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Simple & True
Verse by Verse Study of
the Book of  
REVELATION
The End Times

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Chapter 1:1

Revelation is fairly an easy book to understand.  Satan wants us to fear the book of Revelation so we will shy away from it.  However, God gave us Revelation to reveal to us His plan about the end times. God wants us to know.  Revelation is in God's Word to inform us and to prepare us.  This verse by verse study will shed knowledge on the coming events of our Lord and Saviour, our earth, Satan's end and our end.  It is God's will to enlighten you to His plans and draw you to our Saviour.  It is always God's will to draw you to Him, even through the book of Revelation.  

REVELATION means to 'reveal', NOT to conceal.  God gave us the book of Revelation to show and teach us things to come.  God wants us to know, to learn, to be prepared, and mostly to win souls to Him ... for the time is at hand.

"The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto Him, to shew unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass; and He sent and signified it by His angel unto His servant John:"

The book of Revelation is not about us or about John.  It is about Jesus. It is the "Revelation of Jesus Christ", as you can see in this verse - "God gave unto Him (Jesus Christ)".  This verse goes on to show why Jesus was given this Revelation ... "to shew unto His (Jesus') servants things which MUST shortly come to pass".  God wants us to know these things and that they MUST come to pass.  It is not an IF they will come to pass but WHEN.  And the when is answered by the word ... shortlyAll these things written in the book of Revelation "MUST SHORTLY COME TO PASS".

This verse goes on to say that the Lord "signified it by His angel".  This is showing authenticity.  God used His angel to verify, to prove, to John that this is very true. The angel was proof to John that all these things are true and from God.  And this verse also signifies that John was the Lord's true servant.

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Let's pause here to learn just a little bit about John.  We see that God called John His servant.  John told others about God's Word and these coming judgments.  People do not like to hear about judgment.  In the city of Ephesus, John's preaching caused such an uproar that the people there stoned him.  But this did not kill John.  So the leaders of Ephesus took John and publicly put him alive in a pot of boiling oil ! John was just as human as you and I.  But God was not done with John.  He had more work for John so God kept him alive.  These leaders of Ephesus were so infuriated that they sent John to live on the barren isle of Patmos with no food, and with no human comforts.  The isle of Patmos was actually a terrible prison camp.  Prisoners were not given any necessities and the only food was brought in from time to time by soldiers.  John's bed was in a cave of rocks.  If you ever get to visit the isle of Patmos, they may show you the stoney cave where John had laid his head.

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Let's now go on to verse 2 ...

"Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw."

Notice that at the end of verse #1 there is a colon (:).  That means it actually continues to verse #2.  Here is where we continue from verse #1.  We are still talking about John and the accurate account of Jesus Christ.  In the gospel of John, chapter 10 and verse 41, it is recorded: "And many resorted unto him (John), and said, John did no miracle; but ALL things that John spake of this man (Jesus) were true."  John bare record of the testimony that Jesus is the Messiah. 

Let's take notice here of the words "testimony of Jesus Christ, and all that he (John) saw".  John was an eyewitness.  John was an apostle.  He was an apostle because he physically saw and walked with Jesus from the baptism of Jesus until Jesus ascended into Heaven.   The word apostle refers to one of the 12 original disciples of Christ.  Just like there were 12 patriarchs in the Old Testament, there were 12 apostles in the New Testament.  Jesus personally chose His 12 apostles out of all His disciples.  Only 12 became apostles, the rest remained disciples.  We do not have living apostles today.  Acts 1:22 also shows this requirement to be an apostle: "Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that He (Jesus) was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of His resurrection."  There is no one alive today who physically witnessed Jesus' baptism, nor His ascending into heaven, nor His resurrection. Churches that teach that there are living apostles today are spreading false doctrine.   Galatians 1:9 says: "If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received (the Bible), let him be accursed."   Study the Word of God and ask God to show you the truth and He will.  Let's go on.  What about America?

People say "God bless America" ....

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Will He ??? 
Will God Bless America ???

That actually will be up to us:  

 

"If my people, which are called by my name (Christians), shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."  (2 Chronicles 7:14)

"Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand."

