For more photos of Ephesus see Images of Ephesus

2:1 "To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:

These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands: 2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. 4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. 5 Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. 6 But you have this in your favour: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

Key phrase: You have forsaken your first love

There is much information in the bible about the church at Ephesus. The church at Ephesus was founded by Paul where he reasoned with the Jews, he left Priscilla and Aquila there (Acts 18:19). Paul came back to Ephesus and found some disciples who had not received the Holy Spirit, they had only been baptised into John's baptism, when they were baptised in the name of the Lord Jesus the Holy Spirit came upon them (Acts 19:1-7). Paul spoke in the synagogue for three months (Acts 19:8) and then in the lecture hall of Tyrannus for 2 years (Acts 19:9-10). Then there was a disturbance because of the fertility goddess Artemis who brought the Ephesians wealth through making silver images of her (Acts 19:23), they were afraid that through Paul's preaching about Christ they would lose business. Paul left Timothy at Ephesus (1 Tim 1:3). He said good-bye to the elders of Ephesus at Miletus before going to Jerusalem (Acts 20:17-38) where he warned them that savage wolves will come in among them (Acts 20:29).

He also wrote to the Ephesians a long letter from which it is clear that they were a mature church. It is also thought that the apostle John and Mary, Jesus mother, settled at Ephesus. Some two-and-a-half centuries after Paul preached in Ephesus, the city hall was converted into a church and later used by the Council of Ephesus, which in 431 AD formally accepted the teaching that Jesus was both fully human and fully divine (Hill).

Ephesus was the most important city of proconsular Asia. Situated at the mouth of the Cayster River on a gulf of the Aegean Sea, it flourished as an important commercial and export centre for Asia. By NT times it had grown to at least 250,000 people (Mounce). From the island of Patmos Ephesus would be the first church you would come to. The nearest seaport to Patmos is Miletus (Acts 20:15) and then you would follow the coast road to Ephesus, but Ephesus also had its own more important port so you could go direct by ship from Patmos to Ephesus.

Ramsay has this to say about Ephesus. In the Roman province of Asia, Pergamum, the old capital of the kings, continued to be the titular capital, but Ephesus, as the chief harbour of Asia looking towards the west, was far more important than an ordinary city of the province. It was the gate of the province, both on the seaway to Rome, and also on the great central highway leading from Syria by Corinth and Brundisium to Rome. The Roman governors naturally fell into the habit of entering the province by way of Ephesus, for there was, one might almost say, no other way at first, and this custom soon became a binding rule, with uninterrupted precedents to guarantee it. After the harbour of Ephesus had grown more difficult of access in the second century, and other harbours (probably Smyrna in particular) began to contest its right to be the official port of entrance, Emperor Caracalla confirmed the custom of "First Landing" at Ephesus by the imperial rescript.

v1 - "To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: - Possibly the angel of the church means to the spirit of the church, that is, symbolising the churches. It could also mean guardian angel or elder. We should note here that it is Jesus himself dictating the letters to the seven churches, John is the amanuensis. As with Revelation itself (see 1:1) the letters claim direct divine authorship rather than divine inspiration of a human writer. It is appropriate that the last letter to the church which would sustain the church through trials and tribulation over the coming centuries should come with the highest authority. It is Christ's own evaluation and description of the condition of the churches together with His remedy for any defects.

v1 - These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands: - This is a repetition of his self designation from 1:13 and 1:16. A reference to his self designation is repeated for each of the seven churches. He holds the seven stars in his right hand, the seven stars are the seven angels of the church, this probably means that he determines the destiny of the churches. He walks among the seven churches and therefore he knows them intimately.

v2 - I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. - I know your deeds, a commendation, common to all the churches except Smyrna (I know your affliction and your poverty) and Pergamum (I know where you live - where Satan has his throne). Jesus is one who knows our condition because he walks among the seven lampstands. They had hard work (kopos) and perseverance; Paul commended the Thessalonians because of their work produced by faith, their labour (kopos) prompted by love (agapao) and their endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thess 1:3). The church in Thyatira is commended for their love and faith, service and perseverance (2:19). They had taken heed of Paul's warning to them when he left the elders that false prophets would arise out of their midst, Acts 20:28, 2 Cor 11:12. These men would be like savage wolves among a flock of sheep, they will distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them, Paul warned them to be on their guard against such false prophets. The Ephesians had tested the doctrine of these men and their lives and found them to be false. Jesus tells us that we will recognise false prophets by their fruit, that is their lives and the results of their doctrine. In 1 Thess 5:21 we are to test everything and hold on to the good, in 1 Cor 14:29 when two or three prophets speak the others should carefully weigh what is said. 1 John 4:1 warns us to test the spirits to see whether they are from God. 2 Peter 2 and Jude give descriptions of these people: they introduce destructive heresies, they exploit the people with stories they have made up, they will have shameful ways, they follow their own sinful ways and despise authority, they are bold and arrogant. They change the grace of our God into a license for immorality, these men are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage. In particular they are greedy for money.

v3 - You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. - A commendation, again it repeats the previous verse, they have endured for his name though not through love but through duty. Compare 'endured hardships' (kopiao) with 'hard work' (kopos) in verse 2, in Greek kopiao is a derivative of kopos.

v4 - Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. - Rebuke: they had deeds but not their love for each other and Jesus as at first. The word used for love is agape a stronger form of love rather than phileo which is brotherly love. Agape most characterises the love that Christ has for us which is a deeply committed love and which depends more on the nature of the giver than the attractiveness of the one loved (cf. eros the love between lovers). We are to love one another as Christ has loved us (John 13:34), agape love and not just brotherly love. It is likely that they had lost their initial love for Christ which resulted in a lack of love for each other. This is the great test for the saints, do they love one another (1 Cor 13:3, John 13:35). Their testing of everyone to see whether they are false apostles or false brethren had created an atmosphere of mutual distrust in which love could not grow (Mounce).

v5 - Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. -

Jesus now gives three steps to recovery:

i. Remember your former condition (stop and recall your love in the past, realise your current position and compare to how you used to be).

ii. Repent (change your direction, stop doing the negative)

iii. Do the things you did at first (do the positive, repentance is not just turning from wrong but also doing what is right).

Repentance does not merely involve us in stopping doing bad things but learning to do good things (Isa 1:16-17). We are to produce fruit in keeping with repentance (Mat 3:8). 'Do the things you did at first' their love was to be practical (1 John 3:16-18, James 2:14-17. The positive thing is to love one another as Christ loved us (John 13:34-35, Rom 13:8, 1 Pet 1:22, 1 John 3:11 ff.). A survey of the term 'one another' in the NT indicates that in practise this means: agreeing with one another, forgiving one another as God forgave us, being patient with one another, encouraging one another, spurring one another on toward love and good deeds, not judging or slandering one another, offering hospitality to one another.

v5 - If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place - Warning that the church will die if they do not repent. There is no church at Ephesus today. The KJV has 'come unto thee quickly' which emphasises the suddenness of his judgement and that therefore they should repent quickly (cf 2 Pet 3:9).

v6 - But you have this in your favour: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. - A commendation, Nicolations: followers of Nicolas of Antioch, not much is known other than in the book itself, see also Rev 2:15, the Nicolations and 'those who hold the teaching of Balaam' (2:14) and the followers of the woman Jezebel (2:20) represent the same group of heretics. There is a play on words here because the name Nicolaus can be derived from the two Greek words, nikan, to conquer, and laos, the people. Balaam can be derived from the two Hebrew words, bela, to conquer, and ha'am, the people. The two names, then are the same and both can describe an evil teacher, who has won victory over the people and subjugated them to poisonous heresy (Barclay). Just as Satan uses the beast to conquer (nikao) the saints from without (11:7, 13:7) so he uses false prophets to conquer the church from within, see also the reference to the Nicolaitans in the letter to Pergamum (2:15). It is likely that they took a laxer view of pagan society than did Jesus Christ, by allowing food offered to idols to be eaten and sexual immorality (2:14 and 2:20) they compromised with the world.

v7 - 'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches, - A personal challenge to the members of the churches and a general invitation to the individuals who hear the words of this book, to take its message to heart (Rev 1:3, Mat 13:15-16). A similar phrase is used in the gospels by Jesus (Mat 11:15, Mark 4:9, Luke 8:8). The phrase 'He who has an ear' is repeated in Rev 13:9. Note, it is what the Spirit says to the churches, this message is for us today. This book has a number of authors, God, Jesus Christ, John, and here the Spirit (see 1:1-2, 11). The book must be spiritually interpreted, we need to discern what the Spirit is say to the churches. For the Spirits involvement in this book see also 1:4, 3:1, 4:2, 4:5, 5:6, 14:13, 17:3, 21:10, 22:17.

v7 - To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. - Once again this is a personal rather than a corporate challenge. In the letter to each church there is a promise to the one who overcomes, meaning he who conquers, Rom 8:37. From the contents of the letter, the person who overcomes is the one who repents of his lack of love and finds his first love again. The letters to the seven churches are very much in harmony with the rest of the book, the promises to those who overcome always refer in all seven letters to something mentioned later in the book, for example, the tree of life in Rev 22:2. In 22:14 those who wash their robes have the right to the tree of life and enter into the city. And in 22:19 if anyone takes words away from Revelation God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city. The paradise of God is also mentioned in Luke 23:43, 2 Cor 12:2. In 22:2 the tree of life is on each side of the river of life which flowed from the throne of God and the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city which is the New Jerusalem. The New Jerusalem is therefore the paradise of God. The tree of life takes its water from the river of life whose source is Christ. The fruit of the tree of life confers eternal life on those who eat it (Gen 3:22).

Rewards are part of God's purposes in motivating his people and in Revelation we see the rewards of the overcomers and the rewards of the cowardly, one leads to eternal life the other leads to the second death. Lang remarks that Ephesus had toiled and endured, and as to the body of their labours, the external efforts, they had not grown weary. But the inner life had felt the strain; in heart affection to Christ they had lapsed and fallen. The inner man needed renewing. He who repented, and found again this inward invigoration of love to Christ, and so overcame personally the general defeat, should be blessed correspondingly in the day of reward -- he should find permanent strength and satisfaction in the fruit of the tree of life (Lang).

http://www.apocalipsis.org/rev-10.htm

Ch 2: The letters to the seven churches

Map courtesy of Mike Campbell and is not to be used without his permission

From the island of Patmos you sail to the port of Ephesus and then travel overland to Smyrna, Pergamum then to Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and finally to Laodicea.
For my photos of Ephesus see Images of Ephesus.

2. Introduction to the letters to the seven churches (2:1)

2.1. Ephesus (2:1)

2.2. Smyrna (2:8)

2.3. Pergamum (2:12)

2.4. Thyatira (2:18)

2. The letters to the seven churches (2:1)

Introduction to the letters to the seven churches:

The letters to the seven churches are a distinct unit of seven within the book of Revelation. Other sevenfold units are the seven seals, the seven trumpets and the seven bowls of God's wrath. Because the number seven denotes divine completeness as a whole the seven letters form a whole unit which has a message to the church universal; there are more than seven churches in Asia, for example Colossi has been omitted. In 1:11 John is commanded to 'write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea'. In verse 13 we see Christ among the lampstands, that is the seven churches, and in the letters we find out what he observed as he walks among the seven churches (2:1). Our Lord is one who walks among the churches and sees their deeds both good and bad. The seven churches represent the different imperfections that are likely to be found in individual churches in different localities and at different times. The churches give us a template against which we can measure our church in order to see our weaknesses and strengths, he also gives us the remedy for our deficiencies.

In this preliminary section God is judging His church in order to purify it from sin within so that it will be able to stand up to the coming persecution and also so that it will not be condemned along with the world (1 Cor 11:32), see the warning in Rev 18:4 to come out of Babylon lest we share in her sins and her judgement. This judgement is depicted later in the sections of the seven trumpets, the seven bowls, the judgement of the harlot and the day of judgement. Pergamum is warned about the Balaamite teaching concerning idolatry and immorality, Thyatira is warned about the false prophet Jezebel who misleads the church into idolatry and immorality. Laodicea thinks it is rich but actually it is poor, but we find that those whom the Lord loves he rebukes and disciplines. Here God warns the church because the world is infiltrating the church, but later the seven trumpets are warnings to the world to repent of its idolatry and its results which include sexual immorality. The harlot Babylon which seduces the people of the world is herself destroyed by fire.

Smyrna and Philadelphia are both troubled by false Jews who slander her, later we find the 144,000 who are sealed by God to protect them from the seven trumpets, these are the true Jews, the Israel of God, who we later see as a great multitude. Smyrna is warned that a period of Satanic testing is coming and they must be faithful unto death and in 12:17 we find Satan making war against the saints and in chapter 13 we find that the beast from the sea making war against the saints and conquering them. We find that those who would not worship the beast are killed and yet in 15:2 there are those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and his name.

Ephesus was sound in doctrine and persevered under hardship, neither the world or persecution was the problem. However they had lost their first love, for Christ and each other and had therefore almost become sub-Christian. John, as his first epistle makes clear, considers love to be the essential response to God's love; 'We love because God first loved us' (1 John 4:19); 'Whoever loves God must also love his brother' (1 John 4:21). One of the features of the churches witness was that her members love each other (John 13:34-35), it is not an option it is a commandment. God's counterpart to the hatred of the world is to be the love of Christians for each other. The church in Sardis was on the verge of death and was hardly in a position to withstand attack from the world and its values. Similarly the church in Laodicea was in danger of receiving the world's values.

In verse 1:19 he commands John to 'Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later'. The letters to the seven churches form a unit as to 'what is now' and the rest of Revelation concerns 'what will take place later'.

The letters follow a general sevenfold pattern:

A greeting. To the angel of the church.
A reference to Christ's self designation from Rev 1:12-19, this has some application to the letter to the church.
A commendation. I know your deeds... (except in case of Laodicea and Pergamum).
A rebuke if applicable (except in case of Smyrna and Philadelphia).
A charge to repent or a warning.
A call to hear. The phrase 'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches'.
A promise. The phrase 'To him who overcomes' followed by a reference to a reward mentioned later in Revelation.

Dr A T Pierson (quoted by Lang) pointed out that these promises at the end of each letter follow an historical order. The tree of life refers back to Eden; the second death to the fall; the hidden manna to the manna in the desert; the white stone to the engraved stones on the high priest's shoulder and breastplate; the rod of iron to Moses holding the rod of God for the defeat of Amalek (Ex 17:8); the white raiment to the garments of the priests; the pillar in the temple to those in the temple of Solomon; and the sitting on the throne to Solomon's reign in glory and peace.

Lang points out that there are three aspects under which these letters may be considered.

As a description by the Lord of the state of the seven churches of believers then existing (preterist).
As a prophetic foreview of the Christian age then commenced and to conclude at the coming of the Lord (historicist).
As a revelation of the moral characteristics of churches found always throughout the age (idealist).

The first (i) is obvious but these were chosen out of all the churches then existing because these reveal the states of every church in all ages, the number seven, the number of completeness suggests this.

The second (ii) is a widely held belief that these seven church in the order used, foreshadow a progressive development of the church throughout church history.

a. the first letter reveals the beginning of declension in the waning of first love, and the last (Laodicea) shows the final outcome of this in rejection by the Lord.

b. The meaning of the name of each church corresponds to the historic feature of the stage assigned to each.

c. The history of the Christian age has in fact followed the stages thus obscurely outlined in advance.

Trench has given a summary of the history of this interpretation and offers these reasons against it.

i. The Letters themselves contain no hint of a prophetic period sense.

ii. The scheme is not known to the apostolic, the post apostolic or even the following sub apostolic age.

iii. The advocates of this interpretation vary greatly among themselves in their distribution of the periods, examples of which of which divergence are given.

iv. There is no truly accurate correspondence of Letters with periods.

One of the themes that runs through the letters are the promises of rewards to those who overcome. Clearly Jesus is the model of one who overcame (3:21). In Johns first epistle we read of those young men within whom the word of God lives who overcome the evil one (1 John 2:14); those who overcome the antichrist because Jesus within them is greater that Satan (1 John 4:4); those who overcome the world by faith (1 John 5:4). Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God (1 John 5:5). In John 16:33 Jesus tells his disciples that in the world they will have trouble but not to fear because he has overcome the world.

The rewards for those who overcome involve a share in Christ himself:

Will eat of the tree of life watered by the river of life whose source is Christ (2:7).
Will receive the hidden manna which is Christ the true bread which comes down from heaven (2:17).
Will share in Christ's authority over the nations (2:26).
Will walk with Christ dressed in white (3:4).
Will write on him my new name (3:12).
Will sit with Christ on his throne (3:21).

The letters to the seven churches are integral to the book because they refer to the vision of Christ and the new Jerusalem at the end of the book. In the letters he prepares and purifies the church so that it can withstand the coming assaults on it by its enemies: Satan, the beast, the false prophet, the world and its seduction which are described in the rest of the book.

Summary of the condition of the churches:

i. Commended with nothing against:

Smyrna: Materially poor but spiritually rich, enduring affliction, slandered and persecuted.

Philadelphia: Open door, little strength, kept his word, had not denied his name, endured patiently.

ii. Commended but with things against.

Ephesus: Hard work, perseverance, have not grown weary, cannot tolerate wicked men but had lost their love.

Pergamum: Live where Satan has his throne, Antipas was martyred, remain true to his name did not renounce their faith, but some hold to teaching of Balaam.

Thyatira: Have growing love and faith but tolerate the false teaching of Jezebel.

iii. Nothing to commend.

Sardis: Reputation of being alive but spiritually dead. Wake-up

Laodicea: Lukewarm, materially rich but spiritually poor, blind and naked. About to be spewed out.

Ramsey notes that the descriptions of the churches in all their imperfection serves to define the limits within which the church may exist, yet all of them are part of the church of Christ despite their imperfections

We can see in the letters to the seven churches examples of how Satan wages war against the church (Rev 12:17). In Rev 13 we see the beast out of the sea who persecutes the church and the beast out of the earth who is the false prophet. This is true to the character of Satan who is a murderer and a liar (John 8:44). In the seven churches we can see how Satan wages war against the church by persecution and slander (lies) from outside and false prophets within.

2.1. Ephesus (2:1)

2:1 "To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:

These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands: 2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. 4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. 5 Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. 6 But you have this in your favour: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

Key phrase: You have forsaken your first love

v5 - Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. -

Jesus now gives three steps to recovery:

i. Remember your former condition (stop and recall your love in the past, realise your current position and compare to how you used to be).

ii. Repent (change your direction, stop doing the negative)

iii. Do the things you did at first (do the positive, repentance is not just turning from wrong but also doing what is right).

2.2. Smyrna (2:8)

Rev 2:8 "To the angel of the church in Smyrna write:

These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. 9 I know your afflictions and your poverty--yet you are rich! I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.

11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death.

Key phrase: Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.

Smyrna is today called the city of Izmir, it lies about 35 miles north of Ephesus on the Aegean coast of Turkey. It has an excellent harbour. It had a strong allegiance to Rome and in 195 BC it became the first city in the ancient world to build a temple in honour of Dea Roma. Later in 23 BC, Smyrna won permission to build a temple to the emperor Tiberius. The strong allegiance to Rome plus a large Jewish population which was actively hostile to the Christians made it exceptionally difficult to live as a Christian in Smyrna. The most famous martyrdom of the early church fathers was of the elderly Polycarp, the 'twelfth martyr in Smyrna', who, upon his refusal to acknowledge Caesar as Lord, was placed upon a pyre to be burned (Mounce). There is still an active church in the city today.

v8 - "To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again - This a repetition of his self designation, see Rev 1:17-18. He is the first and the last word in human history and therefore is sovereign over what is in between (xxxx). Through him the world was created and human history will end when he comes again. He died and came to life again and hence conquered death, he is the firstborn of many brothers, this should be of comfort to those in Smyrna who are about to be persecuted and some will die.

v9 - I know your afflictions and your poverty--yet you are rich! - For the other churches (except Pergamum) Christ says 'I know your deeds' but here he says 'I know your affliction and your poverty - yet you are rich'. They were physically poor but spiritually rich, contrast this with the Laodiceans who thought that they were rich but were poor, 3:17 (Jam 2:5). Physically the church in Smyrna suffered from persecution from the Jews and they were poor, they had few luxuries and possessions, yet spiritually they were rich in the sight of Christ. Jesus sees their affliction, he knows about it, this must be of comfort to this persecuted church.

v9 - I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. - Again he says 'I know the slander...' he sees their situation, he is aware of it and its injustice, once again this must bring comfort to this church. These Jews follow Satan in slandering God's people, the word Satan means accuser (12:10), but the Devil means slanderer. Behind these Jews stands Satan; it is he, not Abraham, who is their spiritual father, John 8:44, (Wilcock). Slander, that is telling lies to blacken the character of people, is one of Satan's weapons against the church, see the river of lies, Rev 12:15. Again in the letter to Philadelphia there is a reference to those who claim but to be Jews but are liars, they are actually a synagogue of Satan (3:9). See also other examples of Jewish antagonism in Acts 13:45, 14:2, 17:5, 18:6, 25:7. Paul defines a real Jew not as one physically circumcised but as one circumcised in the heart by the Spirit (Rom 2:29) and who believes God just as Abraham believed God (Gal 3:6-7).

v10 - Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. - Here we find John's first warning concerning the persecution of the Church, the second occurs in the letter to the church in Pergamum. First Christ counsels them not to be afraid of what they are about to suffer. Christ by telling them beforehand is indicating that, as the all knowing God, it is part of his plan and under his control. In John 16:33 Jesus tells his disciples that in world they will have tribulation, but to take courage; he has overcome the world, cf. 3:21, 5:5. In Luke 12:4 Jesus warns us not to fear man who can kill the body but do no more, we should fear God who, when the body is dead, can cast us into hell. 1 Pet 3:13-18 tells us not to be afraid if we suffer for doing right, we have the example of Jesus who died for doing right but he was raised again (cf. 1 Pet 2:19-25, Isa 51:7-8). Ten days is a limited, but complete, period of time known by God, note that Daniel asked to be tested for ten days to see whether he would still look well on a diet of vegetables (Dan 1:12). The devil will put some of them in prison to test them, not the devil himself but using his human subjects just as he uses the beast to wage war against God's servants later, 11:7, 13:7. The Lord encourages them to be faithful by stressing the reward that this will bring them just as he did in Mat 5:10-12 in which those who are persecuted because of Him will have a great reward in heaven. There were in fact ten periods of persecution during the time of the Roman Empire until the 'conversion' of Constantine in 316 AD (Hill). Christ is aware of what is about to happen to them, but he does not intervene because it is for their ultimate good that they be tested even unto death so that they will receive the great reward of the crown of life spoken of by James. Just as Jesus overcame by dying, so the saints overcome by being faithful even to the point of death. The church of Pergamum did not renounce their faith in the face of martyrdom, 2:13. The fact that Christ died and came to life again (v8) also ensures that even though they die they will live again.

v10 - Be faithful, even to the point of death and I will give you the crown of life. - By dying they will gain their (eternal) life (John 12:25). He who stands firm to the end will be saved. Martyrdom is a common theme in the book, but there is also a promise that he will receive the crown of (eternal) life. Jesus had already conquered death, he came to life again, verse 8. They will be tested, this is in harmony with the rest of scripture, after which they will receive the crown of life, Jam 1:12. They must be faithful unto death to receive the crown of life, a wonderful Christian paradox, John 12:25. The word for crown used here is the victors crown (stephanos), rather than the royal crown (diadema), which is appropriate for those who have overcome i.e. won the victory. The crown of life is eternal life, which is signified by the water of life and the tree of life later in Rev 22:1. Here in one line is the message of the book of Revelation: Be faithful, even to the point of death and I will give you the crown of life. This message is further expanded in the death of the two witnesses (11:7) and later when the beast wages war on the saints and overcomes them (13:7), but in both cases God vindicates his servants because the two witnesses are raised to life again (11:11) and we find those who are victorious over the beast praising God in heaven (15:2).

v11 - He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death. - Note the formula: 'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches', we need to heed what is being said here. This verse again emphasises the reward for being faithful, even to the point of death, the far worse second death will not hurt them (21:7-8). The second death is contrasted with the crown of life of v10, the second death is lake of fire, Rev 20:14. It takes only a short while to endure the pain of the first death even as a martyr, the pain of the second death lasts for eternity. Those who endure to the end (Mat 10:22, 2 Tim 2:12) and are faithful to the death will be saved from the lake of fire. Note how the saints in 12:11 overcome Satan, who is mentioned here as the devil v10, 'by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death'.

