The book of Revelation is the last recorded prophecy that has been given to us by God. Although it is a prophecy in itself, it covers almost every prophecy that was previously given by showing us when and how they will take place. Plus, it shows us what to expect in the future such as the New Heaven and New earth explained in chapter 21. Jesus starts this last prophecy off by showing and explaining many things to the apostle John.
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants-things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw. Rev 1:1-2 |
The revelation, or prophecy, Jesus is about to reveal was given to him from God, which means God gave this prophecy to Jesus and not to himself because Jesus isn't God. Therefore, and understand, the entire book of Revelation comes from God and not from Jesus or an angel. All they do is speak for God.
Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near. Rev 1:3 |
Jesus starts this last prophecy off by appearing to the apostle John to reveal the things that are to come, where basically he begins by talking about seven churches that were a concern because of various wrong doings in them.
As a rule, they no longer exist and are not an influential part of our lives, and from what I have been able to find out through the years, they are all but ruins these days and only the memory of them is left. At the time though, it seems they served a purpose and so Jesus mentioned them by name and gave a commandment to each one. These commands can still serve a purpose today as they seem to reflect what many people go through at some point in their lives. In a summary, the list could go something like this:
Even though the messages to the churches are over, there is one verse that people have misplaced and misused in modern times, it's the one in chapter 3, verse 10 that raises an eyebrow and has been used to teach a meaning beyond what it was suppose to be.
And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, ... Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. Rev 3:7 in part, and 3:10 |
So many people want to believe the book of Revelation is alive that they have said this verse is referring to the generation when the second coming will happen, and that isn't so. It is directed to the church of that time period and means nothing for us these days. As you will see later, the hour of temptation began 2000 years ago, therefore, Jesus was talking about the time period that was about to come upon the world then, not now. So forget what you have heard people and so called scholars say about it, it has nothing to do with our day and age.
In the first chapter you should also note that John was not in heaven when Jesus appeared to him, instead he was still here on earth and in a very physical body.
I, John ... was on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet, Rev 1:9 in part, 10 |
John explains that he was in spirit that day when he heard a voice behind him. Myself, I tend to think this means he was in a conscience meditation or prayer that day, but we don’t know because he didn’t explain the meaning of being in spirit. The day was the Sabbath or the lords day. He was not in a spiritual form body wise, he was still very much physically present. Now I’m going to explain the voice he heard because this is very important and it will help you understand one of the most misunderstood things in the Christian faith.
John heard a loud voice like a trumpet, and the voice said this:
What thou seest, write in a book and send [it] to the seven churches: unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamum, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea. Rev 1:11 |
When you read this you can very easily assume that Jesus is the one who said this to John because when he turned around he saw Jesus walking among seven candlesticks.
And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And having turned I saw seven golden candlesticks; and in the midst of the candlesticks one like unto a son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about at the breasts with a golden girdle. Rev 1:12-13 |
Because there was a message spoken to John giving him instructions, and then with him turning around and seeing Jesus, many presume it was Jesus who spoke to him. But there’s sort of a mystery here, even though John saw Jesus when he turned around, the voice he heard wasn’t Jesus, it was the angels voice that Jesus had sent to John to tell him what God was wanting. The clarification of this comes from verse 1:1.
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants-things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, Rev 1:1 |
That verse says it all, God gave his prophecy to Jesus, who then sent an angel to John to explain things. Therefore, when you read this book you need to understand that it is God who is speaking about Jesus and future events, but the message is being delivered by and through an angel. Also notice this, when John heard a great voice like a trumpet and turned around, he may have seen Jesus, but he didn't see him speak. It was the angel sent by God who wanted John to turn around and he used his own voice, which is the sound of a trumpet. The sound of a trumpet is usually the voice of an angel.
And he shall send fourth his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, Mat 24:31 |
Alpha and the Omega is another subject found in the Book of Revelation, and needs further explaining because Jesus is not the Alpha and the Omega, God is.
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End," says the Lord, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty Rev 1:8 |
The terms "Lord" and “the almighty,” is a reference to God almighty, and not to Jesus as Lord, but God. Jesus is not God almighty. Keep in mind, the prophecy of Revelation is no different than those of the Old Testament, where it was God alone who sent them out. So, like then, it is he who is sending this one out as well.
In the back of the book of Revelation, chapter 21 and 22 give a better explanation and clearly shows that God is the Alpha and the Omega.
Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." And He said to me, "Write, for these words are true and faithful.” And He said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts.” Rev 21:5-6 |
Then he said to me, "These words are faithful and true." And the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show His servants the things which must shortly take place…..I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last." Rev 22:6 & 13 |
He who sat on the throne is God and he spoke directly to John at that time. Jesus does not sit on the throne nor has ever claimed to be capable of doing so. Besides, he has his own throne to sit on and sits at the right hand of God.
He that overcometh, I will give to him to sit down with me in my throne, as I also overcame, and sat down with my Father in his throne. Rev 3:21 |
And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven. Mark 14:62 |
Most people readily accept Jesus as the son of God, and so there isn't usually much to think or say about verses like this. However, in more recent modern times people and religions have been going around publicly declaring that God and Jesus are one in the same being. Some will use the Alpha and Omega statement to support their claim, but, as you can tell, before the term “Alpha and the Omega” was said, God was cited as being the source behind it, not Jesus.
