Revelation 4:1-5

The Throne in Heaven

1After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this." 2At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. 3And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne. 4Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. 5From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God.




4:1-3 - This verse is nearly universally cited by those who read the concept of a rapture into the Bible due to the command to come up here. They will also claim that it is significant that the word "church" is not used from this point on until the end of the Revelation. Just because the word does not appear does not mean that the concept of the church is not rife through the chapters of the Revelation. John uses the word "church" to refer only to specific congregations not the entire body of Christ, which is the subject of the rest of the book. Those wishing to read a rapture into this verse, particularly, are forcing into the text something that is simply not there. The only one called up is John to receive the vision that comprises the remainder of Revelation. John ascends up to heaven to witness a worship service on the" Lord’s Day." This is an image of the ascension of the Church into heaven every Sunday where we join in the communion of the saints (Heb. 12:22-23).

As stated earlier, being in the Spirit is technical prophetic language. The critical event in the formation of a prophet was a personal encounter with the Spirit. The prophet emerged as a man who then reflected the divine glory of God. Being caught up in the Spirit was to be caught up in the divine assembly. The true prophet had stood before God and been transformed. Those under the New Covenant now have this once rare privilege. Surely Moses’ desire was fulfilled with the coming of the New Covenant: "I wish that all the LORD's people were prophets and that the LORD would put his Spirit on them" (Numbers 11:29). The rapture theory is based largely on a misunderstanding of the ascension of the church. The first ascension for the Church takes place positionally with Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:20). The progressive ascension of the church takes place when we worship Christ each week (Heb. 12:22-24). The individual Christian will ascend spiritually at death (Rev. 20:4), and bodily at the consummation of all things (1 Cor. 15:50-55; 1 Thess. 4:17).

John is caught up in the Spirit and is about to see things from the perspective of Christ himself, who is on His throne in heaven. John sees a rainbow (literally "bow") that encircled the throne. The three stones mentioned, jasper, carnelian, and emerald represented three of the twelve tribes of Israel that were on the breastplate of the high priest (Ex. 28:17-19). They were also among the stones mentioned in the imagery used in describing the Garden of Eden (Ezek. 28:13). John’s vision here is quite similar with Ezekiel’s description of his vision (Ezek. 1:26-28) which lets us know that John was seeing the same true, heavenly Temple that Ezekiel saw.

4:4 - John reports that surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. There has been much speculation as to what this passage means, but it seems best to interpret this as a representation of the Church. The term elders indicate that these twenty-four beings represent the Church. They are seated on thrones and we have already been told that Christians are reigning with Christ (Rev. 1:6), that they wear crowns (Rev. 2:10; 3:11); that they have been granted authority with Him over the nations (Rev. 2:26-27), that apostates will bow before them (Rev. 3:9), and that they are seated with Christ on His throne (Rev. 3:21). Another indicator that this is referring to the Church is that twenty-four is a multiple of twelve, which is a number associated with the people of God. Thus, this is a double-portion of twelve. It is also true that in the Old Testament there were twenty-four divisions of priests (1 Chron. 24) and twenty-four divisions of singers in the Temple (1 Chron. 25). These were the leaders of worship of God’s people for over a thousand years. What John is communicating is the royal priesthood of the Church. The elders sit on thrones as kings, and number twenty-four as priests.

4:5 - John sees the typical phenomena that accompanies the presence of God and the glory cloud (Ex. 19:16-19), as he sees flashes of lighting and peels of rumbling thunder. Before the throne, John sees the seven lamps which represent the seven-fold Spirit in the completeness of His activity.

Revelation 3:14-22

To the Church in Laodicea
14"To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation. 15I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. 19Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. 20Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. 21To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."



3:14 - Laodicea was not only the wealthiest city in the region, it was also another important center of emperor worship. In the opening verse, Christ identifies Himself in three ways. First, He is the Amen. The generic meaning of "amen" is "so be it," but the theological meaning is deeper than that. It was actually an oath that called down the blessings and curses of the covenant and was a reminder that Jesus is the perfect guarantee of the covenantal promises. Second, He is the faithful and true witness. Christ is truly the infallible and authoritative witness that brings convincing charges against the church in Laodicea. Third, He is the ruler of God’s creation. Christ is both the origin and the ruler of God’s creation. By him all things were created and He holds all things together (Colossians 1:15-18).

3:15-16 - The words, you are neither cold nor hot, has often been misunderstood. It has often been claimed that hot refers to a godly enthusiasm while cold referred to an ungodly malaise. This metaphor, however comes from the geography of the area. Laodicea was situated between Colossae, which was famous for ice-cold, refreshing mountain streams, and Hieropolis, which was well-known for its hot mineral springs that were believed to have healing powers. By the time the water reached the valley floor in Laodicea, it was neither hot (for health) or cold (for refreshment). The basic problem with Laodicea is not that they were not "hot" but that in their current state, they were not good for anything. They were not providing warm healing for the spiritually sick or cold refreshment for the weary. The church was being rebuked not for the condition of their spiritual temperature but for the lack of works. Christ is wishing that the Laodicean church would have an influence on their society. A church that is self-focused is not doing anyone any good. If a church is not transforming its society and increasing Christ’s dominion, what good is it? Because you are lukewarm . . . I am about to spit you out of my mouth. This echoes the warnings of Leviticus 18:24-28. Failure to transform or make any significant impression on the world has put the church in danger of being cut off and spit out.

3:17-18 - Laodicea was well-known for its banking and financial institutions, its textile industry which produced a world-famous black wool, and an eye salve called "Phyrgian Powder". Christ uses these things for which the city was famous to demonstrate the state of the church. They thought that they were rich and had acquired wealth but despite the wealth of the church they were completely ineffectual in effecting the culture around them. In contrast, a poor church like Smyrna was having a deep impact on the culture around them. Rather than clothing the world and providing a salve for the eyes, as Laodicea was famous for, the church was wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. Despite all of this, comes on offer of grace from Christ. Christ counsels the church to buy gold, which symbolizes true faith and genuine work of obedience (1 Pet. 1:7; 1 Cor. 3:12-15). Wearing white clothes is a symbol of righteousness, while nakedness is a symbol of disobedience (Gen. 3:7). Blindness is a symbol for man’s fallenness and separation from God (Lev. 21:18; Deut. 29:4; Matt. 13:13-15; 16:3; 2 Cor. 4:3-4; 1 John 2:11).

3:19-20 - Christ reminds them that He only disciplines and rebukes those whom He loves. His love for the church is actually the source of His anger, so He calls them to repent. He stands at the door, waiting for them to open the door and come in and eat him. This is not a wide open invitation for salvation to non-Christians, rather it is a clear invitation for the church to return to the communion table with a repentant heart.

3:21-22 - To the one who overcomes, Christ promises dominion with Him and the right to sit on His throne. The call to rule with Christ is for all Christians in time and on earth. The dominion is progressive through history until the final consummation of all things. We are to be rulers with Christ now, in this age. He has given us legal title to all things (Rom. 8:32; 1 Cor. 3:21-22) and we are to exercise dominion under His rule in every area of life. Because Christ overcame and is sitting with the Father on His Throne, He summons us to share in His dominion and inherit all things.

Revelation 3:7-13

To the Church in Philadelphia

7"To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:

These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. 8I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. 9I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. 10Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth. 11I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. 12Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name. 13He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.


3:7 - The church in Philadelphia had much in common with the church in Smyrna, especially in that they had received much persecution from apostate Jews. In contrast to the lying Jewish leaders, Christ is the one who is holy and true. Christ holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. This line is an allusion to Isaiah 22:15-25, in which God accuses a royal steward of lying and betraying his trust. God tells the unfaithful servant that, "I will depose you from your office, and you will be ousted from your position." God goes on to tell the unfaithful servant that he will be replaced with a faithful one (Isa. 22:21-22). Christ is announcing that Israel has been found an unfaithful servant, has been thrown out of office and replaced by the One who is holy and true. The Jews in the synagogue had declared the church to be apostate, but it is, in fact, says Christ, the synagogue that is apostate.

3:8-9 - The holy and true One knows the deeds of the church and has opened the door that no one can shut. They have kept His Word and so, have been admitted into the fellowship of His Covenant. Those who pretended to hold the keys have been cast out. In contrast to Sardis, the church in Philadelphia has little strength or anything that would seem impressive but they are commended because, says the Lord, they have not denied my name. The apostate Jews are spoken of in no uncertain terms. They are no longer the chosen people of God but have become the synagogue of Satan by rejecting Christ. One cannot have a genuine belief in the Old Testament and reject Christ. There is no such thing as "orthodox" Judaism. The god of Judaism is not the God of the Bible, it is Satan. Christ promises the Philadelphians that although the Jews have the power now, I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. This is an ironic turning of the tables from Isaiah 60:14, where God gives this promise to the covenant people.