2.3. Pergamum (2:12)

Rev 2:12 "To the angel of the church in Pergamum write:

These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. 13 I know where you live--where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city--where Satan lives.

14 Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality. 15 Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.

Key phrase: I know where you live--where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name.

This capital city is where Satan has his throne, the serpent, the symbol of healing of the pagan god Asclepius was everywhere in the city. It was also a centre of Caesar worship, it had a temple dedicated to Rome and it also had many heathen temples.

v12 - "To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. - The double-edged sword is a reference to the Word of God, Heb 4:16 see also Rev 1:16, 19:15. He will use this sword to fight against the Balaamites and Nicolaitans in v16.

v13 - I know where you live--where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city--where Satan lives. - In the case of the other church (except Smyrna) Jesus says 'I know your deed' here he says 'I know where you live--where Satan has his throne', he knows that they are living where Satan seemingly reigns, this must bring comfort to the church. Pergamum was a centre of both pagan religion and Caesar worship, Asclepius the serpent God of healing was worshipped there and so the city can truly be described as one where Satan reigns, i.e. has his throne. However this is precisely the place where Christians are to witness, c.f. 'Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified' (11:8). The Greek word used here for witness is martys, thus by the witness of his life and death Antipas bore witness to Jesus, becoming an example for much of the book later. Jesus knows our circumstances, he knows that the church at Pergamum is where Satan has his throne, he knows about the martyrdom of Antipas this should bring comfort to the saints. Jesus is the faithful witness (1:5), Antipas is one who followed the example of Jesus and remained faithful unto death (2:10, 14:12), just as Christ remained faithful until death, and is called here my faithful witness; being faithful under persecution is one of the key messages of revelation. But after death Christ rose again, just as the two witnesses came to life again (11:11). In Revelation we find those who died for the sake of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus, but they are alive in heaven and will live for eternity as they drink from the waters of life. Just as Christ's death brings many sons to glory so the death of the martyrs is a necessary part of God's plan for the world. As Caird states martyrdom is price God's people pay for God's patience with the world. The martyrs are the seed bed of the church and the death of the martyrs acts as a testimony to men and will result in some people coming to repentance. The testimony of God's people through their life and death is a part of God's plan, just as the life and death of Jesus was.

v14 - Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality. - While the church coped with the external threat of persecution it did not deal with the threat from within the church. They had been infiltrated by Satan's servants who introduce destructive heresies. The book of Revelation is largely about the external enemies of the church yet we must not forget the false prophets within the church. The word of God warns us about false prophets, Mat 7:15, 24:24, 2 Pet 2:1, 1 John 4:1. In the letters to the seven churches Jesus is purifying his church so that it will cope with the coming persecution. For Balaam the false prophet see Numbers 22-25:3, 31:16, 2 Pet 2:15. He enticed God's people to commit sexual immorality and bow down and eat food offered to idols, Num 31:16. These sins all involve spiritual and physical compromise with the world, the church of God is to be blameless and holy (11:2, 14:4-5, 20:6, 21:2). Idols are mentioned because God wants to purify his church of anything that resembles idolatry (2 Cor 6:12-7:1 cf. Rev 18:4) which is the fundamental sin of those who worship the beast and his image (cf. 13:14-15, 14:7, 9-12).

v14 - eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality - These are the same things mentioned in the letter to Thyatira, there they tolerated the woman Jezebel, who called herself a prophetess, but who by her teaching misleads God's servants into sexual immorality and eating food sacrificed to idols, Rev 2:20. Paul covers these topics in 1 Cor they are also mentioned in Acts 15:28, these are clearly matters that troubled the Christians of the time, see Acts 15:28-29, 1 Cor 6:18, 8:1. They involve compromise with the world, the church is to be holy and separate from the world, in the world but not of it. John was clearly concerned by idolatry (1 John 5:21).

v15 - Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. - For the relationship between the Nicolations and Balaam see Rev 2:6 in the letter to the Ephesians. They permitted compromise with the world. This heresy is one that all God's people are tempted with throughout church history, it is nothing new. Another OT figure, Jezebel, is used while describing the same sins in Rev 2:20 again she compromises with the world. The saints are to be pure for they are the bride of Christ, Rev 14:4. False teaching is one of Satan's main weapons against the church, see his river of lies (12:15). If he cannot destroy the church from without he will try to destroy it from within, in 2 Cor 11:13-15 Paul talks about Satan's servants masquerading as apostles of Christ.

v16 - Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. - Christ first commands them to repent, that is the whole church for allowing this sin within and in particular those actually committing the sin, but if they do not then He will fight against them, that is those who hold to the teachings of the Nicolations, not against the church as a whole. He will fight against them with the word of God, compare with the description of Christ at his second coming in Rev 19:15 in which he will strike down the nations with the sword that comes out of his mouth. This could therefore be a reference to the second coming which is also mentioned in the letter to the church in Sardis (3:3), or it could refer to some other judgement.

v17 - He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it. - Note the formula: 'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches', we need to heed what is being said here. Manna was the daily food for the Israelites in the desert (Exo 16:31, Psa 78:24), it alludes to the proper heavenly food that is Christ (John 6:57-58) in contrast to the food offered to idols. There could also be a connection to the fruit of the tree of life, 'If anyone eats of this bread (i.e. Christ), he will live forever' (John 6:51). In the ancient law courts white and black stones were used for registering the verdicts of Juries, black for condemnation and white for acquittal. This would mean that the Christian is acquitted in God's sight because of the work of Jesus Christ (Barclay). In the ancient world there was a common custom to carry a charm or amulet. It could be just a pebble on which there was a sacred name.

To know a God's name was to have a certain power over him and to summon him in times of difficulty. It was thought to be doubly effective if no one else knew the name inscribed on it (Barclay). Lang remarks that Pergamum was tempted to eat defiled food, but he who defeated this temptation should eat of the sacred food of heaven, Christ, now hidden from men. Each who held fast the profession of His name, when it meant death to do this, shall receive His right to use His new name in the kingdom. Isaiah said that God would give his people a new name (Isa 62:2). As well as a new name in Revelation there are references to the new Jerusalem (3:12, 21:2), a new song (5:9, 14:3), a new heaven and new earth (21:1) and in 21:5 God says 'I am making everything new'. The new name would be appropriate to a new life and status in God's new creation and society. The old order of things has passed away, the saints will live in a new body and the new name signifies the demise of the old life lived in a decaying body amidst a corrupt world and the start of a new incorruptible life. The new song could only be learned by those redeemed from the earth and the new name is part of ones reward for remaining faithful to Jesus while on the old earth. It is interesting to note that Sarai, Abram and Israel all were given a new name by God to denote a change from their old life to a life after some new revelation of God (Gen 17:5, 15, 32:28).

Sandford says the following about the white stone; "Alchemists were fond of speaking of the 'lapis lazuli,' or white stone (actually a rich azure or sky-blue)... ...Alchemists sought by science and discipline to build themselves into perfected stones - actually to become the white stone by which they could possess total knowledge and wisdom... ... On the island of Patmos, whether or not John was aware of alchemy, the Holy Spirit certainly was, and the Lord promised, [quotes Rev. 2:17]. In Hebrew culture, a white stone was given to a man who had been forgiven great sins. Wearing the stone was a sign that he had been forgiven. But the Holy Spirit may also be saying something like this: 'To him who overcomes will I give a perfected soul; no one has to study alchemy to achieve it.' Every Christian is in the process of being transformed into the likeness of Jesus Christ, which will finally be accomplished in 'the twinkling of an eye' (1 Cor. 15:52) - as a gift and not by alchemic science or its modern counterpart, New Age humanism."

2.4. Thyatira (2:18)

Rev 2:18 "To the angel of the church in Thyatira write:

These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. 19 I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first. 20 Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. 21 I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. 22 So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. 23 I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds. 24 Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan's so-called deep secrets (I will not impose any other burden on you): 25 Only hold on to what you have until I come.

26 To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations--

27 'He will rule them with an iron sceptre; he will dash them to pieces like pottery' --

just as I have received authority from my Father. 28 I will also give him the morning star. 29 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Key phrase: Only hold on to what you have until I come.

The city of Thyatira is now Akhisar. The city was on the trade route south east of the capital Pergamum and a period of great prosperity and increase was only beginning when the seven letters were written. More trade guilds were known in Thyatira than any other Asian city. The inscriptions mention the following: wood workers, linen workers, makers of outer garments, dryers, leather workers, tanners, potters, bakers, slave dealers and bronzesmiths (Ramsay). The woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth came from the city of Thyatira, (Acts 16:14).

v18 - "To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. - Here he clearly identifies himself with the 'someone "like a son of man"' from 1:13 as the Son of God. His blazing eyes see everything, this repeats the description found in 1:14-15. The church in Thyatira was in a city which was a centre for the worship of Apollo, known as the 'son of God' because he was supposed to be the son of Zeus. The message is therefore sent from the true 'Son of God'. Thyatira was a centre for making the image of the all-seeing eye, little glass images which are still on sale today to tourists (Hill). Thyatira was famous for the manufacture of purple dye, and numerous references are found in secular literature of the period to the trade guilds which manufactured cloth (Swete quoted by Walvoord). Lydia was a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, Acts 16:14. Purple cloth was only worn by the wealthy (Luke 16:19, Rev 17:4)

v19 - I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first. - Compare this church to the Ephesians who lost their first love, and the almost dead Sardis. Notice that their love produced service and their faith produced perseverance, they were doing more than they did at first, theirs was not a dead faith, it was a growing faith (cf. 1 Thess 1:3).

v20 - Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. - Despite their growing love and faith they tolerated evil in the form of Jezebel in their midst, she calls herself a prophetess but is in fact a false prophetess (Jezebel is transliterated from the Hebrew 'Izevel meaning, ironically, chaste [Zodhiates]). Compare this church to the Ephesians who did not tolerate wicked men (Rev 2:2), Ephesus had truth and lost their love, but they had love but lost their love of the truth and permitted impure doctrine to be taught in the church resulting in impure acts. They had not guarded the truth entrusted to them, the church leaders had not guarded their flock as those in Ephesus had. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth (1 Cor 13:6). Doctrinal error leads to immorality but the truth leads to godliness (Tit 1:1). Sexual immorality and eating food sacrificed to idols are the same sins are mentioned at Pergamum. Jezebel brought idolatry into Ahab's life, she urged him on in evil (1 King 21:25-26), especially idolatry and persecuted the prophets (2 King 9:7), note that as with Balaam in the letter to Pergamum in Rev 2:14 a famous OT figure is used to heighten the imagery. He also uses the word Jezebel because that is how God sees the prophetess. Jezebel killed the true prophets of God (1 King 18:4) and by her teaching here she is bringing spiritual death to those who follow her.

Since sexual immorality and eating sacrificed food to idols are mentioned in Acts 15:20 and in Corinthians 6:18, 8:1, we should take it literally. Eating food offered to idols would be a temptation with respect to the trade guilds which would have feasts involving food offered to idols and possibly sexual immorality. Once again spiritual compromise is warned against, James 4:4 warns that friendship with the world is hatred towards God, it is a form of spiritual adultery. In 18:4 the saints are warned to come out of Babylon so that they will not share in her sins or her punishment. The reason for his intolerance of evil is that he wants his bride to be pure cf. 14:4-5, Eph 5:27. See also comments on 2:14.

v21 - I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. - Here we see God's patience and mans response. Delayed punishment does not mean that punishment does not come in the end (xxxx).

v22 - So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. - They do not physically commit adultery with her, that is Jezebel, but they follow her example. She is repaid according to her deeds (v 23) as are those who follow her, this is conditional since they can repent. Contrast the bed of suffering with the bed of adultery (Ladd). Thyatira was famous for its purple cloth which the harlot woman Babylon also wears in Rev 17:4 and in 18:4 God commands his people to come out of her 'so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues'.

v23 - I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds. - This punishment will make all the churches aware that Jesus sees all and is intimately concerned with what they do. 'I am he who searches hearts and minds', see v18 'whose eyes are like blazing fire'. He repays each person according to what they have done (Psa 62:12, Isa 62:11, Jer 17:10, also Mat 16:27, 1 Cor 4:5, Rev 20:12, 22:12), in this verse judgement of her deeds is in this life. The similar references later in Revelation refer to the judgement of earthly deeds which occurs after death, in Rev 20:12 in which after death each person was judged by what they had done and 22:12 in which rewards are according to what people have done, indicating the importance of deeds done in this life, which is one of the important messages of Revelation, see also 14:13 in which their deeds follow them. We take our deeds with us into the next life to be judged and we are rewarded or punished.

v24 - Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan's so-called deep secrets (I will not impose any other burden on you): - To those who resist sexual immorality and eating food offered to idols, and do not compromise with the world he does impose any other burden on them, see Acts 15:28. To learn Satan's so called deep secrets one has to plumb the depths of wickedness in order to appreciate God's grace.

v25 - Only hold on to what you have until I come. - He only commands them to hold onto what they have (their deeds, love and faith, their service and perseverance) until he comes, the second coming or death whichever is earlier, Heb 3:14. He also told the church of Philadelphia to hold on to what they had, so that no one would take their crown (3:11). Compare this with John's injunction in 2 John 1:8 to 'Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully'.

v26 - To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations - This is the only instance where overcoming is defined in the specific terms of doing His will. The saints must follow the example of Jesus who did his Father's will to the end, even to the cross (John 4:34, 6:38, Mat 26:39). We see the saints having authority over nations in 20:4 when the martyrs reign with Christ for a thousand years. In Mat 10:22 we are warned to stand firm to the end during persecution and we will be saved. We see hints of the saints authority over nations in 1 Cor 6:3 they judge angels, in Rev 5:10 they reign on the earth, in Mat 19:28 they judge the twelve tribes of Israel. There is an echo from Psa 2:8 here 'Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession', v9 of which is quoted in the next verse.

v27 - 'He will rule them with an iron sceptre; he will dash them to pieces like pottery' -- just as I have received authority from my Father. - This is quoted from the Messianic psalm 2, verse 9, it is used also in Rev 12:5 of Jesus at his birth and Rev 19:15 when Christ comes again. To rule with an iron sceptre means to destroy rather than rule sternly. Lang remarks that Thyatira was dominated by a false seducing prophetess. He who resisted this usurping tyrant, and maintained the crown rights of Christ as Head of His Church, shall himself be a ruler in the day of Christ. We have Jesus as our example of an overcomer, see also the letter to Laodicea in which those who overcome will sit with him on his throne just as he overcame and sat with his Father on his throne (3:21).

v28 - I will also give him the morning star - The Morning star refers to Jesus himself, see Rev 22:16, in which he is described as the bright morning star, and in 2 Pet 1:19 it refers to the second coming when 'the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts', Isa 14:12 speaks of the morning star as 'son of the dawn' but referring to Lucifer. The morning star is figurative of the approach of the day when He will appear as the 'sun of righteousness' (Vine). There are other scriptures which depict the righteous shining like stars (Dan 12:3, Phil 2:15). Thus they will receive a special interest in Christ himself.

v29 - He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. - Note the formula: 'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches', we all need to heed what is being said here.

Ch3: Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea

{I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut.}

Artwork by Duncan Long

2.5. Sardis (3:1)

2.6. Philadelphia(3:7)

2.7. Laodicea (3:14)

2.5. Sardis (3:1)

3:1 "To the angel of the church in Sardis write:

These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.

4 Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy.

5 He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. 6 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Key phrase: Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die,

Sardis was about 50 miles east of Smyrna and 30 miles south east of Thyatira. It was a wealthy city and most of the city practised pagan worship with its mystery cults and secret religious societies. It had a magnificent temple of Artemis. Its people were idolaters and worshipped the mother goddess, Cybele, which included orgies during festivals held in her honour (Walvoord). Sardis thought it was secure but twice in the history of Sardis the acropolis had fallen to the enemy due to lack of vigilance of its defenders (Mounce).

v1 - "To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. - There is no commendation because there was nothing to commend. In 1:16 we see that he holds the seven stars in his right hand, which are the seven angels of the seven churches. In 5:6 he is described as having seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the world, the number seven indicating completeness. He is the one who knows the state of his church, he knows his sheep, John 10:14. The one who holds the seven spirits of God knows their heart and he sees them as dead while the world saw them as alive, see comments on 1:4. The contrast of the word alive and dead is a stinging rebuke, intended to wake them up. They had the outward form of religion but had lost the inward reality of Christ in them. The next verse shows them not to be completely dead, but rather asleep.

v2 - Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. - Spiritually they were asleep, Christ saw them as dead and so he commands them to Wake up! A better translation is 'show yourself watchful' (Mounce). They were like the five virgins who took their lamps with them to meet the bridegroom but did not take any oil (which stands for the Holy Spirit), when the bridegroom arrived they were not ready, Mat 25:1-13. We must be ready for Christ's return which is referred to in the next verse (see also Mat 24:42 ff.). Their deeds were not complete, i.e. perfect, in God's sight, they failed to come up to God's standard, the implication in verse 4 of the soiled clothes is that sin was involved, it could more simply be that of neglect.

v3 - Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent.- They were to remember the word of the gospel that gave them salvation obey it and repent (1 Cor 15:2). Clearly they had forgotten what the gospel meant, and had stopped growing and bearing fruit (Col 1:4-6). They needed once again to hear the gospel of their salvation and to respond to its message afresh. The historicist interpretation would point to Luther as an example of one who heard the gospel afresh and a new vibrant church was formed. The key to their state is to hear the word of God afresh. cf. 2 Pet 1:9. They also need to obey the word, they need to be doers of the word and not just hearers only (Jam 1:22). They also need to repent of their previous attitude, they must change their attitude, wake up and strengthen what remains.

v3 - But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. - 'I come like a thief' is a reference to his unexpected second coming (cf. 16:15, 1 Thess 5:2-4, 2 Pet 3:10), he warns his church to keep watch, see the warning in Mat 24:42 to keep watch, 'because you do not know on what day your Lord will come'. This is a reminder to them of the lack of vigilance of those in Sardis who were twice unexpectedly overcome by the enemy. It can also be taken to be a reference to his unexpected coming upon them in judgement (Mounce), but it is more likely the second coming he has in view (see the warnings in Mat 24:36-25:46). We should see this as a warning to the church to be awake at His return, this is in line with the message of Revelation which is to ensure that the church is ready for his return (1:3, 16:15, 18:4, 19:7, 22:7, 12-14).

v4 - Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. - These few people in Sardis had not compromised with the world. White garments indicate holiness, white robes are worn by the great multitude in heaven, 7:9, white clothes are worn by the armies of heaven who accompany Christ at his return. The Laodiceans are counselled to buy white clothes to wear to cover their shameful nakedness, 3:18. In 19:8 fine linen, bright and clean, stands for the righteous acts of the saints. Therefore soiled clothes refer to sin. In connection with his second coming Jesus says 'Behold, I come like a thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed' (16:15).

v5 - He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels - He will be dressed in white, i.e. forgiven or holy or clean, as were the twenty four elders. For book of life see Psa 69:3, Phil 4:3, Mat 10:32, Luke 12:8-9, Rev 13:8, 17:8, 20:12, 20:15, 21:27. As early as Exo 32:32 Moses asks to be blotted out of God's book if God does not forgive the sin of Israel. Revelation is about two groups of people those whose names are written in the book of life and those who are not. Lang remarks that Sardis was defiled and dying. Each who kept himself undefiled now shall walk in pure white garments in the day of glory. He that triumphed over spiritual death shall never lose spiritual life: his name shall be retained in the book of life. The threat here is that if they do not wake up their names will be blotted out of the book of life.

v6 - He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. - Note the formula: 'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches', we all need to heed what is being said here.

2.6. Philadelphia (3:7)

Rev 3:7 "To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:

These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. 8 I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. 9 I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars--I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. 10 Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth.

11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.

12 Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name.

