REVELATION—NOTE ON 1:1–8 Prologue. John signals how to read the book and receive its promised blessings. The terms “revelation,” “show,” “made it known” (a Gk. verb related to “sign,” 12:1, 3; 15:1), and “he saw” prepare the reader and hearers for symbolic visions, which make history’s hidden realities visible.
REVELATION—NOTE ON 1:1–3 Title, Transmission, Promise of Blessing. The opening paragraph identifies this book’s genre (“revelation” or apocalypse, a disclosure of unseen realities), its divine author (“Jesus Christ”), and the process by which he is conveying it through the human author (“his servant John”) to believers (“his servants”). It then pronounces the first of seven benedictions on those who rightly receive the book’s message.
REVELATION—NOTE ON 1:1 revelation of Jesus Christ. Jesus is both the One revealed (referred to variously as Son of Man, Lion of Judah, Lamb, Word of God) and the Revealer. God transmits the unveiled truth to Jesus (5:7), and his angel conveys it to John (10:9) for God’s servants in the churches. The prophecy must … take place because it is secured by God’s sovereign purpose and power. It will take place soon, because “the time is near” (1:3). In the epilogue, John, unlike Daniel, is told not to seal his prophecy (22:10; cf. Dan. 12:4). John’s visions are important for his first-century readers as well as for later generations of believers.
REVELATION—NOTE ON 1:3 Blessed. The first of seven blessings is given to those who hear and keep God’s Word. Later blessings (14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6; 22:7, 14) commend purity and perseverance, even to the death. In the early church one would read aloud while others listened. Revelation’s message and its blessing can be received even by hearing it read, but only if that hearing is accompanied by obeying as well. the time is near. See notes on 1 Thess. 5:2–3; 5:4.
REVELATION—NOTE ON 1:4–6 Epistolary Opening. This greeting identifies author and recipients, then pronounces blessing upon the recipients. the seven churches that are in Asia. Since churches existed in other cities of Roman Asia (e.g., Colossae, Troas), Christ’s selection of “seven,” symbolizing completeness, implies that he addresses the whole church through them. him who is and who was and who is to come. God is eternal, and in Christ he will come at the end of history to judge and save. the seven spirits. Revelation presents the Holy Spirit as one person (3:6, 13; cf. Eph. 4:4), but he also appears as “seven spirits” (cf. Rev. 3:1; 4:5; etc.), representing perfection, and as “seven torches of fire” (4:5) and “seven eyes” (5:6) to express his omnipresence and omniscience. from him who is … from the seven spirits … and from Jesus Christ. John’s greeting comes “from” all three persons of the Trinity. the faithful witness. Witness (cf. “testimony,” 1:2) is central to the church’s calling amid suffering. As Jesus was the faithful witness even to death (1 Tim. 6:13), so must his followers be (Rev. 2:13; 12:11; 20:4). Christians are called to be faithful witnesses, but Jesus is “the” faithful witness par excellence. John comforts his persecuted readers with the truth that Jesus has triumphed over death (the firstborn of the dead) and that he is sovereign over all earthly powers, even Caesar, since he is the ruler of kings on earth (cf. 19:16). made us a kingdom, priests. Israel’s roles now belong to those of all nations who are freed from sins by Jesus’ blood (5:10; Ex. 19:6). From the outset, Jesus’ death is central to the message of Revelation.
REVELATION—NOTE ON 1:7–8 Announcement of the Coming King. coming with the clouds. See note on 1 Thess. 4:16–17. Jesus will come as the Son of Man with universal dominion (cf. Dan. 7:13–14), though his subjects pierced him (Zech. 12:10). wail. Most scholars think the wailing is a reaction to judgment instead of the kind of grief that leads to salvation. The coming one is the Lord God, Alpha and Omega (first and last letters of the Gk. alphabet) (see Rev. 1:17; 22:13). Jesus is the beginning of all history (the Creator) and also the goal for whom all things are made (all history is moving toward glorifying him).
REVELATION—NOTE ON 1:9–22:5 Body. John begins the body of his letter with a vision of “one like a son of man,” who addresses edicts of commendation and critique to his seven churches.
REVELATION—NOTE ON 1:9–3:22 “Things That Are”: Christ’s Presence with and Knowledge of His Churches. John’s first vision, of the glorious Son of Man who is spiritually present with his struggling churches on earth, initiates a cycle of seven letters or edicts in which Jesus omnisciently diagnoses each church’s condition and sovereignly commands appropriate responses of repentance and persevering faithfulness.
REVELATION—NOTE ON 1:9–20 The Son of Man among His Churches. Jesus Christ appears in resplendent and overpowering glory to reassure his churches that by his death and resurrection he has control of the danger and death that threaten them. Although he is exalted in heaven, he is also present with his churches on earth and knows their needs better than they themselves do.
REVELATION—NOTE ON 1:9 John’s confinement on Patmos, an Aegean island to which Rome exiled political criminals, shows that he is a partner with the churches’ tribulation and patient endurance. Patmos is an arid island approximately 24 square miles (62 sq. km) in area and roughly 40 miles (64 km) from the mainland of Asia Minor. Since antiquity, it has possessed a working protected harbor near its center (modern Skala) and other places for small boats to anchor. Inscriptions and archaeological remains indicate the existence of a fortress before John’s arrival, and the clear presence of the Artemis cult afterward. The limited population of the island during John’s day was probably largely pagan. Assuming (with church tradition) that John had been officially banished to Patmos, he may have been granted some freedom of movement on the island (even if, as claimed in later tradition, he lived in a cave) and may not actually have been in a prison, though he would have been barred from leaving Patmos.
REVELATION—NOTE ON 1:10 in the Spirit. John was conscious of being surrounded by the manifest presence of the Holy Spirit. Such strong influence of the Holy Spirit leads to prophetic visions (4:2; 17:3; 21:10; cf. Ezek. 3:12). The Lord’s day is Sunday, the first day of the week, the day on which Christ rose.
REVELATION—NOTE ON 1:11 The order in which the churches are listed traces the route along which a courier from Patmos would have carried the scroll.
REVELATION—NOTE ON 1:13 son of man (see note on John 1:51). Jesus’ preferred self-designation in the Synoptic Gospels, derived primarily from the book of Daniel. In contrast to four beasts, symbolizing evil kingdoms, the son of man receives from the Ancient of Days universal and eternal dominion as the saints’ representative (Dan. 7:1–14). Revelation 1:12–20 displays Christ’s divine glory both visually and audibly, setting the scene for his royal edicts to the seven churches (chs. 2–3).
REVELATION—NOTE ON 1:14 Hairs … like white wool show infinite, divine wisdom (Dan. 7:9; cf. Lev. 19:32; Prov. 16:31; 20:29). As he stands among the lampstands, Jesus’ eyes like a flame of fire see through facades. He can say to each church, “I know,” infallibly diagnosing its condition (e.g., Rev. 2:18–19).
REVELATION—NOTE ON 1:15 Christ’s feet, like burnished bronze (cf. 2:18), will crush any opponents. roar of many waters. Cf. Ezek. 1:24, “like the sound of many waters, like the sound of the Almighty.”
REVELATION—NOTE ON 1:16 two-edged sword. God’s Word, which searches hearts and judges rebels (cf. Isa. 49:2; Eph. 6:17; Heb. 4:12; Rev. 19:15).
REVELATION—NOTE ON 1:17 the first and the last. The Son of Man affirms his divine eternity, echoing the Lord’s boast over idols (Isa. 41:4; 44:6).
REVELATION—NOTE ON 1:18 I died … I am alive forevermore. Paradoxically, this ever-living One died to redeem believers and now lives forever as “the firstborn of the dead” (v. 5). Because Jesus died and rose again, John must “fear not” (v. 17), and the churches should not fear death, because Jesus has conquered it forever. On Christ’s resurrection, see 1 Cor. 15:42–57.
REVELATION—NOTE ON 1:19 Jesus’ command to write forecasts the book’s main divisions: The letters (royal edicts) to the churches (chs. 2–3) address the things that are. Thereafter John’s visions turn primarily to those that are to take place after this (see 4:1).
REVELATION—NOTE ON 1:20 Angels of the seven churches might be human messengers, human pastors, or literal angels sent as messengers, but they are probably personifications of each church’s identity. Jesus will address his encouragement and/or rebuke for each church to that church’s angel. Cf. Dan. 10:13–14.
