, not 666. See Papyrus 115.
Sevens. Seven churches, seals, trumpets, bowls, spirits, stars and lampstands. Seven is the number of completeness.
The End Is the Beginning. The Bible starts with a garden and a tree of life, Genesis 2, and ends with a city, a river and the tree of life, Revelation 22.
What Happened Next?
The western church accepted Revelation early; Justin Martyr and Irenaeus quote it as John's. In the East it was doubted for centuries, and the Eastern Orthodox still do not read it aloud in their worship services. Martin Luther said in 1522 that his spirit could not fit itself to the book, though he spoke more warmly of it later. John Calvin wrote commentaries on almost the whole New Testament but never on Revelation. Through it all the book has given hope to persecuted Christians in every century.
Chapter 1 in 30 seconds
John is stuck on the prison island of Patmos when Jesus shows up shining like the sun, with eyes like fire and a voice like a waterfall. John faints. Jesus says do not be afraid, I hold the keys of death, now write this down and send it to seven churches.
1This is the revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants what must soon come to pass. He made it known by sending His angel to His servant John, 2who testifies to everything he saw. This is the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.
REV 1:1[NOTE]THE REVELATION. One revelation, not Revelations. The Greek apokalypsis means an unveiling, pulling back a curtain. It is the revelation of Jesus Christ: from Him, and about Him.
3Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear and obey what is written in it, because the time is near.
REV 1:3[NOTABLE]Revelation starts with a blessing for anyone who reads it aloud and lives it.
John Greets the Seven Churches
4John,
To the seven churches in the province of Asia:
Grace and peace to you from Him who is and was and is to come, and from the seven spirits before His throne, 5and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
REV 1:4[NOTE]SEVEN SPIRITS. Most read this as the Holy Spirit in His fullness, Isaiah 11:2 and Zechariah 4:2 to 10. Others read seven high angels, 8:2.
To Him who loves us and has released us from our sins by His blood,6who has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father—to Him be the glory and power forever and ever! Amen.
REV 1:5[FULFILLS]He would be the Firstborn ← PS 89:27MEDIUM
REV 1:5[FULFILLS]His sprinkled blood would cleanse the nations ← IS 52:15
REV 1:5[NOTE]TEXT. The oldest copies say freed us from our sins, lusanti. Later copies and the KJV say washed us, lousanti. The Greek words differ by one letter.
7Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him—even those who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. So shall it be! Amen.
REV 1:7[PROPHECY]Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him → STILL TO COME
8“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and was and is to come—the Almighty.
REV 1:8[NOTE]THE ONE ON THE THRONE. The red words here and in 21:5 to 8 are God speaking from the throne, printed red like Jesus' words. Most read 1:8 as the Father; some read it as Jesus, who also says I am the Alpha and the Omega in 22:13.
John’s Vision on Patmos
9I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance that are in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and my testimony about Jesus.10On the Lord’s day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, 11saying, “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”
REV 1:9[FULFILLS]James and John would drink the cup of suffering Jesus would drink ← MT 20:23; MK 10:39
REV 1:9[NOTE]PATMOS. A small rocky island the Romans used for exile. See What Eusebius Wrote.
REV 1:10[NOTE]SUNDAY? The Lord's day: most read this as Sunday, the day Jesus rose, Acts 20:7. A few read the day of the Lord, the end times.
REV 1:11[NOTE]TEXT. The KJV adds I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last at the start of this verse. The oldest copies do not have it here.
12Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned, I saw seven golden lampstands,13and among the lampstands was One like the Son of Man, dressed in a long robe, with a golden sash around His chest.14The hair of His head was white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes were like a blazing fire.15His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and His voice was like the roar of many waters.16He held in His right hand seven stars, and a sharp double-edged sword came from His mouth. His face was like the sun shining at its brightest.
REV 1:12[MIRACLE]John sees the risen Christ among the lampstands
REV 1:16[FULFILLS]The Servant's mouth would be like a sharp sword ← IS 49:2MEDIUM
17When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. But He placed His right hand on me and said,“Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last,18the Living One. I was dead, and behold, now I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of Death and of Hades.
REV 1:17[FULFILLS]The First and the Last ← IS 48:12MEDIUM
19Therefore write down the things you have seen, the things that are, and the things that will happen after this.20This is the mystery of the seven stars you saw in My right hand and of the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
REV 1:20[NOTE]THE ANGELS OF THE CHURCHES. The Greek angelos means messenger. It could be a guardian angel for each church, or a church's leader, or its messenger to John.
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TOM is The Owner's Manual, a free translation built on the Berean Standard Bible. It uses modern measurements, prints Yahweh where the Hebrew has God's name, and puts words missing from the earliest manuscripts in [square brackets]. Every change is listed in How It Was Translated.
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