13 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Key phrase: I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name

Philadelphia (modern day Alaþehir). Its name is derived from Attalus II (159-138 BC), whose truth and loyalty to his brother Eumenes won him the epithet Philadelphus (brotherly love). Being on a major trade route it had an open door for evangelism.

v7 - "To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. - The martyrs in 6:10 also call the Lord by the title 'Sovereign Lord, holy and true'. Jesus holds the key of David, quoted from Isa 22:22, that is absolute power and authority over who enters his kingdom, see Rev 1:18. Eliakim the palace administrator, was to be robed with authority and given the key to the house of David (Isa 22:20-22, 36:3), he is the one who decides who will see the king. The strength of Christ contrasts with the little strength of the Philadelphians. The city's name means 'brotherly love'.

v8 - I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. - Commendation, there is no rebuke. Jesus is the one who walks among the churches and sees. Philadelphia, meanwhile, was on the main trade route between East and West, a situation that presented the believers with an open door for the gospel into the region beyond. Although they were a tiny group with little strength, theirs was a door that God had provided and therefore no-one could shut (Hill). They had kept his word and not denied Jesus, therefore he will acknowledge them before their enemies. Ramsay points out that the "open door" is a Pauline metaphor meaning a good opportunity, i.e. an open door, for missionary work, see Act 14:27, 1 Cor 16:9, 2 Cor 2:12, Col 4:3.

v9 - I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars--I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. - A synagogue of Satan is also referred to in the letter to Smyrna (2:9), the Jews follow Satan, whose name means slanderer, in slandering God's people, clearly the Jews in particular were troubling these early churches as Acts demonstrates, Acts 13:45, 14:2, 17:5, 18:6, 25:7.

v9 - acknowledge that I have loved you - This wonderful fact of Christ's love for us is central to our faith, (Rev 1:5, 3:19, Eph 5:2). These Jews considered themselves and themselves only to be God's people and therefore loved by God, they despised the Philadelphians who they considered to be Gentiles and therefore out of Gods covenants. Jesus is saying that he will vindicate his elect and demonstrate to these slanderers who are really his beloved people. Note that Philadelphia in Greek means brotherly love, Jesus will demonstrate who are really his brothers. The word for Jesus' love here is agapao which refers to a self giving love Jesus has for his people which he demonstrated by dying for them. There are a number of OT references to God vindicating his people in front of their enemies (Isa 43:4, 45:14, 49:23, 60:14).

v10 - Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth. - The hour of trial is mentioned in Dan 12:1, Mark 13:19 and it is likely that it is depicted by the seven trumpets and Ch 7-19 later in Revelation. The hour of trial is for the world not for the church which will be spiritually but not physically protected from it. The spiritual protection of the church is indicated in the sealing of the 144,000 (7:3), see also God's care of the woman in the desert (12:6, 14). The best example of this is the fifth trumpet in which the locusts are specifically told only to harm those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads (9:4 cf. Isa 18:3). The term 'the inhabitants of the earth', which is similar to 'those who live on the earth' (see 11:10, 14:6) always refers to the world not to the church (Rev 6:10, 8:13, 11:10, 13:8, 13:14, 17:8). This promise is not just for the church at Philadelphia but for all who fulfil the requirement of the promise which is to endure patiently (see 1:9, 13:10, 14:12). Just as Satan tests the church in Smyrna through persecution (2:10), so God tests the world through trial or adversity. The meaning of the word 'keep' (Gk. tereo) is to guard, to watch over, so that the idea of this verse is preservation through the hour of trial.

v11 - I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. - 'I am coming soon' is a reference to His second coming, cf. also Rev 2:5, 2:16 in which he comes in judgement and especially 3:3 in which he comes like a thief. As with Thyatira he imposes no further burden on them except to hold on to what they have, Rev 2:24-25 cf. 2 John 8. The word for crown used here is the victors crown (stephanos), rather than the royal crown (diadema), so they are to hold on to what they have so that no one will take their victory.

v12 - Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name. - Here we have an abundance of promises to those who overcome. Four times Jesus refers to something belonging to or coming from 'my God' a rare expression in the scriptures (cf. John 20:17, Rev 3:2). The church is the pillar of truth, the temple of my God is the church. The 144,000 in Rev 14:1 have the name of Christ and of God on their foreheads. The New Jerusalem, is the church, coming down from heaven, see Rev 21:2, in Ezekiel's vision the name of the city is 'THE LORD IS THERE' (Ezek 48:35) cf. Rev 21:3, 22:3. The temple of God will be the New Jerusalem because that is where God will dwell. What is being said here is that he who overcomes will be permanently part (i.e. a pillar) of the New Jerusalem, he will belong to God and to Christ, and he will be intimately known. Lang remarks that Philadelphia was opposed by a synagogue of Satan, but each who stood aloof should be given a permanent place in the temple of God. He who did not deny Christ's name on earth shall bear His new name for ever.

v12 - and I will also write on him my new name. - New name, this is the same as the new name written on the white stone (Rev 2:17), it indicates a special intimacy (Rev 22:4). Just as there is a new Jerusalem, and a new heaven and new earth so they have a new name. After the destruction of the city Philadelphia by an earthquake in AD 17 it was given aid by the emperor Tiberias. In appreciation it changed its name to Neoceasarea (the new city of Caesar), thus the church knew what it was to be given a new name, only their new name will be named after their king not Caesar.

v13 - He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. - Note the formula: 'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches', we all need to heed what is being said here.

2.7. Laodicea (3:14)

Rev 3:14 "To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:

These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation. 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realise that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.

19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. 20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.

21 To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

Key phrase: Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.

The church at Laodicea were to read Paul's letter to the Colossians, Col 4:16, they had not met Paul personally, Col 2:1. The city had a profitable business from the production of wool cloth and when it was destroyed by an earthquake in AD 60 it was able to rebuild itself without outside help (Walvoord). It had a widely known medical school and produced an eye-salve (Mounce). It got its water from hot springs almost 6 miles away and by the time it got to Laodicea it would have been luke warm. It was also a centre for banking. The church lived within this affluent society and the attitudes of its citizens rubbed off onto the church.

v14 - "To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation. - Jesus Christ is the Amen for in him is the certainty of the fulfilment of God's promises, 2 Cor 1:20. It is frequently uses as a refrain of agreement by God's people to a doxology, 'so shall it be', Rev 1:6-7, 7:12, 19:4. For faithful and true witness see 1:5, see also Rev 19:11, the rider on the white horse is Christ whose name is Faithful and True. Revelation shows us that Christ is the ruler of God's creation, in 1:5 He is the ruler of the kings of the earth and this is demonstrated later in the book, 6:15, 19:19-21. The NASB version has instead of 'the ruler of God's creation', 'the Beginning of the creation of God', in the sense of pre-eminence over creation rather than the first created being, this is more in line with the book, see Col 1:16-18, Rev 13:8, 21:6, 22:13.

v15 - I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! - He who walks among the churches sees their deeds. The water supply for the city of Laodicea came from hot springs some distance away so that it was lukewarm. There is more hope for the cold anti-Christian, such as Saul, than these lukewarm Christian who has lost his hunger for God.

v16 - So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth. - Literally he is about to vomit them out of his mouth. This shows his revulsion of these lukewarm Christians. The remedy is shown in verse 18 in which he counsels them to buy gold, white clothes and salve.

v17 - You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realise that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. - Their material wealth had blinded them to their true spiritual bankruptcy. The world had invaded this church, compare the similarity of her attitude with that of the harlot who said ''I sit as queen; I am not a widow, and I will never mourn' (18:7). It is frequently noted that Laodicea prided itself on three things: financial wealth, an extensive textile industry, and a popular eye-salve which was exported around the world (Mounce). The church thought it was rich in her own eyes, but in the eyes of Christ it was poor. In Hosea 12:8 Ephraim boasts, 'I am very rich; I have become wealthy. With all my wealth they will not find in me any iniquity or sin'. Compare the Laodiceans with the church in Smyrna who were afflicted and poor but in the Lord's eyes were rich.

Their attitude was similar to that of the Pharisees who thought that they were healthy but were in fact sick (Mat 9:10-13), they thought that they could see but were blind (John 9:40-41, Mat 15:14). While they were not Pharisees their condition is similar which is why the Lord rebukes them. Their condition is dangerous because they do not realise it.

v18 - I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. - Christ's counsel to them is in three parts: to buy gold so that they become rich instead of being wretched, pitiful and poor; white clothes to cover their nakedness and salve for their blind eyes so that they can see.

v18 - I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire - This is gospel buying without price (Isa 55:1, Rev 21:6), true riches without price, i.e. salvation that is free. In 22:6 God offers freely to the thirsty to drink from the spring of the water of life, in 22:17 the invitation to the thirsty is given by the church to take the free gift of the water of life. The Laodiceans were relying on their own riches without faith in Christ. The gold represents faith in Christ, see 1 Pet 1:7, rather than trusting in their own wealth which perishes. They can only get this gold from Christ. They cannot take their wealth with them after death, but their labour of faith follows them (14:13).

v18 - white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; - Originally Adam and Eve were naked but felt no shame (Gen 2:25), but then after they sinned they were ashamed of their nakedness and sewed fig leaves to cover their nakedness (Gen 3:7). In 16:15 at the second coming Christ calls blessed is 'he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed.' In 3:4-5 those in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes will walk with Christ dressed in white because they are worthy. Those in Laodicea did not even have any clothes, they were naked, they have to come to Christ to get clothes to cover their sins. Joshua the high priest was dressed in filthy clothes in Zec 3:3-4, he was given new rich garments after his sin was taken away. These clothes are the white clothes of righteousness (Isa 61:10). Throughout Revelation white garments stand for righteousness (6:11, 7:9, 7:14, 19:8, 19:14), in 7:14 they are said to have 'washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.'

v18 - and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. - They do not even realise their nakedness and need their spiritual eyes opened so that they can see their condition. Laodicea was famous for its eye salve. Once again they must buy this from Christ.

v19 - Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent - One of the most tender lines in Revelation. Those whom I love... the Lord disciplines those he loves, who are his children, Prov 3:12, Heb 12:5-8. Note that despite their pitiful condition they had not ceased to be part of the church of Christ, the same applies to the other churches. The Greek word or love used here is phileo, in all the other references to love agapao is used (1:5, 2:4, 2:19, 3:9, 12:11, 20:9) the only exception being 22:15.

v20 - Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. - The tense indicates a continual knocking. The anyone indicates a universal but individual appeal. An individual needs to hear Christ knocking, that is His voice, and then open the door of his heart to let Christ come in. The meal indicates fellowship with Christ (John 14:23) and anticipates the heavenly banquet later, the wedding supper of the Lamb (Rev 19:9). Jesus said that whoever hears his voice and believes God has eternal life and will not be condemned, he has crossed over from death to life (John 5:24). He who belongs to God hears what God says (John 8:47).

v21 - To him who overcomes. I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne - This verse emphases one of the key points in Revelation, Jesus overcame as the Lamb by being obedient even to death on a cross and he gives himself as an example of one who overcame. He obtained victory by being obedient to death on the cross (Phil 2:8-9) and hence is exalted as the Lion of the tribe of Judah. Revelation demonstrates that the same obedience to death is required by the saints, who are conquered by the beast (13:7) and are martyred because they refuse to worship the image of the beast (13:15) but who we see later in 15:2 as victorious over the beast and his image and the number of his name. Peter points to Christ as our example of one who suffered unjustly even to die on the cross (1 Pet 2:13-25, 3:9 ff.) but who has now gone into 'heaven and is at God's right hand--with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him' (1 Pet 3:22). Those who suffer with him will reign with him (5:10, 20:4-6, 22:5). Lang remarks that Laodicea was a poor lunatic, sitting in squalor, but boasting of fancied riches. He who, by humbling himself, overcame this pitiful pride, shall sit at table now with the Lord, and hereafter shall sit with Him in glory on His throne.

v22 - He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." - Note the formula: 'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches', we all need to heed what is being said here

Ch 4: A vision of heaven

Artwork by Duncan Long

The vision of heaven: (4:1)

Twenty four elders (4:4)

1. The vision of heaven (4:1)

4:1 After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this." 2 At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. 3 And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne.

John sees a door standing open in heaven and is invited to come up to heaven to see what must take place after the letters to the seven churches. This introduces a new section that shows the future from heaven's perspective, the previous section concerned the current situation of the churches. Human history is now viewed from the point of view of Him who is the beginning and end of history. It shows history as it affects the church, which is the people of God, and the world. We find God on his throne at the very centre of heaven surrounded by the living creatures and elders giving him his rightful worship as creator, it is fitting that our view of the future should start with a view of God in control. The purpose of this vision is to show that God is in control of human history and in particular the history of the church. Like the prologue to Job Revelation permits us to see into the invisible realm of heaven and we find God seated on his throne, later we find the conquering Lamb on the same throne receiving the adulation of the universe, later we see Satan cast out of heaven to the earth making war on the saints through his henchmen the two beasts. Revelation answers the question most often asked during periods of persecution, 'where is God in all this?', when His enemies appear to be triumphing over the church. Thus at the start of these heavenly visions we see God firmly in control of the universe. Some authors postulate that from now on until chapter 21 the church is not in view (see Walvoord).

For background see Exo 19, 25-27 for the tabernacle and its furnishings and articles, see also Heb 9:1-8

Comparison of earthly temple with heavenly sanctuary:

OT	Rev
Holy of Holies (Exo 26:30-35)	The throne of God (4:2)
Seven branched lampstand Exo 25:31-40	Seven lamps of fire before the throne (4:5)
Bronze basin Exo 30:18	Sea of glass (4:6)
Cherubim over mercy seat Exo 25:17-21	Four living creatures (4:6)
Priests	Elders (kings and priests) (4:4)
Altar of burnt offerings Exo 31:9	Altar (6:9-11)
Incense altar Exo 31:8	Incense altar (8:3-5)
Ark of covenant	Ark of the covenant (11:19)

v1 - After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this." - This section opens in a similar way to Ezekiel's visions, '... the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God' Ezek 1:1, he too was in exile. Likewise in 19:11 John saw heaven opened. 'After this' refers to the vision of the risen Christ and the letters to the seven churches. The voice he had first heard speaking like a trumpet, 1:10, was that of Christ or an angel, but clearly he is invited by Christ to come up to heaven to see, from heavens perspective, what must soon take place.

The words 'come up here' have been linked with the rapture of the church and it has been pointed out that the word for church (Gk. ekklesia) does not appear elsewhere in Revelation until 22:16. However only John is told to 'come up here', and the elect of God and his saints are certainly referred to later in Revelation (7:3, 13:7, 10, 14:12) even if the word church is not used. For example the two witnesses are described as two lampstands (11:4) and we have already seen that a lampstand is a symbol of a church, they are also told to 'come up here' (11:12) and is much more likely to refer to the rapture. While the word church does not occur until 22:16 the word saints occurs twelve times between 5:8 and 19:8. Strauss points out that John heard the voice of the Lord speaking to me like a trumpet, and compares this with the last trumpet of 1 Cor 15:52. However John's invitation is to receive revelation but that of the church is to accomplish final salvation (Thomas). Johnson comments that the word 'church' or 'churches' always stands in Revelation for the historic seven churches in Asia and not for the universal body of Christ. Since 4:1-22:15 concerns the believing community as a whole, it would be inappropriate to find the narrower term 'church' in this section (cf. 3 John 6, 9-10).

v1 - "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this - John now sees the future from heavens perspective, which is how the rest of the book is seen. We should note that Jesus (I will show you) will show John the future, it is appropriate that Jesus, who is the First and the Last (1:17), the Beginning and the End (22:13), should show John the future for only He can know it with certainty. We are also reminded that this book comes from Jesus to show His servants what must soon take place as the first verse says (1:1). The previous section, the letters to the seven churches, was written to the church in John's day, 'what is now', this section introduces 'what is to come' (Rev 1:19). This type of introduction is used elsewhere to introduce the opening of the seals (Rev 6:1), introduce the punishment of the great prostitute (Rev 17:1), and the wife of the Lamb (Rev 21:9). Amos says that the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets (Amos 3:7). The book of Revelation is partially a prophecy about the future (Rev 22:6).

v2 - At once I was in the Spirit - He could only be in heaven in the Spirit because heaven is not a material place so he could not be there in the body. He was also in the spirit on the Lord's day when the vision started and the risen Christ appeared to him (1:10) and when he saw the woman sitting on the beast (17:3) and when he saw the new Jerusalem (21:10). Paul also went to the third heaven, he does not know whether it was in the body or out of the body (2 Cor 12:2).

v2 - and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it - The person on the throne is not named but in v11 he is called 'our Lord and God'. God is on his throne in heaven and is therefore in control of the future. This vision of the future starts with God in control, the rest of the book demonstrates this. God's' enemies are finally punished and His people vindicated. God is not described because this is impossible, because he lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see, 1 Tim 6:16. The image of God on his throne comes from Isaiah 6:1 and Ezekiel 1:26. There are many psalms that speak of God on His throne. It is no coincidence that both the psalms and Revelation are full of praise to God, because they both see God enthroned in splendour Ps 9:7, 11:4, 45:6, 47:8 etc.

v3 - And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian - There is no description of the one who sat on the throne. Paul reminds us that God 'lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see' (1 Tim 6:16) therefore the description in terms of precious jewels and rainbows is an apt one. The appearance of Jasper which is the glory of God, as in the new Jerusalem which 'shone with the glory of God, .... like Jasper', 21:11.

v3 - A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne. - The rainbow is a reminder of God's covenant with Noah and man (Gen 9:11), this shows his mercy. In Ezek 1:28 the rainbow shows the glory of the Lord. Ladd comments that 'The throne with its brilliance was surrounded by a rainbow which, instead of containing the colours of the prism, was emerald green'.

1.1. Twenty four elders and four living creatures (4:4)

Rev 4:4 Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. 5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God. 6 Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.

In the centre, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. 7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. 8 Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying:
"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come."

Rev 4:9 Whenever the living creatures give glory, honour and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:

11 "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honour and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being."

v4 - Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. - Part of the background is found in Dan 7:9-14 in which there is a heavenly court and thrones were set in place and the Ancient of days took his seat. This verse introduces the twenty four elders, they were dressed in white indicating their purity and they had crowns on their heads indicating their kingly role which is appropriate to their thrones. They reign with Christ as does the church 2 Tim 2:12. These elders could represent the OT and NT church, as indicated by the number twenty four, i.e. twelve tribes + twelve apostles. The following reasons are given:

Elder is a church office.
They are dressed in white as is the Church (3:5, 7:14).
They are described later as having harps (5:8) as does the church (15:2).
And as having a new song (5:9) as does the church (14:3).
The number twenty four coming from both OT and NT church, see the New Jerusalem Rev 21:12-14.
The twelve apostles will sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Mat 19:28).
See also the twenty four who ministered in the Lord's temple (1 Chr 24:1-19).
They have crowns on their heads indicating their kingly role, the saints will also receive a crown 2:10, 3:11, 1 Pet 5:4. The word for crown used here is the victors crown (stephanos), rather than the royal crown (diadema), this is used of the saints in 2:10, 3:11 cf. 12:1 and 1 Cor 9:25.

However the principle thing that goes against this argument is that in Rev 19:1-7 the elders and the saints are found together, although after that we hear nothing more from the elders. It is therefore more likely that they are a heavenly council. Lang gives some of the following reasons why the elders do not represent the church:

One of the elders speaks individually to John if the elders symbolise the church this would not make sense.
The bride would be enthroned before her marriage.
The bride is seen enthroned before the Lamb has taken his throne.
The elders appear in visions together with and therefore distinct from: John (5:5, 7:13), The living creatures (4:9, 10 etc.), Angels (5:11, 7:11), the saints (5:8, see also 19:1-7).
The elders clearly distinguish between themselves and the redeemed and therefore cannot be redeemed men themselves. Rev 5:10 in which the elders sing a new song uses the term them to describe to describe the redeemed instead of us. Note the KJV is wrong in using us, see also NASB which uses them.
The elders are mentioned separately to the firstfruits, 14:1-5.
The elders are not those who come out of the great tribulation because these are described by an elder and they are enthroned before the great tribulation (7:13).
They are not part of the company who take part in the first resurrection because they speak to God regarding these (11:16-18).
In 19:1-10 the elders are distinct from the wife of the Lamb because they worship God before the wedding of the Lamb has been announced.

The elders are therefore more likely to be the council of heaven (Jer 23:18-22, Psa 89:6-7, 107:32) the council being a body of advisers that the king would consult with (Acts 25:12) and whom God would use in his heavenly government. In the bible there are clearly Satanic rulers, powers and authorities in the heavenly places (Eph 6:12, 1 Pet 3:22, Col 2:15) and therefore it is likely that there are similar governmental authorities in heaven to carry out God's rule (Eph 3:10). Col 1:16 refers to thrones in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible which were created by and for Christ.

v5 - From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. - These flashes and peals of thunder are associated with God's presence, see for example when the Lord came down onto Mt. Sinai (Exo 19:11-20) and 2 Sam 22:13, they are seen also in Rev 11:19 when God's temple was opened. When the angel hurled the censer filled with fire from the altar there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake (8:5). With the seventh bowl there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake (16:18).

v5 - Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God - In the OT a lampstand with seven lamps was used to illuminate the table in the holy place with the bread of the Presence on it, Exo 26:33-35, 25:37, 40:22-25, Num 4:7, 8:2, 2 Chr 13:11, Heb 9:2. The lamps use oil which is a symbol of the Holy Spirit, Num 4:9, 1 Sam 16:13. There is a similar picture in Zec 4:2 ff. which has a lampstand with seven lights on it and there are seven channels which feed the lights, on either side are two olive trees that supply the oil for the lights. In response to the question what are these? The Lord answers 'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit'. In verse 10 the seven lamps are said to be "(These seven are the eyes of the LORD, which range throughout the earth.)". The seven spirits are also mentioned in Rev 1:4, 3:1, 5:6. Seven is the term for completeness. There is a seven fold description of the Spirit of Christ in Isa 11:1-4. Prov 20:27 states that 'The lamp of the LORD searches the spirit of a man; it searches out his inmost being'. The Holy Spirit illuminates the things of God (indicated by the articles on the table, Exo 31:8) and makes them real to us, 'the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you' (John 16:15), and especially he reveals Jesus to us who is the real bread that comes from heaven, John 6:41, 58.

v6 - Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. - This sea separates God from the rest of creation, see also Exo 24:10 when Moses and the leaders saw God, 'under his feet was something like a pavement made of Sapphire, clear as the sky itself'. Ezekiel also saw an expanse sparkling like ice above the heads of the creatures, above which was the throne, Ezek 1:22. A sea of glass occurs in 15:2 but this time mixed with fire. The earthly equivalent in the temple was the bronze basin for washing the hands and feet Exo 30:18, it is also the bronze Sea, in Solomon's temple, used by the priest for washing (2 Chr 4:6). This indicates that nothing unclean is able to approach God but must first be washed. The purity of this washing is indicated by its clarity like crystal, which means that there are no blemishes allowed near the throne. The picture heightens the holiness of God, his purity and separateness from his creation and creatures.

v6 - In the centre, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. - These creatures guard the things of God (Gen 3:24), they are Seraphs, Isa 6:1-3, they are a very high order of angels who are close to God and his throne, they see his holiness and therefore glorify him, see Exo 25:18, Ezek 1:5, 13, 18. Some argue that these represent creation generally, this is possible from their name 'living creatures' and their description, also there are four of them indicating the four directions of the compass, the first four trumpets and bowls all affect the earth, sea, rivers and universe.

v7 - The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. - Ezek 1:10 and 10:14 gives a similar description of four living creatures. The description probably refers to their characteristic qualities. They are in strength like a lion, in service like an ox, in intelligence like a man and in swiftness like an eagle (Hendriksen). The Greek word used is zoon while that used for the beast in chapter 13 is therion who resembled a leopard, bear and a lion but it blasphemes God while the living creatures worship God.

v8 - Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come." - The six wings refer to swift obedience and eyes refer to vigilance. They are close to the throne and so they see his holiness. They also declare his eternal existence, 'who was, and is, and is to come', which is unique to God alone. All creatures in heaven and earth owe their existence to the fact God created them at some point in time, but God has always existed from eternity past. The Seraphs continually declare the holiness of God, thrice Holy, God's greatest attribute, see Isa 6:2-3. His holiness is his separateness from his creatures, his total purity and perfection of all his attributes. This is the first of many hymns in Revelation. The living creatures appear elsewhere in Revelation.

The four living creatures introduce the first four seals, Rev 6:1:
One gives the seven angels the seven bowls, Rev 15:7.
The living creatures and the elders act together to worship God, Rev 4:9, 5:14, 19:4.

v9 - Whenever the living creatures give glory, honour and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: 11 "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honour and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being. - The elders always join in worship with the four living creatures (Rev 5:8). They worship God who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, they lay their crowns before him to acknowledge him as supreme ruler. They acknowledge that He is worthy to receive glory, honour and power because he is the Creator. The elders as representatives of the church worship God as Creator, the very thing the inhabitants of the world refuse to do, they prefer idolatry instead, see Rev 9:20-21, 14:7, 16:9. Who we worship is one of the key themes of Revelation see 5:14, 9:20, 14:7, 14:9, 19:10, 22:9, here we see that in heaven it is God who is worshipped because He is the eternal Creator, He should also be worshipped by those on the earth as well 14:6-7. He who made the world is in control of the world, he is on the throne. Jesus is also described as the ruler of God's creation (Rev 3:14). God is referred to as Creator again in Rev 10:6, and in 14:7 where the angel announces the time of God's judgement has come and commands men to fear and worship God because he is the Creator, this is the gospel at its simplest (Acts 14:15, 17:24). Isa 57:15 talks about the high and lofty one that inhabits eternity, and in his eternal plan God chose to create the heavens and the earth and everything in it. Every created thing owes its existence to the free will and pleasure of God. Col 1:16 also emphasises the fact that we were created by him and for him.