3:10-11 - Christ is not promising to rapture the church out of the coming trouble, but to keep them from it. He will preserve them during the coming tribulation and will keep them from falling. Also, they will not suffer in the same tribulation that is about to come upon the synagogue of Satan. The phrase "those who live on the earth" ("land" is the proper word here and is what John meant) is used twelve times in the Revelation (one for each of the twelve tribes). It is a common prophetic expression for rebellious, idolatrous Israel that is about to be destroyed and driven from the land (Jer. 1:14; 10:18; Ezek. 7:7; 36:17; Hos. 4:1, 3; Joel 1:2, 14; 2:1; Zeph. 1:18). The time of this tribulation is near, as Christ tells them I am coming soon. Christ would not promise the church in Philadelphia that He will protect them from something that would happen thousands of years later. The context of the tribulation and their protection is contemporary. This church has had the door of fellowship with Christ opened for them. If they hold on to what they have, their crown will not be taken away.

3:12-13 - The overcomer will be, symbolically, a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will the people of God leave from the fellowship of Christ. God’s people are characterized by stability and permanence. The imagery from the tabernacle and the temple are continued as Christ says, I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name. The head piece of the priest was inscribed by the name of God. Thus, this speaks of the restoration of God’s people to the image of God. God writes His name on the things that He restores and redeems. The old Jerusalem had apostatized and is about to be destroyed. The Church of Christ is declared to be the city of God. Although the Church had been persecuted like Isaac had been by Ishamel (Gen. 21:8-14; Gal. 4:22-31), they would see the false sons cast out of God’s blessings; they would be the ones to inherit the world (Rom. 4:13; Gal. 3:29).

Revelation 3:1-6

To the Church in Sardis

1"To the angel of the church in Sardis write:
These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. 3Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. 4Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. 5He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. 6He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

3:1 - Christ announces Himself as the One who holds the seven spirits (or seven-fold spirit) of God and the seven stars. Christ holds all things in His hand including the rulers of the church. The elders at Sardis must have needed reminding of this because they were at the reigns of a dying church. They had a great reputation but were, in fact, dead. The church in Sardis appears to have become quite fashionable and popular. There is no evidence that they were under any persecution at all. The evidence seems to indicate that the church in Sardis had almost completely compromised with the culture around it until there was little distinction between it and the surrounding culture. The life of a church does not necessarily consist of the "coolness" of the youth ministry or music ministry, or the speed of numerical growth or even baptisms in the church. This church seemed to be busy, growing, and alive, yet Christ says that it is dead.

3:2-3 - Christ warns them to wake up and strengthen what remains. Sardis was a city that was built on a mountain and seemed impregnable, yet it had been taken unaware twice in its history and captured by enemies. This was paralleled with the state of the church. The church had not been completely written off by Christ but they were warned to take no delay in strengthening what remained. Sardis was doing deeds but they were not complete in the sight of God.

All of this activity made it seem as though the church was alive and on-fire, but this was all illusion. They lacked the zeal to have anyone jump off the heresy cliff, but they also lacked the doctrinal depth of conviction to produce persecution or intolerance. The church at Sardis was fitting in with the culture around them quite nicely. Christ admonishes them to remember the gospel that they had received and heard; and tells them to obey it, and repent. If they do not wake up, Christ promises that He will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. Again, it is important to note that this is not a threat of the Second Coming. Christ is warning them that they will be included in His coming judgment of apostate Israel.

3:4-6 - There were some faithful souls in Sardis who had not soiled their clothes, and become secularized. They are told that they will walk with Christ, dressed in white, for they are worthy. The righteous saints are pictured wearing white in the Revelation on seven separate occasions (3:5, 18; 4:4; 6:11; 7:9, 13: 19:14). Wearing white is an obvious symbol for cleanliness and righteousness. The ultimate origins are the sun-like brightness of the glory cloud. Those in white are recreated in the image of God and are clothed with Christ (Gal. 3:27; Eph. 4:24; Col. 3:10).
The overcomer is promised that he will be dressed in white and will not have his name blotted from the book of life. This is a very real threat from Christ. Those who fell into heresy, immorality, or secularization would have their name name removed from the record of those who were redeemed by Christ. Christ will never throw us from His kingdom, but we can remove our own names from His book of life based on our own apostasy. The overcomers in Sardis are informed that Christ will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. In essence, many in Sardis were denying the true doctrine of Christ before their community. To those, Christ says that He will not acknowledge them before God. They were more concerned with the praise of men than of God, and so would not receive the praise of God when they would really need it.

Revelation 2:18-29

To the Church in Thyatira
18"To the angel of the church in Thyatira write:
These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. 19I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first. 20Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. 21I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. 22So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. 23I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds. 24Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan's so-called deep secrets (I will not impose any other burden on you): 25Only hold on to what you have until I come. 26To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations—
27'He will rule them with an iron scepter;
he will dash them to pieces like pottery'— just as I have received authority from my Father. 28I will also give him the morning star. 29He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.


2:18 - A unique feature in first century Thyatira was the pure dominance of the trade guilds over the local economy. In order to work in a trade in Thyatira, one had to be a member of one of the guilds. To be a member of the guilds also meant to take part in the worship of pagan gods. Two primary aspects of this pagan worship was eating food sacrificed to idols and taking part in fornication principles. This was obviously a major problem for any Christian that worked in a craft or trade. The local god, Tyrimnos, was the son of Zeus. Worship of him was intertwined with Caesar worship, who was also called the incarnate son of god. Christ directly addresses this situation in Thyatira, proclaiming Himself to be the true Son of God. His first words here declare that He is the true fiery light. It is a direct challenge to the paganism and statism of Thyatira.

2:19-20 - Christ begins commending the church in their love, faith, service, and perseverance. They have even grown in their faith and are doing more works than they had done at first. Despite that, though, Christ issues a stinging rebuke for their lax doctrinal standards. The elders are charged with allowing false doctrine to take root and those teaching it, to feel comfortable in the church. This doctrine is personified in the person of Jezebel, the queen of Israel who led the Covenant people into idolatry. Some within the church were advocating compromising with paganism. Perhaps it was along the lines of claiming that any worship offered up was really to the one, true God no matter whom it was directed to; or that they should not be so arrogant and seek to combine the good parts of paganism with the good parts of their faith; or that by taking part in the guild’s pagan worship it would offer an opportunity to share their faith. No matter the fine-sounding argument, Christ is clear that it was heresy and was not to be tolerated for even a second.

2:21-23 - It is clear that the teaching of Jezebel had led some to actually partake in fornication as well as eating food sacrificed to idols. This ties the wicked queen of Israel to the same false doctrines of the Nicolaitans, Balaam, and the synagogue of Satan. All of these, were, in John’s terms, apostate Judaism combined with the pagans around them.

Christ had been more than patient with Jezebel, but no more. She was unwilling and so the time for judgment was at hand. Yet, it is not just Jezebel that Christ was rebuking and threatening with judgment, it was the church that was allowing the false doctrines. Christ says that He will cast Jezebel on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. The suffering bed is a sickbed on which one would go to die. Christ, in a bit of grim irony, is saying "You want to go to bed? Okay, how about a deathbed?" What is translated suffer intensely here, actually says "Great Tribulation." Christ is saying that those Christians who do not repent will be victims of the Great Tribulation that is coming on apostate Israel very soon. This is further indication that the focus of Revelation is contemporary. When Christ judges apostates, all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds. Those who love God will be spurred towards repentance and renewed obedience, those who don’t have made a very clear choice.

2:24-29 - Evidently, part of Jezebel’s teachings were Satan’s so-called deep secrets. This was probably some early form of gnosticism that valued secret, revealed knowledge. They taught the more one sinned, the more grace could abound. Not all in the church had taken part in this. For those, no other burden would be placed on them; they should continue in their faithfulness. For those who overcome, they would be given the authority over the nations. They were perhaps tempted to believe that they were fighting a losing battle on two fronts: the pagans outside the church and the false teachers inside the church. Christ reassures them that they will be victorious and take dominion over the world. They are given the promise from the Father to the Son in Psalm 2:8-9. The point is that the Christian faithful, in this age, are promised a share in the messianic reign of Jesus Christ, in time and on earth. What the Thyatiran Christians were enduring was not glamorous but they would rule with Christ if they would overcome!

Revelation 2:12-17

To the Church in Pergamum
12"To the angel of the church in Pergamum write:
These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. 13I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives. 14Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality. 15Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. 17He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.



2:12 - Pergamum was host to a plethora of pagan cults including Zeus, Dionysos, Asklepios (the serpent-god who was referred to as "the savior"). The most important cult in Pergamum, though, was the Emperor cult. They had bult incredible temples to the Caesars and Rome and were extremely zealous about the Emperor cult. Of all of the seven cities in the Revelation, Pergamum was the most likely place to clash with the church. To this city that had worshipped the Emperor and Rome as the be-all-end-all, Christ declares that He is the one who has the sharp, double-edged sword, that is, the true words of life.

2:13 - It has been suggested that the reference to Satan’s throne is either a reference to Pergamum being the center of Emperor worship in Asia, the throne-like altar to Zeus or the temples to the serpent-god Asklepios who officially called "the savior." The most likely reference, though is in keeping with the central meaning of the text. Satan has already been tied to the synagogues of the Jewish community. Satan had been using apostate Judaism as his major weapon against the early Church. Much of the early problems between Rome and the Church was instigated by the Jewish community. Satan was the real force behind the persecution of the church, yet Christ holds up this Church as ones who remain true to my name. Just who Antipas was has been lost to history, but he must have been remarkable to merit being singled out for special recognition. Christ refers to him as my faithful witness, and we are told that he was put to death in your city. The name Antipas means "against all"; truly he lived up to the name and personified the strength of the church in Pergamum.