Blessed means divinely favored, fortunate, happy.  So IF you READ the Word of God, HEAR the Word of God and  KEEP the Word of God, then you will be blessed.  I must insert here that reading, hearing and keeping the Word of God does not save a person.  Salvation is ONLY through accepting Jesus as your Saviour.  When you read the Word of God, it shows that we are sinners.  Hearing can be through preachers or others telling us about salvation, and keeping the Word of God is what we want to do after we have accepted Christ into our hearts. (2 Corinthians 5:17)  Jesus gave His life for us. Salvation is only through the blood that Christ shed on the cross for us.  Not works.  Ephesians 2:8-9 clearly states:  "For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God; Not of works".  Blessings are bestowed upon us as Jesus' children when we are obedient, not for salvation.  This fact cannot be stressed enough.

It must also be noted that Revelation is written to Christians.  (See verse # 1, "to shew unto His servants").   The last part of verse 3 informs us that "the time is at hand".  What time is at hand?  Simply the time of the events coming that are written in Revelation.

Warning !!  The Time is at Hand !

Things are happening more & more

because we are in the End Times!

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Sound the Alarm!

Make SURE you have truly accepted Christ as your Saviour !

Here Are Some Signs of the LAST DAYS:

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Nation shall rise against Nation:                                    Matthew 24:7

Earthquakes and Famine:                                                Matthew 24:7

Men shall run to and fro (traffic):                                  Daniel 12:4

Knowledge shall be increased (computers):              Daniel 12:4

Wars and Rumors of Wars:                                             Matthew 24:6

Evil men become worse:                                                 2 Timothy 3:13

Days be like time of Noah:                                              Matthew 24:37

False christs:                                                                        Mark 13:21-23

Falling away from Faith:                                                 1 Timothy 4:1

People don't want sound bible doctrine:                  2 Timothy 4:3-4

People don't want to hear about 2nd coming:        2 Peter 3:3-14

False peace and safety:                                                    1 Thessalonians 5:1-3

People wanting stuff...lust of goods, etc.:                  Jude 16-18

Heaping Treasures:                                                          James 5:3-6

False Preachers:                                                                Matthew 24:11

Perilous times:                                                                   2 Timothy 3:1

Disobedient to Parents:                                                  2 Timothy 3:2

Love Pleasure more than Love for God:                  2 Timothy 3:4-5

Jews Returning to Their Land:                                    Jeremiah 32:36-42

Coming World Dictator:                                               2 Thessalonians 2:1-4

The Length of his Rule:                                                Revelation 13:5

Great Tribulation:                                                          Matthew 24:21

Some will Worship him:                                              Revelation 13:8    

Doom to Those Who Worship him:                        Revelation 14:9-11

Gospel Preached to all Nations:                                Mark 13:10

Signs in the Sun, Moon and Stars:                           Luke 21:25-27

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"Therefore be ye also ready:  for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh."

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Matthew 24:44    

"JOHN to the seven churches which are in Asia,  Grace be unto you, and peace, from Him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before His throne;"

Verse 4 starts the Church Ages.  Just like there are two sides to a coin, there are two implications of the churches.  There were seven literal churches in Asia.  Brick and mortar, you may say.  A church that was actually located in a specific land area during a specific date/time. That's one side of the coin.  The other side shows that there are seven spiritual churches.  They are called 'church ages'.  They occurred and are occurring during specific time frames.  We will study these as we go on later.

The beginning of verse 4 starts out with John greeting the seven churches.  He addresses the churches like we would start a letter we are writing.  John first wishes them well.  John sends greetings from God to the seven churches.  (The number seven symbolizes completion.  This is important to know.  There are not eight or nine churches.  Seven completes.  When we come to the seventh church age, it will be the end of the church ages, completion.)

John says in verse 4 that God sends 'grace and peace'.  God provides grace and peace for all who ask.  Verse 4 describes God: "which is, and which was, and which is to come;"  This also shows two aspects.  One is that God was always here since the beginning of time, is here today, and will be tomorrow.  The other aspect shows God's trinity (1 John 5:7).  That's another whole study for another time.

Verse 4 also states very clearly that there are seven Spirits which are before God's throne.  

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"And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth.  Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood,"

Verse 5 continues the greetings from verse 4.  The greetings in verse 4 come from God the Father, and the seven Spirits which are before God's throne.  In verse 5, this same greeting is also coming from our Lord, Jesus Christ to us. 