To further explain this Alpha and Omega mix up, take note that in chapter 22 that it's an angel who is talking to John and said the exact same "Alpha and the Omega" to him. How can the angel be the “Alpha and Omega?” They can’t, and this is where dissecting, understanding, and knowing the separation (difference) between God and Jesus helps.
And he saith unto me, See thou do it not: I am a fellow-servant with thee and with thy brethren the prophets, and with them that keep the words of this book: worship God. . . . I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. Rev 22:9 and 22:13 |
The angel was simply speaking in place of God just as the first verse in Revelation states. It is God who is over all things, angels and Jesus included. They have only repeated what it was they were told to say and explain about the last prophecy of God.
Moving on, the first three chapters in Revelation basically covers things that were to shortly come to pass, which they did by what looks like a judgment on the seven churches. Not long after the angel visited John the churches ceased to exist. Their importance to us today is virtually nothing, except to view the history of what was probably their demise. However, the messages remain and we can still use them today for understanding. After all, almost each and every one of us have fallen into a situation where each warning Jesus gave might fit.
The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches. Rev 1:20 |
1. Repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lamp stand from its place-unless you repent.
2. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.
3. Because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam….'Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth.
4. Because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. ….Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds.
5. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God…..You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy.
6. I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name. Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.
7. I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot…..So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.
That lukewarm warning hits home to a lot of people. People have a hard time trusting and believing in God or Jesus, and placing faith in them and always have. Unanswered prays, deaths, murders, hard times, are only a few things that can make a person loose trust.
Faith is another good example that I will use. When things go bad in a persons life and they pray for help from God to keep Satan and his band of guru’s away, and then it doesn’t happen, people tend to walk away. Even so, faith doesn't always produce good results, so walking away is easy to understand. God seems to have spent years arguing with Satan and eventually walked away from him. So faith is a two way street, and we are to tests things for ourselves which is from God and which is not.
And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These things saith the first and the last, who was dead, and lived [again]: I know thy tribulation, and thy poverty (but thou art rich), and the blasphemy of them that say they are Jews, and they art not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Rev 2:8-9 |
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; 1 John 4:1 |
Like the so called Jews back then that invaded the church in Smyrna, deception is and always seems to be a part of religions and churches. Even a seemingly true faith in God can be a blinder to us when we don't have all the facts. One prime example of people who lost the game before they ever got started is the nation of Israel. Before most of them were ever born, they were subject to being born into slavery. Since it was prophesied to happen that way, no matter how much faith they had or how hard they prayed it would not change a thing.
Then He said to Abram: "Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years." Gen 15:13 |
In such a case, faith will not move the mountain and it's no fault of the people or even that of Satan, it's simply Gods will. Sometimes faith seems to be a matter of just accepting things as they are. For instance, I don’t agree with what God did to Israel, and I really don't have too. I don't agree that he handed this world over to Satan, only to watch some peoples lives being destroyed while others prosper in wealth. Trust or faith doesn't mean you need to lie to yourself to agree with God, or bend your brain against your own conscience.
If you disagree, then disagree and stand your ground. After all, God never said we had to agree with him on anything.
No one ever said having faith will make you happy, but for certain, it shouldn't make you lie to protect God's image.
None the less, the Book of Revelation is a prophecy no different than the prophecy God handed to Abraham (Abram). It was over 400 years before the nation was finally free, during which men and women alike suffered day in and day out. A slave means you work when you're told, sick or not. I'm sure many of them died wanting better conditions. Just like then, many people have died since Jesus and will continue to die at the hands
of those who have no conscience about God, much less mankind. Others have and will die because of the diseases, famines, and plagues that God has planned found here in the Book of Revelation. Like Israel, believers will endure many hardships caused by both God and now by Satan since he is the ruler of this world until Jesus returns. It's fate no one can change.
The duration of the Book of Revelation is much longer than the 400 plus years the nation of Israel had to endure. This book covers thousands of years, with the millennium itself being 1000 years long. Adding the 2000 years it's been since Jesus, plus the time after the millennium, and you easily see how much longer this prophecy really is.
Getting back to the topic, the message to the seven churches ends in the third chapter and is no longer brought up in the rest of the book of Revelation. The messages were meant for that time, for those days, and not necessarily for us today. About the only thing that may be reflected on these days are the ones who claimed to be Jews and were not.
In 1948 the nation of Israel was formed again by a group of people claiming to be Jews. Oddly enough, the prophesies in Revelation cover the nation of Israel and Jerusalem. If those who claimed to be Jews then were not Jews, then are the ones today not really Jews, but of the synagogue of Satan?
I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. Rev 2:9 |
As you see, the nation of Israel, though it is alive and involved in many prophesies, may not be under the influence of God even today.
Another thing to consider is this, are the churches today any different than the churches back then? If they don't teach truth, then can they be considered a synagogue of Satan as well? As you can see, Satan has been involved in churches since their beginnings. Therefore, it only makes sense that he would be no different today,
and could be masking himself as God through the various religions that will follow him.