Rev 1:1-3 NKJV 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, (2) who
bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all
things that he saw. (3) 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.
_ It seemed best to add a fair amount of
interpretation in the translation below instead of being overly literal. Most of the additions and changes to
traditional translation make implied meanings obvious in English. Brackets are
used to designate unfamiliar or novel choices in translation and
interpretation. Comments below attempt to explain rather than prove choices,
particularly those bracketed.
Rev 1:1-3 jba A revelation [belonging to] Jesus Christ. God
gave it to Jesus [in order that His Body might] show to His [servant Israel]
[certain] things which must soon occur. [God] explained [these things]. He
sends [instruction] by His [selected angels] to His servant, John. (2)
John herein records what he heard, including the spoken word of God and
the testimony of Jesus Christ. John also records descriptions of the many
things that he saw. (3) Happy is the one publicly reading and those
hearing the words of this prophecy, and remembering the things written in it;
for the time is near.
1:1.1 A revelation [belonging to]
Jesus Christ. The next phrase shows that the sense of the
usual "of" is ownership, not source or description. God gave a
revelation to Jesus.
1:1.2 God gave it to Jesus [in order that His Body might] show Paul tells us that Christian believers are
members of the Body of Christ. John, through the visions recorded in this book
shows us that believers are members of the Body of Christ. (In Rev 1:13-17 Head
and Body of Christ are clearly differentiated. Rev 12:5 does not distinguish
between the Christ child and the Assembly as caught up to God.) The Body
receives a revelation given by God to Jesus spiritually as well as through
John’s description. Rev 1.3 describes how the Body "shows" this
revelation.
1:1.3 to His [servant Israel]
John is one of the Twelve. He is an apostle to Israel, particularly to the
faithful remnant. The urgent message in this book is to those begotten again
under the law. The Temple is about to be destroyed and Jews killed and
scattered. The time of valid testimony under the law is ending. It is time for
those of faithful Israel to fully accept the Gospel. This book is particularly
directed at faithful Jews who are in contact with the Assembly. (The Gentiles,
as usual, receive the crumbs which fall from the table and the food which the
children rejected.) The term "servants" does not seem to be applied
to the generality of Christians during the first forty years of the Assembly.
Scripture does apply it to "Israel, my servant".
1:1.4 [certain] things which must
soon occur. The "certain
things" are those which are explained to John by "selected angels".
Rev 17:10 establishes the urgency. The writing of the book and the destruction
of the Temple occur during the reign of Vespasian. The end of the apostolic
era, and of valid testimony under the law and the death of John, appear to take
place with the death of the Emperor Titus. At this later time the beginning of
the post-apostolic era takes place as depicted in Rev 21:9-22:11. The urgency
of full acceptance of the Gospel before this time is made plain. A sovereign
God will convert the faithful remnant in time. John is a chief instrument in
this.
1:1.5 [God] explained [these things].
The Greek verb does not have an object. Tradition has inserted "it"
for smoothness and has, without valid reason, thus made the explaining refer to
this book as a whole. A plural object is equally acceptable to Greek grammar
and makes a lot more sense. The awkwardness of a revelation given from God to
Our Lord to an angel to John ought to warn us that tradition may well have
obscured the Word.
1:1.6 He sends [instruction] by
His [selected angels] The Greek word translated "sends"
is related to the word "apostle". It is not just a simple sending. It
includes the commissioning of a particular messenger. "Angel" is
singular in the Greek and it is possible that one angel is in view. But it
seems better to view the construction as the method by which God explains, and
two angels seems to make a better fit.
1:1.7 to His servant, John. Apostles and others appointed to special
offices by God are generally referred to as His servants. The generality of
Christians in the first forty years are not.
1:2.1 John herein records what he
heard, including the spoken word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. This
translation makes explicit much that is implied. Both God and Jesus clearly
speak many times during the visions.
1:2.2 John also records
descriptions of the many things that he saw. John
provides a written record of this revelation. But members of the Body of Christ
also see and hear spiritually a revelation given to Christ by God.
1:3.1 Happy is the one publicly
reading, and those hearing the words of this prophecy,
The primary meaning is the reading of John’s communication in the local
assembly. The later repeating of the words is also in view.
1:3.2 and remembering the things
written in it; Tradition is often captive to the error of the
Galatians and translates (or interprets) "guard" or "keep"
as "do" or "obey". We are to first remember the words of
God. Then repeat, meditate on, and/or memorize them. The spirit of the life
that is in Christ Jesus accomplishes the rest. See Joshua 1:8, Romans 8:1-4.
1:3.3 for the time is near.
The need for an urgent response is peculiar to the faithful remnant of Israel.
But the transition from apostolic to post-apostolic times is an enormous
blessing to the entire Assembly. The availability of the complete Bible to
almost all believers is so common a blessing today that it escapes notice. We
no longer know in part and prophecy in part. We grow into the Head. Etc.
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