Revelation 4, A Door in Heaven... and the Throne

The main vision of John begins here.  After initial messages from Jesus to seven churches, a door opens in Heaven....

Revelation 4: 1-6a, The door in heaven and the throne

After 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." 

At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it.  And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne.  

Surrounding 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.  From 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.  Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. 

What does "after this" mean?  Does it mean immediately after John's time?  Or at the end of the church age?  

The throne is described in dramatic terms.  (Why jasper, carnelian?  I can't picture a rainbow like an emerald.)  The sea is large, without a horizon; a sea of glass is presumably a large smooth clear surface?

Revelation 4: 6b-11, The four creatures around the throne

In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back.  The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle.  Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come." 

Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:  

"You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being."

Who are the four creatures??  What do they represent?  What do they do?

Who are the twenty four elders?  (If there were just twelve, we might think of the tribes of Israel.)

Every time the twenty four elders appear, they seem connected with worship. Their "te deum" comes from Psalm 66:2.

Revelation 3, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea

Jesus has messages for seven churches. (Note: throughout this book, the term translated "angels" is ambiguous, merely meaning "messenger".  And the phrase "the seven spirits" could be translated "the sevenfold Spirit". Translations, here from Greek to English, always require some type of interpretation.)

Revelation 3: 1-6, The message to Sardis

"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.  Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God.  Remember, 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. 

Yet 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.  He 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. 

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. 

This church has all the appearances of being on fire but instead is mere glowing embers.  But there is hope -- they are to fan the flames, to revive and strengthen the remaining commitments.

To what does the paragraph on "come like a thief" allude? Jesus spoke in parables about returning "like a thief" (see Matthew 24: 42-44) but is that what is really meant here?

Revelation 3: 7-13, The message to Philadelphia

"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.  

I 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.  I 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.  Since 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.  

I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.  Him 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. 

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. 

This church (in the Greek city of Philadelphia in Asia Minor) is weak but persistent and for that it is commended.

To what does the open door refer?  (Walvoord claims that the sentence "I will also keep you from the hour of trial…" is "pre-trib".  I find that a bit of a stretch.)

"New name" is reminiscent of the promise to Pergamum.  

Revelation 3: 14-22, The message to Laodicea

"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.  I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!  So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth.  You 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.  I 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.  

Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent.  Here 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.  To 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.  

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

This contented and wealthy church has lost its priorities. It receives condemnation for its apathy and an invitation to return to its original passion for Jesus.

There are a number of phrases repeated again and again in these messages to the churches and they provide a theme for this section and for the book.

How do we interpret these seven churches and Jesus's message to them?  Historically, there has been a number of approaches to this -- the letters could be interpreted literally, as true statements to seven specific churches in Asia Minor at the time of John. But given the dramatic imagery of this book, with layer on layer of prophetic allusions, it is easy to suggest that these seven churches represent more. Some have attempted to put church history into a time line with seven periods. (Those who do so always put themselves at the end, in the church of Laodicea.)  I think a more reasonable alternative is to interpret these churches as representatives of the Church in different places and times.  (This interpretation can be combined with the first -- maybe, at the end of the first century, those seven specific churches were representative.

I'll say more on interpreting Revelation later. But first we must read it.  It was meant to be read; it is much more important that we read Revelation than that we attempt to interpret it!

Revelation 2, Instructions to Four Ancient Churches

Jesus, identified as the Alpha and Omega of Time, has some words for seven different churches. Here are his messages to the first four.

Revelation 2: 1-7, The message to Ephesus

"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: I 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. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.

Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember 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. But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.  

He 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. 

This vision is immersed in the number seven, presumably a sign of completion and perfection.

The church in Ephesus, where John apparently ministered for some time, has many good qualities, including its patience pursuit of truth. (This fits John's letters and their emphasis on acting in both truth and love.)  Yet it has some weaknesses, turning away from its first love and enthusiasm for the gospel.  I give this church a B– grade?

We don't really know who the Nicolaitans were.  There are some ideas here at Wikipedia and here at BibleHub.com but these are conjectures.

This passage continues to emphasize completion/perfection by focusing on the final "tree of life", to be described at the end of the letter.

The Greek word translated "angel" here, and throughout the book, simply means "messenger."

(Given the supernatural aspects of this vision, it probably means a divine being, but that is not necessarily implied by the Greek word.)

Revelation 2: 8-11, The message to Smyrna

"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.  I 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.  Do 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.  

He 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. 

The "First and the Last" is, of course, Jesus, earlier identified as the Alpha and Omega.

What do the ten days signify?  (They are very specific.)

No criticism is given to this church, only encouragement. I give this church an A.

Revelation 2: 12-17, The message to Pergamum

"To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword.  I 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.  