REVELATION—NOTE ON 2:1–3:22 Christ’s Edict-letters to His Seven Churches. Revelation’s first sevenfold series (followed by seals, trumpets, and bowls) consists of seven “letters” or royal edicts, each of which follows a pattern: (1) The royal author describes himself in terms from ch. 1. (2) “I know” introduces his diagnosis of the church’s condition, both positive (except for Sardis and Laodicea) and negative (except for Smyrna and Philadelphia). (3) Comfort and commands flow from the diagnosis. (4) All of the churches are commanded to hear and heed all of the letters (“what the Spirit says to the churches,” 2:7, etc.). (5) A blessing is promised to “the one who conquers,” foreshadowing the final visions in chs. 21–22.
View this chart online at http://kindle.esvsb.org/c227
| Church | Reference | Description of Christ | Commendation | Rebuke | Solution | Consequence of Disobedience | Promise for Conquerors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ephesus | 2:1–7 | holds the seven stars in his right hand; walks among the seven golden lampstands | doctrinal vigilance and endurance | loss of first love | remember, repent, and do the works done at first | removal of their lampstand | will be given the tree of life in paradise to eat |
| Smyrna | 2:8–11 | the first and the last, who died and came to life | spiritually rich, enduring persecution | — | be faithful unto death | — | will be given the crown of life and will not be hurt by the second death |
| Pergamum | 2:12–17 | has the sharp two-edged sword | holding fast Christ’s name, not denying their faith | false teaching | repent | war against them with the sword of Christ’s mouth | will be given hidden manna and a white stone with a new name on it |
| Thyatira | 2:18–29 | has eyes like a flame of fire, feet like burnished bronze | growing love, evidenced in deeds of service | lack of discernment; toleration of heresy | hold fast and keep Christ’s works till the end | each given as their works deserve | will be given the morning star and authority over the nations |
| Sardis | 3:1–6 | has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars | a few remain pure and loyal | dead works | keep the Word and repent | Christ will come like a thief | will be clothed in white garments; name never blotted out of the book of life; name confessed before God and angels |
| Philadelphia | 3:7–13 | the holy one, the true one, who has the keys of David | patiently enduring, keeping God’s word and not denying his name | — | hold fast what you have | — | will be made a pillar in the temple of God, inscribed with the names of God, the new Jerusalem, and Christ |
| Laodicea | 3:14–22 | the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation | — | spiritually blind, bankrupt, naked, lukewarm | buy gold, white garments, and salve from Christ; be zealous and repent | will be spit out of Christ’s mouth | will dine with Christ; will be granted to sit with Christ on his throne |
REVELATION—NOTE ON 2:1–7 To Ephesus. The church in Ephesus was commended for doctrinal vigilance and endurance but was rebuked for its loss of love. The city’s landmark was the temple of Artemis, and one of its symbols was the date palm tree (contrast “tree of life,” v. 7). See Introduction to Ephesians: The Ancient City of Ephesus.
REVELATION—NOTE ON 2:1 The words of reflects the expression “thus says,” which in the OT could introduce either a word from God (e.g., Amos 1:6, 9, 11) or a royal edict (e.g., 2 Chron. 36:23).
REVELATION—NOTE ON 2:4–5 the love you had at first. One interpretation is that Ephesus had lost its early love for Christ. Another interpretation is that Ephesian believers had lost love for one another and needed to revive the compassionate works you did at first. Many interpreters think both are in view, since love for Christ and love for one another are related (cf. Mark 12:29–31; 1 John 4:20). Remove your lampstand means that both in the near future and when Christ returns, they would lose their status as a church and Christ would treat them like apostate Israel.
REVELATION—NOTE ON 2:6 Nicolaitans. Obviously a heretical Christian sect, but not identifiable with certainty from NT or extrabiblical evidence. Like the prophet Balaam, they seduced God’s people to participate in idolatry and sexual immorality (vv. 14–15), perhaps disguising antinomian license as freedom in Christ (see 1 Cor. 6:12–20; 8:1–11:1).
REVELATION—NOTE ON 2:7 the one who conquers. Victory is the objective in a Christian’s spiritual warfare. The Lion of Judah conquered as a slain Lamb, redeeming people for God from every nation (5:5, 9). Believers who hold to their testimony conquer the dragon (12:11) and the beast (15:2). tree of life. Access to this tree in Eden, and the eternal life it promised to the pure, was banned after humanity’s fall (Gen. 3:22–24). It reappears in the new Jerusalem, its roots watered by living water from God’s throne, its fruit a constant source of nourishment, and its leaves bringing healing to the city’s inhabitants, whose names appear in the Lamb’s book of life (Rev. 22:1–2).
The following images depict ways in which God will be God to those who conquer (cf. Rev. 21:7).
View this chart online at http://kindle.esvsb.org/c233
| Promise | What Will Happen | Fulfillment |
|---|---|---|
| 2:7 | will eat from the tree of life | 22:2 |
| 2:11 | will not be hurt by the second death | 20:6; 21:7–8 |
| 2:17 | will be given a white stone | 21:11, 18–21 |
| 2:26–27; 3:21 | will reign with Christ on his throne | 20:4 |
| 2:28 | will be given the morning star | 21:23; 22:5, 16 |
| 3:5 | will be clothed in bright garments | 19:7–8; 21:2, 9–10 |
| 3:5 | name will be in the book of life | 21:27 |
| 3:12 | will be made a pillar in God’s temple | 21:22–23 |
| 3:12 | will participate in the new Jerusalem | 21:10 |
| 3:12 | will have God’s name written on them | 22:4 |
REVELATION—NOTE ON 2:8–11 To Smyrna. Churches in Smyrna and Philadelphia (3:7–13) receive no rebuke from King Jesus, who encourages them as they endure persecution. Roman Smyrna (modern Izmir) was a harbor city renowned for its temple to the Mother Goddess and for its provincial imperial cult temples to Tiberius (1st century A.D.) and Hadrian (2nd century). Strabo in his Geography (14.1.37) reported early-first-century Smyrna to be a beautiful city possessing paved streets, a library, a gymnasium, and a shrine to Homer, who may have been born there. A few inscriptions point to a Jewish presence in the city. Jewish opposition to Christians in Smyrna was alleged in the martyrdom accounts of Polycarp and of Pionius (2nd and 3rd centuries, respectively; cf. 2:9).
REVELATION—NOTE ON 2:8 the first and the last, who died and came to life. To a church already suffering “slander” (v. 9) and soon to face persecution “unto death” (v. 10), Jesus identifies himself as Israel’s eternal Redeemer who prepared the way through death to resurrection life (1:17–18).
REVELATION—NOTE ON 2:9 your poverty (but you are rich). Physically poor, the Smyrnan believers were spiritually rich (cf. James 2:5), whereas the Laodiceans thought themselves affluent but in Jesus’ eyes were bankrupt (Rev. 3:17). The church’s opponents may say that they are Jews, but they have no legitimate claim to that name (John 8:39–44; Rom. 2:12–29). Quite to the contrary, they belong to the synagogue of Satan. The NT defines God’s people in relation to Jesus, not their genealogy.
REVELATION—NOTE ON 2:10–11 ten days … unto death. The tribulation for Smyrnan Christians will be brief (cf. Dan. 1:12–16), yet it may end not in discharge from prison but in martyrdom, an even better release (Rev. 7:14–17). The crown of life (i.e., eternal life) is the laurel wreath of victory that God promises to those who love him (1 Cor. 9:25; 2 Tim. 4:6–8; James 1:12). The one who conquers by faithfulness in the face of death is immune from the second death (see Rev. 20:4–6).
REVELATION—NOTE ON 2:12–17 To Pergamum. The church at Ephesus resisted false teaching, and Smyrna endured persecution. Believers at Pergamum faced both assaults, withstanding persecution well but wrongly condoning dangerous deception. Pergamum was built on terraces leading up the only accessible slope of its acropolis. It was an important center for pagan and imperial religion, but there are also indications of Jewish religion (e.g., Cicero, For Flaccus 28; Josephus, Jewish Antiquities 14.247–255).
REVELATION—NOTE ON 2:12 Christ’s reference to the sharp two-edged sword proceeding from his mouth (cf. 1:16) forewarns that the church’s failure to discipline false teachers will prompt him to intervene directly (2:16).