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Verse 5 goes on to describe Jesus.  First, Jesus is described as the faithful witness.  This is verified in Isaiah.  Chapter 55 of Isaiah shows Jesus as the everlasting Salvation.  And in verse 4 of Isaiah 55, it confirms verse 5 in Revelation 1.  Isaiah 55:4 reads: "Behold, I have given Him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander of the people."  Jesus is the faithful witness spoken of in Isaiah.

The second description of Jesus in Revelation 1:5 states that Jesus "is the first begotten of the dead".   From Adam and Eve until Christ rose from the dead, saints could not go directly into Heaven.  This is because Jesus' blood had to be sacrificed first before people could go into Heaven.  To put it more simply, Old Testament believers were to offer a lamb sacrifice on the altar.  This lamb showed that the person offering the lamb had faith in the coming Messiah.  The lamb signified the coming Messsiah. They looked forward to the Lamb of God.  It was not by works. The sacrifice was the symbol of faith in Christ, as the Lamb, through the blood. The sacrifices of the animals can never take away our sins.  Hebrews 10:4 says: "For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins."  Today we look back to the Lamb sacrifice.  Jesus is the Lamb of God.  He was sacrificed for our sins.  We go into Heaven because we have faith in the blood sacrifice of Jesus, the Lamb, on the cross.  Old Testament people looked forward to the blood sacrifice of the Lamb of God.  Today, we look back on the sacrifice of the Lamb of God.  Jesus is the Lamb of God.  John 1:36 says:  "And looking upon Jesus as He walked, he (John) saith, Behold the Lamb of God! "  (Also see Hebrews 9:12-15)

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So this raises the question 'Where did saints go when they died before the cross?'  Lets first explain why saints could not just go marching on into Heaven before Christ shed His blood on Calvary.  God is also known as the Great Physician.  Let's say a doctor is going to perform an operation.  The room he is in must be sterile.  The equipment is sterile and those assisting have scrubbed up.  Suppose you just got off work from working at a sewer plant.  You decide that it is ok for you just to walk right into this doctor's operating room.  Do you think you would be permitted to do that?  Of course not!  You must be sterile.  This is the same situation with God.  God is Holy.  He is Pure.  In order to be in the presence of God, we must be sterile ... washed.  How?  By the blood that Jesus shed on the cross for our sins.  Good works can never clean us up enough to let us into Heaven. It can only be by the blood of the Lamb.  So here we can understand that we can only get into Heaven through Jesus because of His blood that He shed for us.  Then where did all the people go who died before Jesus was crucified if they couldn't go to Heaven?  

The Bible tells us the answer in Luke 16:19-26.  This passage gives us a glimpse of where the Old Testament saints were before the cross: 

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These are Jesus' own words:

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"There was a certain (real man) rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:  And there was a certain (real man) beggar named Lazarus(Real names are not used in parables; thus, this is not a parable, but an actual account by Jesus.)  which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.  And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.  And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.  But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.  And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence."

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You can see from this passage that Jesus informed us that people not saved had a place in hell, located in the center of the earth, and people who died before Christ shed His blood, went to a place across from hell known as 'paradise'.  Yes, people from both sides could see each other.  They could talk and they could reason, but they could not go from one place to another.

 

The paradise side was beautiful and comfortable.  There was a documentary on the Discovery Channel that I saw that showed scientists had discovered beautiful, giant, ivory pillars in the center of the earth.  They were broken down and toppled over.  The scientists looked like ants next to one of these giant pillars.  This discovery is another proof of the paradise part in the center of our earth.   It is proof of Luke 16.

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Paradise, or the lower parts of the earth (as the Bible describes), is the place people went that died before the cross.  Abraham was there, as we just read in Luke. Ephesians 4:9 says "...He also decended first into the lower parts of the earth".  Psalms 16:10 says: "For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption." 

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Another proof in scripture about Paradise is in Luke 23:43  "And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise."  When Jesus was crucified on the cross, there were two men being crucified along with Jesus that day.  Jesus said to the one man that he would be with Him in Paradise.  This man went to the Paradise side.  Why did only the one man that was crucified on the cross next to Jesus go to Paradise and the other man did not?  Because the one man believed Jesus was the Messiah and asked Jesus to be his Saviour.  The other man did not.  He did not ask.  If you want to go to heaven when you die, you MUST ask Christ to be your Saviour.