2:14-16 - Perhaps Antipas was held up to highlight the fact that some in the church had not lived up to his example. When Balak, the king of Moab, discovered that he could not defeat the Israelites militarily, Balaam taught him to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality. This was Balaam’s plan to cause the ruin of Israel. In the same way, records John, some in Pergamum were holding to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. As stated earlier, those who hold to the teaching of Balaam and those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans were one is the same. The primary false doctrine being referred to here was to commit idolatry and fornication. The Nicolaitans taught that because of the sacrifice of Christ, Christians were free from the law. They could do whatever they wanted and the sacrifice of Christ would cover it over.

Christ calls those in the church to repent. Remember, Christ is speaking to the leaders of the church here. If they do not repent and call the church to discipline it will lead to the downfall of the church. The church that fails to exercise biblical church discipline will lose its lampstand. If they do not repent, Christ says I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. Again, this is not a promise of the Second Coming. Does this sound like a happy thing that the church would look forward to? Christ is promising that if they do not repent they will be judged according to the Word of God.

2:17 - The overcomer is promised three things: the hidden manna, a white stone, and a new name. The hidden manna is a reference to that which was hidden in the Ark of the Covenant (Ex. 16:33-34; Heb. 9:4). Manna was the food of angels (Psalm 78:25) that was given to provide daily strength and sustenance to God’s people. The hidden manna, then, was the Words of Christ that provided the same sustenance for the church. The white stone is possibly a reference to the bdellium, with which the color of manna is compared (Num. 11:7). This stone is connected with and mentioned in the account of the Garden of Eden. (the NIV changes the name of bdellium to "aromatic resin"). Thus, it is intended to be a reminder of the Garden of Eden. The onyx stone had the names of the tribes of Israel engraved on them and placed on the priest (Ex. 28:9-12). It seems that John uses a common biblical device of combining imagery. In Gen. 2:12, onyx and bdellium are linked. Onyx and manna are linked in Numbers 11:7. Together they talk of the restoration of Eden in the blessings of salvation. John uses a Hebrew idiom here in which known refers to ownership. It is not that the name is a secret but it is exclusive to the individual. Only the owner belongs to the Covenant of Christ; no else can possess it.

Revelation 2:8-11

To the Church in Smyrna

8"To the angel of the church in Smyrna write:
These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. 9I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. 11He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death.

2:8 - There were two characteristics of the town of Smyrna that meant trouble for the church there. First, the people of Smyrna were deeply devoted to the Emperor cult. Second, Smyrna had a large Jewish population that was extremely hostile to the Christian faith. Here we have another term for Jesus, the First and the Last. This is a name for God from Isaiah 44:6 and 48:12. It is clear, despite some current claims to the contrary, that the early church's beliefs were deeply rooted in the doctrine that Jesus Christ was divine. It was important to the early Christians to understand that Jesus had defeated death by coming back to life. The Apostle Paul was very careful in explaining that His resurrection guarantees our resurrection one day.

2:9-10 - The picture John paints of life for a Christian in Smyrna was clearly not a bed of roses. They had suffered through poverty and persecution and had remained strong. It is likely that they had persevered through confiscation of property (Heb. 10:34), vandalism, and even economic boycott on account of their refusal to align with either the pagan emperor worshippers or the apostate Jews (Rev.. 13:16-17). In Christ's eyes the church in Smyrna is rich because they have endured much tribulation for His sake. Christ knew all about their suffering because in our sufferings, He suffers (Is. 63:9). He also knew about the slander of their persecutors. This is the group also identified as Nicolaitans, and the followers of Balaam and Jezebel. They claimed to be Jews, the children of Abraham, but in reality were children of the Devil. There is no such thing as a true Jew that does not believe in Christ. If Jews believed in the Old Testament, they would believe in Christ. If a man rejects Christ, he rejects Moses (John 5:46). The point John was making that would have been clear to his original readers is who the true Jews are. According to the Bible, it has nothing to do with ethnic heritage. The one who has been clothed with Christ is the heir of the promises to Abraham and the possessor of the blessings of the Covenant (Rom. 11:11-24; Gal. 3:7-9, 26-29). Those who were still clinging to the Old Covenant of works and were rejecting Christ were a synagogue of Satan.

Despite what they had already suffered, John cannot tell them that it is over, but he does encourage them to not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. Some of them would be put into prison. Christ wants them to know, however, that their promised suffering is part of the great battle between Satan and Christ. The tribulation would be intense but would last only ten days. This is symbolic for a short period of time and brings up thoughts of the ten days for which Daniel and his friends were tempted. Symbolically the choice for Smyrna was ten days of persecution in exchange for one thousand years of victory (Revelation 20:4-6). Christ encourages them to be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. There is no other choice for the true Christian. "if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us" (2 Timothy 2:12).

2:11 - The faithful Christian who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death. To understand this concept we must realize that in the mind of the New Testament writers there were two deaths and two resurrections. The first death is the physical death that all of mankind will experience. The second death will only be experienced by those who are sentenced to eternal judgment in the Lake of Fire known as Gehenna. Later John writes, "Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ" (Rev. 20:6). In other words, those who take part in the first resurrection will not be effected by the second death. The promise that those in Christ are priests has already been revealed as a present reality (1:6). Thus, the first resurrection cannot refer to the physical resurrection at the end of the world (1 Cor. 15:22-28). Every Christian has died, been resurrected, and raised to a new life in Christ at the waters of baptism (Romans 6:1-4); this is the first resurrection that points to the second and final resurrection.

Revelation 2:1-7

To the church in Ephesus

1"To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:
These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands: 2I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. 4Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. 5Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. 6But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

2:1 - The word translated as angel, simply means "messenger." It was common to refer to the prophetic rulers of the churches to be referred to as "angels of the churches." It is likely, then, that John is addressing the elder of each church. It is also possible that he could be referring to the personifications of the government of each church. Each church is addressed with the very words of Him who holds the power (seven stars) in His right hand and who walks among the churches (lampstands). Ephesus was a major center in politics and trade. It was also well known for its art, science, witchcraft, idolatry, gladiators, and persecution. It contained the temple to Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world. Ephesus was also a haven for Jewish occultism and magical arts.

2:2-3 - The church is praised by Jesus for their perseverance and hard work. This was not a church that compromised. In the face of compromise all around them, they had taken a strong stand for orthodoxy. Of all Paul's letters to the churches, only Ephesians does not mention a single doctrinal issue that needed correction. At the very beginning of the 2nd century, church father Ignatius noted that the church in Ephesus was still holding to doctrinal purity: "You all live according to the truth, and no heresy has a home among you. . . You are arrayed from head to foot in the commandments of Jesus Christ."

2:4-6 - As is so often the case, the church's desire for sound doctrine had hardened into a lack of love. They loved the truth more than they loved living it amongst their fellow men. It is not concern for sound doctrine that leads to an absence of love, though; it is a perversion of that doctrine. They weren't criticized for being too doctrinally sound, it was that they had lost their love. We are required to have sound doctrine and be loving. A lack of either is equally dangerous. The church is told to repent from their lack of love and do the things they did at first. Love is not simply an attitude, it is also the action of fulfilling and obeying God's law (1 John 5:2-3). Christ doesn't call for the church to change their attitude, it is a call to change their actions. If they don't repent, Jesus says that He will come to them and remove their lampstand. He is not threatening them with His glorious Second Coming. This is further evidence that the nature of the Revelation is contemporary for the original readers. The threat to remove their lampstand means that their influence and place will be taken away. They will cease to be a true church of Christ in any manner. Their lack of love has put them in danger of having the entire community excommunicated by the King. It is the vital duty of the elders to lead the church in doctrinal purity and the actions of love.

This message would have been clear to the Ephesians. This coastline city had a problem with sediment filling the harbor. They were constantly in danger of being moved out of place and cut off from the sea. They had let the harbor go for over two centuries and it was filling up. In 64 A.D., they finally began to dredge the harbor and keep their place safe. Over the centuries, this important job has been neglected. The ruins of Ephesus are now six miles away from the sea. Thus, John used a contemporary situation for them, to teach theological truth. The church is commended once again near the end of this discourse. This time it is for their hatred of the Nicolaitans. "Nicolaitans" means "conqueror of the people" in Greek. Later, John will mention the followers of Balaam, which means "conqueror of the people" in Hebrew (2:14). John's point is that the Nicolaitans and Balaamites are participants in the same heretical manner. In the letter to Thytira, those who follow Jezebel are mentioned (2:20). The doctrines of all three are identical. It seems that John is focusing on one particular type of heresy, and merely giving it different names to demonstrate that is can take on many forms. He is warning the people against following heresies that draw them into idolatry and fornication.

2:7 - Each message is different for each church, but the overall command is the same for each church: Overcome! The Greek word for "overcome" is nikao. It is the same word as the root word for Nicolaitans. In other words, Christ is telling the Church to overcome those who seek to overcome them. Overcoming is the standard for all Christians. It is not a question of victory or defeat, but one of victory or treason. The promise of eating from the Tree of Life is not a future hope, it is the promise to take dominion and overcome the world now.