REVELATION—NOTE ON 2:13 Pergamum hosted temples dedicated to “the divine Augustus and the goddess Roma” and to Asklepios (the god of healing, symbolized by serpents), and a large altar dedicated to Zeus. The worship of the emperor as a god was also strongly emphasized, even required, in the province of Asia, and it was a major problem for Christians at the time. All of this qualifies Pergamum to be called the site of Satan’s throne. Amid oppressive paganism, a believer named Antipas had sealed his testimony with his life, and Jesus shares with Antipas his own title, faithful witness (cf. 1:5).
REVELATION—NOTE ON 2:14–16 As the Israelites migrated through the wilderness, the prophet Balaam, prevented from cursing them, advised Moab’s king to seduce them into both sexual and spiritual adultery (Num. 25:1–2; 31:16). Likewise the Nicolaitans, though opposed in Ephesus, were spreading sexual and spiritual infidelity at Pergamum (see Rev. 2:6).
REVELATION—NOTE ON 2:16 If not, I will come to you soon. Jesus’ threat to come soon refers not to the second coming but to his intervention through providence, as at Corinth (1 Cor. 11:30–32).
REVELATION—NOTE ON 2:17 As God fed Israel in the wilderness, Christ supplies hidden manna to the one who conquers, who endures persecution and stays pure from defilement (12:6, 14–17). Historically, a white stone was given to victors at games for entrance to banquets (cf. the messianic banquet); such a stone was also used by jurors at trials to vote for acquittal. The new name, given to the one who holds fast to Jesus’ name (2:13), may refer to the Holy Spirit’s work of conforming believers to the holiness of Christ (Rom. 8:29). The manna and the white stone suggest differing types of eternal blessings and rewards, as appropriate in each situation.
REVELATION—NOTE ON 2:18–29 To Thyatira. Thyatira was a politically and culturally marginalized city, finding its identity economically, with guilds dealing in metals and fabric (Acts 16:14). Guilds celebrated their patron deities in periodic festivities, so Christians may have been tempted toward the message of a “prophetess” who advocated participation in illicit sex and food sacrificed to idols, both staples of the social scene. Archaeological soundings at modern Ak-Hissar have yielded evidence of a few ancient architectural elements from Thyatira. Coins point to the ongoing NT-era worship of Apollo, who had been assimilated with the Lydian sun-god Tyrimnos.
REVELATION—NOTE ON 2:18 Christ’s eyes like a flame of fire and feet … like burnished bronze (cf. 1:14–15) evoke images familiar to Thyatiran metalworkers, as well as echoing OT visions of God’s glory (Ezek. 1:27). With fiery eyes, Jesus “searches mind and heart” (Rev. 2:23), and his feet will crush his enemies.
REVELATION—NOTE ON 2:19–20 Thyatira’s strengths and weaknesses are the inverse of those at Ephesus. This church is strong in love evidenced in works; but it lacks discernment and tolerates heresy. The self-proclaimed prophetess who endorses idolatry and immorality resembles Jezebel of Tyre, who married Israel’s King Ahab and violently imposed Baal-worship on the northern kingdom (1 Kings 16:30–33; 19:1–2). Many scholars think “Jezebel” represented an actual woman “prophetess” who was leading people astray in the church of Thyatira. In any case, she symbolizes the prostitute Babylon, who seduces through pleasure and luxury as well as ruthless violence (Revelation 17).
REVELATION—NOTE ON 2:21–23 The Lord has given the “prophetess” (v. 20) time to repent, or the church time to bring her to discipline. Neither has occurred, and she proliferates lovers and children—spiritual offspring who exhibit her influence and will share in her great tribulation, unless they repent.
REVELATION—NOTE ON 2:24–25 Jesus’ eyes distinguish sincere believers from those who abandon God’s Word to search elsewhere for the deep things of Satan, deceptive promises of secret spiritual knowledge through false religions. Those content with the gospel have nothing to fear and no other burden, as long as they hold fast.
REVELATION—NOTE ON 2:26–28 The “Son of God” (v. 18) will share with the one who conquers his own authority to rule the nations (Ps. 2:7–9). The morning star is Christ himself (cf. Rev. 22:16), Israel’s ruler and rescuer, who was foreseen by Balaam, the unwilling seer (Num. 24:17). Premillennialists see here a reference to reigning with Christ in the millennium (cf. note on Rev. 20:4–5).
REVELATION—NOTE ON 3:1–6 To Sardis. Sardis’s capture twice in its history while watchmen neglected their duty became a cautionary tale of misguided complacency and lack of vigilance (see note on vv. 2–3). Although Jesus’ rebuke identifies no specific source of attack, this congregation was similarly asleep, at death’s door. Most of the impressive Roman-era remains now visible at Sardis were constructed after the tragic earthquake of A.D. 17. The emperor Tiberius helped sponsor reconstruction efforts, earning greater local renown for himself. In John’s day the civic structures included a theater, a stadium, a central marble road, and multiple temples (esp. the monumental temple of Artemis). Many Jewish inscriptions also exist in Sardis, confirming the multiple references in Josephus to Sardis’s Jewish population (Jewish Antiquities 14.235, 259–261; 16.171).
REVELATION—NOTE ON 3:1 the seven spirits of God (cf. note on 1:4–6). A figurative description of the one Holy Spirit, who issues an edict to each of the seven churches (2:7, 11, 17; etc.). He will also appear as the Lamb’s seven eyes, sent throughout the earth (5:6). Jesus knows this church’s reality (dead), not just its reputation (alive); he holds the seven stars that signify the churches’ true identities.
REVELATION—NOTE ON 3:2–3 The church in Sardis is in a deep spiritual coma, approaching death but not beyond Christ’s summons to wake up, to strengthen what is about to die, to remember and keep the message of grace that the church had received and heard, and to pursue the holiness that flows from grace. like a thief. A frequent NT simile (Luke 12:39–40; 1 Thess. 5:2–4; 2 Pet. 3:10; Rev. 16:15); humans cannot predict the timing of Christ’s return. The command to “wake up” is a reminder that twice in its history Sardis had been sacked (in 547/546 B.C. by Cyrus II, and in 214 B.C. by Antiochus III) when the watchmen on the walls failed to detect an enemy army sneaking up its supposedly impregnable cliffs and walls.
REVELATION—NOTE ON 3:4–5 Hope for revival is in the fact that a few names—alert and unstained disciples—can still be found in this church. Their unsoiled garments symbolize consistent obedience and courageous faith. Christ promises them the conqueror’s reward: communion with himself (walk with me) and the white raiment of victory (cf. note on 2:17; also 7:14). Their name is secure in his book of life (20:15), and he will confess their name before the Father, since they have confessed Jesus in hostile circumstances (Matt. 10:32).
REVELATION—NOTE ON 3:7–13 To Philadelphia. In appreciation for imperial reconstruction aid after an earthquake (A.D. 17), Philadelphia was briefly renamed Neocaesarea (“Caesar’s New City”), but Jesus promises his suffering church an infinitely greater name, “the city of my God, the new Jerusalem” (v. 12). Philadelphia lies near a fertile valley, especially suited for growing wine grapes. Inscriptions from Philadelphia mention worship of Zeus and Hestia, and the Roman imperial cult was already present by the first century A.D. An inscription from a nearby town mentions a synagogue in that town. Christians in Philadelphia later received a letter from the early church father Ignatius (c. A.D. 110), and they suffered during the martyrdom of Polycarp (c. 155).
REVELATION—NOTE ON 3:7 Jesus holds the key of David, meaning that his authority to admit to or exclude from God’s kingdom cannot be reversed (cf. Isa. 22:22; Matt. 16:19).
REVELATION—NOTE ON 3:8 an open door. For Paul, open doors were opportunities for ministry (1 Cor. 16:9; 2 Cor. 2:12; Col. 4:3). That sense is possible here; but since these Christians, excluded by the synagogue, would become pillars in God’s temple (Rev. 3:12), probably Jesus sets before them the “door standing open” into God’s heavenly sanctuary (4:1). little power. As Christians in Smyrna were physically poor yet spiritually rich, so those in Philadelphia were weak yet holding fast to Jesus’ word (3:10–11).
REVELATION—NOTE ON 3:9 Members of the synagogue of Satan (cf. 2:9) say that they are Jews but instead are serving God’s enemy as they persecute Christians. Christ will compel these persecutors to bow down at the feet of his followers and acknowledge that he has loved them, just as Isaiah foresaw Gentiles bowing before Israelites (Isa. 45:14; 49:23).