Ch 5: The Scroll and the Lamb

Art used by permission by Pat Marvenko Smith, copyright 1992.
Click here to visit her "Revelation Illustrated" site.

The scroll (5:1) and the Lamb (5:6)

1.2. The scroll and the Lamb (5:1)

5:1 Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, "Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?" 3 But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. 4 I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. 5 Then one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals."

Rev 5:6 Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the centre of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 He came and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. 8 And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song:

"You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. 10 You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth."

11 Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. 12 In a loud voice they sang:

"Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honour and glory and praise!"
Rev 5:13 Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing:
"To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honour and glory and power, for ever and ever!"
14 The four living creatures said, "Amen," and the elders fell down and worshipped.

This section should be read with Phil 2:5-11 in mind, which describes his obedience to death and his subsequent exaltation to the highest place in heaven.

(Phil 2:5-11) Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: {6} Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, {7} but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. {8} And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross! {9} Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, {10} that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, {11} and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Some authors have pointed out that there are parallels between chapters 4 and 5.

God on the throne (4:2) The Lamb on the throne (5:6)

Seven spirits of God (4:5) Seven spirits of God (5:6)

Living creatures circle throne (4:6) Living creatures circle the throne (5:6)

Twenty-four elders worship God (4:11) The elders worship the Lamb (5:9)

It should be noted that the worship of both God in the previous chapter and the Lamb in this chapter is proof of the divinity of the Lamb. Worship is one of the themes of the previous chapter and this chapter and is included to demonstrate that only God and the Lamb are to be worshipped. God, because he is the creator, and the Lamb because he is the redeemer. Neither the beast or angels or demons or idols are to be worshipped only God (see 9:20, 14:7, 9, 19:10, 22:9). Unlike Daniel 12:9 the scroll is not sealed, but is unsealed Rev 5:1-6:1.

v1 - Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. - The scroll reveals the will of God for the world; in the Roman world a will was witnessed by seven persons and each person attached his seal to the document. The seals show the secrecy of the document. The scroll with seven seals had writing on both sides (Rev 5:1) it contains a great deal of writing. The scroll reveals the complete redemptive plan of God through human history from the cross to the end of time into eternity. The redemptive plan of God is fulfilled finally in 21:6 when God announces 'it is done'. Having created a new heaven and new earth, we see the new Jerusalem, the bride, God announces that he will dwell with men, the old order of things has passed away and then he finally says it is done. The seven seals refer to the divine completeness of his plan. In Ezek 2:9-10 we also find that when Ezekiel was commissioned by God he was given a scroll with words of lamentation, mourning and woe written on both sides of it which he was to prophecy. In 10:2 ff. a mighty angel holds a little scroll which John is told to eat and then prophesy again (10:8-11) the little scroll refers to the prophecy of this book. To the prophets God's plan of salvation remained sealed, but once Jesus died and rose again God's plan is now fully revealed to his servants, especially to Paul and then to all people especially the saints (Rom 16:25-26, Eph 1:9-10, 3:1-6, Col 1:25-27). But here we find that the scroll is sealed with seven seals, the seals must be removed in order for the contents to be revealed and fulfilled. The rest of Revelation is concerned with the opening of the seals and revealing the contents of the scroll. This section deals with the qualifications and fitness of the only one who can open the seals and reveal its contents.

One of the key questions to be answered is whether the contents of the scroll follow in chronological order when the seals have been opened or whether the contents gives more detail to what is described as the seals are opened.

v2 - And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, "Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?" - Who is worthy to break the seal and reveal man's destiny in God's plan, not just any man can do this. This is an introduction to the One who is worthy. However God does not open the seals, mans destiny must be achieved by man, but what man is worthy of this honour? There is one man in human history who is worthy. He who overcame, as our representative man, the forces of evil; who pleased God in every aspect of his life, even death on a cross. In 22:10 John is told not to seal up the words of the prophecy of the book because the time is near (for their fulfilment), in the same way someone must break open the seals and open the scroll for its contents to be fulfilled in reality.

v3 - But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. - No one was found in the entire creation (in heaven or on earth or under the earth, compare with Phil 2:10) who was worthy to open the scroll, later all creation from 'every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea' praises the one who can open the scroll, Rev 5:13. It cannot be read until the seals are broken, see Isa 29:11.

v4 - I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. - He wept because God's plan would remain unfulfilled, unless someone could be found to open the scroll and reveal its contents so that they could become a reality and be fulfilled.

v5 - Then one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals." - The elder introduces the one who can open the scroll i.e. the executor of the purposes of God and the heir of the inheritance of the world (see 11:15, Johnson). The Lion of the tribe of Judah refers to Gen 49:9 and is a title of Jesus who descended according to the flesh from the tribe of Judah. Jesus is the root of David, as well as descendant of David, Isa 11:1, 11:10, Jer 23:5, Zec 3:8, 6:12, Mat 22:41, Rev 22:16 this probably emphasises his human and his royal ancestry. Jesus has triumphed as a man, i.e. has overcome, see Rev 3:21, (Note triumphed is same word in Greek as overcome) therefore he is worthy to open the scroll, see v9. He triumphed as a man (Phil 2:8), especially at the cross where he disarmed the powers and authorities (Col 2:15), he was slain, v9, and is now seated with God 'far above all rule and authority, power and dominion' (Eph 1:20-21) and therefore he is able to open the scroll of mans' destiny. We see later in verse 13 the result of this triumph when 'every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them', sing praise to the God and the Lamb. He is the second Adam, the first Adam failed. It is appropriate that the Lamb is introduced as the one who can open the scroll and its seven seals because in 1:1 we find that God has given this revelation to his Son, see verse 7 'He came and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne'. This book is an unveiling and so the Lamb can open the scroll and its seven seals to reveal its contents for the benefit of the church.

The Lamb

v6 - Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the centre of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. - He looks expecting to see a lion and instead 'I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain', this is the first mention of the Lamb, the Lamb occurs 30 times in the book. This is a clear reference to Jesus, both John and Peter refer to Jesus being the Lamb of God (John 1:29, 36, 1 Pet 1:19), 'Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29). Paul call Jesus our Passover lamb who has been sacrificed (1 Cor 5:7). The Lamb looked as if it had been slain, this is a reference to the crucifixion, but he is standing because he rose again. In one brilliant stroke John portrays his central theme of NT revelation--victory through sacrifice (Mounce). The Lamb of God is alluded to in Genesis 22:7 when Abraham is about to sacrifice Isaac, Isaac asks where the lamb for the burnt offering, and Abraham replies 'God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering my son'. He is the Paschal lamb of the Passover, Exo 12:3-21, when the destroying angel saw the blood of the Lamb on the lintels of the doors he passed over the Israelites and killed the first born of the Egyptians instead. Isa 53:3 ff. is one of many Messianic mentions of the lamb in the OT but it is probably the greatest, he describes the Messiah as 'like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth'. Jesus is standing in the centre of the throne, the centre of heaven, this is also referred to in 7:17. Stephen, the first martyr, saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God, Acts 7:55. Rev 3:21 refers to Jesus seated on his Fathers throne after he had overcome. The Lamb here is symbolic of Jesus, no author questions that the Lamb is Jesus. Johnson notes that 'slain' literally means 'throat cut' and links the Messiah to the OT Passover Lamb. Here John joins the OT royal Davidic Messiah with the Suffering Servant of Isaiah (Isa 42-53).

The image of a Lamb refers to the life and death of Christ during his first coming, when he came as a helpless baby into the world and died a tortuous death on a cross. He died an early death and hence Lamb rather than sheep is used, the Lamb also speaks of his innocence. It speaks of his humility (Phil 2:5-8), later in the next few verses it shows his exaltation (Phil 2:9-11), and when he comes again to the earth it will be as the lion, the Lord of lords and King of kings. Goldsworthy makes the point that if we want to see the Lion as our Saviour rather than as our judge we must first find Him in the Lamb, i.e. as our substitute for our sin on the cross. Then when He comes again in His glory, which he has now and is described in Revelation, we will be like Him for we shall see Him as He truly is (1 John 3:2). In Revelation here and elsewhere (1:13-18), the exalted Christ is revealed, this has to be accepted by faith now, but he will be openly revealed to world when he comes again (1:7, 6:12-17, 19:11-21).

In the previous verse the elders says that the lion of the tribe of Judah has triumphed and yet we see a lamb bearing the marks of slaughter. This illustrates one of the lessons that God wants to teach his people through this book, that victory is achieved through sacrifice and death. Thus we find later that the beast is allowed to wage war against the saints and to defeat them, 13:7, just as Jesus was crucified by wicked men it spelt apparent defeat, but he rose again, death could not hold him. We find that the saints overcome the devil by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death (12:11). Those in Smyrna who are faithful to the point of death will receive the crown of life (2:10). Just as Christ was obedient to death on a cross, therefore God has exalted Him, so those who are obedient to death will reign with Him (Mat 10:22, 2 Tim 2:12, Rev 2:26, 20:6). As Rom 8:36 indicates, Christians follow their Lord being sheep to be slaughtered, but this does not separate us from the love of Christ, Revelation is a commentary on this.

v6 - He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. - This is no ordinary Lamb. The seven horns are a symbol of complete, full strength (Deu 33:17), seven meaning complete and the horn meaning strength or power (1 Sam 2:10, Psa 18:2, Zec 1:18-21). Compare with the dragon (Rev 12:3) and the beast with ten horns (Rev 13:1), see also Daniel's beast with ten horns (Dan 7:7 ff.). Also the beast out of the earth having two horns like a lamb (Rev 13:11). The seven eyes which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth, meaning the Holy Spirit who searches the spirit of a man (Prov 20:27). Compare with 'the seven spirits before his throne' (1:4), and the seven lamps blazing before the throne which are the seven spirits of God (4:5). This image comes from Zec 4:2, 10. The same passage is used of the two witnesses in 11:4 to demonstrate that they operate in the power of the spirit. The gold lampstand with seven lights on it represents the Holy Spirit, the seven lights are the seven eyes of the Lord which range throughout the earth, Zec 4:10. The lampstand with seven lamps was placed opposite the table with the bread of the Presence on it, outside of the Holy of Holies in the Holy place (Exo 26:35) and represents the Spirit of God. In 1:14 and 19:12 Christ's eyes are described as like blazing fire. Jesus received the Spirit without limit (John 3:34). Johnson sees 'the seven spirits of God sent out into al the earth' as probably a symbolic reference to the Holy Spirit who is sent forth by Christ into the world (1:4, 4:5, cf. a similar view of the Spirit in John 14:26, 15:26, 16:7-15).

v7 - He came and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. - The Lamb is the only one who can have such intimate access to God, he is worthy to take the scroll, v9. As the perfect sinless man and as God he is able to approach God on our behalf, 1 Tim 2:5. He would take the scroll from God's right hand because he would be standing 'at God's right hand -- with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him' (1 Pet 3:22). Stephen when he was martyred saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God (Acts 7:55-56 see also Eph 1:20-22, Col 3:1, Heb 1:3). Heb 1:13 says "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet". We find in Revelation first a vision of Christ at the right hand of God, then a description of his enemies then the destruction of his enemies. This event here mirrors the origin of Revelation itself 'which God gave him (Jesus) to show his servants what must take place soon' (1:1). See also John 3:35 'The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands', and John 5:20-23, 17:2, Mat 11:27. God has given to Christ the work of executing His plan of salvation, the work of redemption on the cross is complete, but his enemies have not been defeated, and he must reign until they are defeated (1 Cor 15:24-28, Heb 10:13) and hands the kingdom to his Father. The rest of Revelation shows his enemies at work fighting against the church and their defeat.

v8 - And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. - They fall down before the Lamb who is worthy to take the scroll from God and open it. They worship the Lamb as they worshipped him who was seated on the throne in 4:9-11, this indicates the divinity of the Lamb; worshipping God is one of the messages of Revelation. As representatives of the church the elders have harps as do the saints (Rev 15:2). The harp is a symbol of praise (Ps 33:2). As representatives of the church they present the prayers of the church before God.

v8 - they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. - The elders representing the church were also holding the golden bowl full of incense (Lev 2:1-2, 16:12-13), which are the prayers of the saints (Psa 141:2). In the tabernacle the altar of incense was in the Most Holy place together with the gold covered ark of the covenant (Heb 9:3-4). The prayers of God's people are linked to God's purposes on the earth that unfold with the opening of the seals. See also the seventh seal with the golden censers, in which an angel was given incense to offer, with the prayers of the saints, on the golden altar before the throne, 8:3. There, a direct link is established between the saints' prayers and God's response, which are the seven trumpets, in that the golden censer holding the incense is also used to hurl fire to the earth, Rev 8:5. The trumpets and the seven bowls (15:7) are God's answers to the prayers of his people, he will vindicate his elect, Luke 18:6, see the third bowl (16:5-6).

v9 - And they sang a new song: "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. {10} You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth." - The elders sing a similar new song that the 144,000 sing, see Rev 14:3, in praise of the one who became a man and purchased men for God. It is a new song because Jesus had only recently ascended to heaven having lived on the earth and was crucified, arose and ascended to heaven. This is an entirely new event in the history of heaven, prior to the incarnation this song could not have been sung. A new song is mentions in Psa 33:3, 96:1 and 144:9. The elders clearly distinguish between themselves and the redeemed and therefore cannot be redeemed men themselves. The elders use the term them to describe the redeemed instead of us. Note the KJV is wrong in using us, see also NASB which uses them.

v9 - "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain - He is worthy to open the scroll because he obeyed God's will to the death, even death on a cross, Phil 2:8. The elders answer the angels cry in v2 "Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?", The angels answer in v12 that He is worthy, all creatures answer in v13, he is 'now crowned with glory and honour because suffered death', Heb 2:9.

v9 - with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation - This starts with the phrase 'with your blood you purchased men for God' he himself has done this, he shed his own blood and in doing so has redeemed men for God out of Satan's kingdom, Rev 14:4. The church has been bought by the blood of Christ (1 Cor 6:19, Acts 20:28, 1 Pet 1:18). They are purchased 'from every tribe, language, people and nation' this is one of the great keys to evangelism, to spread to gospel to each of these four groups (see Dan 7:13). Note the all inclusive nature of the redeemed in this fourfold description of the redeemed from the four corners of the earth. This phase is also used of the inhabitants of the earth (Rev 11:9, 13:7, 14:6) and yet we see here that some of these are eventually saved. We see here that because Jesus purchased (ransomed) men for God by his own blood he is also entitled to reveal and fulfil God's plan for mankind by opening the seals. Johnson notes that Jesus' death secured a salvation universally applied to all classes and peoples of the earth (cf. 7:9).

v10 - You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth." - This is a repetition of 1:6, it is Jesus who has made the saints to be a kingdom and priests to serve God by his death on the cross. They have been rescued from the kingdom of darkness and brought into the kingdom of the Son, Col 1:13. Their reign on earth could also refer to the millennial reign of Jesus and his saints. They will serve God, His people are His servants, see 1:6, 7:15, 22:3. For other references to reigning with Christ in Revelation see also Rev 1:6, 7:15, 11:15-17, 22:3, 22:5. In Rom 5:17 those who receive God's gift of grace and righteousness will reign in life through Jesus Christ, this is reigning in life now, not in the future.

v11 - Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. - It is now the angels turn to praise the lamb, they have less importance than the living creatures and the elders who are closer to the throne. Compare with the description in Dan 7:10 'Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him'.

v12 - In a loud voice they sang: Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honour and glory and praise! - In 4:11 the elders worship God as being worthy, now the angels worship the Lamb as being worthy. After the elders and the living creatures the angels join in praise to the Lamb with a sevenfold doxology. In verse 4 He is worthy because He triumphed as a man, the representative man in heaven, the second Adam. He fulfilled God's will on earth and in doing so made it possible that men could enter heaven. He now receives his reward, he is now crowned with glory and honour (Heb 2:9). The angels worship Christ as God, note that John is told to worship God not the angel giving him the revelation.

v13 - Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: - Then the rest of creation on the earth and under the earth, meaning the dead, join in praise to the Lamb. Every creature not just the redeemed will in the end acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord. Thus is fulfilled Rom 14:11 (quoted from Isa 45:22) and Phil 2:10. This helps demonstrate the unity of scripture and in particular the book of Revelation with the rest of scripture. Revelation has to be read with both the OT and NT in mind. The point being made is that it is the Lamb, unlike the beast, who is worthy of praise and honour.

v13 - "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honour and glory and power, for ever and ever!" - The praise will last for ever and ever because God and the Lamb live for ever and ever. The praise is fourfold, wealth, wisdom and strength are missed out from the angels doxology. Notice that God and the Lamb are linked together here in praise and they are linked elsewhere in Revelation.

The wrath of him who sits on the throne and of the Lamb, 6:16.

The Lamb will be their shepherd and God will wipe away every tear, 7:17.

The reign of God and the wedding of the Lamb, 19:6.

As the temple and as its light, 21:22.

Source of the river of life, 22:1.

The throne of God and of the Lamb, 22:3.

v14 - The four living creatures said, "Amen," and the elders fell down and worshipped. As in 5:8 the elders fall down before the Lamb in worship, who is supremely worthy of worship, unlike the beast of 13:4. They fell down to worship the Lamb in the same way as they had worshipped God in 4:10 indicating the Lamb's divinity for only God is to be worshipped (14:7, 19:10, 22:9). The worship of the elders represents that of the church, see Rev 5:8 where the elders hold the golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. Following the praise and worship the Lamb opens the seals, Rev 6:1.

Ch 6: The seven seals

Art used by permission by Pat Marvenko Smith, copyright 1992.
Click here to visit her "Revelation Illustrated" site.

The seven seals (6:1)

2.1. First seal (6:1)

2.2. Second seal (6:3)

2.3. Third seal (6:5)

2.4. Fourth seal (6:7)

2.5. Fifth seal (6:9)

2.6. Sixth seal (6:12)

2. The seven seals (6:1)

After taking the scroll from God and being worshipped by all creation the Lamb now opens the seven seals to reveal its contents. The seals as with the trumpets are in a group of four, two and one. The opening of the first four seals is introduced by each of the four living creatures in turn. Each one of the four living creatures reveals a horseman, the first three are summed up by the fourth horsemen, 'They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth'. These are popularly known as the four horsemen of the Apocalypse. The power of these horsemen is limited to a quarter, with the trumpets later it is limited to a third. The fifth seal reveals those who had been slain because of the word of God and their testimony, that is the persecuted church. The sixth seal reveals the day of the Lord, which brings the Lamb's wrath to those on the earth. The opening of the seventh seal reveals silence. The seven seals sum up human history from the viewpoint of heaven and the church. There is war, famine and pestilence in general and on the church in particular there is persecution, then the end will come bringing terror to the world, this probably accounts for the silence of the seventh seal. What is described by the seals is similar to the signs of the end of the age as described by Jesus in Matthew 24. There will be wars, famines and earthquakes (Mat 24:6-8), persecution (24:9-14), the heavenly bodies are shaken (Mat 24:29) and 'at that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn' (Mat 24:30). After the opening of the seven seals the scroll can be read and we find more detail, but this starts in chapter 8. The seven seals describe tribulation that is largely man made (wars, famine and persecution) but under the control of God, the seven trumpets are disasters sent by God with the aim of persuading man to repent, the seven bowls are the final outpouring of God's wrath on impenitent mankind. The fact that the seven seals are opened by Christ indicates his sovereignty over the future.

Beale, quite rightly, raises the question that if God and Christ are in ultimate control of the evil horsemen 'how can the righteousness and holiness of Christ be maintained if he is so directly linked as the ultimate cause behind all four of these satanic agents of destruction?' (p. 388). This is the problem that is properly a theodicy, i.e. how can a good God allow suffering and evil. Why does God allow war, famine, disease and death? It is not sufficient to say that this is the permissive will of God, the text does not allow this, because the Lamb opens the seals. The purpose of the book is to comfort the saints by saying that Jesus is sovereign over earthly events. As Beale mentions the ultimate purpose of the woes is to refine the faith of believers and to punish unbelievers. There is clearly a retributive element but this is only spelt out by the fifth and sixth seals (see 6:10). It is a more frequent theme later especially the plagues which are in response to the murder of God's people (16:6), and the death of the whore is seen as retribution because she killed God's servants (19:2). Part of the answer is to see that God's ultimate purpose is found in the New Jerusalem where there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain (21:4). Neither will there be hunger or thirst (7:17) in contrast to the famine of the third seal. Twice we are reminded that 'God will wipe away every tear from their eyes' (7:17 and 21:4). The suffering of God's people is temporary, and is light in comparison to the eternal glory that awaits those who remain faithful to death (2 Cor 4:17-18 cf. Rev 2:10).

2.1. First seal (6:1)

Rev 6:1 I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, "Come!" 2 I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.

v1 - I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals - Jesus opens the seals following the worship of all creation but especially that of the church. John watches with anticipation as the Lamb opens the first seal. Jesus opens the seals but not the book, the opening of the seals is preliminary to opening the book. Jesus opens the seals to permit us to see the future course of history which is not hidden from the saints (1:1, 22:6, 10). God has entrusted Jesus to reveal the future course of history to His church cf. 1:1, 'the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy' (19:10).

v1 - Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, "Come!" - Each one of the four living creatures introduces the first four seals. The thunder emphasises the command, Come! Which calls the first horse onto the stage. Note that the opening of the seals by the Lamb is not passive but it brings events onto the stage of human history.

v2 - I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest - The first of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse, this image is taken from Zechariah (Zec 1:8, 6:1-8) in which there are four chariots pulled by different coloured horses, these are the four spirits of heaven going out from standing in the presence of the Lord of the whole world. The four horses cover each direction of the compass, that is, they affect the whole earth. Some see the rider on the white horse as the same rider as in Rev 19:11 i.e. Christ, see Hendriksen. This is not certain, the rider in Rev 19:11 had a sword, this one has a bow. The bow is more likely to be that of the Parthians who were the only mounted archers in the ancient world. He was given a crown, is this likely to refer to Christ who had many crowns (see Rev 19:12), but see comment on 14:14. The crown is a victors crown (Gr., stephanos) as distinguished from a royal crown (diadema), the victors crown is appropriate for someone going forth to conquer. The crown is not the same type of crown that the beast wears (13:1) or Christ wears in 19:12 who both wear the royal crown (diadema) although the 'son of man' in 14:14 wears the victors crown.