Revelation 1:12-20

12I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 13and among the lampstands was someone "like a son of man,"dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. 14His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. 15His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. 16In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.
17When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. 18I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.
19"Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. 20The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.



1:12-15 - John clearly uses imagery from the Tabernacle here, with one difference. Whereas the tabernacle had one lampstand with seven lamps; John describes seven lampstands. The imagery is clear that Jesus is the one person that unites the seven lamps (each which turns out to be a lampstand itself). The church is an earthly shadow of heaven which Jesus holds together and walks around in.

The description of Jesus given in verses 13-16 make more sense when considered in light of passages like Daniel 7:13-14 and Daniel 10:5-11. His garb is reminiscent of the clothes of the high priest (Ex. 28:4; 29:5; 39:27-29; Lev. 16:4). The impression given by the vision of Christ here is that of fiery light. Many have used this passage to claim that Jesus is a black man due to the references of his hair being like wool and feet being bronze colored. This is a violent misreading of the passage. John's point in mentioning wool is that His hair color was as white as wool, he is not referring to the texture. The term for bronze here possibly refers to an alloy of gold and silver (Mal. 3:2-3). The point of John's description is that the appearance of Christ is a brilliant blaze of glory.

The statement that His voice was like the sound of rushing waters, identifies it with the sound of the glory cloud, a familiar sound throughout the Old Testament. It is a sound that is described through the terms of many earthly phenomenon: wind, thunder, trumpets, armies, chariots, and waterfalls (Ex. 19:16; Ezek. 1:24, etc.). The overall point of this description is rather plain when all the imagery is taken into account. Jesus, now resurrected and transfigured, is the incarnate glory of God.

1:16 - The seven stars are explained more fully in verse 20, but its worthy mentioning here that this would have brought forth thoughts of Pleiades. Seven stars make up the cluster of stars known as Pleiades. They form part of the constellation Taurus, and are mentioned several times in Scripture (Job 9:5-9; 38:31-33; Amos 5:8). The sun is with Taurus in Spring and was a fitting symbol (that of rebirth and resurrection) in connection with the coming of Christ. He holds in His hand the stars that announced the rebirth and flowering of the world each spring. Another common first century imagery for the seven stars was that they appeared regularly on the Emperor's coins as symbols of his supreme political sovereignty. This, then, is strong anti-Emperor imagery. The symbol of Christ holding seven stars in His hand would have been a strong and obvious statement to first century readers that it was Christ who had the real dominion through the church, not the Emperor or Rome. Out of his mouth, John describes a double-edged sword. The point is that, although they will face opposition, Christ is clearly on the offensive. He is ready to do battle for His dominion rights. The imagery here is taken from Isa. 11:4; He will be victorious over the nations with His sharp and powerful two-edged sword, His Word (Heb. 4:12).

1:17-20 - John's reaction to seeing Christ is similar to Daniel's (Daniel 1 0:9-11). Fear is a normal first reaction but Christ tells him not to fear. The presence of God is often depicted in dual terms of striking fear to His enemies but a source of comfort for His people (Hab. 3:10-13). Jesus tells John that He is the First and Last (Isa. 48:12). Again he uses another Old Testament title for God. Jesus also informs him that He has defeated death. The Roman Empire claimed to have all authority over life and death, but Jesus declares that it is He who holds the keys to that power. Holding the keys was the symbol of authority over something in the first century.
John is then told to write what he has seen (the vision of Christ), what is now (more correctly "what they are", i.e., what they signify or correspond to), and the things that will take place later. The seven stars, John is told, correspond to the angels of the seven churches. Both angels and stars are associated with government and rule in biblical symbolism (Gen. 37:9; Judg. 5:20; Dan. 8:9-11; 10:13, 20-21). Thus, the point is the seven stars, the constellation (Pleiades) of resurrection and dominion, are the angels, which correspond to the government or responsibility of the Church. The seven churches mentioned are both specific and universal images as mentioned earlier.

Revelation 1:5b-11

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, 6and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.
7Look, he is coming with the clouds,
and every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him;
and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen.
8"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty."

One like a Son of Man
9I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10On the Lord's Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, 11which said: "Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea."



1:5b-6 - John breaks into a chorus of praise to Jesus Christ in these verses. Christ has done more than just release and redeem us from slavery; He has made us a Kingdom and priests. The Kingdom has begun, it is not a future event. Christians are to be ruling with Christ in this Kingdom now. We are to be a victorious priesthood that is striving to bring all areas of life under His dominion and rule.

1:7 - John announces one of the primary themes of the book of Revelation. It is not the Second Coming of Christ which will include the final resurrection, it is the coming of Christ in judgment upon Israel. The Old Covenant will be done away with as Christ establishes the Church as His new Kingdom. John uses one of the most familiar biblical images for judgment by saying that Jesus is coming with the clouds (Gen. 15:17; Ex. 13:21-22; 14:19-20, 24; 19:9, 16-19; Ps. 18:8-14; 104:3; Isa. 19:1; Ezek. 32:7-8; Nahum 1:2-8; Matt. 24:30; Mark 14:62; Acts 2:19). Coming with the clouds speaks of judgment and in no way necessitates that John is referring to the end of the physical world. Just as He had promised, Christ is coming in wrath and judgment against apostate Israel (Matt. 23-25). John says that the peoples of the earth will mourn. Jesus also says that all the tribes of the land would mourn when He came (Matt. 24:30; 24:51). Thus, Israel has gone past the point of no return. The judgment upon them is coming and will not be reversed.

1:8 - This verse alone should end any pretense at arguments that the early church did not claim Jesus to be God. Jesus refers to Himself here in terms reserved only for God. The Greek word pantokrator, translated here as Almighty, means "the One has all power and rules over everything." It is the New Testament equivalent of the Old Testament expression "Lord of Hosts." Christ was about to demonstrate to the whole world, including those who had pierced Him, that he had ascended to the throne and was the Supreme Ruler of the world.

1:9 - This verse is a concise picture of John’s worldview. It strikes a blow against those who would interpret Revelation as teaching that there will be no tribulation for the church due to the Rapture, that Christ’s Kingdom is to come after His Second Coming, and that perseverance is not required or expected. John teaches that these things are necessary for the Christian life. As Christians expand the dominion of the Kingdom, though, tribulation will lessen. It is silly, however, for Christians to assume that we are or will be immune from suffering. John would not know that version of the Christian life. John not only has in view the general suffering of being a Christian, but also the specific Great Tribulation that is about to befall the church. The Christian life is not just about suffering, however; it is also about Kingdom. Christ has conquered His enemies and put all things under His feet (Eph. 1:21-22; Mark 1:14-15; Acts 2:29-36; Col. 1:13). All things are subject to Christ now, but the rulers and authorities of the world have to be put down. This is much of the message of the Revelation. The dominion of Christ and His church is something to be exercised now; we do not need to wait until some future Coming of Christ. The time is now.

1:10 - When John says he was in the Spirit, he is using technical prophetic language (Matt. 22:43; Numb. 11:25; 2 Sam. 23:2; Ezek. 2:2; 3:24; 2 Pet. 1:21). He is indicating to his readers that he is an inspired apostle, receiving heavenly revelation. John sees the vision on the Lord’s Day which brings forth connotations of the Sabbath or rest. The term "rest" in Scripture often refers to God being seated on His throne as judge, receiving worship from His creation (1 Chron. 28:2; Ps. 132:7-8, 13:14; Isa. 11:10; 66:1). John, then, was caught up into the glory cloud of God’s presence to receive special revelation.

1:11 - Verses 10 and 11 demonstrate a pattern that will be seen throughout the Revelation. John hears first, and then he sees (5:5-6; 22:8, etc.). The Revelation is destined for seven churches. Seven is a major symbolic theme in the Revelation. It stands for fullness and completeness. Although John is probably writing this to the seven specific churches, it also stands symbolically for all of the Church.

Revelation 1:1-5a

Prologue
1The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 2who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. 3Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.
Greetings and doxology
4John,
To the seven churches in the province of Asia:
Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, 5and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.




1:1 - From the opening words, John makes it clear that this is to be a revealing or revelation of and by Jesus Christ. It is not intended to be a mystery. It is written about things that would soon take place. It was not written about the end of the world or something in the distant future for John’s first readers. The Revelation is a covenant lawsuit, prophesying the outpouring of God’s wrath on Jerusalem. It would be the culmination of the "last days;" the time between the ascension of Christ and the last days of the covenant with Jerusalem which would end with its destruction. The NIV translation drops the fact that the original text says that the angel "did signify" the revelation. This shows from the beginning that the Revelation was written in signs; it was "sign-ified." The servant John is none other than the beloved apostle who wrote the gospel of John and the three letters of John.

1:2 - The first verse says that this is the revelation of Jesus Christ. John now reminds readers that He vouches for the reliability of Christ because he saw and knew Him. Thus, we see a pattern of Christ and His servants bearing dual witnesses that will be carried on throughout the book (and will be important in understanding 11:4-12).