REVELATION—NOTE ON 3:10 To those who have kept his word, Christ promises, “I will keep you” from the coming hour of trial, which will put those who dwell on the earth to the test. Because this trial is coming on the whole world, it seems that before the final consummation, Revelation envisions a brief future period of intensified persecution for the church (see 19:19; 20:7–9) and of escalating manifestations of God’s wrath against “those who dwell on the earth,” a phrase designating rebellious humanity (6:10; 8:13; 11:10; 13:8, 12, 14; 17:2, 8). Jesus does not promise to spare believers from suffering or martyrdom but to shield them from his wrath and to transform martyrdom into triumph (6:10–11; 12:11). Many who hold a “pretribulation rapture” position believe that this verse means Christ will take them out of the world before a literal “great tribulation” period begins. Other interpreters, however, see this as God’s promise to safeguard and remain faithful to believers who endure patiently in the midst of “the hour of trial that is coming,” though it does not imply that he will take believers out of the world at that time (cf. a similar but not identical Gk. expression in James 1:27, where it does not imply removal from the world).
REVELATION—NOTE ON 3:12 As a pillar in God’s temple, inscribed with the name of God, the one who conquers can never be excluded from God’s presence, for he will dwell in God’s new Jerusalem (21:2) as David’s royal heir (3:7).
REVELATION—NOTE ON 3:14–22 To Laodicea. Damaged by an earthquake in A.D. 60, self-sufficient Laodicea, a commercial center and site of thriving medical and textile industries, declined imperial disaster relief. The city did not see itself as “poor, blind, and naked” (v. 17), nor did the complacent church within it. In this last church alone Jesus finds nothing to commend. Laodicea was famous for its worship of Zeus, who appears on some of the city’s coinage. Today one can still view unexcavated remnants of the city wall, two theaters, a stadium from the time of Vespasian (c. A.D. 79), and a second-century bath and/or gymnasium with adjacent water tower. An aqueduct came from the south toward Laodicea, bringing water rich in minerals. There is evidence of Jewish presence in Laodicea. Twenty pounds of gold were confiscated in the first century B.C. from Jews who intended to send it as a temple tax to Jerusalem (Cicero, For Flaccus 28). Paul was in contact with the church there (Col. 2:1; 4:13–16).
REVELATION—NOTE ON 3:14 As the faithful and true witness (cf. 1:5), Jesus brings accusing testimony that contradicts the church’s boast, “I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing” (3:17). Jesus’ self-designation as the beginning of God’s creation does not mean that he is God’s first creation (cf. notes on Col. 1:15–17) but that he is the one who began God’s creation (cf. note on John 1:3). In Revelation, “the beginning” with its complement “the end” is an expression for God’s eternity (cf. Rev. 21:6; 22:13), and here it signifies Christ’s sovereign rule over the created order.
REVELATION—NOTE ON 3:15–16 The waters of the nearby Lycus River were muddy and undrinkable, and the waters flowing by aqueduct from hot springs 5 miles (8 km) away were lukewarm when they reached Laodicea. Likewise, Jesus found his church’s tepid indifference repugnant. Cold and hot water represent something positive, for cold water refreshes in the heat, and hot water is a tonic when one is chilly.
REVELATION—NOTE ON 3:17–18 The spiritually blind, bankrupt, naked Laodiceans obviously had no resources to buy from Jesus gold or garments or salve for their eyes. They could “purchase” these necessities only by his grace, as the Lord had once invited thirsty spiritual paupers to “buy wine and milk without money” (Isa. 55:1–4).
REVELATION—NOTE ON 3:19–20 Like a loving father, Christ will reprove those whom he loves (cf. Prov. 3:12), calling them to repent before he intervenes in judgment. I stand at the door and knock, not as a homeless transient seeking shelter but as the master of the house, expecting alert servants to respond immediately to his signal and welcome his entrance (Luke 12:35–36; James 5:9). To the one who opens the door, Christ will come in and will eat with him, a picture of close personal fellowship.
REVELATION—NOTE ON 3:21 I will grant him to sit with me on my throne implies that Christ will delegate some of his ruling authority to his people (cf. 20:4; 22:6; Luke 19:17; 1 Cor. 6:3; 2 Tim. 2:12). Premillennialists also see this as a promise of reigning with Christ in the millennium (see notes on Rev. 2:26–28; 20:1–6).
REVELATION—NOTE ON 4:1–22:5 “Things That Shall Take Place after This”: Christ’s Defense of His Church and Destruction of Its Enemies. Having identified the strengths and weaknesses of the seven Asian churches (2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22), which represent “all the churches” (2:23), Jesus speaks again. He summons John “in the Spirit” to heaven, to receive visions that portray the future working out of his victory on the cross until its consummation in the new heaven and earth at the end of history.
REVELATION—NOTE ON 4:1–8:1 The Lamb and the Scroll: Current and Coming Woes, Precursors of the End. John receives a heavenly vision of God on his throne and of the slain Lamb, whose triumph qualifies him to open a scroll and execute God’s future purposes for history, the destruction of all his foes, and the vindication of those who trust in him. As the Lamb opens the scroll’s seals, John sees images of God’s instruments of judgment and of the saints who will receive salvation.
REVELATION—NOTE ON 4:1–5:14 Heaven Opened: The Lamb Receives the Scroll. These visions, portraying events to take place after the first-century churches’ struggles, begin with a door standing open in heaven, leading to a vision of God on his throne receiving ceaseless worship, and of the Lamb, who receives from him a mysterious sealed scroll.
REVELATION—NOTE ON 4:1–2 the first voice … like a trumpet (cf. 1:10). The Son of Man summons John through the door into heaven, and in the Spirit (see note on 1:10) the prophet sees a throne, with one seated on it, “the Lord God Almighty” (4:8), adored by his heavenly attendants as “our Lord and God” (v. 11; cf. Isa. 6:1–5; Ezek. 1:26–28).
REVELATION—NOTE ON 4:3 Imitating Isaiah’s and Ezekiel’s reserve in describing visions of God’s glory (cf. Isa. 6:1–6; Ezek. 1:26–28), John suggests luminous colors—jasper, carnelian, rainbow, emerald—but avoids precise description of the Almighty’s visible features, perhaps because he knew no language to describe what he saw. The jewels of this book (cf. Rev. 21:19–20) are not meant to be interpreted individually but together signify the splendor and majesty of God.
REVELATION—NOTE ON 4:4 On twenty-four thrones sat twenty-four elders. Their number may reflect the orders of priests serving in the OT temple (cf. 1 Chron. 24:7–19) but more likely they symbolize the unity of God’s people, encompassing OT Israel (led by the heads of the 12 tribes) and the NT church (led by the 12 apostles), like the new Jerusalem’s 12 gates and 12 foundations (Rev. 21:12, 14). Their thrones resemble those of God’s heavenly court in Dan. 7:9–10 (cf. Rev. 20:4). Some interpreters believe that these elders are angels, and that therefore they do not include themselves among the redeemed in 5:8–10.
REVELATION—NOTE ON 4:5 Lightning, rumblings, and thunder display the terrifying splendor of God’s glory, as at Mount Sinai (Ex. 19:16).
REVELATION—NOTE ON 4:6–8 The sea of glass appears in prophetic visions of God’s throne room (Ex. 24:10; Ezek. 1:22, 26; Rev. 15:2). It is the “floor” of heaven and the “ceiling” of the created universe, and its transparent tranquility shows heaven’s peace in contrast to earthly turmoil. Four living creatures exhibit features of cherubim (full of eyes; lion; ox; man; eagle) and seraphim (six wings; “Holy, holy, holy”) glimpsed by previous prophets (Isa. 6:2–3; Ezek. 1:10, 18). Variation and blending of such features is a reminder that in prophetic visions, images symbolize mysterious unseen realities. These close attendants represent and yet transcend the whole of the created order on earth and in heaven as they ceaselessly praise God for his intrinsic attributes: infinite holiness and power, and eternal life (in the repeated description, “who lives forever and ever,” in Rev. 4:9–10). When the Lamb breaks the scroll’s seals, these living creatures will summon four horsemen to bring judgment (6:1–8).
REVELATION—NOTE ON 4:9–11 The chorus of four living creatures swells as the twenty-four elders fall down and cast their crowns before the throne, offering worship and expressing submission to God’s authority. The elders extol God as worthy of threefold tribute (glory, honor, power) because he exerts his sovereign will in creating and sustaining all things. God receives “power,” not in the sense that an omnipotent being can become stronger, but in the sense that the strength of his creatures is used to honor him. These praises of God for his eternal perfection and creative achievement are the prelude to a “new song,” which will laud God and the Lamb for redemption, the climactic display of their divine worthiness (5:9–10).