The forth horse summarises the first three and is distinctly evil, the first horse signifies the lust for conquest which is commonly the cause of war, which is the next seal and famine (third seal), the fourth seal describes death by sword, famine, plague and wild beasts. It should also be noted that in the sixth seal the wrath of the Lamb falls on the kings, princes, generals and mighty (men) among others who are responsible for war. Rev 19:18 also describes the kings, generals, mighty men, horses and their riders and the rest whose flesh the birds flying in mid-air eat. The four horses cover the four directions of the compass, they are of a unity, just as the first four trumpets and bowls affect the whole earth. The first four seals are introduced by the living creatures, the rest are not. The first rider representing conquest is the most straight forward reading of the text, although the fact that he is riding a white horse raises problems for this interpretation, although John may simply be thinking of Zech 1:8, 6:3 which have a white horse. Others argue that Christ cannot be commanded by heavenly creatures therefore the horseman must be the conquest of the word of God as prophesied by Christ (Mark 13:10), however see 14:15 where someone 'like a son of man' is told to reap. There is at least one verse in which an arrow is likened to the word of God 'He made my mouth like a sharpened sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me into a polished arrow and concealed me in his quiver', (Isa 49:2).

Grimsrud argues that the white horse signifies triumphant warfare because the four horsemen represent war and its attendant evils: war, strife, famine and disease, and makes the following observation: ' Conquer is used 11 times in the book to allude to conquest by a faithful witness (once in each of the seven letters, in 5:5 of the Lamb, and in 12:11 and 15:2 of the faithful servants). Three times it refers to conquest by violence (here, in 11:7 where the beast kills the two witnesses, and in 13:7 where the beast wars against and conquers the saints). In all 'conquering' passages, Christ and his followers conquer by dying; Satan and the evil powers by killing'.

Johnson identifies the rider on the white horse with the antichrist and his forces that seek to conquer the followers of Christ. Each of the first four seals, then, represents conflict directed at Christians to test them and sift out false disciples (v.10). He goes on to say that this interpretation need not necessarily eliminate the fact that the seals may also refer to judgements on humankind in general. Yet since the fifth seal stresses the cry of the martyred Christians, probably the thought of Christian persecution belongs also in the first four seals. Each of them unleashes events that separate false belief from true. The destruction of Jerusalem is a case in point (Lk 21:20 ff.). The white horse goes forth to conquer, and as he does so, judgement falls on the unbelief of Israel (Lk 21:22-23), while at the same time there is testing of believers to separate the chaff from the wheat (cf. Lk 21:12-19).

There are some who see the first horseman as conquest in general, the antichrist in particular (Preacher's Outline & Sermon Bible) and who argue:

He is the deceiver; therefore he appears in white (Mat 24:5, 2 Thess 2:11).
The crown he wears is different from the crown worn by Christ in Rev 19. It is the crown of the conqueror (stephanos) not the royal crown of a king (diadema), however note that the one 'like a son of man' seated on a cloud wears a crown (stephanos) of gold on his head, 14:14.
The bow symbolises conquest. In the OT it is always the symbol of military power (Ps 46:9; Jer 51:51; Hos 1:5).
To be consistent one must relate this horsemen to the other three who appear destructive.
Note that this rider already possesses a bow but the crown is given to him and goes forth to conquer and hence is a counterfeit Christ.
a. This rider possesses a bow but Christ possesses no bow; a weapon of war is not part of his being.
b. This rider is given a crown but Christ is not given a crown. He was either crowned throughout eternity or at his ascension.
c. This rider sets out to conquer but Christ has always been conquering men's hearts. This horseman who sets out to conquer is one who already posses a bow and is given a crown at some point in time. From that point, he goes forth to conquer (cf. The little horn of Dan 7; The man of sin and the beast and the ruler of the restored Roman Empire of Rev 13; the abomination of desolation of Mat 24:15).

However the first horse being Christ conquering the nations is more in harmony with the whole book. If the rider is Christ then the conquest is the gospel, the martyrs we see in the fifth seal are there due to the resulting persecution that breaks out because of the conquest of the gospel. Hendriksen's argument that the rider is Christ is as follows:

In 5:5 Christ is portrayed as one who has triumphed.
The horse is white, this colour is associated with the holy and heavenly, e.g. white robe, white cloud, white throne, white stone etc., therefore the rider cannot be the devil or the antichrist.
The rider wears a crown which harmonises with 14:14 where Christ wears a crown of gold.
The word conquer or overcome refers with two exceptions (11:7, 13:7) to Christ or believers, see 3:21b. Compare John 16:33 with Rev 3:21b, see also Rev 5:5 and 6:2.
Compare the rider on the white horse here with the rider on the white horse in 19:11 who is clearly Christ. In 5:5 Christ conquered at the cross, in 6:2 is now conquering through the gospel, and in 19:11 he is going to conquer on the great day of judgement which is why he wears many crowns.
The idea of a conquering Christ is in harmony with the purpose of the book, see above (v) and 1:13 ff., 2:26,27, 3:21, 5:5, 6:16, 11:15, 12:11, 14:1 ff., 14:14 ff., 17:14, 19:11 note especially 17:14.(Rev 17:14) They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings--and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers."
The rider on the horse in 6:2 is in harmony with Mat 10:34 in which he says that he has not come to bring peace on earth but a sword, referring to persecution. The rider on the white horse is followed by the rider on the red horse who carries a sword, and the fifth seal sees the souls of the martyrs under the altar.
Compare with Psa 45:3-5 see also Heb 1:8 which quotes this psalm in which the rider is the Son.
Compare with Zech 1:8 ff. See also Hab 3:8,9; Isa 41:2.

To sum up the first rider and his relationship to the other seals, there are five views:

The first rider represents the lust for conquest and as such forms an integral part of the four horsemen who are all evil and are summed up by the fourth horsemen. The four horsemen are all called into action by one of the living creatures and form a literary unit (Beale). Conquest brings with it war, famine and death. This is the most natural reading of the text. However the colour white is usually associated with good not evil, but it can indicate victory (Lenski), the rider wears the victory crown

b. A step further is to say that the rider is the antichrist who brings havoc and misery on the world as indicated by the second, third and fourth horsemen, the fifth seal shows the resultant persecution of Christians by the antichrist followed by the sixth seal representing the end when Christ returns.

c. The first horsemen is Christ conquering by the power of the gospel and the other seals 2 to 5 represent various forms of persecution resulting from the proclamation of the gospel of the first seal. It is perhaps appropriate that Jesus who is the beginning and the end should appear on a white horse at both the beginning and end of the visions about the future.

d. The first rider is the word of God (see Lenski), this again harmonises with the rider on the white horse in chapter 19 whose name is the Word of God and also with Matthew 24:14 and the Matthew 24 model for the interpretation of all the seals (see comments after 6:8). The gospel is preached and during the same time there is war, famine and death from various causes. This view makes the best sense in terms of the purpose of Revelation because persecution arises because of the word of God as indicated by the martyrs of the fifth seal who had been slain because of the word of God (5:9). Consider the two witnesses who are slain because they prophesy (11:7) and those beheaded because of the word of God (20:4). In Isa 49:2 the prophet Isaiah compares himself to a polished arrow concealed in the Lords quiver which in the context of the verse, which also refers to his mouth as a sharpened sword, must be the word of God. Consider that the armies of the Lord, who are the saints (see 17:14), as well as Christ, also ride white horses (19:14) and it is through these that the gospel is preached. Finally consider that the gospel also goes throughout the earth in the four directions of the compass just as do war, famine and death.

e. The rider with the bow represents the Parthians (Boring, Bruce, Fiorenza, Keener, Krodel, Koester). These archers rode white horses and threatened the Roman Empire from the East. This is most likely how the first century hearers would understand it.

2.2. Second seal (6:3)

Rev 6:3 When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, "Come!" 4 Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make men slay each other. To him was given a large sword.

v4 - Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make men slay each other. To him was given a large sword. - War or persecution? In the light of Mat 24:6-7 and in light of the fourth horse that sums up the other three the balance would be in favour of war. Make men slay each other not make men slay the saints, in the light of the rest of the book the author is quite capable of indicating persecution as such. Some commentators quote the following scripture in support of persecution (Mat 10:34), 'I did not come to bring peace, but a sword'. Compare this with the sixth trumpet (Rev 9:15) in which a third of mankind is killed by mounted troops. The colour red corresponds to its mission of bloodshed. The sword is the Roman short sword (machaira). Note that its rider was given power to make men slay each other, 'was given' indicates God's permissive approval. Hendriksen however persuasively argues that the slaughter is of believers and not warfare in general.

In the context persecution follows the first horse who is Christ and the gospel.
Quotes Mat 10:34 'I came not to send peace, but a sword' (machaira)...
The word slaughter when used by John refers to the slaughter of believers except in 13:3 where the slaughtered head belongs to the beast, cf. 1 John 3:12 (Abel slain), Rev 5:6, 5:9, 5:12 (the Lamb), 6:9 (the martyrs under the alter), 13:8 (the Lamb), 18:24 (the saints).
When the fifth seal is opened it reveals the souls of the slaughtered saints which ties in with the slaughtering of the saints in the second seal.
The machaira when used in scripture refers to a sacrificial knife as in the sacrifice of Isaac.
The book is being written to believers who were being killed so that persecution not warfare is the issue. Whenever the rider on the white horse appears (Christ and the gospel) the rider on the red horse always follows (see Mat 5:10,11; Luk 21:2; Acts 4:1; 5:17 etc.). Consider Stephen and Paul, Publius and Polycarp etc.

2.3. Third seal (6:5)

Rev 6:5 When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, "Come!" I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. 6 Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, "A quart of wheat for a day's wages, and three quarts of barley for a day's wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!"

v5 - "Come!" I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. - Black could indicate dried up vegetation or even burned vegetation, see Lam 5:10. Scales are used to weigh food (Ezek 4:16). The scales can also be thought of as representing injustice since the rider only affects those who are poor.

v6 - Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, "A quart of wheat for a day's wages, and three quarts of barley for a day's wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!" - This indicates famine or shortage, a quart of wheat is enough good food for one person not his family, poor food (barley) is available, luxurious items such as oil and wine are not hurt. Olives and vines are deeper rooted and are therefore able to withstand drought. Walvoord comments that famine is the aftermath of war. This is the situation with the western and third world today which takes the luxurious food for itself leaving hardly enough basic food for the third world (famine and justice). Babylon is condemned for her excessive luxury Rev 18:3. The merchants traded oil, wine and wheat with Babylon (18:13), but Barley is not mentioned because it is poor mans food and not a luxury. Famine is also one of the conditions leading to the end times, Mat 24:7. Famine can also lead to political instability which is also a cause of war. Hendriksen argues that the poor people who could only afford barley are Christians. From Revelation we learn something of the conditions of the believers at that time:

They could not remain a member of a trades guild which would involve eating food sacrificed to idols and sexual immorality (cf. Pergamum and Thyatira) and it would therefore be difficult to earn a living.
Those who did not have the mark of the beast could not buy or sell (13:17).
Generally the poor would tend to become Christians (Jas 2:5, cf. 1 Cor 1:26)

The second and third riders belong together in their mission to persecute God's people as they spread oppression, injustice and economic hardship throughout the centuries of the churches existence.

2.4. Fourth seal (6:7)

Rev 6:7 When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, "Come!" 8 I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.

v8 - I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! - The horse is sickly yellow green (Greek chloros, from which the word chlorine comes from) like a dead person. This horse sums up the work of the other three i.e. kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth. This verse is also similar to Rev 13:10 where the clear indication is to persecution by the beast in the form of captivity, or being killed with the sword.

v8 - Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. - Hades is the abode of the spirits after death and therefore always follows closely behind death. Death and Hades, the abode of the dead, are personified here, as in Rev 20:13. But Jesus has authority over both, see Rev 1:18.

v8 - They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth. - They were given power over a quarter of the earth so it was not universal it was limited power. Compare with the trumpets, one third of the earth is affected, and the bowls which have a total effect. See also Jeremiah's four kinds of destroyers, Jer 15:2, and Ezekiel's four dreadful judgements, Ezek 5:12, 17, 14:21 (in the LXX the same word rhomphia is used for the sword). Note the fact that they were given power, indicating the sovereignty of God. The word kill used here is not (sacrificial) slaughter as in the second seal, the sword here is rhomphia not machaira, it is a great long and heavy sword, it refers to war in general (Hendriksen). These are general in character and affect all mankind and are symbolic of all universal woes that affect believers and the rest of the world throughout this current dispensation. For the church these woes are used by Christ for sanctification of the church and the extension of the kingdom (Hendriksen), compare with Rom 8:35.

What is the interpretation of the four horsemen? There is no easy interpretation of the four horses of the apocalypse, however (according to Billy Graham) they have a striking relationship to Mat 24, especially when compared with the opening of the fifth seal which speaks of the persecution of the saints and the sixth seal which parallels Mat 24:29. The seals of Revelation can be considered as a comment on and expansion of Mat 24, which is a history of the world from heavens viewpoint.

This section and in fact the rest of Revelation is also a commentary on Rom 8:28-39..

(Rom 8:28-39) And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. {29} For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. {30} And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. {31} What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? {32} He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? {33} Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. {34} Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died--more than that, who was raised to life--is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. {35} Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? {36} As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." {37} No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. {38} For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, {39} neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Birth pains (Mat 24:8)- This is a key verse, with a woman in labour the birth pains become more rapid and more intense as birth approaches i.e. earthquakes, wars, famines, false prophets (ending with the antichrist) followed by Christ's coming. The visions in Revelation become more detailed and more intense as they go along. The seals therefore are the unfolding of God's plan in Church and human history.

The four horsemen can be used to show that Christ is sovereign over contemporary events that John would be familiar with (Caird):

AD 60 Earthquakes.

AD 62: Defeat of Roman army by Parthian Vologeses on eastern frontier.

AD 64: Persecution of Christians following the fire of Rome.

AD 70: Four year war of Jews and Romans ending with Jerusalem in ruins.

AD 68 Suicide of Nero, followed by political chaos.

AD 79 Eruption of Vesuvius which obliterated Naples and created a pall of darkness so widespread that men feared that the end of the world had come. When volcanic dust covers the sky the moon would appear red.

AD 92 Serious grain famine.

AD 81-92 Reign of Domitian, institutes emperor worship, persecution.

AD 95 Writing of Revelation.

As with the seven trumpets and seven bowls the first four affect the earth, the last three have a more spiritual significance they affect man directly in his spirit rather as well as his body.

2.5. Fifth seal (6:9)

Rev 6:9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. 10 They called out in a loud voice, "How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?" 11 Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed.

v9 - When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. - Earlier we have seen the Lamb looking as if it had been slain (5:6, 9, 12), now we see those who follow the Lamb and who are slain because of their obedience to the word of God and the testimony they had maintained to death (cf. Smyrna and Antipas, see also 11:7, 12:11, 17:6). The same Greek word for slain (sphazo) is used of both Christ and these martyrs which means literally 'butchered', they follow in the footsteps of their master. Later we also see the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God (20:4). The sequence of four seals is interrupted by a picture of the martyrs because by their martyrdom some might repent of the error of their ways (Caird) this scene of the martyrs intervenes prior to the sixth seal when Christ comes in judgement and it is too late to repent. See also the two witnesses which intervene between the sixth and seventh trumpet. Where is the altar? It is before the throne of God in heaven (Rev 8:3), in the OT the blood was poured under the altar of burnt offering (Lev 4:7). This indicates that their death by martyrdom is viewed as a sacrifice on the altar in heaven (cf. machaira of the second seal). They had offered their bodies as a living sacrifice, Rom 12:1. He saw their souls, they were thus alive demonstrating that although man can destroy the body he cannot destroy the soul, Mat 10:28.

v9 - slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained - This is one of the themes of the book that whenever men are obedient to the word of God and testify about Christ with their words and their deeds, persecution will follow. The main thrust of the book is to be obedient to the death and that in doing so they will be victorious over the powers of evil and will gain their (eternal) life. The Greek word for martyr, martus, means 'a witness'. See also Rev 11:7 in which when the two witnesses have finished their testimony the beast from the Abyss attacked them, and overpowers and kills them. We find that the beast makes war on the saints and kills them 13:7, the beast out of the earth set up an image of the beast out of the sea and killed all who refuse to worship the image, 13:15, and we find that the woman (Babylon) is drunk with the blood of the saints, 17:6. Those who worship the beast and his image and receive his mark are destined for eternal torment, 14:9 ff. In Rev 20:4 we also find 'the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshipped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands'. This persecution and martyrdom is in accordance with the words of Jesus in Matthew, 'then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death', Mat 24:9, 'this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come' Mat 24:14, see also Mat 10:21, Mat 5:11, John 15:20. The testimony of the martyrs by their words, deeds and death is part of God's plan.

v10 - They called out in a loud voice, "How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?" - This cry occurs several times in scripture, Ps 79:10, 119:84. It is God who will avenge their blood, vengeance is not to be theirs, Deu 32:43, Rom 12:19. Their cry is a cry for justice, not retribution, just as Abel's blood cried out to God for justice, Gen 4:10. This cry is answered in Rev 16:5-7 when the third bowl is poured out as the just penalty for killing the saints and prophets and in Rev 19:2 when he condemned the great prostitute, in her was found the blood of the martyrs and all killed on the earth, see Rev 18:24. In 19:2 the same Greek word for avenge is used (ekdikeo, cf. Luk 18:3, Rom 12:19, 2 Cor 10:6).

v11 - Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed. - The white robe is the robe of righteousness, Isa 61:10, see also Rev 7:13. The idea of waiting 'until the number of their fellow servants and brother who were to be killed as they had been was completed' is that the persecution is all under God's control, he knows and has ordained the number to be killed, just as he knows the number of hairs on their head. There is a number that is fixed under the perfect will and foreknowledge of God, see Rev 7:4. The NASB has that they were told to rest for a little while longer, rather than wait, in 14:13 we are told that 'they will rest from their labour, for their deeds follow them'. Martyrdom seems like a setback for the church but in fact it progresses the gospel hence Tertullian's famous dictum, that 'the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church' (Hughes).

2.6. Sixth seal(6:12)

Rev 6:12 I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, 13 and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. 14 The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. 15 Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. 16 They called to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?"

Verse 14 has parallels elsewhere in Revelation, in the seventh bowl "Every island fled away and the mountains could not be found" (16:17-21) and the great white throne "Earth and sky fled from his presence" (20:11-12). The language comes from the OT as in: Isa 13:9-13, 24:1-6, 34:1-4, Ezek 32:5-8, Joel 2:10-11, 2:30-31, 3:15-16, Hab 3:6-11, and in the NT Mat 24:29, Mark 13:24-26, Acts 2:19-20. The question is whether to take it literally, since in verse 14 the mountains were removed they would have no mountains to hide in, in verse 16. Some of the OT references refer to national destruction by enemies and even Mat 24:29 could refer to the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 (verse 16 alludes to Luke 23:28-31, which refers to the destruction of Jerusalem).

However, this clearly is an apocalyptic reference to destruction and judgement, and whether local or globally its parallel in the great white throne scene indicates global judgement as does the seven-fold description of those people affected in verse 15. It also affects the total cosmos in seven ways: earthquake, sun, moon, stars, sky, mountains and islands (v. 12-14). "The great day of their wrath" in verse 17, seems to indicate the 'last day'. In Acts 2:20 Peter quotes Joel 2:28-32 with reference to what was happening at Pentecost (the sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood). And in Luke 23:30 Jesus alludes to Hosea 10:8, when referring to the future destruction of Jerusalem ("'they will say to the mountains, "Fall on us!" and to the hills, "Cover us!"'). Surely, the destruction of Jerusalem is a type of the end of the world.

v12 - I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. - The Lamb opens the sixth seal. Verses 13-14 all deal with disturbances in the cosmos, verses 15-17 deal with those who dwell on the earth. A great earthquake will accompany the Second Coming, (Isa 29:6, Ezek 38:19, Zec 14:4).

Other occurrences of earthquakes in Revelation:

i. Seventh seal, 8:5.

ii. Two witnesses go to heaven, 11:13.

iii. Seventh trumpet, 11:19.

iv. Seventh bowl, 16:18.

v12 - The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, - This passage is a clear reference to the second coming of Christ in judgement against the nations, as prophesied by Joel 2:30-31 and Mat 24:29, although Chilton would see this in terms of the destruction of Jerusalem who had rejected Christ. Perhaps then, we should see this passage as the destruction of all who have rejected Christ at his Second Coming. There are some features of these verses, which refer to the Lord coming in judgement at specific points in history, not just the last day, see for example the destruction of Babylon in Isaiah 13.

v13-14 - and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. - Quoted from Isa 34:4, see also Hab 3:6, Mic 1:4. These signs herald the end of the age, Mat 24:29, 'the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken'. There can be no doubt that this refers to the Second Coming of Christ. Notice the similarity with the seventh bowl, 16:20, 'Every island fled away and the mountains could not be found'. There is also a similarity with judgement day when the earth and sky fled from his presence (20:11). In the same way when Christ returns in judgement He will 'make the heavens tremble; and the earth will shake from its place at the wrath of the LORD Almighty, in the day of his burning anger' (Isa 13:13).

v15 - Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. - Verses 12-14 deal with disturbances in the cosmos, now we come to the effect on the people on earth. There is great terror, the day of the Lord affects all men from the highest to the lowest, see the similar description of those in Rev 19:17, who are gathered for the great supper of God, which clearly depicts the second coming. They flee to the caves to hide from his wrath, Isa 2:10, 19, 21 see also Isa 13:6-8, 24:21, 34:12, Zep 1:14. This sevenfold description covers all men from the greatest to the least.

v16 - They called to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! - All the nations will mourn when they see the Son of Man appear, Mat 24:30. Being buried by a mountain is preferable to seeing God and experiencing the wrath of the Lamb, quoted from Hosea 10:8 see also Isa 2:19-21. Both God and the Lamb are here linked to wrath, see also Rev 14:10. This is also similar to a saying of Jesus to the woman of Jerusalem as he was being led to the cross (Luke 23:28-31) when he was alluding to the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, but this also prefigures the last day (see Mat 24), it is clear from the context that here in Revelation it is the last day being referred to.

(Luke 23:28-31 NIV) Jesus turned and said to them, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. {29} For the time will come when you will say, 'Blessed are the barren women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!' {30} Then "'they will say to the mountains, "Fall on us!" and to the hills, "Cover us!"' {31} For if men do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?"

Chilton takes this to refer to the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. While many scholars link Mathew 24 with the seven seals, few also make the connection with the destruction of Jerusalem, which is also clearly portrayed in those verses (Chilton).

v17 - For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?" - When Jesus comes again he will come with wrath for the world, it is 'the great day of their wrath', Psa 110:5, Isa 13:9, Zep 1:14 ff., Rom 2:5. It is a unique day, (Zec 14:7), who can stand on the day of his wrath? Malachi and Joel posed the same question: Mal 3:2 'But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears?' Joel 2:11 'The day of the LORD is great; it is dreadful. Who can endure it?' So does Nahum 1:16. The answer to 'who can stand' is given in the next section of the 144,000 sealed, (especially 7:9) see also 1 Thess 1:10 in which it is Jesus who rescues us from the coming wrath. God’s wrath also occurs in the seventh trumpet, Rev 11:18; on those who worship the beast, 14:10; when the grapes are harvested into the winepress of God’s wrath, 14:19; with the seven bowls, 15:1; the destruction of Babylon, 16:19; the rider on the white horse, 19:15.

Ch 7: The 144,000 and the great multitude

Art used by permission by Pat Marvenko Smith, copyright 1992.
Click here to visit her "Revelation Illustrated" site.

The 144,000 sealed (7:1)

The great multitude in white robes (7:9).