1:3 - This is the first beatitude (blessing) of seven in the revelation (1:3; 14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20;6; 22:7; 22:14). The blessing is pronounced for those who remain faithful to the message. John blesses those who read and hear. This indicates that the book was meant to be read in liturgy (public worship). Revelation is greatly concerned with public worship; it is a central theme of the book. By showing heavenly worship, John reveals how the Church is to perform God’s will through earthly worship. We are to respond to the truth in special worship and then respond in general worship throughout every area of our life. This is why the blessing is limited to those who take to heart what is written. John again warns that the time described in this prophecy is near. The events described are contemporary and are soon to happen. The end of the world was approaching. Not in the physical sense, but the passing away of the old world order and the Old Covenant.

1:4-5a - John addresses the prophecy to seven actual churches. But it is also true that seven is a symbolic number in the Scriptures. It represents a fullness of quantity which means here it represents the fact that the Revelation is intended for the whole Church in every age as well as the specific seven churches. The characteristic blessing of the apostles is bestowed among the churches. Grace and peace are sent equally from all three members of the Godhood. The greeting here is a clear expression of Trinitarian faith. The Father is the One is who, was, and is to come. He is eternal and unchangeable (Mal. 3:6). The word ‘come’ here also indicates the idea of judgment. When God comes He comes in judgment. He comes not just one time at the end of the world, though, it also refers to His unceasing rule over history. Since grace and peace can only originate from God, the seven spirits are a reference to the Holy Spirit. The person spoken of here is clearly equal with the Father and Son. The picture of the seven spirits is taken from Zechariah 4, in which the prophet sees the Church as a lampstand with seven lamps. The Holy Spirit’s empowering work is described in terms of seven, symbolizing fullness and completeness. Just as there are seven churches, there are seven spirits or to better capture the concept in English, the seven-fold Spirit. The Spirit is before the throne of God indicating that the Revelation is a book about rule. "Throne" occurs 46 times throughout the Revelation. God’s throne is a reference to God’s official court where He receives official worship. John is again stressing worship. The entire vision of the Revelation was seen on the Lord’s Day (1:10), the Christian day of official worship. All the action in this book centers on the worship around the throne of God. The final member of the Godhood is Jesus Christ, described as faithful witness, firstborn, and the king of the earth. In the Bible, the witness was one who enforced the law and assisted in its execution, including the death penalty if necessary. The significance of Jesus as the faithful witness is that He witnesses against those who are at war against God, and He will execute them if need be. John refers to Him as the firstborn, showing that He fulfilled the prophecy in Ps. 89:27. Jesus is also the current ruler of the earth, He is not waiting for some future event. The clear message is that Jesus is Lord, Caesar is not.

Properly Interpreting Revelation

One of most important aspects of correctly interpreting Revelation is to understand the date when it was penned. There are two main views regarding the date of authorship. One is that it was written before 70 AD. and the destruction of the Temple, and probably before 68 AD and the death of Nero. The other, and more popular date, is 96 AD during the reign of Domitian. The question comes down to whether Revelation was written during the reign of Nero or Domitian.

Although less popular currently, the earlier date is to be preferred for many reasons. First, is the lack of evidence for any great period of persecution under Domitian. While Domitian was demonstrably cruel, there is no mention of an alleged widespread persecution of Christians by Domitian until the 5th century. Domitian did briefly banish some Christians but they were eventually allowed back into the Empire. John Robinson remarks: "When this limited and selective purge, in which no Christian was for certain put to death, is compared with the massacre of Christians under Nero in what two early and entirely independent witnesses speak of as ‘immense multitudes,’ it is astonishing that commentators should have been led by Irenaeus, who himself does not even mention a persecution, to prefer a Domitianic context for the book of Revelation." Robinson’s reference to Irenaeus refers to Irenaeus’ writing in Against Heresies in the late second century that the prophecy had been seen around 95 AD. The sentence in which that information appears is difficult in the original language and could just as easily be read that it was John who was seen in 95 AD, not the prophecy. This one sentence from Irenaeus, provides the only hard alleged evidence for the date during Domitian’s reign. Regardless of the ambiguity of the language, it is also possible that Irenaeus was mistaken if he was claiming a later date for the prophecy of John. (As wonderful as Irenaeus was, he did make factual mistakes, after all, such as writing that Jesus was nearly 50 when he died.)

Second, the familiarity that the author demonstrates with specific Temple worship practices suggests that the Temple was still standing when written. As the Temple was destroyed in 70 AD, this would favor the earlier date.

Third, when interpreted properly, the book of Revelation is primarily dealing with the destruction of Jerusalem. This would clearly put the date of authorship before September, 70 A.D. This provides the primary reason that people cling to the later date. They want the book to be about future events, and that interpretation is more problematic if Revelation was written before the fall of the Temple.

Fourth, Scripture teaches that the special revelation that resulted in the Bible would end by AD 70. "The angel Gabriel told Daniel that the "seventy weeks" were to end with the destruction of Jerusalem (Daniel 9:24-27); and that period would also serve to ‘seal up the vision and the prophecy’ (Daniel 9:27). In other words, special revelation would stop – be sealed up – by the time Jerusalem was destroyed. The brilliant, fourth century church father, Athanasius understood this to be the meaning of Daniel 9. He wrote: "When did the prophet and division cease from Israel? Was it not when Christ came, the Holy One of holies? It is, in fact, a sign and notable proof of the coming of the Word that Jerusalem no longer stand, neither is prophet raised up nor vision revealed among them . . . For the same reason Jerusalem stood until the same time, in order that there men might premeditate the types before the truth was known. So, of course, once the Holy One of holies had come, both vision and prophecy were sealed. And the kingdom of Jerusalem ceased at the same time."

There are many other items that point to the earlier date for Revelation but the fact seems clear. God warned that the kingdom would be taken from the apostate Jews (Matthew 21:33-43). He held off his final judgment on the nation of Israel until the writing of the New Covenant document was complete. Once that was accomplished, God terminated the Old Covenant once and for all with the destruction of Jerusalem.

To understand the book of Revelation, and really the whole Bible, we must understand that the Bible is a book about the Covenant. The Bible is not a complete theological treatise, an encyclopedia of religious knowledge, a collection of moral tales, or a grouping of studies of spiritual heroes from times past. The Bible is the record of God revealing Himself to mankind and creating a relationship with man through His Covenant. The Covenant is the meaning of biblical history, biblical law, and biblical prophecy. David Chilton, author of Days of Vengeance, writes: "The prophets were God’s legal emissaries to Israel and the nations, acting as prosecuting attorneys bringing what has become known among recent scholars as the ‘Covenant Lawsuit.’"

The prophets did not give prophecies that would fit our culture’s definition of what a prophecy is. In other words, they are not a prediction but more of an evaluation of man’s response to the warnings of the Word of God. For example, look at God’s words through Jeremiah: "If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned. And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted, and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it" (Jeremiah 18:7-10). The words of the prophets were only predications in the sense that they relayed what would happen if the people did not respond humbly to the warnings. This is why Jonah’s prophecy that Nineveh would be destroyed in forty days did not come true, so to speak. The Ninevites repented, and so disaster was averted.

Like so many other Biblical writings, the Revelation is a specific covenantal prophecy. The only way to properly understand the images in Revelation is through the understanding of the covenantal context. If it is ignored, the intent of John’s message is lost and Revelation becomes open to the latest fanciful eschatological (having to do with the end of times) flavor of the day. The book of Revelation is a covenant document not a predictive look at the very near future. If it is not read in the proper context of covenantal understanding it loses its continuity with the rest of the Bible and becomes little more than a disturbing appendix to the rest of God’s Word, in other words it becomes the ‘scary’ book at the end of the Bible.

God’s relationship with Israel was described in covenantal terms throughout the pages of the Bible. Israel was God’s bride, bound to Him through covenant. The Covenant was a legally binding contract between Israel and the Lord God. It should be of no surprise, then, that the structure of many of the Old Testament Covenantal books in the Old Testament are extremely similar to the accepted form of peace treaties and covenants in the ancient Near East. It is not as if the biblical writers copied the old world’s form of treaties, rather it would seem the other way around.

Treaties in the ancient world were pretty simple. A conquering king would make a covenant with their defeated enemy. In the covenant certain promises and stipulations would be made that would guarantee protection for the defeated vassal. He also agreed to obey and respect the authority of their new lord. If the vassal or inferior king violated the covenant terms, the lord would send messengers to warn the vassal to remind him of the curses and consequences of breaking the sanctions. This was the function of the biblical prophets. They were reminding Israel of the curse-sanctions if they did not quickly repent of their covenant-violating activities.

The standard treaty in the ancient world consisted of five parts, all of which appear in the biblical covenants:

1. Preamble (identifying the lordship of the Great King, stressing both his transcendence and his immanence);

2. Historical Prologue (surveying the lord’s previous relationship to the vassal, especially emphasizing the blessings bestowed);

3. Ethical Stipulations (expounding the vassal’s obligations, his "guide to citizenship" in the covenant);

4. Sanctions (outlining the blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience);

5. Succession Arrangements (dealing with the continuity of the covenant relationship over future generations).

We need look no further than the book of Deuteronomy to find a biblical example of this treaty form.