REVELATION—NOTE ON 5:1–4 The theme of worthiness continues as John sees in God’s hand a sealed scroll so sacred that it seems no one in the universe is worthy to open it.
REVELATION—NOTE ON 5:1 A scroll written within and on the back is like the scroll given to Ezekiel (Ezek. 2:9–3:3) but is atypical of most ancient manuscripts, since the irregular texture of the reverse side of either vellum (leather) or papyrus made them hard to inscribe. However, such a doubly inscribed scroll would resemble a Roman will or contract deed, with the contents written in detail inside and summarized briefly outside, then sealed with seven seals. The scroll John sees could symbolize a will that is to be opened and its contents executed; or it could symbolize God’s covenant with mankind, with the covenant curses that will be poured out due to mankind’s breaking of the contract. In a broader sense, the scroll contains God’s purposes for history, but its seven seals prevent the full disclosure and enactment of its contents.
REVELATION—NOTE ON 5:2–4 The scroll awaited one worthy to open the scroll and break its seals, and no servant of God introduced so far—neither elders nor living creatures nor anyone else in heaven, on earth, or under the earth—had sufficient authority to unveil and implement God’s secret agenda. Sensing that the church’s hope stood in jeopardy, John began to weep loudly.
REVELATION—NOTE ON 5:5–14 The apparent absence of one worthy to open the scroll was a dramatic interlude calculated to impress on John and his hearers the unique dignity of the scroll’s recipient—the Lamb—who is now introduced.
REVELATION—NOTE ON 5:5 The Lion of the tribe of Judah echoes Jacob’s blessing on Judah, conferring leadership over his brothers (Gen. 49:8–12). In the OT, the Messiah was the branch to spring from Jesse’s root to restore David’s dynasty (Isa. 11:1, 10). But now he is also called the Root of David, because Jesus is not only the royal descendant (Rev. 22:16) but also the source of David’s rule (Mark 12:35–37; cf. “root of Jesse,” Rom. 15:12). The Lion is worthy to open the scroll because he has conquered. The OT promise of a conquering Lion is fulfilled in the NT reality of one who is also the slain Lamb (Rev. 5:9).
REVELATION—NOTE ON 5:6–7 The conquering Lion now appears as a Lamb standing, as … slain—as “the living one” who died and rose again, “alive forevermore” (1:18). The Lord’s servant was led like a lamb to slaughter, bearing the iniquity of others and achieving their healing (Isa. 53:4–7; John 1:29; 1 Pet. 1:19). The Lamb’s seven horns symbolize great power (Ps. 18:2; Dan. 7:24; Zech. 1:18–21). His seven eyes, identified with God’s “seven spirits” (cf. note on Rev. 1:4–6; also Zech. 4:10), show that the Lamb’s knowledge extends through all the earth.
REVELATION—NOTE ON 5:8–10 When the Lamb receives the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders, who had praised God for his perfection and his creation, now sing a new song that celebrates the Lamb’s redemption. As they had previously fallen before God’s throne (4:10), now they prostrate themselves in worship before the Lamb, an affirmation of his deity. Incense symbolizes the prayers of the saints and shows that their pleas for relief are heard and will be answered in God’s providential judgments (8:3–5).
REVELATION—NOTE ON 5:9 Paradoxically, the Lion’s victory is his being slain as the Lamb, ransoming a multiethnic multitude (7:9) by his blood (1:5–6). Likewise, his martyrs’ faithfulness even to death is their victory (12:11).
REVELATION—NOTE ON 5:10 kingdom and priests. See 1:6; Ex. 19:6; 1 Pet. 2:9. reign on the earth. The earth will not always be tyrannized by Satan and destroyed by his followers (Rev. 11:18; 12:12; 13:8). The first heaven and earth, stained by the curse through human sin, will be replaced by a new (or fully renewed) heaven and earth (21:1, 4) in which Christ’s saints will reign in righteousness (2 Pet. 3:13).
REVELATION—NOTE ON 5:11–12 The choir expands to include myriads of myriads (hundreds of millions) and thousands of thousands of angels, who acclaim the Lamb worthy of sevenfold tribute (power, wealth, wisdom, might, honor, glory, blessing). The worship of the Lamb in this chapter testifies to his deity.
REVELATION—NOTE ON 5:13–14 Finally, every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea (Ps. 146:6) offers a fourfold doxology (blessing, honor, glory, might) to God and to the Lamb. Eventually, every knee “in heaven, on earth, and under the earth” will bow and “every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:11).
View this chart online at http://kindle.esvsb.org/c228
| Ascription | To God/One on the Throne | To the Lamb |
|---|---|---|
| Dominion | 1:6 | |
| Thanksgiving | 4:9; 7:12 | |
| Honor | 4:9, 11; 5:13; 7:12 | 5:12, 13 |
| Glory | 4:9, 11; 5:13; 7:12; 19:1b | 1:6; 5:12, 13 |
| Worth | 4:11 | 5:9, 12 |
| Power | 4:11; 7:12; 19:1b | 5:12 |
| Blessing/Praise | 5:13; 7:12 | 5:12, 13 |
| Salvation | 7:10; 19:1b | 7:10 |
| Might | 7:12 | 5:12 |
| Wealth | 5:12 | |
| Wisdom | 7:12 | 5:12 |
REVELATION—NOTE ON 6:1–8:1 The Lamb Opens the Scroll’s Seven Seals. As the vision of the Son of Man introduced edicts to seven churches (chs. 2–3), so the vision of the Lamb’s receiving the scroll (4:1–5:14) introduces a series of seven visions as the scroll’s seals are broken. These visions introduce instruments employed by the Lamb to bring his enemies to justice (seals 1–4), the rationale for his righteous wrath (seals 5 and 7), and the climax of judgment at history’s end (seal 6). Many who take a futurist view of Revelation (see Introduction: Schools of Interpretation) hold that the “great tribulation” (see 7:14) begins with the opening of the first seal (6:1). Other futurists think the great tribulation begins in ch. 11 with the “1,260 days” (11:3).
REVELATION—NOTE ON 6:1–8 As the Lamb opens each of the first four seals, one of the living creatures shouts, “Come!” and a horse with its rider (or riders) responds to the summons. The horses’ colors generally reflect those of the horses in Zech. 1:8–10 and 6:1–8, symbolizing emissaries sent by God to patrol the earth. Only by the Lamb’s permission and under his direction can the forces symbolized by these horses and their riders inflict death through sword, famine, pestilence, and wild beasts. The seal, trumpet, and bowl judgments all have a format of four (judgments on the earth) plus three (cosmic judgments).
REVELATION—NOTE ON 6:1–2 the Lamb opened one of the seven seals. Many futurists understand this to mark the beginning of the great tribulation. The rider on the white horse, armed with a bow and given a crown, rode forth to conquer. Some think this rider represents Christ, the sword-wielding “Word of God” who rides a white horse in 19:11–16. However, this rider, armed with a bow (like the Parthians, a frequent enemy on the Roman Empire’s eastern border), probably symbolizes political and military leaders’ destabilizing quest to expand their realms, leading to war (red horse), famine (black horse), and epidemic disease (pale horse). Others think this rider on the white horse represents the Antichrist.
REVELATION—NOTE ON 6:3–4 The next horse was red, the color of blood. Its rider was given a great sword, symbolizing permission to take peace from the earth, with the result that warring armies slay each other. The pursuit of conquest brings bloodshed. Futurists see this as representing the spread of war over the earth in the middle of the great tribulation.
REVELATION—NOTE ON 6:5–6 The rider on the black horse carries scales for measuring grains and their prices. A heavenly voice comments on the scales’ significance, citing inflated grain prices (8 to 10 times normal). Siege and disruption of commercial routes will produce scarcity, driving prices up (see Deut. 28:49–57; 2 Kings 6:24–25; 7:1–2). Local crops such as oil and wine are unaffected, however, showing that the scarcity is limited, not comprehensive. Some think the command not to harm the oil and wine may have a social significance, since the rich were the primary consumers of oil and wine. It could also be a prediction of events like that of A.D. 92, when the emperor Domitian during a grain shortage ordered the vineyards cut down to make room for more wheat fields. This caused such a backlash that he rescinded the order. In other words, extreme measures would have to be taken due to the progressive pouring out of judgment. (See chart.)