3. The 144,000 sealed (7:1)

7:1 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree. 2 Then I saw another angel coming up from the east, having the seal of the living God. He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea: 3 "Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God." 4 Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.

Rev 7:5 From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed,

from the tribe of Reuben 12,000,

from the tribe of Gad 12,000,

6 from the tribe of Asher 12,000,

from the tribe of Naphtali 12,000,

from the tribe of Manasseh 12,000,

7 from the tribe of Simeon 12,000,

from the tribe of Levi 12,000,

from the tribe of Issachar 12,000,

8 from the tribe of Zebulun 12,000,

from the tribe of Joseph 12,000,

from the tribe of Benjamin 12,000.

Who are the 144,000?

Introduction

There are a couple of basic questions that need to be addressed.

Is this number to be taken literally?
Is this a select group of people?

The approach taken in this commentary is that Revelation is symbolic unless it is clearly literal. The fact that each of the twelve tribes consists of exactly 12,000 suggests a symbolic interpretation. Rather than being a select group of believers I will argue that the 144,000 represents the whole church of God on the earth, and the "great multitude" of Rev 7:9 represents the whole church of God in heaven. Brighton sums up chapter 7 of Revelation perfectly by calling the two groups "the church militant on earth and the church triumphant in heaven" (Revelation (Concordia Commentary) by Louis A. Brighton).

The 144,000 are the church on the earth

This vision of the 144,000 and the vision of the great multitude (7:9 ff.) form an interlude between the sixth and seventh seals. Just as in the interlude between the sixth and seventh trumpets we see a description of the witnessing church so here we get a description of the church. There is no such interlude between the sixth and seventh bowl. Before the seven trumpets are to be sounded which serve as warnings to mankind, the church is first sealed to protect them from these disasters that come upon mankind. The number 144,000 is a symbolic number (cf. 21:12 ff.) and the description of the 144,000 sealed, symbolically describes the NT + OT church not just the OT tribes of Israel. Neither are they a select group of Jewish missionaries who arise in the last days. It should be noted that the list of the twelve tribes is not just a list it is a census. The reasons why the 144,000 represent the church are summarised below:

i. They are described as the servants of our God in verse 3, a term that refers to the church, and is used more than 11 times in Revelation, see 1:1, 1:6, 5:10, 6:11, 7:15, 19:2, 19:5, 19:10, 22:3, 22:6, 22:9. The book of Revelation was written to God's servants (1:1, 22:6).

ii. The NT Church is called the Israel of God (Gal 6:16). Both Jews and Gentiles are members of Christ's body and share the same promises, the church is Abraham's offspring (Eph 3:6, Gal 3:6-9, 28-29). See also James 1:1.

iii. Judah is the firstborn instead of Reuben. Jesus is the firstborn of the dead (Col 1:15 ) and he is descended from Judah (Heb 7:14). Note while Jesus was on earth he went through the initiation rights of both Jews (circumcision) and Christians (baptism). Judah offered himself as a substitute for his brother Benjamin (Gen 44:33) and is therefore a type of Christ.

iv. Levi the tribe of priests is included in the census, they are normally excluded from a census (Num 1:47), the saints are described as priests in 1:6, 5:10 and 20:6.

v. Joseph, who is a type of Christ is included (instead of Ephraim), there is nothing wrong spoken about him, see verse eight for more detail.

vi. Dan and Ephraim who went off into idolatry are excluded, they are replaced by Levi and Joseph, there are no idolaters in the church, 21:8, 22:15. Irenaeus thinks that the antichrist will come from Dan and quotes, Jer 8:16.
vii. Those in an OT census are ransomed people (cf. Exo 30:12).

viii. The number 144 (12*12 i.e. OT * NT) and 12,000 occur again in the description of the New Jerusalem, Rev 21:12-17, which is clearly both OT (twelve tribes and 12 gates) and NT church (twelve apostles and 12 foundations). This could also be a description of the Jewish and Gentile church, but the emphasis is that it is the complete church.

ix. The 144,000 are found again in 14:1 where they have the name of the Lamb and the Father written on their foreheads. In the description of the new Jerusalem, 22:3-4, we also find God's servants with his name on their foreheads. The 144,000 in 14:1-5 are described as followers of the Lamb, they sing a new song, they are pure and blameless, they are redeemed from the earth.

x. Milligan points out that if the seal is the antithesis of the mark of the beast which is on all his followers then the seal of God will be on all His followers and not just a part.

xi. God is sealing all of his people against the coming trumpets not just a part just as all God's people escaped the plagues on the Egyptians. All those who put the blood of the lamb on the door posts and lintels escaped from the destroying angel.

John's theology clearly sees the church as being composed of OT and NT saints, the OT continues into the NT, both Jews and Gentiles are saved on the same basis of faith (Gal 3:6-14). This is made amply clear in his description of the New Jerusalem whose gates have the names of the twelve tribes of Israel on them and whose foundations have the names of the twelve apostles on them. Even where he does describe the OT church as 'the woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head', Rev 12:1, after she gives birth to the Christ she becomes the NT church, 12:13. It should be clear from NT scripture that as far as the church is concerned there is neither Jew nor Gentile we are all one body (Eph 3:6), the Gentile believers by following the faith of Abraham are spiritually children of Abraham and inheritors of the same promises (Gal 3:6-9, 28-29). The church is a continuum from OT to NT but as they are here sealed prior to the trumpets being sounded this would reduce this group to the NT church rather than both OT and NT. Our Lord only has one body on the earth, John no doubt has our Lords words in mind "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me." (John 17:20-21 see also John 17:11).

There is a modification to this view in which rather than considering the 144,000 to be OT and NT saints they could be the Jewish and Gentile church. The Jewish line extends into the NT period in so far as the Jews accept Jesus as the Messiah, fortunately many are doing so. Just as in the OT period there were Gentile converts, e.g. Ruth, so in the NT period there will be Jewish converts. Either way the 144,000 should be considered to be the complete church and not just a portion of it. There are a number of commentators that consider the 144,000 to be Jewish converts to Christianity in which case most of the analysis aforementioned would also fit these Jewish Christians since by definition they would be part of the church and would therefore share its characteristics. However the use of the term 144 would seem to link this group with the new Jerusalem which clearly depicts the whole church of all saints either OT or NT, Jew or Gentile and therefore it is more likely that this is referring to the complete church.

(Rom 11:25-32) I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. {26} And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: "The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. {27} And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins." {28} As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies on your account; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, {29} for God's gifts and his call are irrevocable. {30} Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, {31} so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy as a result of God's mercy to you. {32} For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.

v1 - After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree - This section is the answer to - 'who can stand?' - coming from Rev 6:17 and it now shows us those who will be able to stand on the day of God's great visitation. Only those sealed will be able to stand on the day of his wrath, 1 Thess 1:10. 'After this I saw' refers to John's chronology and refers to a new vision that he saw and not that the events now depicted follow on from those in the previous section. This verse refers to the angels with the first four trumpets which affect the whole earth (the four winds of the earth, the four directions of the compass i.e. they affect the whole earth geographically showing the universality of the judgement), in particular the first two trumpets (Rev 8:7-8) which affect the earth, trees, grass and sea.

First trumpet:

Rev 8:7 The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down upon the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.

Second trumpet:

Rev 8:8 The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood,

v2 - Then I saw another angel coming up from the east, having the seal of the living God. He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea: - The angel comes from the east (sun rising) God's deliverance was expected from that direction, Ezek 43:1. The angels had been given power to harm the land and the sea indicating the sovereignty of God. The seal (Gr. sphragis (n)) of the living God, the verb form of seal is the Greek sphragizo. The same word is used of Jesus on whom the Father has placed his seal of approval (John 6:27), of Abraham who received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised (Rom 4:11), the seal of ownership (2 Cor 1:22), marked in Jesus with the seal of the Holy Spirit (Eph 1:13, 4:30), the seal of ownership (2 Tim 2:19). The same word is also used of the seven seals, the sealing up of the bottomless pit (20:3), sealing up the seven thunders (10:4) and not sealing up the words of Revelation (22:10). Vine defines sphragis as 'a seal' or 'signet', Rev 7:2, 'the seal of the living God', an emblem of ownership and security, here combined with that of destination (as in Ezek 9:4), the persons to be 'sealed' being secured from destruction and marked for reward.

v3 - "Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God." - The seven trumpets which are sounded later (Rev 8:70) are warnings to the unsaved of mankind, not to the saints who must therefore first be sealed to mark them as being distinct from the rest of mankind. It is God's servants who must be sealed, the book of Revelation is written to God's servants (1:1, 22:6), Christians are referred to as servants 10 times in the book and as saints 12 times. Notice that all the plagues of Egypt which resemble the trumpets did not hurt the people of God, they were protected (Exo 9:4, 9:26, 10:23, 11:7, 12:23), the Lord made a distinction between the Egyptians and Israel, Exo 11:7. God's deliverance of his people is also shown by the experience of Noah, Lot and Esther. Before he died Jesus prayed that the disciples would be protected by the power of the Father's name (John 17:11 cf. Rev 14:1 where they are sealed in the Father's name and of the Lamb), in John 17:15 he prays that they are not taken out of the world but protected from the power of the evil one. The image of the seal comes from Ezek 9:4 in which a mark is put on the foreheads of those who grieved and lamented over all the detestable thing done in Jerusalem, they were then protected from the ensuing slaughter. The seal is of ownership because they are God's servants, but it is also the seal of protection, in the fifth trumpet the locusts were told to only harm those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads (Rev 9:4). The seal marks those who belong to God, 2 Tim 2:19, 'the Lord knows who are his'. In v2 it is called 'the seal of the living God', the seal is also the seal of the Holy Spirit, Eph 1:13, it is the seal of ownership. It was put on their foreheads i.e. their mind, it reminds us of the gold plate that was engraved as a seal with the words 'HOLY TO THE LORD' which the high priest wore on his forehead (Exo 28:36-38), this marks him out as consecrated to the Lord. Contrast this to the title written on the forehead of the harlot, 'MYSTERY BABYLON THE GREAT THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH' (Rev 17:5). In Rev 14:1 the 144,000 are described as having the name of the Lamb and his Father on their foreheads, i.e. thrice sealed by God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. At baptism we are baptised into the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Mat 28:19). This seal is in contrast to the mark of the beast, on the right hand or forehead, which marks those who are the beast's (13:16) and who are subject to the wrath of God (14:9-11, 16:2).

v4 - Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel - He heard their number, 144,000 which is clearly a symbolic number, later he sees them as a great multitude which no one could count. In the NT the church is described as the Israel of God, Gal 6:16, and as Abraham's seed in Gal 3:29, in Rom 4:16 Abraham is the father of those who believe. The number 144 also appears in Rev 21:17 which is the thickness of the walls of the New Jerusalem, which is a clear reference to the complete OT and NT church. 12,000 is found in Rev 21:16 as the length of the New Jerusalem, again this is a vision of the new Jerusalem whose gates had the names of the twelve tribes of Israel on them and whose twelve foundations had the names of the twelve apostles on them because the city is composed of both old and new testament saints. A number of dispensationalist commentators particularly from America hold that there is a separate place for Israel and the church in their theology, but this does not accord with NT theology about the church, the 144,000 are not Jewish converts in the last days but are the church. The church is the true Israel of God, God works in the world through his church, in the OT it was through the twelve tribes and in the NT through the twelve apostles. The place for Israel or rather the Jewish people in the last days is as part of the church. The number thousand means complete so the 144,000 represent all God's people from the old and new testament. The 144,000 is not a literal number, it is the complete church not part of it. 144=12 * 12, i.e. OT * NT church, 1000=10*10*10 which means completeness. The symbolism ought to be evident from the breakdown of the number 144,000 into twelve tribes of exactly 12,000 for each tribe. Israel was the name given to Jacob after he struggled with God and with men and overcame (Gen 32:28), once again a reference to God's people as overcomers.

v4 - 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel - What follows is clearly a census of all the tribes of Israel, however when we examine the census it has some significant differences from actual censuses taken in the OT. Each tribe has exactly 12,000 counted so the census should be regarded as symbolic. When the first census was taken of the tribes they had to pay a ransom, Exo 30:12, so those in the census were ransomed people. The 144,000 are found again in 14:1 where they have the name of the Lamb and the Father written on their foreheads. In the description of the new Jerusalem, 22:3-4, we also find God's servants with his name on their foreheads.

v5 - From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed, - The 144,000 sealed, the first born of the twelve tribes of OT Israel is Reuben who is normally mentioned first, he is listed second to Judah, but here the first tribe in the list and therefore the first born is from the tribe of Judah, Jesus is the first born of the dead (Rev 1:5, Col 1:15) and is from the tribe of Judah (Heb 7:14, Rev 5:5). He is the firstborn of many brothers, Rom 8:29. The number of people in each tribe is 12,000 which is symbolic, this number also occurs when the New Jerusalem is measured, its length, width and height is 12,000 stadia. It had twelve gates and on each gate was written the name of one of the tribes of Israel, the city had twelve foundations on which were written the names of the twelve apostles.

v7 - from the tribe of Levi 12,000, - Levi is the tribe of priests, it is now include in the census, whereas they are not normally counted (Num 1:474 9) 'You must not count the tribe of Levi or include them in the census of the other Israelites'. The NT saints are a royal priesthood, 1 Pet 2:9, there is no need now for a separate tribe of priests.

v8 - from the tribe of Joseph 12,000, - Joseph is not normally mentioned as a tribe, his sons Manasseh and Ephraim are normally mentioned as two tribes (Gen 48:5), however Ephraim went into idolatry and is not mentioned here as did Dan who is not mentioned, idolaters are excluded from the New Jerusalem (Rev 22:15). Joseph is a type of Christ, there is nothing bad mentioned about him in scripture. Both Joseph and Christ were unjustly tried, Joseph was unjustly charged with trying to rape Potiphar's wife (Gen 39:1-20). Both suffered, Joseph in prison and Jesus on the cross. Both were later crowned with glory and honour (Gen 41:39-45, Heb 2:9).

The census thus reveals Christ as the firstborn, it includes the priests together with Joseph as a type of Christ, all have been ransomed, but there are no idolaters in it; it is the church of the redeemed.

4. The great multitude in white robes (7:9)

Rev 7:9 After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice:
"Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb."

Rev 7.11 All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshipped God, 12 saying:

"Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honour and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!"

Rev 7:13 Then one of the elders asked me, "These in white robes--who are they, and where did they come from?" 14 I answered, "Sir, you know." And he said, "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 Therefore,

"they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. 16 Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. 17 For the Lamb at the centre of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."
8:1 When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.

The great multitude: the church in heaven

v9 - After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. - First John hears their number, 144,000 (7:1), they are first described symbolically, now he looks and he sees a great multitude that no one could count. This great multitude is this same 144,000 who are also the same as the new Jerusalem, see Rev 21:1-4 and 21:12-17 in which the New Jerusalem is 12,000 stadia in length and as wide and high as it is long. The 144,000 also occur in Rev 14:1-3, where they have the name of the Lamb and of God on their foreheads as do the saints in the New Jerusalem, 22:4. The great multitude here are also found described in the New Jerusalem: they have washed their robes (22:14), they are before the throne of God and serve God (22:3), God will wipe away every tear (21:4). John also sees a great multitude in heaven in 19:1 ff. who praise God because he has avenged on the great prostitute the blood of his servants (19:2), these are described as God's servants (19:5) and as the bride (19:7). This great number that no one could count is the fulfilment of God's promise to Abraham that his offspring would be as numerous as the stars or grains of sand on the seashore (Gen 15:5, 22:17, Heb 11:12).

v9 - from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. - Notice the four fold description indicating that they come from the four corners of the earth, it also lends weight to the argument that they represent the complete number of the redeemed, they are not just Gentiles. These saints come from the same group that the beast has authority over (Rev 13:7) and to whom the angel has an eternal gospel for (14:6). This illustrates the universality of the gospel, we are to preach the gospel to all creatures, even those who worship the beast. They are standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb which answers the question posed in 6:17 'who can stand on the day of their wrath', clearly only the church can stand before God. Because John sees them standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb they are in heaven (Rev 4:2, 5:13, 22:3). Compare this with the vision of 'someone like a son of man' in Daniel 7:13 in which 'all peoples, nations and men of every language worshipped him' Dan 7:14.

v9 - They were wearing white robes - The white robes are robes of righteousness, see v14, in which they are stated to have 'washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb', also see Isa 61:10. The martyrs were also given a white robe 6:11, see also Rev 3:4-5, 3:18. The armies of heaven are dressed in fine linen white and clean, 19:14. The white robes are imputed righteousness, that is the righteousness of Christ, their own good deeds are like a filthy garment, Isa 64:6, Zech 3:3.

v9 - holding palm branches in their hands - This reminds us of the praise given to Jesus before his death, John 12:13, the palm branches were emblems of triumph. It is also a reminder of the feast of booths celebrated at the harvest of the crops (Lev 23:39 ff.), here they celebrate the eternal harvest of the saints. Palm trees are in the city described by Ezekiel, Ezek 41:17-18.

v10 - And they cried out in a loud voice: - "Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb." - These are they that acknowledge that their salvation comes from God (Isa 25:9, Rev 12:10, 19:1) and from Jesus as the NT affirms, (Eph 2:4, 2 Thess 2:13, 1 Tim 1:15, Titus 3:4). God and the Lamb are linked together, their salvation was God's plan and implemented by the Lamb of God. They are saved from the wrath of the Lamb because they are sealed. It is interesting to consider that in heaven we will all speak one language as in pre-Babel times. There is now no need for the confusion of languages, man is embarking on a correct activity, namely the worship of God and of the Lamb.

v11 - All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshipped God, - The rest of heaven now joins in agreement and in worshipping God, who is the only one to whom worship is due cf. 4:10, 5:8, 5:14. The angels worship God and it is an angel who twice tells John not to worship at his feet but to worship God, 19:10, 22:8-9. Contrast the worship of God here with the worship of the beast and the dragon in 13:4.

v12 - "Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honour and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!" - They all join in this sevenfold doxology as they did in 5:12.

v13 - Then one of the elders asked me, "These in white robes--who are they, and where did they come from?" - This is a rhetorical question that the elder then proceeds to answer.

v14 - I answered, "Sir, you know." And he said, "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. - What is the great tribulation? The word 'great' is frequently used in the book of Revelation (see introduction). We have already heard about 'the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth' in 3:10. The fifth seal has revealed the souls of the martyrs under the altar slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained, 6:9. Those who come out of the great tribulation are those who have washed their robes, they are the redeemed who are the Church of God. Compare with the description of the redeemed in Rev 22:14 who have washed their robes so they may have the right the tree of life and to go into the city.

The book of Revelation speaks of two tribulations, one for the church which is persecution, the other for the world featured in the seven trumpets and seven bowls and especially at the second coming. Thus we need to distinguish between tribulation for the believer and wrath on unbelievers, believers are sealed before the trumpets are sounded. The great tribulation is the time of persecution throughout this current church age but rising to a crescendo to a period of unparalleled distress just prior to the return of Christ (Mat 24:29, Dan 12:1). It is described from the point of view of the redeemed in heaven rather than from human history; he sees their final countless number. It is the tribulation that all believers have come through (Acts 14:22), it is not just an isolated single future event in history, this should become clear from the rest of Revelation which goes on to describe more persecution that the saints will have to go through. Jesus said that in the world you will have tribulation, a word that includes pressure, suffering and persecution (John 16:33; cf. Rom 12:12; 2 Cor 1:4; 7:4; 2 Thess 1:4; Rev 1:9; 2:9 NTSB).

The great multitude he saw that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, is more likely to be the whole company of believers than just those who come through the final great distress. That the 144,000 consist of both OT and NT saints ought to make it clear that the tribulation occurs throughout the OT and NT eras, the New Jerusalem shows both OT and NT saints. The OT church suffered tribulation under Pharaoh in Egypt which is a model for much of the NT persecution in this book.

It is easy for the church in the west which is not under persecution to look for a future fulfilment of the great tribulation, however the reformers, the church in China and Russia will disagree, they have had and are having their tribulation now. The idea that the rapture will occur before the great tribulation is also against scripture (1 Thess 4:13-17, Mat 24:30-31) and is also demonstrated here in this verse. The book of Revelation testifies that the saints will come out of great tribulation in this verse and the following verses:

The fifth seal reveals the martyrs slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained (to the end). 6:9
When the two witnesses finish their testimony they are killed by the beast, 11:7, they are later raptured, most futurists regard the beast as the antichrist.
The beast was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them, 13:7
The second beast caused all who refused to worship the image of the first beast to be killed, 13:15.
The woman riding the beast is drunk with the blood of the saints, 17:6.

Finally, Jesus himself testifies that the elect will come out of the great tribulation, Mat 24:20-31, Mark 13:18-27.

v14 - they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb - This is a glorious paradox, he has freed us from our sins by his blood (Rev 1:5), white indicates purity (1 John 1:7, Isa 1:18). Isa 61:10 refers to the garments of salvation and the robe of righteousness. It is also connected with the Israelites washing their cloths in preparation for the Lord to come down at Mt. Sinai (Exo 19:10), in this it indicates that they were to be ceremonially clean to see the Lord.

v15 - Therefore, "they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. - The 'therefore' is because they are cleansed and have suffered for Christ's sake. The rewards indicated here are reiterated in 21:3 ff. 'The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him' and is further evidence that this group of saints are the whole company of believers. They are before his throne, that is in his presence and they serve God, as they had while living on the earth. Compare those who serve God day and night with the fate of those who worship the beast and his image, and the devil who accused them day and night, they will be tormented and have no rest day and night for ever and ever (Rev 14:11, 20:10). The great multitude of the saints serve him day and night in his temple, that is the inner sanctuary or the Holies of Holies, thus fulfilling Ezek 37:26, in which God will put his sanctuary among his people forever.

v16 - Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat.- This is a picture of heaven, as a set of negative, they will never thirst because they will have springs of living water (v17). They will never be scorched by the sun, because there will be no sun (Rev 21:23, 22:5 cf. Isa 49:10), this is in contrast to the fourth bowl which scorched people, see Rev 16:8. It is also in contrast with those in the lake of fire. They will never hunger because of the fruit of the tree of life, Jesus said I am the bread of life.

v17 - For the Lamb at the centre of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." - The Lamb will be their shepherd, they shall not want (they will not thirst or go hungry) and he will lead them to springs of living water, Psa 23:1, the spring of the water of life is found in Rev 21:6, whose source is the Lamb. We have already seen the Lamb standing at the centre of the throne, Rev 5:6. God will wipe every tear from their eyes, this is repeated in 21:4, compare with its OT equivalent in Isa 25:8, contrast this with the weeping of the ungodly Mat 13:42. This does away with the curse, Gen 3:17, there will be no more curse 22:3. Compare the similarity of verses 15-17 with the description given in Rev 21:3-6, we are seeing the same event, a foretaste of heaven, thus the parallelism of the book. This section can be seen as the fulfilment of Jesus prayer before he was crucified in that he prayed that his disciples would be with him and see his glory (John 17:24).

8:1 - When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. - After these two pictures of the church the seventh seal is opened, followed by silence in heaven. This could be time of reflection on what has happened up until now. It could be because the first heaven and earth have passed away. The visions of the 144,000 and the great multitude form an interlude between the sixth and seventh seal. There is also an interlude between the sixth and seventh trumpets which features the two witnesses, that is the witnessing church. The following verses show other biblical passages in which there is silence.