Deuteronomy

1. Preamble (1:1-5)

2. Historical Prologue (1:6-4:49)

3. Ethical Stipulations (5:1-26:19)

4. Sanctions (27:1-30:20)

5. Succession Arrangements (31:1-34:12)

Once the covenant had been set in place it was God’s expectations that the stipulations be followed. When they were not, the prophets were sent as prosecuting attorneys. The pattern of the lawsuit was always patterned after the same structure of the original covenant. This means that the biblical prophecies follow the five-part treaty structure. The book of Hosea, for example, is laid out according to the covenant outline:

Hosea

1. Preamble (1)

2. Historical Prologue (2)

3. Ethical Stipulations (4-7)

4. Sanctions (8-9)

5. Succession Arrangements (10-14)

In the tradition of many other biblical prophecies, the Revelation is a prophecy of the Covenant demonstrating God’s wrath against Israel and a reminder of the covenantal curses that will follow as a result of their violation of the stipulations. By rejecting Jesus Christ, Israel had rejected the Covenant and now the curses would kick in. The Revelation is written in the same five part treaty structure style in which many other biblical prophecies are written:

Revelation

1. Preamble: Vision of the Son of Man (1)

2. Historical Prologue: The Seven Letters (2-3)

3. Ethical Stipulations: The Seven Seals (4-7)

4. Sanctions: The Seven Trumpets (8-14)

5. Succession Arrangements (15-22)

Another indicator that Revelation is covenant lawsuit is the fact that is so closely mirrors and follows the structure of Ezekiel, one of the clearest covenant lawsuits in the Bible. Revelation is very dependent upon the language and imagery of Ezekiel. According to Albert Vanhoye there are at least 130 separate references to Ezekiel found in the Revelation. John does more than just make some allusions to Ezekiel; it appears that he follows him step-by-step. Phillip Carrington says, with just a slight hint of hyperbole: "The Revelation is a Christian rewriting of Ezekiel. Its fundamental structure is the same. Its interpretation depends upon Ezekiel. The first half of both books leads up to the destruction of the earthly Jerusalem; in the second they describe a new and holy Jerusalem. There is one significant difference. Ezekiel’s laments over Tyre is transformed into a lament over Jerusalem, the reason being that St. John wishes to transfer to Jerusalem the note irrevocable doom found in the lament over Tyre. Here lies the real difference in the messages of the two books. Jerusalem, like Tyre, is to go forever." Look at the obvious parallels between the two books.

1. The Throne-Vision (Revelation 4/Ezekiel 1)
2. The Book (Revelation 5/Ezekiel 2-3)
3. The Four Plagues (Revelation 6:1-8/Ezekiel 5)
4. The Slain under the Altar (Revelation 6:9-11/Ezekiel 6)
5. The Wrath of God (Revelation 6:12-17/Ezekiel 7)
6. The Seal on the Saint’s Foreheads (Revelation 7/Ezekiel 9)
7. The Coals from the Altar (Revelation 8/Ezekiel 10)
8. No More Delay (Revelation 10:1-7/Ezekiel 12)
9. The Eating of the Book (Revelation 10:8-11/Ezekiel 2)
10. The Measuring of the Temple (Revelation 11:1-2/Ezekiel 40-43)
11. Jerusalem and Sodom (Revelation 11:8/Ezekiel 16)
12. The Cup of Wrath (Revelation 14/Ezekiel 23)
13. The Vine of the Land (Revelation 14:18-20/Ezekiel 15)
14. The Great Harlot (Revelation 17-18/Ezekiel 16, 23)
15. The Lament over the City (Revelation 18/Ezekiel 27)
16. The Scavengers’ Feast (Revelation 19/Ezekiel 39)
17. The First Resurrection (Revelation 20:4-6/Ezekiel 37)
18. The Battle with Gog and Magog (Revelation 20:7-9/Ezekiel 38-39)
19. The New Jerusalem (Revelation 21/Ezekiel 40-48)
20. The River of Life (Revelation 22/Ezekiel 47)

This step-by-step "pegging" of Revelation with Ezekiel demonstrates more than just a literary relationship. "Level pegging is not usually a feature of literary borrowing. . . Level pegging is a feature rather of lectionary use, as when the Church sets Genesis to be read alongside Romans, or Deuteronomy alongside Acts. . . Furthermore, it is plain that John expected his prophecies to be read aloud in worship, for he says, ‘Blessed is he who reads the words of the prophecy, and blessed are those who hear’ (1:3)." The fact that John repeatedly refers to his book as ‘the prophecy’ indicates that he was aligning himself with the Old Testament prophecies. David Chilton sums this up saying that, ". . . the Book of Revelation was intended from the beginning as a series of readings in worship throughout the Church Year, to be read in tandem with the prophecies of Ezekiel (as well as other Old Testament readings). M.D. Goulder further describes the purpose of Revelation, ". . . both books divide into about fifty units, and the Jewish (Christian) year consists of fifty or fifty-one sabbaths/Sundays. So we have what looks like material for an annual cycle of Ezekiel inspiring a year’s cycle of visions, which could then be read in the Asian churches alongside Ezekiel, and expounded in sermons in its light."

Another insight into properly interpreting Revelation is to understand the symbolism in the book. As stated above, prophecy is not strictly predicting the future. It is primarily a message from God reminding the hearers of their violation of the Covenant and the proclamation of a covenant lawsuit. The prophets did predict future events but they did not do so in historical form. They predicted the natural results of the way events were going. They used symbols and figures from history, the surrounding culture, and creation. Most errors in interpreting books of biblical prophecy, including the Revelation are due to misunderstandings of the nature of symbolism in prophecy.

It is important to remember that the Bible is literature. It is divinely inspired, but it is literature, nonetheless, and must be read as literature. When one reads poetry, it must be read differently than if it was the Wall Street Journal. In the same way, prophetic symbolism cannot be interpreted anyway you would like. Think of how silly it would seem if we were to expect to read Psalm 23 literally. Is there literally a valley of the shadow of death? Does Jesus make us lie down in green pastures? I know of no one that would suggest the twenty-third Psalm be read that way, yet these same people have little problem in attempting to read prophetic symbolism like that found in Revelation that way.

From the very first prophecy in the Bible we already see the tendency to use symbolic language: "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel" (Genesis 3:15). This is clearly not as simple as being history written before it happens. This is a symbolic statement, as is most biblical prophecy.

John tells his readers from the first verse of Revelation that this is a book of revelation and signs: "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" (KJV). The Revelation was signified or "sign-ified" by the angel. John wants his readers to know that this is a book of signs and symbols and should be read that way. "The symbols are not to be understood in a literal manner. We can see this by St. John’s use of the same term in his Gospel (12:33; 18:32: 21:19). In each case, it is used of Christ ‘signifying’ a future event by a more or less symbolic indication, rather than by a prosaic, literal description. And this is generally the form of prophecies in the Revelation. It is a book of symbols from beginning to end." John did not intend for the Revelation to be read as "tomorrow’s newspaper today." He expected that his readers would read his prophecy in the terms of the Old Testament symbolic language with which he wrote the book.

The key here is to use the Old Testament symbolism that John intended. We must interpret symbols using the system the author intended and used. We cannot make symbols mean whatever we wish them to. This is irresponsible and dangerous. David Chilton agrees that we cannot interpret symbols however we choose. He says, ". . . nor did St. John create the images of the Book of Revelation out of his own imagination. He presents Christ to his readers as a Lion and Lamb, not because he thinks those are a pretty picture, but because of the connotations of lions and lambs already established in the Bible." It is obvious that John used allusions to Old Testament language and symbols as a starting point for his own symbolism. Merrill Tenney says that if looked at conservatively, John makes 348 clear references to the Old Testament, although he never once quotes the Old Testament. This includes 57 from the Pentateuch, 235 from the Prophets, and 56 from the historical and poetical books.

The very earliest Christians would have easily understood John’s language, references, and symbols. By the late second, and early third centuries, the Hebrew influence had largely vanished from the Church and so did the ease in understanding such a Hebrew book. Our current difficulty in finding the key to unlocking the Revelation lies in our inability to understand the Old Testament references and symbolism. We simply cannot, however, fall into the trap of interpreting Revelation’s symbols without an understanding of the Old Testament references.
One clear example of the misinterpretation of symbols in Revelation is that of the seal or mark on the hands and/ or foreheads of people (Revelation 7, 9, 14, 22). These are clear references to the Old Testament concept of the seal or mark (Genesis 3:19; Exodus 28:36; Deuteronomy 6:6-8; Ezekiel 9:4-6). The symbol mark or seal is a clear allusion to the Old Testament symbol of the mark or seal referring to man’s total obedience to whomever or whatever he was sealed by. Yet, this symbol has been interpreted to mean all kinds of fanciful and fantastical things. We must read the symbols in the way that John intended them to be read which is according to the Old Testament language. When we do this, we see that the book is a covenant lawsuit, not some fanciful prediction of the end of all things.

Another example is the oft-misinterpreted phrase "coming with the clouds" (Revelation 1:7). This should not be taken, as it often is, as Jesus riding gloriously down from heaven to scoop up His people. There is no biblical precedent to interpret this symbolic phrase in that way. A quick look through the Old Testament will show us that God coming on the clouds is one of the most familiar biblical images for judgment (Genesis 15:17; Exodus 13:21-22; 14:19-20, 24; 19:9, 16-19; Psalm 18:8-14; 104:3; Isaiah 19:1; Ezekiel 32:7-8; Nahum 1:2-8; Matthew 24:30; Mark 14:62; Acts 2:19). When God comes on the clouds it is not generally a happy event, this is judgment language and people should tremble. Several times throughout the opening chapters of Revelation, Jesus says that He will come to the churches if they do not repent (2:5; 2:16; 2:25; 3:3). I hardly think that Jesus is threatening the churches with His Second Coming. When we see the Bible talk about God coming or coming on the clouds it is almost always in judgment; it is not referring to some sort of rapture scenario.