Nevertheless, 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.  Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.  Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.  

He 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. 

The Nicolaitans show up again here along with the "teaching of Balaam". I don't know who Antipas was, but tradition has a Bishop Antipas of Pergamum, appointed by John to this church. I don't know if he was a real historical figure or if that tradition begins with this letter.

Who gets the white stone?  What does it mean? What does the manna signify?

Apparently the error of Balaam is compromise, eg. marrying nonbelievers. (Commentator Merrill Tenney says it is "moral laxity".)

The "two-edged sword" occurs 6 or 7 times in Revelation.

This church receives some criticism, but mainly encouragement. I give this church a B.

Revelation 2: 18-29, The message to Thyatira

"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.  I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first. 

Nevertheless, 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.  I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling.  So 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.  I 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.  

Now 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): 

Only hold on to what you have until I come.  To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations--  `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. I will also give him the morning star. 

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

A certain individual, here called Jezebel, needs to be confronted. Jezebel was a notorious figure in Old Testament times (queen of Israel and wife of King Ahab, see I Kings 16...) and we apparently have a similar individual or a similar force or idea.

The quote in verse 27 ("He will rule them with an iron scepter") is from Psalm 2:9.

This church gets more serious criticism. I give this church a B–.

In three of the four churches we have some type of false teaching that is to be confronted: the teachings of the Nicolaitans, of Balaam, or of the woman Jezebel. Each church is told to persevere; each church is told of approaching suffering and persecution and is reminded that their suffering is only temporary.  This is the theme of the book.

Revelation 1, Alpha and the Omega

This is the last book in the New Testament and most likely John's last letter.  

It is a fascinating book.  It is majestic, with a cosmological view of the role of Jesus, the Jewish Messiah.  It deserves regular reading within the churches; it deserves much more exposure than it gets!

Revelation 1: 1-3, Introduction

The 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, who testifies to everything he saw--that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. 

Blessed 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. 

The revelation is from God through Jesus to John ... to the church.

What is "near"?  Why is this revelation given, if Jesus was not going to return for at least 2000 years? (The Greek word translated "soon" may also be translated "quickly", "rapidly", as in quickly – once it starts.  But there are certainly places where "soon" seems to not have this meaning.)

Why are the readers to be blessed? (If readers are blessed, we should read this book more!)

Revelation 1: 4-8, Greeting

John, 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, and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. 

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and 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. 

Look, 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. 

"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty." 

God is described as "is, was, is to come" -- current, past and future (in that order.) This is consistent with God's statement to Moses, that His name is "I Am."

In the Greek alphabet, alpha was the first letter and omega the last, so "Alpha and Omega" represents the beginning and the end -- and everything in between.  Jesus is the beginning and the end of the Cosmos, of Time, of all things.

John, looking forward into Time, says that Jesus will come again, visible to all humankind.

NIV footnotes: In verse 4 "seven spirits" could be translated "the sevenfold Spirit."

Revelation 1: 9-11, The setting for John's vision

I, 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. 

On the Lord's Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, which said: "Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea." 

John ministered at Ephesus, a port city on the Aegean Sea, on the coast of Asia Minor (now Turkey.) The seven churches in this list are scattered throughout Asia Minor, probably visited early on by Paul and other missionaries.  The island of Patmos is a small island in the Aegean Sea, off the coast of Asia Minor, about 70 miles from Ephesus by air.

Notes:  Walvoord translates "Lord's Day" as "day of the Lord" – not a day of the week. Some put significance in the ordering "suffering, kingdom, patient endurance". The concepts of "suffering, kingdom, patient endurance" will be stressed in this book.

Revelation 1: 12-16, The speaker

I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and 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.  His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In 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. 

What did the speaker look like?  Why would he look like this? What do gold, wool, snow, fire, bronze, waters signify (if any)?

Compare with Daniel 7:9-13. (The quote "like a son of man" is from the end of that passage.)

Revelation 1: 17-20, The holder of the keys

When 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. I 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.  

"Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. The 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.

In verse 20, the Greek word translated "angels" is literally "messengers".  This term is used throughout the book and may not always mean a divine immortal being.

In the opening passage, the one that says he is the first and the last is identified as "the Lord God." Here the same claim is made by Jesus.  All of John's writings, from his gospel to his letters to this book, all unapologetically identify Jesus as God.

Who holds the keys to hell and death?  What does this mean? 

Why the use of the number seven?  (There are, in this chapter, seven churches/lampstands/angels. We will continue to see seven as a symbol throughout the book.)

Do churches have angels?  Does yours?  (What is a "church" here?)