Psa 76 the land feared and was quiet when the Lord pronounced judgement from heaven.

Isa 18:4 before the harvest of the earth the Lord looks upon the earth from heaven in silence.

Isa 24:8 tells of the quietness of musical instruments and revellers after the Lord has devastated the earth.

Isa 47:5 Babylon will go into silence.

Isa 41:1 the islands are to be silent before the judgement of the Lord.

Ezek 27:32 Tyre is silenced.

Hab 2:18-20, the Lord is in his holy temple and the earth is to keep silent before him.

Zep 1:7 the earth should be silent before the Lord because the day of the Lord is near when he will punish the wicked.

Zec 2:13 mankind is to be still before the Lord because has roused himself from his holy dwelling and is coming in judgement.

Ch 8: The seven trumpets

Art used by permission by Pat Marvenko Smith, copyright 1992.
Click here to visit her "Revelation Illustrated" site.

The seventh seal and the seven trumpets (8:1)

1.1. Introduction to the seven trumpets:

The seven trumpets and the ten plagues on Egypt:

1.2. The seventh seal and the prelude to the seven trumpets

1.3. The First Trumpet (8:7)

1.4. The second trumpet (8:8)

1.5. The third trumpet (8:10)

1.6. The fourth trumpet (8:12)

1. The seventh seal and the seven Trumpets (8:1)

1.1. Introduction to the seven trumpets:

The seven seals summarise human history from the viewpoint of heaven and the church. There is war, famine and pestilence in general and on the church in particular there is persecution, then the end will come, this probably accounts for the silence of the seventh seal. What is described is similar to the signs of the end of the age as described by Jesus in Matthew 24. The seven trumpets however follow on from the persecution of the seals and are God's warnings to unbelievers, they do not affect the eternal spiritual security of the believer which is why he is sealed first, although they may affect him physically. The seven trumpets are God's response to the prayers of his people as the first section (8:1-5) shows. A number of authors point out that in Lev 26 Israel is warned that their calamities will be multiplied seven times if they do not heed God's voice and continue in their apostasy. Beasley-Murray points out that by tripling this with the seven seals, trumpets and bowls it builds up to the advent of Christ in an awe-inspiring climax. We should also note that Jesus voice sounded like a trumpet, 1:10.

The trumpets are modelled on the plagues on the Egyptians, the plague of blood on the Nile however is split into two, one affecting the sea and the other the drinking water (rivers and springs), this is a good example of Farrar's 'Rebirth of Images'. Using the Exodus as our model when these disaster afflict the world it is a sign to the saints that they will soon be free of their persecutors. The effects of the trumpets are world wide because the persecution of God's people is world wide (Beasley-Murray). God's word to Pharaoh through Moses were 'let my people go that they may worship me' Exo 8:1; Pharaoh refused and the plagues resulted. The trumpets come to the world because of their refusal to allow God's people to worship him (by persecuting them) and their refusal to worship God themselves, they prefer idolatry instead (9:20).

The trumpets like the seals form a group of four, two and one. The last three trumpets which affect mankind directly are also called the three woe's, a build up in severity is clearly intended. The first four trumpets bring disaster onto the world (vegetation burned, sea, rivers and springs; i.e. man's environment) and universe (sun, moon and stars). The fifth and sixth trumpets affect mankind directly, the demonic locusts torment mankind and the two hundred million horsemen kill a third of mankind. The statement after the sixth trumpet that mankind still did not repent indicates that the purpose of these judgements is to bring mankind to repentance. Despite these disasters mankind refuses to repent and hence the witness of the church occurs in the interlude between the sixth and seventh trumpet. When they have finished their witness the seventh trumpet ushers in the end of the world and the kingdom of the world becomes the kingdom of Christ and there is the judgement day. The trumpets are warnings because they only affect a third of mankind. The seven bowls that occur later in Revelation are similar and complimentary to the seven trumpets except that they are final outpourings of wrath and affect all mankind who once again refuse to repent.

The main question is how to interpret the seven trumpets. To the literalist they must be some future event because they clearly have not yet occurred, Mounce considers them to be eschatological. Beasley-Murray considers the seals, trumpets and bowls to be parallel and to describe a single short period in history, namely, the time of the end which precedes the coming of Christ's kingdom. Hendriksen considers them to be the disasters and afflictions of men throughout the ages. Caird comments that John likens the disasters of his own time to the plagues of Egypt. Wilcock argues that the trumpets are parallel to the seals, showing what happens throughout history until the second coming with particular reference to the suffering of the church. The trumpets cover the same time period but are warnings to the world. Lenski considers the seals to be manmade while the trumpets are miraculous. Walvoord, as well as Ladd, argues that the trumpets do not recapitulate the seven seals but that the seven trumpets are the seventh seal, and that the rest of the book is contained in the seventh seal and that the seven bowls are contained in the seventh trumpet. This looks reasonable because after the sixth seal we find the 144,000 who are sealed in readiness for the seven trumpets, then comes the vision of the great multitude and then the seventh seal after which follows the seven trumpets. However this puts most of the book after sixth seal which has every appearance of the second coming of Christ, indeed the second coming appears again and again throughout the book. Also the mighty angel announces that 'in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished' (10:7) and there hardly seems time for the seven bowls to occur within the seventh trumpet. Since the two witnesses, which occur after the sixth trumpet, prophecy throughout the church age and the church is cared for throughout the same time and the beast has authority for the same time, the trumpets must sound throughout the gospel age. However it must be admitted that the latter two arguments are weak because they do not take into account the literary style of the book, the two witnesses form an interlude between the sixth and seventh trumpet but that does not mean that in a time sequence they only prophecy between the sixth and seventh trumpet. The question is whether the interlude is literary or literal?

God is always calling men to repentance throughout history and natural disasters are only one of his means of doing this. God shakes the nations to awake men out of their self sufficiency and complacency. However one would expect these disasters to become more frequent and intense as the birth pangs of Christ's coming intensify. Jesus clearly predicts a time of great distress at the end before he comes. Earlier in Mat 24:8 and Mark 13:8 he uses the term 'beginning of birth pains' when speaking about false prophets, wars, famines and earthquakes, this indicates that these will become more intense and more frequent as his coming draws nearer and nearer. While demonic oppression of men has been with us for thousands of years, at the end, a massive onslaught by the enemy as indicated by the fifth trumpet is to be expected as Satan realises that his time is coming to an end. As with the beast who can be seen as the antichrist but who also represents ungodly tyrannical regimes throughout the ages the seven trumpets can be seen in purely eschatological terms but they can also be seen as disasters sent by God throughout history calling men to repentance. However the sixth trumpet does seem to be purely eschatological and refers to a single event in history (9:15) and it is most likely to refer to the last great battle just prior to the second coming. If one compares the sixth seal, sixth trumpet and sixth bowl they all refer to either the last battle, the second coming or both. When interpreting the seven trumpets it is important to remind ourselves that John is writing in the apocalyptic style with which we are not familiar.

To those who say that it is absurd for the waters to become blood as in the second trumpet we have to answer that it has occurred once when Moses turned the Nile to blood; although it is more likely that John is referring to death rather than literal blood. The first four trumpets affect mans environment and could therefore refer to natural disasters, the blood being a sign indicating death. Remember that only a third of the sea turned into blood which would seem strange if taken literally. The symbolism of these events is seen in the occurrence of the phrase 'one third' for the destruction involved in each of the first four trumpets, in the fourth trumpet the symbolism is extreme in that a third of sun, moon and stars are struck so that a third of them turned dark. If we compare the seven trumpets to the seven bowls which also fall into groups of four, two and one and which are the complete outpouring of God's wrath, the first four bowls are complimentary to the first four trumpets. Then since the bowls are said to be signs (15:1) and therefore symbolic, then the trumpets are also symbolic but they are still symbolic of something real. The last three trumpets are called the three woes and are much worse than the first three. The fifth trumpet is likely to refer to an outbreak of demonic attacks upon mankind and could indicate a future period of unprecedented demonic attack. If one compares the fifth seal, the fifth trumpet and the fifth bowl they represent persecution of the church, tribulation for men who are not sealed and tribulation for those with the mark of the beast. The sixth trumpet seems to be a specific eschatological event in history in which a third of men are killed, which seems to be in the future. The seventh trumpet refers to the end of the age when the kingdom of the world is handed over to Christ.

The sixth seal clearly depicts the second coming of Christ in wrath on the world. This is followed by the sealing of the 144,000, followed by a glimpse of a great multitude who have come out of the great tribulation which ends in a description of their blessedness in terms very similar to 21:3-7. Then the seventh seal is opened followed by silence for half an hour. A crucial question here is having opened the seven seals and therefore allowing the contents of the book to be revealed, do the contents of the book occur in time after the seventh seal is opened or does it reveal in more detail what the seven seals have already told us? I would suggest that it allows the plan of God for the world and His people to be revealed in more detail. The rest of the book shows us the enemies of the church and God's judgements upon mankind in greater detail. More specifically the seven trumpets are God's judgements upon mankind in response the prayer of his suffering people. While the first five seals reveal man's suffering in general, the first four seals are not God's judgements upon mankind because most originate with man himself.

The first six of the seven trumpets are followed by the vision of the mighty angel and the two witnesses. That the two witnesses occur between the six and seventh trumpet is significant because the warnings of the first six trumpets need to be complimented and completed by the witness of the church before the seventh trumpet ushers in the end of the age when further repentance is impossible. The purpose of the first six trumpets is to bring men to repentance, however on their own they fail in this task. If the first four trumpets are taken as natural disasters then it is the church who must explain these, preach the gospel and urge people to repent and turn to God. In the OT drought and famine was a consequence of the sin of God's people (Deu 11:17, 1Ki 17:1). Then follows the seventh trumpet in which the kingdom is handed to Christ, his wrath has come and the time for the judgement occurs. It seems that the sixth seal and the seventh trumpet both usher in the second coming. Therefore while the seven trumpets follow the seven seals in John's vision they do not necessarily follow in historical time. Michael Wilcock deals with this issue more fully, p85-89. The first four seals deal with mankind's history in general, the fifth seal concerns church history, the sixth seal deals with the end of man's history. The trumpets deal with the same time frame but give God's reaction to the persecution of His people that the fifth seal has revealed. Mankind's history ends with the seventh trumpet. That there is recapitulation of history in the book ought to be evident from further mentions of the second coming:

Two witnesses raptured 11:12,

Harvest of the earth 14:14,

Sixth bowl, 'Behold, I come like a thief!' 16:15,

The rider on the white horse in Rev 19:11.

Conclusion of Revelation 22:7, 22:12, 22:20.

The seven trumpets are also modelled on the fall of Jericho (Josh 6): In Josh 6:8 there are seven priests with seven trumpets encircling Jericho with the arc of the covenant following them. They marched around the city for six days and on the seventh day they marched around it seven times with the priests blowing the trumpets. They carried the arc of the covenant behind the trumpets which signifies the presence of God. At the seventh time around the priests blew long blasts on their trumpets, the people shouted and the walls fell down and everyone was slaughtered except for Rahab the harlot. The pattern is to march around the city and blow the trumpets for six days, on the seventh day march around the city six times and on the seventh time a long trumpet blast spells destruction for the city. The march seven times around the walls with trumpets blowing warns of destruction for those within the city, which on the long blast is destroyed. Compare with 11:13 when a tenth of the city collapsed and 16:19 when the cities of the nations collapsed, the seventh trumpet of Revelation ushers in the kingdom of God and the judgement (11:15). This should be compared with the walls of the New Jerusalem which do not collapse (21:12 ff.). Let us be thankful that we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, while created things are shaken (Heb 12:27-28). When the world hears the seven trumpets it spells impending disaster as when the wall fall down, but to the church they sound impending victory over their enemies. In case we find God's judgements harsh we must remind ourselves of Jesus words concerning those Galileans Pilate had killed or those who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them: 'But unless you repent, you too will perish' (Luke 13:1-5).

The seven trumpets and the ten plagues on Egypt:

The seven trumpets are in answer to the prayers of God's people seen earlier in Rev 8:3. The trumpets are warnings to mankind, the last three (woes) are worst than the first four. The first four trumpets affect the world (earth, sea, rivers, light), the last three affect mans spiritual life (locusts, horses). They only affect a third of the land unlike the bowls later which affect all the land and unlike the seals that affect a quarter of the land. They can be likened to the plagues of Egypt. These plagues were also given in answer to the prayers of God's people and because Pharaoh would not let God's people leave and worship him, Exo 9:13. In the same way the trumpets can be viewed as warnings to those who persecute God's people to let them go and worship God (Caird), if they continue to persecute God's people then worse plagues will befall mankind, Exo 9:14. The Exodus narrative is a thread that runs throughout the book of Revelation.

The only place it did not hail was Goshen where the plague did not harm them, Exo 9:26. The trumpets do not harm God's people who are sealed, 7:2, 9:4. Similarly the Passover, in which when the destroying angel saw the blood he passed over the people of God and did not kill the firstborn.

The indictment against man after the sixth trumpet is given in Rev 9:20, because they still did not repent of worshipping demons and idols and other sins murder, magic arts, sexual immorality and thefts. Men loved darkness rather than light, John 3:19, Rom 1:21.

The ten Plagues on Egypt:

Exo 7:17-18 the water of the Nile, and it will be changed into blood.
Exo 8:2. Plague of frogs.
Exo 8:16 Plague of gnats.
Exo 8:21 Swarm of flies.
Exo 9:3 Plague on livestock.
Exo 9:9 Festering boils on men and animals.
Exo 9:17-18 Plague of hail.
Exo 10:4-5 Plague of locusts.
Exo 10:21-22 Three days of darkness.
Exo 11:4-5 Firstborn will die.

The trumpets and the bowls are also similar and again remind us of the Egyptian plagues.

The Trumpets and Bowls Compared

	Trumpets	Bowls
First	hail fire mixed with blood hurled to earth, third of the earth, trees and green grass burned up.	Ugly and painful sores on those who had the mark of the beast and worship his image
Second	third of sea turned to blood, third of living creatures in sea died, third of ships destroyed.	Sea turned to blood, everything in the sea died
Third	Third of waters turned bitter, many people died	Rivers and springs became blood
Fourth	A third of the day and night was without light	Sun scorches people with fire
Fifth	Locusts out of the Abyss torture mankind for five months	Kingdom plunged into darkness, men gnawed their tongues in agony
Sixth	Third of mankind killed by fire, smoke and sulphur i.e. war	Three evil spirits (frogs) gather kings of the earth for battle on the great day of God Almighty.
Seventh	End of the age, time of the judgement, lightening, thunder, earthquake, hailstorm.	The end of the age, flashes of lightening, thunder, a great earthquake and plague of hail

The trumpets, seals and bowls come in groups of four first, followed by a more severe group of three. Notice below the constant repetition of a third with the trumpets, i.e. not complete destruction, because these are warnings to mankind. The first four trumpets and bowls affect the creation (earth, sea, rivers and universe) cf. 14:7, Lk 21:25, Acts 14:15.

First trumpet (affects the earth):

Rev 8:7 The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down upon the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.

Second trumpet (affects the sea):

Rev 8:8 The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood,

Third trumpet (affects the rivers):

Rev 8:10 The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water--

Fourth trumpet (affects the universe):

Rev 8:12 The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them turned dark. A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night.

1.2. The seventh seal and the prelude to the seven trumpets:

8:1 When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.
2 And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets.

3 Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. 4 The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel's hand. 5 Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.
Rev 8:6 Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them.

v1 - When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. - The silence indicates the solemnity of the moments, it could also be so that the prayers of the saints can be heard. It could connect the seventh seal with the seven trumpets but it is more likely to be a dramatic pause in which the trumpets break the silence. The silence could also be because the Day of the Lord has come, Zep 1:7, Hab 2:20, the silence of death Psa 115:17. Once the seven seals are opened the scroll can be read and more details follow. See also comments on 8:1 at the end of the previous section on the great multitude.

v2 - And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets. - Note the phrase 'I saw' which in this case indicates the beginning of a new vision. Again the phrase 'were given' indicating that the seven trumpets come with divine approval and authority. The description of the angels who stand before God is similar to that given by the archangel Gabriel when he visited Mary: 'I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God', Luke 1:19. Archangels and trumpets are also linked to the second coming, 1 Thess 4:16.

v3 - Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. - The censer contained fire and incense which sanctified the prayer of all (note the all) the saints, see Rev 5:8. This is the first reference to the golden altar, there is another reference in connection with the sixth trumpet (9:13), when a voice comes from the golden altar commanding the release of the four angels bound at the river Euphrates, it is probably the same altar under which are the martyrs, 6:9. In Exo 30:7 we find that incense was burned day and night upon the altar. The golden altar was before the throne and in Heb 9:3 we find that the earthly altar of incense was in the most holy place next to the ark of the covenant which we find revealed later in Rev 11:19 after the seventh trumpet is sounded. Notice the references to the golden censer and golden altar, gold reflects purity and value, thus the value of the prayers of the saints.

v4 - The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel's hand. - Again as in the scroll and the Lamb (Rev 5:8) in which the golden bowls full of incense are the prayers of the saints, the prayers of the saints are one of the keys to the fulfilment of God's plan, see verse 5, compare with the power of the prayers of the two witnesses in 11:6. The incense is symbolic of the prayers of the saints, Psa 141:2. The phrase 'went up before God' indicates that God heard the prayers of his saints. Compare this with God hearing the cry of the Israelites when they were in slavery in Egypt, Exo 2:23, 3:9. This is just one of the analogies with the Exodus story used in Revelation, many of the trumpets are also similar to the plagues on Egypt. The incense can represent the intercessions of Christ (Rom 8:34) or those of the Spirit (Rom 8:26-27).

v5 - Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth - After the prayers went up before God, the angel takes the same censer that contained the incense and fills it with fire from the altar and hurls it to earth. The same golden censer that contained incense together with the prayers of the saints is used to hurl fire to the earth. The seven trumpets that follow are therefore God's response to the prayers of the saints, as are also the seven golden bowls containing wrath of God (15:7). They also answer the cry of the martyrs for their blood to be avenged, see the third bowl. In the first exodus God heard the cry of his people and rescued them from their slave drivers, Exo 3:7-8, in order to do this he had to bring the plagues upon the Egyptians. This reminds us of the Lord's words in Luke 12:49, 'I have come to cast fire upon the earth'. In Ezek 10:2-7 a man is told to take burning coals from the cherubim and scatter them over the city. The fire hurled to earth finds its fulfilment in the first trumpet in which hail and fire mixed with blood was hurled to earth, 8:7, in fact fire is a feature of the first six trumpets.

First trumpet: there came hail and fire mixed with blood,

Second trumpet: something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea.

Third trumpet: a great star, blazing like a torch,

Fourth trumpet: a third of the sun was struck,

Fifth trumpet: smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace.

Sixth trumpet: A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulphur that came out of their mouths.

v5 - and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake. - These are a manifestation of God's presence, for example when God descended to the top of mount Sinai (Exo 19:16) this was accompanied by thunder and lightening, see also the throne in heaven Rev 4:5, the seventh trumpet 11:19, the seventh bowl 16:18, this is the result of the prayers of the saints. The seventh plague on the Egyptians was a storm manifesting thunder and hail, and lightning (Exo 9:23,24). The purpose of the plague was so that God's name might be proclaimed in all the earth and to persuade Pharaoh to let God's people go so that they might worship Him (Exo 9:13-18).

These manifestations of God's presence (theophany), thunder, lightening and earthquakes all come from the throne:

i. The vision of the throne in heaven 4:5.

ii. The seventh seal 8:5.

iii. After two witnesses go to heaven in a cloud 11:13.

iv. After the seventh trumpet is sounded 11:19.

v. The seventh bowl 16:18.

vi. See also Isa 29:6.

vii. The Lord's presence at Sinai Exo 20:18.

v6 - Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them. - In scripture trumpets are used at the following occasions:

i. To announce the coming of God to Mt. Sinai, Exo 19:16

ii. To announce the coronation of the king (Solomon), 1 King 1:34.

iii. To announce the winning of a battle, 1 Sam 13:3

iv. When the Israelites entered Jericho, Josh 6:3-9

v. To announce the second coming, 1 Thess 4:16, Zep 1:14-18, Mat 24:31, 1 Cor 15:51-52.

vi. Warning of the second coming, Joel 2:1

vii. Calling the people together and having the camp move on, Num 10:2.

viii. Dedication of the temple, 2 Chr 5:12-13.

ix. To announce the day of atonement, Lev 25:9 and feast days Num 10:10

x. To announce the start of a battle, and feast days, Num 10:9-10.

xi. To announce the arrival of the ark of the covenant into Jerusalem, 1 Chr 15:24.

xii. To announce disaster because of sin, Isa 58:1, Jer 4:4-6, Jer 6:1,16-19, 51:25-29, Ezek 33:1-8, Hosea 7:16, 8:1, Amos 3:6.

xiii. The Lord's voice, Rev 1:10.

In Rev 1:10 John heard a voice like a trumpet so the seven trumpets should be understood as God's warning voice to mankind. The trumpet is sounded to call the attention of those within hearing distance. The seven trumpets should be considered as God's voice to warn the world that God is Holy and will judge man for his sin, it is a call for repentance, see Rev 9:20, in which after the sixth trumpet mankind still refused to repent of breaking the first and second tablets of the law. Seven is the completeness of their announcement. There are plenty of scriptures that show that a trumpet is used to announce a disaster that comes because of peoples sin. The first six trumpets are also God's preliminary warning to mankind of the imminent arrival of Christ with the seventh trumpet. The second coming of Christ will be accompanied by the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, 1 Thess 4:16.

1.3. The First Trumpet (8:7)

8:7 The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down upon the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.

v7 - The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down upon the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up. - In 7:2-3 we saw the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and sea, they were prevented from harming the land or the sea or the trees until God's servants are sealed, here we see the first angel sound his trumpet and hail and fire mixed with blood was hurled down upon the earth. The passage does not indicate that the angel hurled the hail and fire upon the earth, but that they had the power over these elements and were its herald. Lenski points out that a mixture of fire and hail (ice) is not natural, it is beyond nature. In verse 5 we saw that as a result of the prayers of the saints fire from the altar was hurled to the earth, here we now see the results as the first angels sounds the first trumpet in a seven fold series of warnings. A third of the earth was burned up and a third of the trees because of the fire that was hurled to earth; 'a third' indicating partial destruction. The unnatural nature of this judgement is indicated in that only a third of the earth and trees were burned but all the green grass was burned up (Lenski).

The blood should be understood as indicating death although there is no indication here of human death as in the fourth trumpet, but unlike the second and third trumpets in which people died. Hailey makes the point that since man had shed the blood of the saints, as indicated by the fifth seal, then God is avenging the martyrs shed blood upon their heads (see Gen 9:6, Num 35:33, Isa 26:21, Joel 3:19, Ps 79:10). Notice the similarity with the judgement on Gog, Ezek 38:22, which involved a plague and bloodshed, torrents of rain, hailstones and burning sulphur on him and his troops. Notice that all the green grass was burned up but only a third of the earth and a third of the trees were burned up. First the land is devastated by disaster, mans environment was affected. The first four trumpets depict 'natural' disasters, but these are not natural they are acts of God, they warn man of his short life. Hail is used to indicate God's warnings and judgement, to make men hear, this is reminiscent of the seventh plague on Egypt (Exo 9:18). Compare the first trumpet with the first bowl which is poured out on the land, 16:2, but there it affects the people who worship the beast, the first trumpet only affects the land. Isa 30:30 indicates that the Lord speaks to men using fire, cloudburst, thunderstorm and hail, chapter 11 shows that God also speaks to the world through his church. One of the results of a third of the earth being burned up is famine, cf. the third seal.