 

Then this brings us the question, do we still go to Paradise or do we go to Heaven when we die?  We now go directly to Heaven if we have asked Christ to be our Saviour.  We know this because of Matthew 27:53.  After Jesus rose from the 'dead', He made the Way for the saints to come out of Paradise and join Him in Heaven.  What I think is really amazing is that we also see in verse 53 that Old Testament saints, who were in Paradise, were allowed to appear to many people living at this time!  If you have an Old Scoffield KJV Bible, read the notes of Matthew 27:53.  Could you imagine seeing Noah or Moses and even one of your relatives walking beside you and talking to you?!  That is how it is in Heaven now.

Jesus encourages us in John 14:3 where He says: "...that where I am, there ye may be also."

To simplify all that was just written:

     1.   People who died before Christ's blood was shed went to Paradise to wait for Jesus to die on the Cross.  They showed their faith by offering a lamb sacrifice, pointing to the Lamb to come.

     2.   Jesus sacrificed Himself as a Lamb for sins.

     3.   Jesus descended into Paradise and gathered His pre-cross saints together.

     4.   We now go directly to Heaven because the Sacrifice of Jesus is complete.

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Verse 5 concludes with: "Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood."

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"And hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father; to Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen."

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When we become a Christian, God makes us priests and kings unto Him.  1 Peter 2:9 says: "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light:"

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As a Christian, we should conduct ourselves like a priest or a king.  Not being bossy, but being a reflection of Christ. We are to show forth praises of God, thanking Him for taking away our sins.
John 13:14-15  Jesus says: "If I then, your LORD and Master, have washed your feet;  ye also ought to wash one another's feet.  For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you." We are to serve God by serving others.

 

Verse 6 also points to the Diety of God.  It says "God and His Father".  Christ is God.  Jesus states in John 10:30: "I and my Father are one."   1 John 5:7 says: "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word (Jesus, John 1:14), and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one."   The Trinity.

The Trinity of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit is not hard to understand. God gave us a perfect example of the Trinity when He gave us the egg.  An egg has a shell, it has the white part, and it has a yolk.  It is all an egg.  You can separate the shell from the white and the yolk.  You can separate the yolk from the white but it is all still called an egg.  This is a wonderful example of the Trinity.  

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Verse 6 states "to Him be glory and dominion".    Glory is high reputation, honorable.  Glory is splendor and excellency.  God will always get all the glory.  He is reputable, honorable, and excellent.  Dominion is the high governing of angels and territory.  The Overseer of all, Heaven and earth.  God does, and always will, have glory and dominion over all.  Satan may seem to be winning at times, but we know the Bible tells us God does and will always have the upper hand.  We know at the end of Revelation Who is the Victor!

 

Verse 6 ends with "Amen".  Amen means 'So Be It'.  It is set in stone.  It is, It was, and It will come to pass.  God and His Word.  People may say Jesus is not coming back, or they may say that He will not come in their lifetime, but He is coming.  The end of this world is coming, and 'so be it'!  

Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him.  Even so, Amen."

Verse 7 is not talking about the Rapture.  The Rapture is when God takes Christians off this earth. The Rapture is the next main event to happen. The definition of Rapture according to Webster's dictionary is "The transporting of a person from one place to another, especially to heaven, by supernatural means."  Christians will go up and meet Jesus in the air.  1 Thessalonians 4:17 says: "Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord."   Jesus does not come down to the earth at the Rapture.  He will come down and stand on the earth at the 2nd Coming, not at the Rapture.  We will study the 2nd Coming  later in Revelation.  

The Rapture is also indicated in Revelation 3:10:  "Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth."  

In 1 Corinthians 15:51 the Bible calls it a mystery.  Verse 52 says:  "In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed."  Luke 17:35 says:  "Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left."

To be confident that Verse 7 is talking about the 2nd coming and not about the Rapture, which takes place first, we need to take the whole verse:

"Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him.  Even so, Amen."   (Verse 7)

Jesus will come back 'with clouds:'  Acts 1:9-11 reads: "And when He (Jesus) had spoken these things, while they beheld, He was taken up; and a cloud received Him out of their sight.  And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven?  this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven."

'Every eye shall see Him'.  Jesus will be seen by everyone at the same time.  Everyone on earth, everyone in Heaven, and everyone in Hell will see Him.  This proof is right here in Verse 7.  'They also which pierced Him.' Those who were alive when Jesus was crucified, 'pierced', will also see Jesus at His 2nd Coming.  (On our site here - uneed2no.com -  under the 'Tools' tab, there are many verses on a literal Hell.)