REVELATION—NOTE ON 6:7–8 Death and Hades ride the pale horse (Gk. chlōros, “pale green”; either yellowish green or grayish green, the color of corpses). Their authority to kill is limited to a fourth of the earth: God’s providence restrains both his own wrath and humanity’s violence. Sword, famine, and pestilence (Gk. thanatos, lit., “death,” but here meaning epidemic disease, such as bubonic plague) sum up the disasters symbolized by the red, black, and pale horses. They also echo covenant curses inflicted on Jerusalem in the exile (Ezek. 14:12–21). The death of “a fourth of the earth” would be a “great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now” (Matt. 24:21), which futurists take as support for viewing Revelation 6–19 as representing the great tribulation.
REVELATION—NOTE ON 6:9–11 The fifth seal reveals the Lamb’s rationale for releasing combatants to devastate the earth. Under the altar in heaven, where sacrificial blood would pool (Ex. 29:12), John sees the souls of believers who were slain (thus they are pictured as sacrifices) for bearing witness about Jesus (cf. Rev. 20:4). Their lament, how long … ? echoes that of the psalmists (Ps. 13:1; 89:46). The surprising answer is that the Lamb will restrain his wrath against his witnesses’ assailants until the last martyr has been slain. Until then, the souls of deceased saints will rest a little longer (Rev. 14:13) in the white robe of victory and purity (cf. note on 2:17; also 3:4–5; 7:9, 14). The rest of the book progressively shows how the Lord answers their prayers to avenge their deaths, beginning in 6:15–17 with the very ones who had put them to death.
View this chart online at http://kindle.esvsb.org/c229
| 6:8 | Seals | Death and Hades given authority over one fourth of the earth |
| 8:7–12 | Trumpets | one third of all affected |
| 16:3 | Bowls | every living creature |
REVELATION—NOTE ON 6:12–17 The sixth seal shows a preview of the coming destruction of the first heaven and earth (20:11; 21:1) at the full display of the wrath of the Lamb. An earthquake previously announced the terrifying arrival of the Lord in his glory (Ex. 19:18; Ps. 97:5; Ezek. 38:19–20), but his final coming will shake both earth and heaven (Hag. 2:6; Heb. 12:26–27). Most of the seven cities mentioned in Revelation 2–3 had experienced devastating earthquakes during the century before the book of Revelation. Christians in these cities could graphically imagine earthquakes preceding the Lord’s terrifying arrival. John sees the sun blackened, the moon turned blood red, the stars cast like figs in the wind, the sky rolled up like a scroll, and every mountain and island displaced (Isa. 34:4). The luminaries that have marked earth’s times since creation (Gen. 1:14) will be removed. All of this communicates the truth that the end has arrived. Rebellious humanity—from kings and the rich and the powerful to everyone, slave and free—will seek cover from God and the Lamb, begging mountains and rocks, Fall on us and hide us (cf. Isa. 2:20–21; Hos. 10:8). Their desperate question, “Who can stand in the face of God and the Lamb?” (Nah. 1:5–6; Mal. 3:2), assumes that none can. Yet John is about to see those who stand by grace (Rev. 7:1–17).
REVELATION—NOTE ON 6:13 the stars of the sky fell to the earth. Those who do not view the sixth seal (vv. 12–17) as predicting the destruction of the first heaven and earth (in light of the presence of stars in the sky in 8:12) believe that this may refer to a massive meteor shower.
REVELATION—NOTE ON 7:1–17 Interlude: The Sealing of God’s International Israel. There are three interludes (vv. 1–17; 10:1–11:14; 20:1–6) explaining the place of the saints in the events of Revelation. (As with the Egyptian plagues, the seals, trumpets, and bowls relate only to sinners.) Literal and symbolic approaches differ sharply in interpreting the vision of the “144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel” (7:4) and its relation to the next vision of an innumerable multitude “from every nation” (v. 9). Many understand this to be a reference to ethnic (or biological) Israel, and they would view the 144,000 as a symbolic or actual number of Jewish believers brought to faith immediately after Jesus returns and removes the church from the earth before (or during) a seven-year tribulation (this is a “pretribulation rapture” view). However, another common approach understands “Israel” as a reference to the church, the new covenant people of God, and in this view the visions of the 144,000 and of the international multitude are complementary perspectives on the church, believers from every nation including ethnic Israel. They are protected from the Lamb’s wrath as his own flock (v. 17) but are exposed to persecution by evil enemies. The 144,000 reappear in 14:1–4, and their description there has a bearing on the interpretation here.
REVELATION—NOTE ON 7:1–3 The sixth seal (6:12–17) showed an earthquake and a wind that shook the stars from the sky. God’s cringing enemies asked, “Who can stand?” (6:17). The answer is, those “sealed” (7:4) with the seal of the living God (cf. Ezek. 9:4–6). Therefore John sees four angels charged to hold back those winds of judgment until all of God’s servants have received his seal. “The seal of the living God” evokes a picture of a royal signet ring by which kings authenticated documents or marked ownership of an item (see note on John 6:27). This seal is the name of the Lamb and of God (Rev. 14:1), a gift promised to all who conquer by faith (3:12). It is antithetical to the mark of the beast (13:16) and symbolizes God’s ownership and protection of his people. Circumcision functioned as such a seal under the old covenant (Rom. 4:11), and God’s Holy Spirit seals God’s people as his property under the new (Eph. 1:13–14). foreheads. Cf. Ezek. 9:4–6 for a similar instance of sealing God’s people against outpoured judgment.
REVELATION—NOTE ON 7:4–8 The selection and order of the 12 tribes suggest that the 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel have symbolic significance, representing the church (however, see note on vv. 1–17 for an alternative view). These are not Jacob’s sons, for Dan is omitted and Manasseh included. They are not the tribes that inherited land in Canaan, for Dan is omitted, Levi (the priestly tribe) is included, and Joseph is listed instead of his son Ephraim. Judah, the tribe of the Messiah (5:5), appears first rather than Reuben, the firstborn. When 7:5–8 is compared with the list of Jacob’s sons in Gen. 35:22–26, the promotion of tribes descended from concubines Bilhah and Zilpah (Gad, Asher, Naphtali) over the sons of Leah and Rachel suggests that those once excluded from privilege are now included. The number 12,000 reappears in the dimensions of the new Jerusalem (Rev. 21:16). Indeed, the number 144,000 (12 x 12 x 1,000) suggests symbolism here, but that does not necessarily decide the question of whether “Israel” is also a symbol for the church, or is intended to refer to literal, ethnic Israel.
REVELATION—NOTE ON 7:9 As in 5:4–5, where John first heard an OT title (the Lion of Judah) and then saw its NT fulfillment (the Lamb slain), so here John hears (7:4) the names of the sealed sons of Israel and then sees the NT fulfillment: a countless multitude from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages (cf. 5:9), whom God has rescued from wrath through the blood of the Lamb (7:14). They stand before the throne and before the Lamb in heaven, worshiping their Savior. They wear the white robes of victorious martyrs (6:11; see note on 2:17). Many who hold to a pretribulation “rapture” of the church think that the two groups of 7:1–8 and 7:9–17 are different (converted Jewish people still suffering on earth in vv. 1–8, but the raptured church rejoicing in heaven in vv. 9–17). Others think these are Gentiles converted during the tribulation through the witness of the 144,000 Jewish believers who remain on earth (v. 4). Those who do not hold to a pretribulation rapture usually see vv. 1–8 and vv. 9–17 as the same group, with their suffering in vv. 1–8 turned to joy and reward in vv. 9–17.
REVELATION—NOTE ON 7:10–12 When the multitude extols God and the Lamb for salvation, angels and living creatures fall down and break out in a sevenfold doxology, almost replicating the sevenfold praise of the Lamb (5:12).
REVELATION—NOTE ON 7:13–14 An elder identifies the multitude as the ones coming out of the great tribulation. Some understand the definite article (Gk. hē, “the”) to refer to one great final period of suffering, but others take this to represent the sufferings of the church throughout all history. The source of their robes’ whiteness is the blood of the Lamb (cf. Ps. 51:7). John will later hear that “our brothers” have conquered their accuser by the blood of the Lamb and their testimony (Rev. 12:11).
