Revelation 1:12-13 Devotion

“Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands; and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His chest with a golden sash.”

(Revelation 1:12-13)

His Priestly Robe. 

Then the stunning appearance of the glorified Christ is presented by pictures taken from the Old Testament. He had and ankle length robe with a golden sash. This recalls the garments of the Jewish High Priest. Christ is the final and ultimate High Priest, whom all the earlier ones imperfectly, but truly, represented. Christ is that great High Priest who gets us through to the blessed Throne of the Father, as we see when- upon the earthquake that occurred at the death of Jesus on Calvary- the veil of the Temple was 'torn in two' so that access to 'the holiest of all' was now open (Matt. 27:51). His final blood sacrifice fulfilled all of God's holy requirements for the total forgiveness of all sin, so that no other sacrifice will ever be required for sinners who seek His mercy to be eternally pardoned, and to have immediate fellowship with God Himself. 

(Douglas F. Kelly)

Revelation 1:9 Devotion

“I, John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.”

(Revelation 1:9)

John is commissioned to write a prophetic revelation. He identifies himself as one with his readers in the tribulation, kingdom, and perseverance that are ours in Jesus. One cannot exercise kingdom rule except through tribulation and endurance. But this is a kingdom unanticipated by the majority of Judaism. The exercise of rule in this kingdom begins and continues only as one faithfully endures tribulation. This is the formula for kingship: faithful endurance through tribulation is the means by which one reigns in the present with Jesus. Believers are not mere subjects in Christ's kingdom. That John uses the word fellow-partaker underscores the active involvement of saints, not only in enduring tribulation, but also in reigning in the midst of it. Their being identified with Christ is the basis for the trials which confront them, as well as for their ability to endure such trials and to participate in the kingdom as kings. This paradoxical form of rule mirrors the manner in which Jesus exercised His authority in His earthly ministry even from the cross, and Christians are to follow in His path. This becomes a major theme as a revelation develops. Believers will conquer by refusing to compromise in the face of trials, by suffering as John himself did, and in general by pursuing Christlike character. Like Jesus' beginning kingship, Revelation reveals that the saints reign consists in "overcoming" by not compromising their faithful witness in the face of trials, ruling over the powers of evil, defeating sin in their lives, as well as having begun to rule over death and Satan through their identification with Jesus. 

The tribulation is a present reality, and will continue among the churches in the imminent future. John himself was enduring this tribulation on Patmos, where he had been exiled due to his witness to Christ: because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. To "testify" could connote to witness in a court of law, which was its primary setting in the Greek world and is the way it is used in John's Gospel. This would mean that the rejection of the "testimony" of Jesus and of Christians by the world and its courts becomes the basis for their judgment in the heavenly court. 

(G.K. Beale)

Revelation 1:7 Devotion

“BEHOLD, HE IS COMING WITH THE CLOUDS, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen.”

(Revelation 1:7)

This is not the central theme of the book. Yet it constitutes a real source of comfort for afflicted believers. It is the hope of believers and the consternation of the enemies of the Church. He comes (with the clouds) that is with glory (Dan. 7:13; Mark 14:62; Ezk. 1:4-28), and with anguish, wrath, judgment (Zp. 1:16; Ps. 97:2). The Bible knows nothing about an invisible or secret second coming. Nowhere is this taught. On the contrary, "every eye shall see Him". Those who pierced His side shall also see Him. It is possible that the expression "and they that pierced Him" also indicates all others who have pierced the Christ by means of their disobedient lives. The expression is taken from Zechariah 12:10. The Jews who rejected Him are then going to see that Jesus of Nazareth, whom they crucified, is, indeed, the Christ!

(And all the tribes of the earth shall mourn for Him).  This is not the mourning of repentance but that of hopelessness: the expression refers to beating the breast and morning and despair. Unbelievers will hide themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains and will say, " Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him that sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb...(Rev. 6:16)

(William Hendriksen)

Revelation 1:5-6 Devotion

“To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood- and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father-to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

(Revelation 1:5-6)

What Christ has done has (made) believers (a kingdom and priest) to serve (His God). Their identification with His kingship means that they too are considered to be resurrected and exercising rule with Him as a result of His exaltation. They have been constituted kings together with Christ and share His priestly office by virtue of their identification with His death and resurrection. The reference here is to Exodus 19:6: "You shall be a to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." Notice how significant is the change of tense. What was prophesied as Israel's role as in Exodus, and never fulfilled by Israel, is now stated as accomplished by John, for the verb (has made) is in the past tense. 