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Verse 7 continues with "all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him".  In other words, all the nations in the world will 'wail' when they see Jesus coming.  Wail means "to make a long, loud cry, as in grief, sorrow or fear".  The people 'wailing' are unsaved.  They will be regretting the fact that they did not ask Christ to be their Saviour.  They realize it is too late.  This will happen in every country of the world.  Verse 7 ends with "Amen",  which means - 'So Be It'.

"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, 

which is, and which was, and which is to come,

the Almighty.

God repeats Himself in Revelation 22:13.  He says:  "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last."  Alpha and Omega means the beginning and the end, the first and the last.  

Genesis 1:1, the first book of the Bible says:  "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."   Isaiah 45:18 also verifies this:  For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens, God Himself that formed the earth and made it; He hath established it, He created it not in vain, He formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else."   God declares Himself to be the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the ending (Revelation 22:13).  He was there in Genesis and He is here in Revelation.  Remember, this book is the Revelation of Jesus Christ (Revelation 1:1  says: "The Revelation of Jesus Christ").

"I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the Word of God,

and for the testimony of Jesus Christ."

Verse 9 is referring back to John.  We learnt a little about John earlier, how he preached in Ephesus.  We learnt how the town leaders and the people became so angry with John that they arrested him, and threw him into a boiling pot of hot oil.  We also talked about how burned he may have been.  The terrible pain he may had been in.  Then we talked about how he was sent to the isle of Patmos, which is a rocky island with hardly any vegetation.  He served as a slave there.  We learnt that you can visit this island today and see the cave where John probably had to sleep and lived with very little food.  I say all this again so you can get a better grasp on the words here in Verse 9.

John calls you his brother/sister and companion here in Verse 9.  Everyone of us, who are saved, are brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus. John says "companion in tribulation".  Right now, we are not in any real tribulation.  Yes, we have trials, but most of us here in America have not been stoned, banished, or boiled in oil.  God has really protected America.  We have the freedom to tell others about Christ.  Are we?  Are we sharing the Gospel with others?  If we don't witness now in a time of freedom, do you really think we will when times get rough?  If we don't stand up for Christ now, with just handing out a simple gospel tract, then how are we going to stand up to persecution?  Will we have the "patience of Jesus Christ" like this verse says?

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John testified that he was on the isle of Patmos during the writing of Revelation.  The isle of Patmos is located off the west coast of Turkey and Asia.  Patmos is a rocky, treeless, volcanic island.  It is only about 6 miles wide by about 30 miles long.  John was on this isle for the "Word of God and the testimony of Christ"  (verse 9).   In other words, John states that he was sent to this 'prison' because he preached the Word of God.  He told people about Jesus Christ dying for their sins and that Jesus was the only way to Heaven.  People did not like to hear that, so John was banished to the isle of Patmos around AD 96.

"I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,"

John says here that he was in the Spirit on the Lord's day.  Notice the word Spirit.  This is not talking about John's spirit. This is referring to the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit came upon John to have him write the book of Revelation.  

The Word of God, our KJV Bible, is Holy.  It is pure.  It is the written Word from God.  2 Peter 1:19 says:  "We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed," 2 Peter 1:20-21 says:  "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.  For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man; but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost."

The Bible is God's Holy Word.  Research these verses:  Galatians 1:11-12; Psalm 100:5; Psalm 19:7; and 2 Timothy 3:16.  Proverbs 30:5 says: "Every word of God is pure:"   The KJV Bible is inspired, pure, true, and  very accurate.  And we must remember the Bible, God's Word, will be used in Heaven on the day of judgment.  Whether we want to acknowledge God's Book or not, doesn't matter. We will still be judged according to what is written in it.  Revelation 20:12:  "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books,"  (We will be covering this verse more in depth later.)  You can trust God's Word.  He does not lie.

In  the second half of Verse 10,  John says he "heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet".  The voice came from behind John.  This must have made John really jump. It was not just a voice.  It was a "great voice" .  Put yourself in John's shoes.  You are standing in a cave or near a cave on a rocky, lifeless island when all of a sudden you hear a 'great voice'.  It may have called John's name.  We don't know.  I would have jumped out of my shoes! 

 

Now, this was not a trumpet, but was as loud as a trumpet.  It was a voice so loud and booming that John compared it to a trumpet.  A trumpet sounds out proclamations.  Trumpets are used throughout the Bible to get people's attention. 