REVELATION—NOTE ON 7:15–17 The sufferings on earth of those mentioned in vv. 13–14 are left behind, showing that John now reflects on the future heavenly inheritance. They hunger no more, neither thirst anymore. As priests, they serve God in his temple, in which he will shelter them from sun and scorching heat (cf. Isa. 49:10), spreading his tent over them and “dwelling” with them (cf. Ezek. 37:27; John 1:14). Under the protective care of the Lamb, their shepherd, they find refreshment in springs of living water (Ps. 23:1–2), tasting the promised joys of the new Jerusalem even before its final descent from heaven (Rev. 22:1), their every tear dried by God himself (Isa. 25:8; Rev. 21:4). Such comfort gives martyrs and other deceased believers rest as they await their resurrection and their persecutors’ destruction (6:11; 14:13).
REVELATION—NOTE ON 8:1 An interlude promising the sealing and safety of God’s servants (7:1–17) has delayed the opening of the final seal. The silence in heaven that ensues when the Lamb breaks the seventh seal further sustains the suspense. Yet God’s patience in delaying judgment should not be mistaken for indifferent slowness (cf. Luke 18:1–8; 2 Pet. 3:4–13). The brief period of silence—about half an hour—displaces ceaseless praises by living creatures (Rev. 4:8), elders (5:9), angels (5:11–12), and the church triumphant (7:9–10). Silence is appropriate in anticipation of the Lord’s coming judgment (Zeph. 1:7–10; Zech. 2:13).
REVELATION—NOTE ON 8:2–11:18 The Angels and the Trumpets: Warnings of Coming Wrath. A brief vision of God’s heavenly temple, focusing on a golden incense altar, opens a new cycle of seven visions, each of which is introduced by an angelic trumpet blast. Fiery devastation descends from God’s altar in response to his people’s pleas. It despoils the entire environment inhabited by rebellious humanity: land and sea, rivers and springs, lights in the sky overhead—yet divine restraint and forbearance delay the final cataclysm, prolonging the opportunity for repentance. Visions of woe initiated by the last three trumpets disclose intensified demonic activity and global violence as the consummation approaches, at which time “the kingdom of the world” will have “become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ” (11:15), and every rebel against his reign will endure eternal condemnation and punishment.
View this chart online at http://kindle.esvsb.org/c231
| Seven Letters to Churches | chs. 2–3 |
| Seven Seals on a Scroll | 5:1–8:1 |
| Seven Trumpets | 8:2–11:19 |
| Seven Bowls of Wrath | chs. 15–16 |
REVELATION—NOTE ON 8:2–5 Heaven’s Incense Altar: The Saints’ Prayers, and Fire Flung to Earth. Like the just-completed cycle of visions associated with the Lamb’s breaking the scroll’s seven seals, a sevenfold vision series begins with a glimpse into God’s heavenly sanctuary. As seven angels stand ready to sound warning trumpets, the incense altar from which smoke rises (symbolizing the prayers of the suffering church) is the source of a succession of fiery judgments cast from heaven to the earth—devastating, but still restrained, foretastes of final judgment to come.
REVELATION—NOTE ON 8:2 Seven angels stand ready to sound seven trumpets, initiating limited judgments that warn of coming destruction (cf. Ezek. 33:1–6; Joel 2:1) and summon rebels to repent (Rev. 9:21).
REVELATION—NOTE ON 8:3–5 The earthly OT sanctuary had two altars, one for bloody sacrifice in the courtyard and the other for smoky incense inside, adjacent to the veil into the Most Holy Place (Ex. 27:1–8; 30:1–10). John sees only one altar in heaven, fulfilling both functions (Rev. 6:9; 8:3). As incense was associated with the prayers of the saints in the earthly sanctuary (see Ps. 141:2; Luke 1:9–11), so it is in John’s visions (see Rev. 5:8). Not only martyrs under the heavenly altar (6:9–10) but also suffering saints on earth cry out for justice. Therefore fire from the altar, from which the saints’ prayers rise, will be flung to earth in judgment, indicating that the judgments to follow answer the prayers of the saints.
REVELATION—NOTE ON 8:6–11:18 Angels Sound Seven Trumpets. Revelation’s third sevenfold series (with a second interlude in 10:1–11:14) portrays judgments sent from heaven in response to the saints’ prayers. Judgments revealed by the first four trumpets harm the same spheres that will be destroyed when the first four bowls are poured out (16:1–9): earth, sea, rivers and springs, and sky. The damage done with the trumpets is limited to “a third”: God restrains his wrath, while giving foretastes of total devastation to come if rebels ignore his warnings. “Woes” introduced by the last three trumpets are increasingly severe (8:13; 9:12; 11:14). Futurists (see Introduction: Schools of Interpretation) generally see these trumpets and plagues as signifying actual calamities to be suffered by unrepentant unbelievers during the great tribulation. They may be either supernatural judgments or symbols for events caused by man (such as nuclear, biological, or chemical warfare). See note on 6:1–8 for the “four-plus-three” format of the judgments.
Restrained judgments from heaven are sent in response to the saints’ prayers.
View this chart online at http://kindle.esvsb.org/c230
| Trumpet | Reference | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Trumpet 1 | 8:7 | hail, fire, and blood cast on land—one-third burned |
| Trumpet 2 | 8:8–9 | burning mountain cast into sea—one-third bloodied |
| Trumpet 3 | 8:10–11 | burning stars fall on rivers and springs— one-third embittered |
| Trumpet 4 | 8:12 | sun, moon, and stars—one-third darkened |
| Trumpet 5 (1st Woe) | 9:1–11 | demons from the Abyss |
| Trumpet 6 (2nd Woe) | 9:13–21 | invasion from the east—one-third of mankind killed |
| Trumpet 7 (3rd Woe) | 11:15–19 | kingdom of world becomes kingdom of God |
REVELATION—NOTE ON 8:6–7 At the first trumpet blast hail and fire, mixed with blood, are thrown from the heavenly altar to earth, consuming a third of the earth and its trees, and all green grass. This reproduces the seventh plague on Egypt (Ex. 9:24). The first four seals (Rev. 6:1–8) signified the Lamb’s power to use human aggressors to punish persecutors of his people. Here God’s providential rule makes use of human combatants’ military strategy of ruthless defoliation (cf. Deut. 20:19–20) to call rebellious nations to repentance.
REVELATION—NOTE ON 8:8–9 The second trumpet reveals a great mountain, burning with fire, thrown into the sea, turning a third of it to blood and destroying a third of its creatures and ships. Volcanic eruptions such as Vesuvius and bloody battles on the Mediterranean show the Lamb’s sovereignty over another sphere of human life. The first plague on Egypt turned the Nile to blood (Ex. 7:20–21). The imagery echoes Jer. 51:25, 42, where God announced that he would make Babylon, Zion’s destroyer, a “burnt mountain” and cover it with the sea.
REVELATION—NOTE ON 8:10–11 At the third trumpet, fire falls from heaven as a blazing star named Wormwood (see note on Amos 5:7), which embitters and poisons a third of the rivers and springs (sources of drinking water) just as the Nile’s bloodied waters became undrinkable (Ex. 7:24). Besieged cities could be driven to surrender by sheer thirst (see 2 Kings 20:20; 2 Chron. 32:30; Ps. 46:4). If Rev. 8:10 is understood literally, it may represent a great meteorite falling to earth.
REVELATION—NOTE ON 8:12 The darkening (at the fourth trumpet) of a third of the sun, moon, and stars, obscuring their light for a third of the day and the night, resembles the ninth plague on Egypt (Ex. 10:21–23). Since stars are still in the sky, this judgment apparently precedes the shaking of heaven and earth portrayed with the sixth seal (Rev. 6:12–14; but see note on 6:13 for another view). The means causing this darkness may be billowing smoke from burning cities, but the ultimate source is the Lamb’s reign.
REVELATION—NOTE ON 8:13 Woe, woe, woe. The last three trumpets signify escalating judgments on rebellious humanity as the end approaches.
REVELATION—NOTE ON 9:1–12 Whereas the star that fell at the third trumpet symbolized the polluting effects of ancient and modern warfare on rivers and springs, the star fallen from heaven to earth (v. 1) when the fifth trumpet sounds is Satan, the angel of the bottomless pit, whose names mean “Destroyer” (see note on v. 11). This vision shows the increase of demonic activity, plunging rebellious humans into desperation, as the era of God’s patient restraint draws to a close.