The final category through which we can understand that the Revelation is a message to the first century church and a prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem due to Israel’s Covenant violations is the contemporary focus of Revelation.

The Revelation was written to remind a suffering and battered church that Christ was Lord. John wanted them to not forget during the coming times of turmoil that Jesus had claimed "all authority on heaven and on earth," (Matthew 28:28) that He was in control, and that He was the King of all things. John wanted them to understand that their suffering was a part of God’s plan, that they were an integral part of the great war of history. Israel would soon be punished as a Covenant breaker. The sufferings of the Church and the coming destruction of Israel was not a sign that Jesus had abandoned the world to Satan; rather it was part of the plan to exalt the Church. They were no abandoned by God; they were on the front line of the battle of the ages. The battle was won at the Resurrection, everything since then has been nothing more than a mop-up operation. The message was for the church to have heart and overcome the world because Christ has already conquered it and has passed off His dominion to His bride.

The true message of the Revelation can only be understood if it was written to John’s contemporaries. Of what comfort would the Revelation be to the persecuted church if it was concerning events over 2,000 years in the future? Is it logical to consider that the book of Revelation would be irrelevant and unintelligible for 2,000 years of Christians? Interestingly, since the time of Montanus, a third-century heretical offshoot of true Christianity, virtually all heretical groups have interpreted Revelation futuristically, and have assumed that their own generation was the end of all things.

The early church’s biggest enemy was an apostate victory. The message that God was soon about to clearly terminate his ties with the violators of His Covenant was exactly what the first-century church needed to hear. The message of Revelation for Christians since the first-century is not futuristic, but is instead, that Christ has already defeated our enemies, now it is up to us to exercise dominion and transform the world. Some would claim that a contemporary understanding of Revelation would make it irrelevant for today, but that could not be further from the truth. If this were the case then all of the epistles would also be irrelevant as they were written to deal with first-century problems. In fact, although not addressed specifically to us, the Revelation’s message of dominion and overcoming is just as relevant for the Church today as it was 2,000 years ago.

There are at least four specific areas that point to the contemporary nature of the Revelation. First is simply the contemporary focus of the book. John seems to address the martyrs throughout the book (6:9; 7:14; 12:11). When we realize that the Revelation was written to comfort a suffering church, we realize that John was addressing the needs of the first-century martyrs. What would have been the point of writing a book to a suffering group of people that were told to read and ponder the book that was full of futuristic references that would have made no sense to them?

Second, John himself says that the Revelation would "soon take place," (1:1) and that the "time is near" (1:3). The words shortly and near would be nonsense if they were referring to events 2,000 years in the future. Some might be tempted to trot out 2 Peter 3:8 which says "a day is like a thousand years." They forget that Peter cancels that out with the end of the sentence, "and a thousand years are like a day." Plus, the context of this passage is completely different.

Third, John clearly references several events and situations as contemporary. In 13:18, he tells his readers that if they have insight, they can calculate the number of the beast. This would be a cruel hoax if the beast were not to arrive for another 2,000 years. In 17:10, a passage that is clearly referring to ancient Rome, John informs his readers that the sixth king is still on the throne. Further, in 17:18, John says that "The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth." The present tense used, ‘is the city’, indicates a contemporary situation.

Fourth, the angel tells John to not seal up the prophecy of the book because the time "is near" (Psalm 22). This again implies that the prophecy is about events in the near future. In addition to that, compare this with the command Daniel received at the end of his book, "close up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end" (Daniel 12:4). Daniel’s prophetic vision concerns things in the distant future so he is told to seal it up until the time of the end of the Old Covenant. John, in contrast, is told not to seal up his prophecy because the time to which it refers is near.

With a proper framework of understanding, we will attempt to dive into the book of Revelation and interpret it, to the best of our ability, in the way that it would have been understood by its very first readers. Once we have accomplished that task, although we will surely make some mistakes, we can then set about to decipher the lessons that the Revelation still holds for us, today, in the 21st century. As this is a study guide and not a full work on the Revelation, you will note that works quoted and used are given in the text itself, there is no room for full footnoting (please contact me if you would like further information on any source). It should be noted that there will be many source cited in this study guide, however, the author freely admits his heavy reliance on two works in particular: Biblical Apocalyptics by Milton S. Terry, and Days of Vengeance by David Chilton.

Properly Interpreting Scripture

Introduction

One of the responsibilities that we have as a Christian community is to read the Bible responsibly. We need to read the Bible as it was intended to be read. The fact is that the Bible is literature. It is literature that was inspired to be written by God, but it is still literature. As such, there are certain principles that we can apply to our reading of Scripture to ensure that we are properly interpreting what it means. What follows is a brief description of nine principles that, if followed, will greatly assist us in digging out the proper interpretation of Scripture. There are certainly other areas that could be considered, but these are the main areas that tend to be ignored or misapplied.

Does the interpretation consider the context?

If the context is not taken into consideration, then the Bible interpretation is probably a poor one. For instance, I recently saw a television prosperity gospel preacher who said that in John 4:37-38, Jesus was establishing an economic principle for those that followed Him. The preacher completely ignored the fact that this statement was in the context of evangelism. He completely missed the point of Jesus’ words. The fact is that most of what Jesus said was in a specific time and place and spoken specifically to the Jews whom He was addressing. We must understand what He was saying to His original audience and then determine what this means for us. Another example of this would be Matthew 7:13-14 and Luke 13:22-30 in which Jesus tells His hears that the way to the Kingdom of God is “narrow” and “only a few find it.” A careful look at the context (which is a bit clearer in Luke) will show that Jesus was speaking to Jews warning them that they were about to be cut off as God’s covenant people. Not many of them would find the road into the Kingdom. This was in no way spoken to the church of future ages. We are in fact called kings and priests (Revelation 1:6, 5:10) who are to overcome (1 John 2:13-14; 5:4-5; Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 26; 3:5, 12, 21; 21:7). As we read Scripture, we cannot read Jesus’ words as though He spoke them directly to us. To do so is to take them out of context and leads to great misunderstanding. This may seem like a difficult thing to do, but it really is not. We just need to stop for a minute when reading the passage and think about the point of view of the speaker, the audience, the time frame in which the words are spoken and the place where the conversation is taking place. This rarely requires any special knowledge or information.


Does the Interpretation take biblical symbols and figures of speech into account?

Not understanding when a biblical writer is using a biblical term or a figure of speech can lead to great misunderstandings in interpretation. Consider Matthew 21:21-22, in which Jesus says that “if you have faith . . . you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done.” Despite what some preachers have taught, this is not some cosmic guarantee that whatever Christians ask for we will get. We must consider the symbols as well as the context to understand this passage. This phrase is part of a series of parables and talks about the destruction of Jerusalem (Matt. 20-25). After cursing a fig tree as a symbol of judgment on Jerusalem, the disciples asked how this happened so quickly. Jesus responded, “if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer” (Matt. 21:21-22). Jesus was not literally telling his followers that they could pray mountains into the sea, nor was He curiously changing the subject, He was instructing them to pray for the destruction of the apostate mountain of God. The Old Testament makes it quite clear that the mountain was symbolic language for Jerusalem (Psalm 43:3; 48:1; 87:1; 99:9; Isaiah. 11:9; 56:7, Exodus 15:17). Being thrown into the sea is biblical symbolic language for being destroyed (Rev. 8:8). Admittedly, this one takes a little more work. To be able to do this well does require that we know our Bibles, particularly the Old Testament, quite well. It will usually take a little digging and research. When you come across a figure of speech in the Bible, and they are usually pretty obvious, don’t assume that you know what it means. Do a little digging.

Is the interpretation consistent with the rest of Scripture?

A passage may seem to make sense on the surface but if the interpretation is not consistent with all of Scripture then it must be rejected. James 2:19 says that the demons believe in God. Can we couple that with John 3:16 and surmise that demons will be going to heaven? Obviously, we cannot. When this verse is considered in the context of all the Scriptures, we see that this interpretation is not possible. Applying this principle will also insulate from many of the prosperity gospel teachings that are so popular today. When taken in consistent context with the entire message of the Old and New Testaments, we can see that the life of luxury and comfort is not the life to which a Christian is called.

Does the interpretation remain consistent with God’s nature?

