Skip to main content

Revelation 1:9-10

I. John sets out for us the setting of the first vision

a. John identifies with the readers and their situation

i. Brother – term used by early Christians for one another

ii. Fellow partaker in three things

1. Tribulation

2. Kingdom

3. Perseverance

4. All three things are in reference to Jesus

iii. Faithful endurance is the means to sharing in kingship with Christ

b. On Patmos

i. Physical location

1. An island located off present day Turkey

2. Rocky, volcanic island at about 1,000 ft.

3. Quarries for rock

ii. Reason for being there

1. “because of the Word of God and the testimony (witness) of Jesus”

a. Word of God is reference to the gospel traditions of Jesus

b. Witness would be “testimony” regarding Jesus or by Jesus

2. Regional persecution

a. Even by John’s time of writing, no general persecution occurred

b. Regional governors had the right and authority to act against Christians

c. Punishments for various serious crimes included death and different levels of banishment

d. Tradition says John was banished to the island of Patmos for sedition

i. Tradition – stories of the church that do not have scriptural evidence yet have been attested to by the church for centuries

3. Some believe John went there to preach

4. Some believe John went there to receive the visions

c. On the Lord’s Day

i. This references early Christians’ practice of setting one day for worship

1. Other mention of Christians gathering on the first day of the week

2. Commemoration of Lord’s Resurrection

3. Offers Christians an alternative to Emperor’s Day

4. This is the first literary reference to a day set apart for worship

ii. Some believe that John is mystically removed to the Day of the Lord

1. Old Testament prophetic name for time when God would bring time to full purpose

a. Isaiah 13:6-13 – judgment

b. Joel 2:1-11

c. Zephaniah 1:14-18

d. In the Spirit

i. An ecstatic state such as in Acts 10:10

ii. Similar to the experience of Ezekiel (2:2; 3:12, 14, 24; 11:1; 43:5)

iii. Gives John’s revelation prophetic authority

II. John’s commission

a. A voice speaks to John

i. Similar to the voice that spoke to Moses at Sinai

ii. Voices in Revelation are associated with loud things

iii. The voice behind is a rabbinic tradition

1. “the voice you cannot see” – Isaiah 30:21

b. Write in a book what you see

i. Deuteronomy 31:24

c. Send it to the Seven churches

i. The message is for all 7 churches – intended that all letters were to be read in every church

ii. We are unsure of the significance of these 7 churches

1. Symbolically represents the entire Church

a. 7 symbolizes completeness/wholeness

2. It could represent a circuit of churches

a. Postal district or distribution

b. If you draw a line connecting the churches in order beginning and ending with Ephesus it completes a circle

3. John has special authority or relationship with these particular churches

4. Each church represents an aspect of persecution or problem

5. The churches represent the entire church in different ages
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

This is Really Me...graphic information of an uncomfortable type enclosed.

I really hope that enough people have stopped following that this is really just a declaration into the winds of a few hearts. I have been silent because my life is in an ebb and flow of chaos. Professionally, I am reaching my end as a local church pastor. I have lost any desire to lead people who have no desire to go anywhere. Relationally, I am losing my connection to all of the people closest to me: family, friends, mentors. I am sitting here, writing this in despair and broken. I have nothing left to lose, so I want to tell you about my real self. This is me. The person I see in my mind when I envision my true self. I'm not drop dead gorgeous, but I'm beautiful.  I'm not graceful and elegant, but I'm gentle and fragile. I'm not going to steal anyone's heart, but my heart has been broken and needs to heal. I don't want to be seen as a freak, but I realize I live in a culture that can't handle what it doesn't understand. I want to be loved...
5 comments
Read more

What dreams may come

Now it's time to say goodbye To all our company.... The Mickey Mouse Club closed out it's episodes by singing this tune. I feel the time has come to sing this song for my blog. It isn't that I don't have anything say. It has more to do with my change and changing life.  I am still very much a postmodern - even though that word is not used anymore. Modernity has slipped and is a shadow of the past. Where we are now is cultural revolution. We are in the midst of it. Those who have moved on from what we were are now trying to establish the foothold for climbing to a place of cultural security. Meanwhile those who hold onto what we were are grabbing at the last places we have moved beyond. At the same time, they are pulling at the shoelaces of those who have moved upward, trying to dislodge our forward and upward advance.  I am still very much a renaissance person - but not for the sake of others. I still like having a connection to as many subjects as possible. A little bi...
2 comments
Read more

Taste of Sex and Gender

Well, my last post seemed to be a little offensive, defensive, or negative to some readers. Sorry to scare the few of you who read it. I'm just feeling a bit negative about the trajectory of the nation and how much people don't really care for peace, justice, or coming to terms with differences. Today, I want to make some notes on something that I'm working out. Gender and sexuality have become topics of reading and reflection for me since coming out. There is a lot of confusion about the two. I have been trying to develop an image to help people get the way that gender and sexuality are different. I also see a lot of people trying to keep them separate categories. That isn't fair. There are overlapping concerns between gender and sexuality that require keeping them in connection while dealing with them as separate aspects of personhood. So here is my crazy "shower idea". Gender and sexuality can be compared to tasting something. When you taste something, ther...
1 comment
Read more