(Kingdom) here can mean "kingship" or "royal power." Believers do not merely live within a kingdom; they exercise it's kingly power (albeit under Christ). Believers have already entered into this role as priest and as kings even though the manner of their performance is still incomplete. 

Christ exercised His role as priest through His sacrificial death ("released us from our sins by His blood") and "faithful witness"(v.5), and exercised His role as king by spiritually defeating sin and death on the cross and subsequently being raised from the dead ("firstborn" and "ruler,").   

The church is identified also with Christ as a priest and now exercises its role as priests by maintaining a faithful witness to the world and willingness to suffer for Christ. It defeats the strategies of the enemy even while suffering apparent defeat, yet still ruling in a kingdom (as Christ did on the cross). 

Like OT priests, the entire people of God now have free, unmediated access to God's presence, because Christ has removed the obstacle of sin by His substitutionary blood. It is the light of God's presence that they are to reflect to the world. That John sees Exodus 19:6 as fulfilled in the church indicates that the church now continues the true Israel as the inheritor of God's promises and as His covenant people, while unbelieving Jews are described not as true Jews but as a synagogue of Satan (Rev. 2:9). This accomplishment of God's redemptive plan will bring eternal (glory) and culminate in His eternal (dominion). 

(G.K. Beale)

Revelation 1:5 Devotion

“and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth...”

(Revelation 1:5)

John's greeting comes from (Jesus Christ), who is described as (the faithful witness, the first born from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.) John is quoting Ps. 89:27,37, where all three phrases are used. The Psalm speaks of the king who will rule over his enemies and who seed will sit on his throne forever (vv. 19-29) "Firstborn" from the Psalm is defined clearly as (firstborn from the dead). Christ has gained a sovereign position over the cosmos. This is not to be understood in the sense that He is recognized as the first created being of all creation nor even as the origin of creation, but rather that He is the inaugurator of the new creation by means of His resurrection (Rev. 3:14). John thinks of Jesus as the seed of David, whose resurrection has resulted in the establishment of His eternal kingdom. 

The (kings of the earth) are not the loyal subjects of the kingdom but those earthly kings who oppose Christ's rule. This includes not only the kingdoms and peoples represented by them but also the satanic forces behind these kingdoms. That Christ now rules over these kings shows again that the events unfolded in the visions refer to present realities throughout the church age, not just to events of the future immediately preceding the Lord's return. 

(G.K. Beale)

Revelation 1:4b Devotion

“John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace, from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne,”

(Revelation 1:4)

(Grace to you and peace)

The Christian readers need "grace" to persevere in their faith in the midst of tribulation, especially pressures to compromise. And in the midst of such external turmoil, they need the inner "peace" which only the eternal God who is sovereign over and above the trials and struggles of the day-to-day realities believers face can give. 

The purpose of this revelation is to give the eternal perspective of (Him who is and who was and who is to come) which can enable the readers to understand his commandments and so motivate them to obedience. 

The prophetic message is not only from God and Christ, but also from the (seven spirits) before the throne. The reference here is to the Holy Spirit, the number "seven" again representing fullness. The Holy Spirit is needed to bring to believers the grace and peace John greets them with here, and the Holy Spirit's work will be needed if believers are to respond obediently to the prophetic words shortly to come. 

(G.K. Beale)

Revelation 1:4 Devotion

“John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace, from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne,”

(Revelation 1:4)

John now addresses (the seven churches). His choice of the number "seven" is no accident. "Seven" is the favorite number of Revelation. Biblically, it signifies completion or fullness and is originally derived from the seven days of creation. In Lev. 4:6,17 the sevenfold sprinkling of the blood signified a completed action, as did the seven-day duration of the festivals, services of ordination, the march around Jericho, and the length of periods of cleansing from uncleanness. The significance of the number here is that the seven churches represent the fullness of the church. John's prophetic message is actually addressed to the entire body of Christ, the church in every age. 

(G.K. Beale)