Revelation 1:9-20
Vision of the Exalted Christ
#revelation
Published September 17th, 2022; Updated September 29th, 2022
Phrase 1:9-20
Phrase 1:9-20
editing
NT
Revelation 1:9-20
esv
John's situation and commission
John on Patmos
I, ... was on the island
John, your brother
explanation
and partner
in the tribulation
context
and the kingdom
and the patient endurance
that are in Jesus,
called Patmos
on account of the word
ground
of God
subjective
and the testimony
of Jesus.
Prophetic commission to write
I was in the Spirit
on the Lord’s day,
temporal
and I heard ... a loud voice ... saying,
result
behind me
locative
like a trumpet
comparison
“Write what you see
content
in a book
and send it
purpose
to the seven churches,
destination
to Ephesus
and to Smyrna
and to Pergamum
and to Thyatira
and to Sardis
and to Philadelphia
and to Laodicea.”
Vision of the Son of Man
Jesus and the seven lampstands
Then I turned
to see the voice
that was speaking
to me,
on turning
and ... I saw seven golden lampstands,
and ... one like a son of man,
in the midst of the lampstands
clothed
explanation #1
with a long robe
manner
and with a golden sash
around his chest.
Descriptions of glory
The hairs ... were white,
explanation #2
of his head
producer
like white wool,
like snow.
His eyes were like a flame
explanation #3
of fire,
epexegetical
his feet were like burnished bronze,
explanation #4
refined
in a furnace,
and his voice was like the roar
explanation #5
of many waters.
In his right hand
he held seven stars,
from his mouth came a sharp two- edged sword,
explanation #7
and his face was like the sun
explanation #8
shining
in full strength.
Reassurance and Renewed commission
reassurance
When I saw him,
I fell
at his feet
as though dead.
But he laid his right hand
on me,
saying,
“Fear not,
I am the first
ground #1
and the last,
and the living one.
ground #2
I died,
explanation #1
and behold I am alive
explanation #2
forevermore,
and I have the keys
explanation #3
of Death
objective
and Hades.
renewed commission
Write therefore the things that you have seen,
those that are
and those that are to take place
after this.
interpretation of stars and lampstands
As for the mystery
reference
of the seven stars
that you saw
in my right hand,
and the seven golden lampstands,
the seven stars are the angels
of the seven churches,
descriptive
and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
Christ is the Living One in the sense that this is his character - true of him for all time. The evidence of this is seen in v18. Death could not conquer him, - instead, he has conquered death.
The middle phrase can be rendered as "what they are" i.e. "what they mean". With this approach, this verse does not give a 3-fold division of the book, but rather give the literary pattern for John to follow in recounting his visions. 1. write what he sees. 2. write what they mean 3. write what it shows about the future
phrasing
Comments
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