1.4. The second trumpet (8:8)

Rev 8:8 The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood, 9 a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

v8 - The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea - Again fire is involved in the second trumpets as it was in the first trumpet. The mountain all ablaze should remind us of mount Sinai (Exo 19:18, Heb 12:18), Mount Sinai was covered in smoke because the Lord descended on it in fire. The mountain was God's judgement on men who broke the law, John may also have had in mind the Eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79. There could also be a subtle reference to the destruction of Babylon here (Caird, Sweet), in Jer 51:63 the destruction of Babylon is likened to a stone thrown into the Euphrates and in 18:17 we find the sea captains wailing over the destruction of Babylon and their loss of trade, in Jer 51:25 Babylon is likened to a burned out mountain.

v8 - A third of the sea turned into blood 9 a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.- After the land then the sea is affected, the blood indicates death, only a third is affected because it is a warning, compare this with the first plague on Egypt in which the Nile changed into blood (Exo 7:17). The two witnesses also have the power to turn the waters into blood, 11:6. Compare the second trumpet with the second bowl (16:3) in which all the sea turned into blood and every living thing in the sea died. Compare with John's use of blood in 16:6 and 17:6. The second trumpet affects both living creatures and manmade ships at sea, this depicts natural disasters at sea. There could be a link here with the distress that will come upon mankind in the last days, Luke 21:25 refers to the fact that the 'nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea'.

1.5. The third trumpet (8:10)

Rev 8:10 The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water-- 11 the name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter.

v10 - The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water-- As with the first two trumpets fire is again involved in the great star blazing like a torch. After the land and sea the rivers are affected and the star fell from the sky. Again it is mans' environment that is affected. Sweet likens the star to the king of Babylon in Isa 14:12 who has fallen from heaven. Jesus said that he saw Satan fall like lightening from heaven (Luke 10:18), with the fifth trumpet a star has fallen to earth (9:1) who is more clearly identifiable as Satan and finally in 12:8 Satan loses his place in heaven and is cast down to the earth and sea (12:12). If this interpretation is correct then Satan has come down to poison men's minds against God and thus destroy them, compare with the river of lies coming from the mouth of the dragon (12:15) and other satanic deception (13:14, 20:8,10). However this may be to over spiritualise the symbol, John may just be depicting natural disaster such as disease caused by dirty water which may cause men to repent.

v11 - the name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter. - In the case of the first plague, Exo 7:17, on Egypt firstly all the fish died and secondly the water became undrinkable. John has taken these two effects of the plague and divided them into the second and third trumpets (Caird). In the first plague (Exo 7:17-19) all drinking water in ponds, reservoirs and even water in wooden buckets or stone jars was affected. Wormwood is a very bitter substance (Jer 9:15, Lam 3:19) and indicates affliction and misery. John may have had in mind the water at Marah, which was bitter but which the Lord made sweet, there the Lord promised not to bring any of the diseases that he brought onto the Egyptians provided they obey the laws of God (Exo 15:22). The bitter waters from which many people died therefore probably means diseased water, it could include floods. Compare the third trumpet with the third bowl in which the rivers and springs become blood, Rev 16:4, there is no mention of death although it is implied by the use of the term blood.

1.6. The fourth trumpet (8:12)

Rev 8:12 The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them turned dark. A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night.

13 As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in mid-air call out in a loud voice: "Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!"

v12 - The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them turned dark. A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night. - First the earth and vegetation, then the sea, then the rivers and springs and finally the rest of the universe is affected, this is similar to the plague of darkness on the Egyptians (Exo 10:21) and the fifth bowl which is total darkness (Rev 16:10). Constant allusion to the Egyptian plagues is a way of saying that in the last days God will again bring punishment upon those hostile powers which oppress his people. They are the prelude to that greater and final Exodus in which the church is taken out of the world and enters into the eternal presence of God (Mounce). Compare the fourth trumpet with the fourth bowl in which the sun was given power to scorch people with fire, 16:8.

Darkness is also associated with the Day of the Lord when he comes again (Amos 5:18, Joel 2:2, Mark 13:24, Isa 13:10).
Darkness is also associated with the demonic (Col 1:13) and prepares us for the next two demonic plagues.
Darkness is associated with the theophany of God in judgement cf. Isa 13:10, Ezek 32:78, Joel 2:10, 3:15, Mat 24:29 and especially with the crucifixion of Christ, Mat 27:45 (Johnson).

v13 - As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in mid-air call out in a loud voice: "Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!" - The eagle (or vulture) calls out the three Woe's to mankind because of the next three trumpets which are more intense than the first four. He is in mid-air to be seen by all and cries out in a loud voice to be heard by all (xxxx). There is a distinction between the first four trumpets which act on the earth, sea, rivers, sun, moon and stars, i.e. the physical universe and the remaining three trumpets which affect mankind directly, hence the three Woe's. The first two woe's are clearly demonic, the locust torture mankind, the four angels kill a third of mankind, the seventh trumpet announces that the time has come for judging the dead. If the flying creature is a vulture then he is hovering over a dying beast which is a symbol of gloom (Luke 17:37). This is a warning of things to come when the birds flying in mid-air gather for the great supper of God (19:17-18, 21), but before that an angel in mid-air proclaims an eternal gospel to those who live on the earth (14:6). It should also be noted that a loud voice in 12:12 proclaims woe to the earth and sea 'because the devil has gone down to you ! He is filled with fury because he knows his time is short.' The star in 9:1 that falls to the earth seems clearly Satanic.

Ch 9: The Fifth trumpet

Art used by permission by Pat Marvenko Smith, copyright 1992.
Click here to visit her "Revelation Illustrated" site.

1.7. The fifth trumpet, the first Woe! (9:1)

1.8. The sixth trumpet, the second Woe! (9:13)

1.7. The fifth trumpet, the first Woe! (9:1)

9:1 The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss. 2 When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss. 3 And out of the smoke locusts came down upon the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth. 4 They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5 They were not given power to kill them, but only to torture them for five months. And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes a man. 6 During those days men will seek death, but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them.

Rev 9:7 The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle. On their heads they wore something like crowns of gold, and their faces resembled human faces. 8 Their hair was like women's hair, and their teeth were like lions' teeth. 9 They had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle. 10 They had tails and stings like scorpions, and in their tails they had power to torment people for five months. 11 They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon.

12 The first woe is past; two other woes are yet to come.

v1 - The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss. - Sweet notes the hint of Satanic parody: 'the key of the pit is given to the fallen one; the keys of Death and Hades are held by the risen one (1:18)'. Various interpretations are given of this star, this is similar to Rev 20:1 in which an angel from heaven has the keys to the Abyss. In this case the star had fallen from heaven to the earth, this reminds us of 12:9 in which Satan was hurled to earth with his angels, in which case the star is Satan. In Isa 14:12 the morning star is cast to the earth, this is usually seen as a reference to Satan who has fallen to the earth. Jesus saw Satan fall like lightening from heaven (Luke 10:18). He should probably be identified with the angel of the Abyss who is identified in v 11 as the destroyer, stars are sometimes a reference to angels (see Rev 1:20), the angel of the Abyss is also called Destroyer which would again fit Satan. In 12:4 the dragon swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to earth, this is likely to be a reference to the angels who followed Satan. The Abyss is also where the beast comes out of (Rev 11:7, 17:8, 18:8), it is where Satan is bound (Rev 20:3). In Luke 8:3 the evil spirits beg Jesus not to send them into the abyss, which is a place of torment (Mat 8:29), in Romans 10:7 it seems to be the abode of the dead. The star 'was given' the key to the shaft of the Abyss which again indicates the sovereignty of God. If the fifth trumpet is interpreted as a demonic attack upon mankind then it would seem natural for the star to be their master, that is Satan.

v2 - When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss. - There are similarities to the sixth seal Rev 6:12 in which the sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, see Joel 2:10. Darkness can be a symbol of the demonic, in this case it certainly is, Satan's kingdom is a kingdom of darkness (Col 1:13). If the Abyss is a place of torment for demons (Mat 8:29, Luke 8:31) then if it is opened we would expect a stream of demons to come out together with smoke from the fire, here John has mixed the smoke from the furnace with the stream of demonic hordes. Compare the smoke from the Abyss with the dense smoke from the burning of Sodom and Gomorrah that looked like 'smoke from a furnace', Gen 19:28, and the presence of the Lord on Mount Sinai, Exo 19:18.

v3 - And out of the smoke locusts came down upon the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth. - This brings into mind Joel's vision of the locusts in Joel 1 and 2. The locusts are not ordinary locusts but are demonic powers to bring misery and darkness into the lives of men. The characteristic of locusts is that they devour everything, they destroy everything in their path, see v11, in which their king is called Abaddon which means destroyer. They also indicate a judgement of God as in the eighth plague of locusts upon Egypt (Exo 10:4), see also 2 Chr 7:13, Amos 4:9. Notice that they were given (indicating divine permission) power like that of a scorpion of the earth. For the use of scorpions to indicate the demonic see Luke 10:19 where Jesus gives his disciples 'authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you'.

v4 - They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads - They were told not to harm their normal food, they are still under the sovereignty of God. Compare this with God's command to the angels before the seven trumpets, Rev 7:3, not to 'harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God'. Compare this with the first trumpet in which the earth, trees and grass was burnt up, now the locusts are told not to harm the grass or any plant or tree. Instead of vegetation they must harm mankind v 4b. They could only harm the ungodly, they can not harm the saints, see Luke 10:19 in which the disciples are given power over snakes, scorpions and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will harm them (note that snakes and scorpions refers to the demonic). Yet again the limited power of the locusts is a sign of God's Sovereignty. They could not harm the sealed, who were sealed before the trumpets sounded, thus the church who is still on the earth is not hurt by this plague as were the Israelites (cf. Exo 8:22, 9:4, 26, 10:23 and 11:7). This seems to be a massive onslaught by demonic powers upon all mankind in the last days. Here there is no mention of one third as with the first four and indeed the sixth trumpet, it seems to be a universal affliction upon mankind. Perhaps it is connected to the fifth seal which indicates the martyrs that have died. Hailey points out that the distinction made here between the sealed and those not sealed is further proof that the number one hundred and forty-four thousand represents the saints on earth at any point in time, and not a special group of saved persons in the final day.

v5 - They were not given power to kill them, but only to torture them for five months. And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes a man. - They could not kill them but only torture them for a limited time, that is limited power and duration because five months is about the locust lifetime, these trumpets are warnings to mankind and not final judgements as are the seven bowls. The effect of the locust in Joel 1:12 is to take away joy. The effect of evil spirits on mankind is to torment, Acts 5:16, and trouble people, Luke 6:18, in Luke 9:39 the demon tries to destroy the child. Luke 10:19 indicates the demonic nature of the scorpions. This reminds us of Job, Satan could do what he wanted to Job but had to spare his life; they torment but do not kill those who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. In verse 3 we saw that the locusts had been given power to sting like a scorpion, here we see the resulting agony which was like that of a scorpions sting. The scripture teaches that in the last days there will be an outbreak of demonic doctrines, deceiving spirits, counterfeit signs and wonders that deceives those who are perishing (1 Tim 4:1-3, 2 Thess 2:9-12). There is further evidence of this in Revelation in the counterfeit Christ and miracles of the beast out of the earth (13:11-15), and the three evil spirits that come out of the mouth of the dragon, the beast and the false prophet (16:13-14).

v6 - During those days men will seek death, but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them. - Men will seek death, men meaning mankind, because of the pain caused by the sting. The sting is not fatal, like a scorpions sting. It is difficult to interpret this verse, it looks eschatological, 'those days' may refer to a time right near the end. This torment of the locust sting is limited to this life only where there is at least the possibility of death, otherwise they would not wish to die. Contrast this desire to die with Paul's desire to die and be with the Lord (Phil 1:23, Morris). Their situation is like Job's who longed to die (Job 3:21).

v7 - The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle. On their heads they wore something like crowns of gold, and their faces resembled human faces. - This begins a description of the locusts. The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle, see Joel 2:4, this is true in nature. Something 'like' but not crowns of gold, these are also worn by the twenty four elders (Rev 4:4) and by Jesus (Rev 14:14). Their faces resemble human faces, they had the cunning, cruelty and intelligence of men, (Mounce) this could also indicate the personal nature of the attack.

v8 - Their hair was like women's hair, and their teeth were like lions' teeth. - The long hair may be a symbol of vitality, like Absalom and Samson. Like their faces their hair makes them look almost human but their cruelty is demonic. Lions' teeth emphasises their power, Joel 1:6.

v9 - They had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle. - Breast plates of iron emphasises their impregnability. The sound of their wings heightens their terror. Chariots rushing into battle sounds like Joel's description of an army of locusts, Joel 2:5.

v10 - They had tails and stings like scorpions, and in their tails they had power to torment people for five months. - This enlarges on the description of scorpions in verses 3 and 5. The most likely interpretation is that this refers to demonic oppression on the minds of men. The purpose was to bring men to repentance (v 20). Once again their power is of limited duration, 5 months, it is a warning to mankind. God uses even the schemes of Satan for his own designs.

v11 - They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon. - Abaddon=Destroyer=Sheol or Hades, the land of death, darkness, silence. Locusts destroy every living thing in their path as does Abaddon. The Greek Apollyon also means destroyer. There could be a link with the Greek god Apollo and could be a link with the emperor Domitian who liked to be regarded as Apollo incarnate was in reality a manifestation of the powers of the underworld (Mounce). The locust was one of the symbols of the god Apollo (Mounce). The angel of the Abyss from verse 1 is here identified as the Destroyer, this description best fits Satan, who is called the destroyer in John 10:10, he is king of these demonic hordes. This seems to be an unprecedented demonic attack upon mankind during the last days, possibly associated with the antichrist whose miraculous powers are demonic, Rev 16:14.

v12 - The first woe is past; two other woes are yet to come. - This ends the first woe and introduces the remaining two, and worse Woes. This indicates that there is a time sequence in that the sixth trumpet follows the fifth trumpet.

1.8. The sixth trumpet, the second Woe! (9:13)

Rev 9:13 The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the horns of the golden altar that is before God. 14 It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates." 15 And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. 16 The number of the mounted troops was two hundred million. I heard their number. 17 The horses and riders I saw in my vision looked like this: Their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulphur. The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulphur. 18 A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulphur that came out of their mouths. 19 The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflict injury.

20 The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshipping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood--idols that cannot see or hear or walk. 21 Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.

v13 - The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the horns of the golden altar that is before God. - The golden altar is connected to the prayers of the saints (Rev 8:3). The sixth trumpet is in response to the prayers of the saints. For horn, see Lev 8:15, when Moses slaughtered the bull he took some of the blood with his finger and touched the horns of the altar to purify the altar.

v14 - It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates" - The four angels are bound so they must evil, they are released at God's command, whose purpose is to get men to repent, see verses 20-21. The four angels cover each direction of the compass, the idea being that they are released to affect the whole earth. Compare these angels with the first four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, 7:1. The Euphrates marks the boundary between Israel and her enemies (Gen 15:18, Deu 1:7, Jos 1:4), Babylon which is on the Euphrates would be to the North of Israel and it is from the North that her enemies came (Jer 25:9, Ezek 26:7, 39:2). Compare this with the sixth bowl (Rev 16:12) in which the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings of the East. Compare also with the four horsemen of the Apocalypse.

v15 - And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. - The precise timing of their release indicates that they are under the divine control of God. Their purpose is to kill a third of mankind, no more no less, that is a limited number, because this is a warning to mankind. From the precise timing of their release this seems to be a specific event in history, and is therefore probably eschatological, in the light of the discussion in the next verse this event corresponds to the second coming (compare with Mat 24:36, Acts 1:7, Gen 7:11) or at least the final battle associated with it. Compare the sixth seal, sixth trumpet and sixth bowl, they all seem to refer to either the last battle or the second coming.

v16 - The number of the mounted troops was two hundred million. I heard their number. - The troops are mounted, meaning that they are prepared for war. Two hundred million is a large number which he could not count, but he heard their number. Compare the description here with the chariots of God in Psa 68:17, the horses like a swarm of locusts in Jer 51:27 and the horses that fly like a vulture swooping to devour of Hab 1:8. In Joel the army invades mankind on the day of the Lord (Joel 2:11-11) as this is the sixth trumpet and the seventh trumpet depicts the handing over of the world to Christ, his eternal reign and the judgement, this vision corresponds to the last great battle (see Joel 3:1-2, 9-16). The last great battle is also found in Rev 16:14, 17:14, 19:17, 20:7. Note that the sixth seal also corresponds to the second coming (Rev 6:12). The sixth bowl refers to the battle on the great day of God Almighty (Rev 16:14) and the second coming is mentioned in the next verse (16:15). This is another example of the parallelism of the book.

v17 - The horses and riders I saw in my vision looked like this: Their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulphur. The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulphur. - Here is the only place in which John indicates that what he saw was in a vision. The breastplates had the same colours as the fire, smoke and sulphur which came out of the horses' mouths, see v18, this indicates the unified purpose of both horse and rider. Compare the lions' heads here with the lions' teeth of the locusts, this indicates strength.

v18 - A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulphur that came out of their mouths.- This imagery seems to refers to war. The imagery like the locusts is similar to Joel 2:4-5, 'They have the appearance of horses; they gallop along like cavalry. With a noise like that of chariots they leap over the mountain tops, like a crackling fire consuming stubble, like a mighty army drawn up for battle.' Once again it is a limited number that is killed, a third of mankind is killed. Fire and sulphur remind us of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 19:24, Luke 17:29), this was God's judgement on wickedness, a foretaste of hell (Jude 1:7 cf. Rev 14:10-11).

v19 - The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflict injury. - The snakes indicate their demonic origin, Luke 10:19. The three plagues of fire, smoke and sulphur came out of their mouths, v17, 18. Their tails also inflict injury. The word for snake (ophis) is the same word used to describe Satan in 12:9 (see also 12:14, 15, 20:2 cf. John 3:14, 2 Cor 11:3)

v20 - The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands they did not stop worshipping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood--idols that cannot see or hear or walk. - Mankind is here accused of worshipping demons and in the fifth trumpet they are plagued by demons and possibly also in the sixth trumpet, the warning fits the sin. Later we find mankind worshipping the dragon and the beast (13:4) and his image (13:15) that is idolatry. The plagues are directed at unrepentant mankind, not at God's people, those who survive these plagues still did not repent. Some are killed by these plagues but to the rest they are warnings to man to repent. Consider Jesus reaction to the persecution of the Jews by Pilate or to those who died when the tower fell on those in Siloam (Luke 13:1-5) his reaction was to say to the people 'do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.' Despite the warning plagues from God, some natural some not, man refuses to worship God and give him the glory as Creator, Amos 4:10.

First man is guilty of idolatry, worshipping created things not the Creator, Rom 1:23. He breaks the first tablet of the law (Ex 20:3-11, Deu 5:7, 2 King 17:35-39) rather than worship the creator (Rev 14:7). The stupidity of idolatry is emphasised by the phase 'idols that cannot see or hear or walk' in contrast to the living creator God, Dan 5:23, Psa 115:4-5, Jer 10:5. This hammers home the point that despite these plagues mankind prefers to worship created things rather than God, the message of Revelation is that mankind is to worship God and Him alone. Consider the worship of the living creatures and the elders of the Creator God, 4:8-11; the worship of the Lamb, 5:8 ff.; all the inhabitants of the earth worship the beast, 13:8 (compare the worship of demons and idols here with the worship of the beast and his image in 13:8, 15).

Consider also the message of the first angel flying in mid-air proclaiming the eternal gospel which is to fear God and give him glory and to worship him as Creator, 14:6-7; consider the dire warning to those who worship the beast and his image in 14:9-11. Twice John is rebuked because he worshipped an angel (19:10, 22:8) and is told to worship God. In the case of the church at Pergamum and Thyatira eating food offered to idols is condemned (2:14, 20). Note that in 21:8 the place of idolaters is in the fiery lake of burning sulphur, we should therefore see the trumpets as agents of God's mercy rather than wrath, despite the fact that people do not repent. Notice the response of those at Ephesus who practised sorcery, they publicly burned their books on sorcery; it is better to burn ones books on the occult than to burn in the lake of fire. God's decree in Deu 7:5, 12:3 is to break down the altars, smash the sacred stones and burn the idols in the fire, see Josiah's response in 2 Kings 23 who did as described in Deuteronomy.

v21 - Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts - This is the first indictment against mankind, they did not repent, see also: Rev 11:18, Rev 14:7, Rev 14:9-11, Rev 16:5-6, Rev 16:8-11. Having rejected God as creator mankind now inevitably breaks the second tablet of the law (Deu 5:17 and Rom 1:24, 28). The punishment is indicated in Rev 21:8, their (murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practise magic arts) lot will be in the lake of burning sulphur.

The seventh trumpet does not occur until after the Two Witnesses (Rev 11:14). There is an interlude of two visions similar to the interlude between the sixth and seventh seals.

Select Chapter or Introductory Topic
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22

The Letter to the Church at Ephesus (Rev 2:1)

Ch 2: The letters to the seven churches

2. The letters to the seven churches (2:1)

2.1. Ephesus (2:1)

2.2. Smyrna (2:8)

2.3. Pergamum (2:12)

2.4. Thyatira (2:18)

Ch3: Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea

2.5. Sardis (3:1)

2.6. Philadelphia (3:7)

2.7. Laodicea (3:14)

Ch 4: A vision of heaven

1. The vision of heaven (4:1)

Comparison of earthly temple with heavenly sanctuary:

1.1. Twenty four elders and four living creatures (4:4)

Ch 5: The Scroll and the Lamb

1.2. The scroll and the Lamb (5:1)

Ch 6: The seven seals

2. The seven seals (6:1)

2.1. First seal (6:1)

2.2. Second seal (6:3)

2.3. Third seal (6:5)

2.4. Fourth seal (6:7)

2.5. Fifth seal (6:9)

2.6. Sixth seal(6:12)

Ch 7: The 144,000 and the great multitude

3. The 144,000 sealed (7:1)

Who are the 144,000?

4. The great multitude in white robes (7:9)

Ch 8: The seven trumpets

1. The seventh seal and the seven Trumpets (8:1)

1.1. Introduction to the seven trumpets:

The seven trumpets and the ten plagues on Egypt:

The ten Plagues on Egypt:

The Trumpets and Bowls Compared

1.2. The seventh seal and the prelude to the seven trumpets:

1.3. The First Trumpet (8:7)

1.4. The second trumpet (8:8)

1.5. The third trumpet (8:10)

1.6. The fourth trumpet (8:12)

Ch 9: The Fifth trumpet

1.7. The fifth trumpet, the first Woe! (9:1)

1.8. The sixth trumpet, the second Woe! (9:13)