 

       Numbers 10:1-2        The trumpet used to summon the congregation, 

       Isaiah 27:13                The trumpet being used to gather the people together.

       Leviticus 23:24         The trumpet blown for a holy convocation.

       1 Kings 1:39 & 2 Kings 9:13       Trumpets were blown to announce kings.

       Jeremiah 6:1, Joel 2:1, Ezekiel 33:1-8; Hosea 8:1   To sound out warnings.

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Trumpets make very, very loud sounds.

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When a trumpet sounds, especially a loud one, all other noises seem to cease.  Like for a proclamation of a king, everyone becomes silent.  Three main uses of the trumpet would be to get people's attention.  God wants us to listen.  Second, would be to give warnings.  Warnings to the seven literal churches, to the seven spiritual churches, and to us.  Thirdly, to announce Jesus as King.

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In Verse 11, the King speaks ...

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"Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea."

Jesus is proclaiming His Kingship.  He is "Alpha and Omega, the first and the last;"  Genesis 1:26 says: "And God said, Let US make man in OUR image, after OUR likeness:"   Jesus was in the beginning with God.  He was there with His Father during the creation of our world.

The Gospel of John says in 1:1-3  "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  The same was in the beginning with God.  All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made."  John 1:14 - 15:  "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.  John bare witness of Him".

When Jesus was born, the wise men came to find baby Jesus.  The wise men asked:  "Where is He that is born King of the Jews?  for we have seen His star in the east, and are come to worship Him."  Jesus is King from creation in Genesis, during His time on earth, and He is King in Revelation:  "And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS."  (Revelation 19:16).  Jesus says in Revelation 22:13:  "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last."  From Genesis to Revelation, He is the First and the Last.

Continuing with Verse 11, the Lord goes on to give John instructions.  He says: "What thou seest, write in a book,"  Yes, there were books back then.  Mankind was created with super intelligence.  Look at how pyramids were built with precise mathematics.  What about astrologers who went seeking Jesus using accurate star reading?  Read the law of Moses in Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. The Tabernacle itself is totally amazing.  Mankind was very intelligent - even without computers!  Yes, there were books.  People knew how to read and write way before John's time of 96 AD.  The book that Jesus is instructing John to write is the last book of God's Word, Revelation.

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Verse 11 continues with the Lord sounding with the authority, like a trumpet, commanding: "send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea."

These seven churches named here were literal, brick and mortar churches: but also, with spiritual implications to church ages.  As a comparison, it would be like the Old Testament saints offering a real, literal, lamb upon the altar.  Even though the lamb was real, it had a spiritual meaning.  The lamb showed the coming of the Lamb of God, Jesus.  The sacrificial lamb was a real animal.  These seven churches listed here were seven real places.  The lamb sacrifice pointed to the Lamb of God and His sacrifice.  These seven churches points to the seven church ages of our times. The number 7 represents completeness.

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Then we come to verse 12 ...

"And I turned to see the voice that spake with me.  And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;"

As John turned to see where this trumpeting voice came from, he saw seven golden candlesticks.  Gold is very precious. It is valuable.  John saw seven precious and valuable candlesticks.  Look at verse 20.  Here God shows us what these candlesticks mean.  Remember, Revelation means to 'reveal'.  God did not give us His Word to hide things from us.  God gave us His Bible to 'REVEAL' things to us, to show us, and to teach us.  The Bible is not hard to understand.  The Bible was written on a third grade education level.  The Bible was used in schools for learning to read and for learning the alphabet.  The Bible was used in public schools from the early 1700's thru 1900's.

The seven candlesticks here in verse 12 are explained at the end of verse 20 where it says: "the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches".   God's churches are "precious" and "valuable" to God.

"And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.

This verse shows that in the middle of the candlesticks, which are the seven churches (verse 20), is the "Son of man" .  There are many, many verses in the Bible where Jesus is referred to as 'the Son of man'.  Matthew 18:11 says:  "For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost."

The Lord Jesus Christ is in the middle of every one of these churches.  He will continue to be in the center of every church age.  He will be in the very center of our last church age, the Laodicea time.