The Book of Revelation

The book at the end of the Bible, the book of Revelation, is a fascinating book!  It is majestic, with a cosmological view of the role of Jesus, the Jewish Messiah.  It deserves regular reading within the churches; it deserves much more exposure than it gets!

The book includes a promise to those who read it, the only book with such a promise. Despite this promise (given in verse 1:3) it is not much read in American churches, probably because of the tendency for some to view it as some type of timeline of current events and to then attempt to interpret it.  But the book is much larger than any prophetic timeline and (in my opinion) a search for a timeline is to search for something that the book does not give.

The book gives a large, cosmological view of God working within the human race and of the general resistance of the human race (and world system) to the things of God. Christians are told to be patient and to persevere, keep their eyes on Jesus. The book describes the end of creation and the universe in majestic terms, leading to a new heaven and a new earth at the end.

The book has a lot to say about Jesus, identifying him as God, the One sitting on the throne of heaven, with tremendous power and purpose.  It is the identity of Jesus that explains the importance of patient confidence that is expected of the believer.  Jesus is described by name thirteen times in the book, is described as the "First and Last" three times and as the "Lamb" 27 times!  In this book we get a view of Jesus that is very different from the gospels; here he is not just  a view of him not as Savior but Creator and Judge.

The book also includes numerous short praise choruses, sung by heavenly beings.

The book of Revelation is full of symbolic language.  Most of it cannot be taken literally. It is called "Revelation" and so our struggle is to understand. "What does this book reveal?"

The book breaks into three pieces, an introductory vision and statement to seven churches (chapters 1-3), then the main vision (chapters 4-19) which describe the eventual downfall of the world system and then a final vision (chapters 20-22) of judgement, defeat of Satan and the appearance of a new heaven and earth.

There are a number of ways to interpret Revelation.  I will not elaborate on those here, other than to say that the Christian who believes that God has really given this revelation to his Church must then understand that the book is not intended for a small group of people at the end of the age, but for all Christians everywhere.  I think this principle --  that this book was as relevant to Martin Luther as it is to Christians of the twenty-first (or thirty-first) century -- gives some guidance on how it is to be interpreted.

To quote Merrill Tenney, "No other part of Scripture has proved so fascinating to expositors, and no other has suffered so much at their hands."  Let us read this book with fascination and excitement and avoid ruining it with wild speculation.

Resources for a study in Revelation

OverviewBible.com has a nice summary of Luke here. along with theme verses and other simple "overviews".  In a similar way, a nice Youtube video project, The Bible Project, has some short capsules on the book, Luke 1-9, and Luke 10-24.  These are nicely done, great for an introductory class on this book.

I have two commentaries on Revelation, Interpreting Revelation by Merrill Tenney and another, The Revelation of Jesus Christ, by Walvoord.  I prefer the first, for Merrill Tenney always emphasizes trying to carefully read and understand the text, without jumping to conclusions or claiming some quick spiritual hit.  (Indeed, I recommend any commentary by Tenney!  I have three.)

My friend, Tim Hall, recommends a sermon by D. A. Carson on Revelation 12. Although the sermon focuses on the twelfth chapter, it has a lot of good things to say about the message of Revelation.

III John, Truth & Hospitality, Not Gossip & Control

The third letter of John, just as short as the second letter, is written to a particular individual, Gaius.

III John 1-2, Dear Gaius
The elder, To my dear friend Gaius, whom I love in the truth. Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.

John, like any friend, wishes good physical health to Gaius, and also spiritual health.

III John 3-8, Your faithfulness and hospitality
It gave me great joy to have some brothers come and tell about your faithfulness to the truth and how you continue to walk in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers, even though they are strangers to you. They have told the church about your love. You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God. It was for the sake of the Name that they went out, receiving no help from the pagans. We ought therefore to show hospitality to such men so that we may work together for the truth.

Gaius shows hospitality to strangers and is commended for this. Some of the visitors are travelers working for the gospel.

III John 9-10, Dioetrephes
I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will have nothing to do with us. So if I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, gossiping maliciously about us. Not satisfied with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers. He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church.

Diotrephes is a false teacher. He has the desire -- so human! -- to be first, to be at the front.  In this case he attempts to control the local church by gossip and bullying.

III John 11-12, Doing good
Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God. Demetrius is well spoken of by everyone--and even by the truth itself. We also speak well of him, and you know that our testimony is true.

In opposition to Diotrephes is a good man, Demetrius. (Lloyd C. Douglas chose the character Demetrius to be the slave of the Roman centurion in his Christian novel, "The Robe".)

III John 13-14, I hope to see you
I have much to write you, but I do not want to do so with pen and ink. I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face. Peace to you. 

The friends here send their greetings. Greet the friends there by name.

John intends to visit soon, putting aside the need to write.