Divine Revelation
Patrick Bicknell
“I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet saying, ‘Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.’” Revelation 1:9-11
Have you ever gone into a class at school knowing that the teacher was going to teach about a topic that was going to be hard to understand? That is how I feel about the book of Revelation. However, studying and learning more about this book is going to prove to be fruitful in our walk with Christ and in our knowledge of the Lord. Something that is important for us to look at before we dive into this book is the context of what is going on. In these verses, I want to highlight a couple of things that are brought up that will help us understand some of the coming chapters.
Revelation chapter 1 is a great introduction to the book as a whole. Right off the bat, it reveals to us that the contents of the book were being given by special revelation. More specifically, in the immediate context of Revelation 1 we see that John is going to be writing things specifically given to him by God to seven different churches. In verse 10, we see John write, “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day.” This one small part of the verse is important to look at as it gives us much context for what John is about to write.
First, we see that John is “in the Spirit.” This is different than just walking by or living by the Spirit as we are taught in other parts of the New Testament. The idea here is that John is uniquely being given revelation from the Holy Spirit. John Walvoord defined “in the Spirit” by saying, “Carried beyond normal sense into a state where God could reveal supernaturally the contents of this book.” This is more than just divine inspiration of the author, rather it is a supernatural revelation of what God wants John to write.
Second, we see that John is writing this unique revelation to seven different churches. Now the question is always, “What is the significance of these seven churches?” Many people have many opinions on this question, as well as on other parts of this book. However, what I think is important for us to understand is that although the letters to these churches are meant to complete those churches, it is not meant to complete only those churches. These seven churches and what is written to them represents what the state of the church and the duty should be for all churches of all ages. We need to be sure to pay close attention to what John is about to write so that we test our church and see if we are living to the standard that God has called us to live.
Patrick Bicknell
“I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet saying, ‘Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.’” Revelation 1:9-11
Have you ever gone into a class at school knowing that the teacher was going to teach about a topic that was going to be hard to understand? That is how I feel about the book of Revelation. However, studying and learning more about this book is going to prove to be fruitful in our walk with Christ and in our knowledge of the Lord. Something that is important for us to look at before we dive into this book is the context of what is going on. In these verses, I want to highlight a couple of things that are brought up that will help us understand some of the coming chapters.
Revelation chapter 1 is a great introduction to the book as a whole. Right off the bat, it reveals to us that the contents of the book were being given by special revelation. More specifically, in the immediate context of Revelation 1 we see that John is going to be writing things specifically given to him by God to seven different churches. In verse 10, we see John write, “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day.” This one small part of the verse is important to look at as it gives us much context for what John is about to write.
First, we see that John is “in the Spirit.” This is different than just walking by or living by the Spirit as we are taught in other parts of the New Testament. The idea here is that John is uniquely being given revelation from the Holy Spirit. John Walvoord defined “in the Spirit” by saying, “Carried beyond normal sense into a state where God could reveal supernaturally the contents of this book.” This is more than just divine inspiration of the author, rather it is a supernatural revelation of what God wants John to write.
Second, we see that John is writing this unique revelation to seven different churches. Now the question is always, “What is the significance of these seven churches?” Many people have many opinions on this question, as well as on other parts of this book. However, what I think is important for us to understand is that although the letters to these churches are meant to complete those churches, it is not meant to complete only those churches. These seven churches and what is written to them represents what the state of the church and the duty should be for all churches of all ages. We need to be sure to pay close attention to what John is about to write so that we test our church and see if we are living to the standard that God has called us to live.
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