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Ephesus
Smyrna
Laodicea
Thyatira
Sardis
Philadelphia

This verse goes on to describe our Saviour, our Redeemer.  It says He is: "clothed with a garment down to the foot".  This shows that the LORD is totally pure from head to foot.  He is righteous and clothed in humility.  He is not dressed as a warrior.  He is clothed like this because He is dealing with His church right now.  Later on in Revelation, we will see His warrior outfit.  But right now He is dealing with the church. The Lord Jesus is showing that He is the sacrificial Lamb.

Pergamos
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This verse also tells us that our Saviour is wearing a "golden girdle".  In ancient times, men wore 'girdles' to show strength.  'Girdles' are extra wide belts.  The Lord's 'belt', also called a girdle, is of fine, pure gold.  Gold is a symbol of God’s glory and beauty, and an image of the MessiahGold represents the promise of redemption and mercy.  God's "golden girdle"  shows us that our Messiah is all glorious and beautiful. He promises those who ask Him to be their Saviour, mercy and redemption.

"His head and His hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and His eyes were as a flame of fire;"

Verse 14 continues with the physical description of our Lord.  His hair and His beard are "white like wool".  They are white.  His hair is not 'wool'.  His hairs are white. This shows the Lord's holiness. "His eyes were as a flame of fire".  His eyes are not a flame of fire.  They are AS a flame of fire.  Habakkuk 1:13 says this about God:  "Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil,"   

Let's go on to verse 15 as it also describes Christ's physical appearance.  

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"And His feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and His voice as the sound of many waters."

The Lord's feet were like brass.  They were not brass.  His feet shined super bright like polished brass.  Brass is a type of judgment. Remember, this is the Lord's appearance for the Judgment Seat of Christ, the place where Christians appear before Him.

 

  This verse also describes our Saviour's voice "as the sound of many waters". Have you ever been near a large waterfall?  The noise of the waterfall is so loud you really cannot talk over it.  You can only stand there in amazement at the power of it.  

Ezekiel 43:2 states: "And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east; and His voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with His glory."

 

Let's continue onto verse 16 as it also describes our Lord.

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"And He had in His right hand seven stars: and out of His mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and His countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength."

Let's first look at "the right hand".  This is very important.  In Hebrews 10:12, it says:  "But this man, (Jesus), after He had offered one sacrifice (Himself), for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;"  And Mark 16:19 documents: "So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God."   

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Webster's Dictionary defines someone on the right hand, or a righthand man as: an indispensable helper or chief assistant."  These seven stars in Christ's right hand are His indispensable helpers and chief assistants.  Verse 20 tells us who these assistants are.  They are "the angels of the seven churches".

Next in verse 16 is that "out of His mouth went a sharp twoedged sword".  Did a real metal sword come out of Jesus' mouth?  Not a metal one, but a real one.  Remember to compare scripture to scripture.  Hebrews 4:12 tells us what this sword is:  "For the Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."  Ephesians 6:17 also verifies that the 'sword of God' is His Word, the Bible:  "And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God:"

The Lord Jesus used the Word of God (Bible passages), over and over when He walked on our earth.  In Matthew 2:5, the Lord says: "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." (God speaks through the Bible, His Word.) Jesus said over and over "It is written".  (See Matthew 4:7; 26:24; 26:31;  Mark 1:2; 7:6; 9:2; 9:13; 14:27;  Luke 4:4; 4:8; 19:46;  John 6:45;  Acts 7:45; and there are many more verses.)  A sword is a tool that cuts.  When the Lord opens His mouth, it will cut us to our hearts.  The Lord will be judging us according to His Word, the Bible, which He gave us.  Our works, as Christians, will be judged according to the works we are to follow that God wrote down for us in His Word, our 1611 King James Bible.  Do we read it?  Do we study it?  When we stand before the Lord, He will not permit the excuse "I didn't know the Bible said that."  God gave us His Word, the Bible.  You will be held accountable for not reading it, or not studying it, and or not doing it. 

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And don't ever change God's Word. He commands us not to never change His Word: "Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish out from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you."  Deuteronomy 4:2.  Also see Deuteronomy 5:22; 12:32; Proverbs 30:5-6; Revelation 22:18-19.  If you instruct someone to do something, you expect them to do it according to your instructions.  If they do not follow your instructions, they have not obeyed.  If they change your instructions into what they want, then they actually are making your words a lie.  For example: "Oh, we don't have to follow the instructions, we can do it this way."    Yet, this is exactly what people do to God and His Word, His instructions, today!

God's Word

is 

HOLY 

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