Not only does a passage need to be consistent with all of Scripture but it must also be consistent with God’s nature. It is necessary that one begins to have a basic understanding of theology in order to do this. In Revelation 6:2 we read, “I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.” The passage goes on to describe that along with the rider on the white horse come three judgments symbolized by three other horse and riders. The subsequent riders remove the conditions that are providing peace on the earth, economic hardship, and death. This is all in the context of John’s prophecy of the soon coming destruction of Jerusalem. God’s covenant has been broken and He is about to pour out his judgment on apostate Israel. Many biblical commentators, in discussing the rider on the white horse, have said that although this rider appears to be Jesus (there are many reasons including the fact that Jesus is seen later in Revelation 19 riding on his white horse; God is the one in Scripture that holds the bow in judgment - Habakkuk 3:9, and the one that is given the crown of dominion – Revelation 14:14; 19:11-13), it cannot be. The simple reason they offer is that God does not bring this kind of judgment, death, and destruction. With this idea of God they then create fanciful interpretations that include the so-called anti-Christ. The fact is, however, that God is love, but God is also righteous and holy. God does inflict judgment on the rebellious, apostate, and disobedient. Deuteronomy 28:15-68 clearly lays out the types of curses that will beset Israel if they break the Covenant. Christ, pictured in Revelation 6 on the white horse, will come soon, says John (indeed He did come in 70 AD) to fulfill these curses on apostate Israel. The actions of this rider on the white horse are completely consistent with God’s nature as a righteous judge. The discerning biblical reader will realize that, and will not incorrectly interpret Scripture based on an erroneous conception of who they want God to be rather than who He is.

Does the interpretation consider the differences between the Old Testament (physical) and the New Testament (Spiritual)?

Most of the laws, battles, enemies, blessings, curses, sacrifices, etc. of the Old Testament are of the physical variety. Even the people of God are the physical nation of Israel. In the New Testament, however, these things are of a spiritual nature. Our enemy is a spiritual enemy (Ephesians 6:12). Our battles are spiritual. For us the way we are to interpret the law of God is spiritual (Matthew 5:21-30). The blessings and curses of the New Covenant are of the spiritual variety. Good Bible interpretation must take that fact into account, especially when applying Old Testament interpretations to the modern reader. This is where many in our day and age get confused. They look at the things promised to Abraham and the people of Israel in the Old Testament, combine that with Galatians 3:29 that we are the heirs of Abraham, and conclude that these physical blessings are a promise for us today. The Christian, however, is to focus on spiritual blessings and store up treasures in heaven (Matthew 6:20).

Does the interpretation differentiate the principle given by the author from the cultural expressions of that principle?

In 1 Timothy 2:9, Paul gives a principle of dressing modestly for women to follow. He then lists some examples from his own culture of how to follow that principle. These include avoiding braided hair and gold or pearls. Dressing modestly is the principle to be taken from this passage not the belief that a woman in our culture cannot braid her hair. Good interpretations will consider the principle, and appreciate the cultural expressions of that principle, without feeling bound by those expressions. Paul often gives a binding biblical principle and then gives at least one cultural expression of that principle. We are bound by the principle but not necessarily the cultural expression of the principle.

Does the interpretation consider the genre of literature of the passage?

Good interpretations will take into consideration the type of passage being interpreted. Whether a passage is poetic, wisdom literature, narrative, apocalyptic, etc. make a huge difference in interpreting a passage. The interpreter of Revelation 20:2-4, for instance can have problems with understanding 1,000 years to be literal if he does not comprehend the Old Testament tendency to use numbers as representing a period of time, rather than literal lengths of time (This applies to Revelation as it is written with a very “Old Testament” wording). Just as we would not read a poem in the same way that we would read a newspaper, we must be sure to read the different types of Scripture in the way that they were intended to be read. Narrative passages need to be read as narratives. Symbolic prophecy like much of Ezekiel and Revelation must be read in the symbolic language of prophecy and the Old Testament. The wisdom literature of books like Proverbs cannot be read as direct promises from God. They are observations of God’s universe that generally prove to be true. They cannot be read and held up as ironclad promises because they were not intended to be so. The list could go on, but the point is to read the work in the style that the author intended.

Does the interpretation consider who is speaking, who is being spoken to, and the circumstances of the conversation?

In Mark 10:18, Jesus says that “No one is good – except God alone.” If one were to misunderstand the circumstances of the conversation and who Jesus was speaking to, they might come to some very wrong conclusions about this passage. Jesus was responding to someone who called him merely a teacher, but also said that He was good. Jesus, rather than trying to teach all theological truth at once, met the man where he was at in his understanding and took him one step farther. Jesus explained to the man that if He was nothing more than a teacher then He could not be good, because only God is good.

Is the interpretation consistent with the author’s intent? Does it consider whether a passage is descriptive or prescriptive?

There are many passages in the Bible that are merely descriptive of a situation without calling for us to go and do likewise. Sometimes confusing prescriptive and descriptive can bind us to a principle that may be a good idea but not a binding principle. For instance, Acts describes the early church as meeting in one another’s homes primarily (Acts 2:46). This may be a nice thing to emulate if it works within our culture or for our church, but it is not a binding prescriptive practice. It would not be taking into account the fact that the early Christians had little other choice than to meet in the homes of the believers. Confusing the concepts of prescriptive and descriptive can, however, be very dangerous when taken to extremes. 2 Kings 4:34, describes a scene in which Elisha laid on a young boy to bring him to life. A few years ago, a preacher in Milwaukee saw this as a prescriptive passage, and lied on a seven year old boy to cure him of the “demons of his autism.” The result was that the boy was asphyxiated by the weight of this preacher as he was held down by other members of the church.

Is Eternal Punishment in Hell Overdoing It?

A very common question that people have is this: Isn’t God overdoing it a bit by sentencing people who sin for the short time they are here on earth to eternal suffering in hell? Isn’t that cosmic overkill? It’s a question that deserves an answer.

We must understand that the Bible is clear, in that it teaches that all sin is inherently against God. God is infinite in his perfection which means that sin is an infinite evil which deserves infinite punishment. Think of this: when a crime is committed, the relationship between the offender and the offended party do matter. It is wrong for a young man to lose his temper and punch his friend, but it is a far worse offense for the same young man to punch his mother. This analogy even falls short, though, because God is different from humans in degree but also in being. Shooting a dog is bad, shooting a human is far worse. In the same way, sinning against a human is bad, but sinning against a God who is infinitely worthy of obedience is far worse.

Remember that according to Jesus the greatest of all commandments is to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength, yet who among us has kept that command for even ten seconds. If we’re honest, we all love ourselves more than God. If we are continually breaking the greatest commandment, then our guilt must be enormous before God.

You may be thinking to yourself that even though you have committed this sin, it’s still not that bad. Measured against biblical standards, we just don’t take sin very seriously. Let’s put it this way. If we wanted to evaluate the horrors of murder, who would give us a more accurate picture? Would it be the murderers on death row or would it be the friends and family of the murder victims? Of course the murderers would tend to lessen the severity of the effects of their actions. Similarly, we tend to underestimate the severity of our sin. We often view it as a blunder or a mistake but we don’t see it through the eyes of God’s holiness. If we were to do so, we would see it as evil, wicked, hateful, and worthy of eternal damnation. Only God, as the offended party, knows the full extent of the awfulness of sin.

Could Jesus Have Sinned?

One of the great questions when it comes to the life of Jesus is this: could Jesus have sinned had He wanted to. The question is a little tougher to answer than it may first seem. Jesus being fully human should be able to sin, yet being fully God in nature, would not be able to sin. Is this a contradiction? Can we harmonize these divergent aspects? The answer is yes to the latter.

Jesus was tempted in every way just like we are (Hebrews 4:15). In fact He experienced greater tempting than most of us ever will. How many of us have ever had Satan come to tempt us in person? Although He was tempted, Jesus could not have had the possibility of sinning. God cannot be tempted by evil (James 1:13) and we already know that Jesus is God.

Some have argued that Jesus had the ability to sin but chose not to. This goes against the idea that God cannot act against His nature. Jesus was, in fact, not able to sin. Those who argue for the possibility of Jesus sinning, cite Hebrews 4:15, which says that He was, "tempted in every way." Those who hold this viewpoint argue that Jesus could not have been truly tempted and could not really be a sympathetic High Priest if He was unable to sin. The problem with this view is that it diminishes the full divinity of Jesus. It stresses His humanity over His divinity in a way that is unacceptable. When Philippians 2 says that Jesus "became nothing" or "emptied himself" it means that Jesus voluntarily limited His Godly attributes. He had acces to them through the work of the Holy Spirit only. This means that He was limited temporarily, but He was never wrong and He could never act in opposition to His divine nature.

The reality of testing has nothing to do with the moral nature of the one tested. The possibility of sympathizing does not depend on a one-to-one correspondence in the problems faced. Just because an army can be attacked does not necessarily mean that it could be conquered.
Jesus was a man, and so, was prone to sin. He was also God, and so, could not sin. Jesus had two natures but He was one person. He could limit some of His attributes but He could never stop being God. Regardless of where He went or what He did, both of His natures were present. His divine nature was unchangeable (Hebrews 13:8). It was impossible for Him to sin as God (James 1:13), although as a man, He could be genuinely tempted.

By being tested, Jesus demonstrated the fact that He was sinless. Jesus was not allowed to be tempted to see if He could keep from sinning, but to show that He could not and did not sin. His temptation showed that He was unique and was qualified to pay the penalty that mankind has incurred. God already knows everything about us so He did not need to be tempted in order to sympathize with us. The fact that He was tempted allows us to feel that He can sympathize with us because He experienced it. The fact is, He could sympathize without the temptation, but knows how skeptical the human mind is, and so He went through testing for us, not for Him. In being tested and not sinning, He demonstrates for us the perfect example of gaining victory over even the most difficult of tests.