of the Bible for over 30 years, I'm glad that you can spend some time with me today.
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Now this past week we met at Sir Coffee in San Clemente, California.
That's where our church meets.
We meet the second Friday of the month from 7 to 10 p.m.
Next time is Friday, October 13th for prayer and worship.
And this last Friday we heard from 10 different people making disciples in different places,
in different spaces, with different approaches through our annual Beach House time.
It was awesome.
I want to say thank you to Adam, to Nico, to Kevin, Jeff, Joey, Richie, Shane, Drew,
Dustin, Brad, Charlie, Michael, and Curtis.
Your friendships and your energy keep me going.
I'm honored to know you guys.
And I'd also like to thank my good friends, Ralph, Kurt, and especially Ed, who flew all
the way out from Indiana, took time away from his family to help us.
They serve as my advisors and thanks for guiding me over the years as I've kept plugging away
at Ocean Water with my Bible teachings.
I look up to you guys and again, thank you.
Now today we're going to look at Revelation chapter 1 verses 9 through 18.
This is a vision of Jesus.
Now it's a pivotal and a symbolic passage in the book of Revelation.
And this perspective suggests that much of the book of Revelation, including this vision,
as I've been pointing out, was already fulfilled in the past in the first century, much of
it revolving around the fall of Jerusalem as we've been looking.
This is our fourth teaching now.
This is in the early context of the Christian church, the first hundred years.
In the writer of this book, John is explaining a vision in this passage that he had of Christ.
Now before delving into Revelation chapter 1 verses 9 through 18, it's essential to understand
the history, some of the historical and the literary context of this book.
The book of Revelation is very symbolic and it uses apocalyptic language to convey the
intentions of the writer.
And it was written by the apostle John.
He was exiled on an island called Patmos, most likely during the reign of Emperor Domitian.
It was written in a genre that was common in Jewish and Christian literature at the
time.
And it was characterized by vivid and symbolic visions that convey spiritual truths.
Now we really want to take our time understanding this, which is why this is part 4 of 36 teachings
on this.
Now this perspective gained a lot of prominence in the 17th century with theologians like
Hugo Grotius and later with John Stuart Russell and F.W.
Farrar, they assert that much again the book of Revelation was mostly fulfilled in the
first century.
And it was in connection with the Jewish and the Roman war that was fought in 66 through
73 and then of course the subsequent destruction of the temple in 8070.
Now John's visions were not primarily prophesying of distant future events, but they were relevant
to the immediate concerns of the early Christian church and those are the lessons that we want
to pull out of this book.
It provided encouragement and hope and warnings during times of intense persecution and turmoil.
Now let's focus on the passage that we're going to look at today.
It's again Revelation chapter 1 verses 9 through 18 and it shows us a vision of Jesus.
It reads like this, it says, I John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and
the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos
on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.
I was in the spirit on the Lord's day and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet
saying write what you see in the book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus,
and to Smyrna, and to Pergamum, and to Thyatira, and to Sardis, and to Philadelphia, and to
Laodicea.
Wow.
He goes on, he says, then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me and on turning
I saw seven golden lampstands and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man clothed
with a long robe and a golden sash around his chest.
The hairs on his head were white like white wool, like snow.
His eyes were like a flame of fire.
His feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace.
And his voice was like the roar of many waters.
In his right hand he held seven stars and from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword
and his face was like the sun shining at full strength.
Wow.
What an incredible picture.
He says when I saw him I fell at his feet though dead but he laid his right hand on
me saying, fear not I am the first and the last and the living one.
I died and behold I am alive forevermore and I have the keys of death and Hades.
Okay, so let's break this down verse by verse so that we can understand what's going on
here.
Now the opening verse of this passage where John states that he was on the island of Patmos
sets the historical context.
John's exile to Patmos is traditionally understood to have occurred during the reign of Domitian
which I pointed out before which places the writing of this book late in the first century.
It suggests that this exile may have occurred earlier during the reign of Nero making the
composition of Revelation maybe a little closer to the events that they believe it is describing.
So, what are we talking about when we say the seven churches?
Well, the letter is addressed to seven specific churches in Asia Minor, modern day Turkey,
which were real, they were historical congregations that existed at the time of this writing.
The message to these churches is seen as immediately relevant to their situations and challenges
much like ours are today.
This perspective contends that the warnings and the exhortations and promises to these
churches were intended to address the unique circumstances.
Think about your circumstances which included persecution and moral challenges.
Now look at verse 10, John mentions that he was in the spirit on the Lord's Day.
Now this phrase, the Lord's Day, it could be a reference to a significant day during
the Jewish-Roman war, perhaps the day of Jerusalem's fall in 8070.
In this interpretation, John's visionary experience is connected to these events.
Now when it says the vision of Christ, it says the description of Christ in verses 12
through 16 symbolically represent his presence and authority during times of crisis.
Yes, God can help us in times of crisis.
The seven golden lampstands are interpreted as representing the seven churches and the
role as bearers of the light of Christ.
Christ's appearance with white hair, his eyes like fire, and feet of bronze is seen
as conveying his divine wisdom, discernment, and judgment.
The sharp two-edged sword from his mouth represents his powerful word and his face shining like
the sun symbolizes his glory and his authority in our lives.
Now the seven stars in the keys of death in Hades, the seven stars in Christ's hand was
the angelic or pastoral leadership of the seven churches.
The keys of death in Hades signify Christ's sovereignty over life and death.
These symbols are reassuring to us in the same way that they were reassuring to the
early Christians that Christ is in control even in the face of persecution and death.
Now let's look at John's reaction.
When John falls at Christ's feet in verse 10, quote, as though dead, this represents
the fear and awe that the early Christians experienced during times of persecution and
uncertainty the same way that we feel them today.
Its words of comfort and assurance are seen as addressing the concerns and the anxieties
of the persecuted believers.
So in Revelation chapter 1 verses 9 through 18, the vision of the glorified Christ is
seen as a symbolic depiction of Christ's presence and authority during these tumultuous times
in the early church, particularly in the context of a war.
We have similar circumstances today.
This perspective emphasizes the immediate relevance of the message to the seven churches
that are outlined that we're going to talk specifically about each one in the weeks to
come and it seeks to ground the symbolism in the historical events in which they happened.
Now while today provides a historical and contextualized understanding of this passage,
Revelation as a whole remains a complex, multifaceted book with diverse theological and prophetic
elements.
Now we'll be taking time this year, actually the whole school year, through 36 teachings.
This was just number four, shedding light on the different aspects of the book's meaning
and relevance for our faith and practice today.
The Book of Revelation invites an ongoing exploration and reflection within the Christian
tradition.
Thank you so much for being with me today.
Until next time, I hope you have a beautiful day.