REVELATION—NOTE ON 9:1 The star fallen from heaven to earth is Satan, whom Jesus saw fall like lightning as a result of his disciples’ ministry (Luke 10:18). Three chapters later in Revelation, John will see the “dragon,” whom he identifies as Satan, cast down from heaven to earth (Rev. 12:9). The fact that the key to the shaft of the Abyss was given to him shows that Satan can do nothing apart from God’s permission (cf. “were told,” 9:4). However, many scholars think that this “star” represents a good angel, and that this verse in connection with 20:1 marks the beginning and the end of the middle section of the book.
REVELATION—NOTE ON 9:2–3 When the fallen star unlocked the bottomless pit, locusts emerged in billowing smoke that darkened the sky. An echo of the eighth plague on Egypt (Ex. 10:14–15), this infestation of locusts also recalls the swarm summoned by trumpet to strip the land bare on the “awesome day of the LORD” (Joel 2:31).
REVELATION—NOTE ON 9:4–6 What John sees as locusts are no threat to earth’s vegetation (grass, green plant, or tree), nor can they harm those who bear God’s seal (cf. 3:12; 7:3; 14:1). And their strange composite appearance (9:7–9) gives the impression of symbolism. Therefore, it seems that these invaders are not literal insects but demonic spirits (with Satan as their leader, v. 11), released to torment their own worshipers (v. 20), who serve their king, the “Destroyer” (see note on v. 11). Thus their scorpion-like stings cannot inflict death, which would bring relief to their victims. Others think these locusts represent military forces, and still others consider them to be actual locusts but with their destructive power described in figurative imagery. Five months signifies the divinely imposed brevity of their power to torture even those who oppose the Lamb.
REVELATION—NOTE ON 9:7–11 The locusts’ visible similarities to horses, human faces, lions, and scorpions caution against reading John’s visions as physical descriptions. Rather, these images show demons to be powerful, swift, intelligent, fierce, and capable of inflicting intense mental and spiritual torment.
REVELATION—NOTE ON 9:11 Abaddon, Apollyon. In Hebrew and Greek, respectively, these words refer to “destruction” and the “one who destroys.” Satan’s demonic hordes wage war against his own human subjects. Later the enemy will be called the “accuser,” as his Hebrew and Greek names, Satan and Devil, signify (12:9–10).
REVELATION—NOTE ON 9:13–21 The cavalry revealed with the sixth trumpet resembles the demon swarm of the fifth, like horses and lions, with breastplates and venomous power in their tails. Yet these warriors are authorized to take human life on a massive scale (cf. “but not to kill,” v. 5), showing that Satan is waging war against his own followers. These warriors, with their origin beyond the Euphrates, suggest that John now sees the carnage wrought by military aggression and warfare. Yet, devastating as the bloodshed is, God still imposes limits: a third of mankind was killed (vv. 15, 18). This is the last limited judgment and warning blast, for when the seventh, last trumpet sounds, “the mystery of God will be fulfilled” (10:7; cf. 1 Cor. 15:52; 1 Thess. 4:16), and the opportunity to repent will be past (Rev. 9:20–21).
REVELATION—NOTE ON 9:13–14 the golden altar before God. These woes come in answer to the saints’ prayers, offered as incense on that altar (8:4–5). Ancient Israel’s captors, Assyria and Babylon, had come from the great river Euphrates. In John’s day it also marked the eastern boundary of Rome’s influence, beyond which barbarian powers such as Parthia threatened the empire’s peace. This river represents that which keeps civil chaos and wanton violence at bay. The release of its four destructive angels here, like the drying of its waters in 16:12–16, unleashes unprecedented bloodshed and suffering.
REVELATION—NOTE ON 9:16–19 twice ten thousand times ten thousand. Two hundred million is an incredibly large army but not as great as the countless multitude that worships the Lamb (7:9). This cavalry, like the locusts from the Abyss (9:1–12), consists of demons. Their horses have heads like lions’ heads and tails like serpents. But God’s faithful servant can trample both of these deadly enemies underfoot (cf. Ps. 91:13). (Satan is the “ancient serpent” [Rev. 12:9; see Gen. 3:15].) Red fire, blue smoke (like sapphire), and yellow, rancid sulfur spewing from the horses’ mouths reflect the colors of their riders’ breastplates. What proceeds from the mouth represents the power of words, either to judge justly or to deceive and destroy, as when the Euphrates reappears in Rev. 16:12–14. The demonic horsemen kill by deluding human armies into war. Some think these 200 million troops represent a very large actual human army.
REVELATION—NOTE ON 9:20–21 did not repent. Although those rebelling against God have been tortured by the very demons they worshiped, the survivors will take no warning from these final trumpet blasts. This shows the total depravity of the sinners (also 16:9, 11, 21; 20:7–10). Every time Christ offers them repentance, they reject his offer and prefer to follow Satan. idols … cannot see or hear or walk. Senseless and impotent, images of metal, stone, or wood cannot protect or rescue, as Daniel told King Belshazzar on the night that his life was taken and his kingdom seized (Dan. 5:23; cf. Ps. 115:4–8; 135:15–18; Isa. 44:12–20).
REVELATION—NOTE ON 10:1–11:14 Interlude: The Safety and Suffering of God’s City-Sanctuary, His Witnessing Church. Between the sixth trumpet (9:13–21) and the seventh (11:15–18), another interlude is inserted. Like the visions that separated the sixth from the seventh seals (7:1–17), this interlude dramatizes God’s patient delay in inflicting his full and final wrath, and it assures believers that God will protect his own through the coming traumas. The vision of the angel with the scroll (10:1–11) reveals John’s authority to prophesy and God’s perfect timing in consummating history.
REVELATION—NOTE ON 10:1–3 another mighty angel. Like God on his throne, he is surrounded by a rainbow (cf. 4:3). Like the Son of Man, he comes with a cloud, and his face shines like the sun (cf. 1:7, 16). His legs like pillars of fire reflect the glory of God’s presence in the wilderness (Ex. 13:21–22; 14:24). His voice like a lion roaring could belong to the Lion of Judah (Rev. 5:5; see Amos 3:7–8). Therefore some interpreters think this is Jesus himself. However, since Rev. 1:1 describes an angel sent by Christ to deliver God’s revelation to John, many see this as simply “another” great angel.
REVELATION—NOTE ON 10:2 The scroll is open because the Lamb has broken its seals. The scroll is little compared to the great size of the angel, whose stride spans sea and land. It will be given to John to eat and to proclaim (vv. 10–11), completing the process of transmission (from God to Christ to angel to John to the churches) initiated in 5:7.
REVELATION—NOTE ON 10:3–4 John must seal up—keep secret by not writing—the messages of the seven thunders. This prohibition may serve a similar purpose to the angel’s announcement that “there would be no more delay” (v. 6), since reporting these seven messages would have further delayed the seventh trumpet’s blast. Christ’s church must live by faith amid the unrevealed mysteries of God’s purposes.
REVELATION—NOTE ON 10:5–7 The angel’s stance—one foot on sea, one on land, and right hand raised to heaven—unites three spheres of the created order (see 5:13; Gen. 1:6–10) as their divine Creator is invoked to witness the angel’s oath (cf. Dan. 12:7; also Gen. 14:22; Deut. 32:40). The angel swears that the era of God’s longsuffering, which entailed delay of his martyrs’ vindication (Rev. 6:10), will end when the last trumpet sounds. The mystery of God to be fulfilled when the seventh trumpet sounds is his plan to unite all things in heaven and earth under Christ’s headship (Eph. 1:10), making visible to all the sovereignty by which the Son now orchestrates every event for his church’s welfare (Eph. 1:20–22). This “mystery” includes the unrestrained expression of God’s wrath, signified in the bowl judgments, toward all who resist his reign (cf. Rev. 15:1, where “finished” translates the same verb [Gk. teleō] rendered “fulfilled” in 10:7).
REVELATION—NOTE ON 10:8–11 As Ezekiel ate a scroll and found it sweet as honey in his mouth, so John must do the same, receiving God’s words in his heart before he speaks them (cf. Ezek. 3:1–3, 10). The sweet word made his stomach … bitter. Although some “from every tribe and language and people and nation” will be redeemed by the Lamb (Rev. 5:9; 7:9–17), at this particular time John will see peoples and nations and languages resisting Christ and his witnesses (11:9; 13:7; 17:15). Kings in particular will ally themselves with evil (6:15; 16:12–14; 17:2, 18; 19:18–19).