(The
objective of these ‘Frameworks' is to provide an easy-to-read
layout of the text in order then to use these individual verses
for verse-by-verse study or meditation. To focus each
verse we have also added in italic a description of what is happening)
FRAMEWORKS:
Revelation 1
v.1-3
Prologue
v.4-8
Greetings and Doxology
v.9-20
John's Vision of Christ
v.1-3
Prologue
Jesus
> angel > John
v.1,2
(God's word, Jesus' testimony, revealed to John) The
revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants
what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel
to his servant John, who testifies to everything he saw—that is,
the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Blessing
on the reader
v.3
(blessed
are they who both read and take to heart these words) Blessed
is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed
are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it,
because the time is near.
v.4-8
Greetings and Doxology
v.4-6
(Specifically
to the churches of Asia Minor)
John,
To the seven churches in the province of Asia:
(blessing
of grace & peace) Grace
and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come,
[God, the Father] and
from the seven spirits before his throne, [the Holy
Spirit] and from Jesus Christ,
[Christ, the Son] who
is [i] the faithful witness,
[ii] the firstborn from the
dead, and [iii] the ruler
of the kings of the earth.
(all
glory be to Jesus) To him who [i]
loves us and has [ii] freed
us from our sins by his blood, and [iii] has
made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to
him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.
v.7
(Jesus
will come again in the clouds – see Acts 1:11) “Look,
he is coming with the clouds,” [Dan
7:13] and “every eye will
see him, even those who pierced him”; and all peoples on
earth “will mourn because of him.” [Zech 12:10]
So shall it be! Amen.
v.8
(God
is the beginning and the end) “I
am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who
was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”
v.9-20
John's Vision of Christ
The
Place
v.9
(John
was on the prison island of Patmos when he received this)
I,
John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom
and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island
of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.
The
Time & Instruction
v.10,11
(in
the Spirit on the sabbath he is told to write to these 7 churches)
On
the Lord's Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud
voice like a trumpet, which said: “Write on a scroll what you
see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum,
Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.”
A
Priest-like Instructor
v.12,13 (7
lampstands and one man) I
turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when
I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands
was someone like a son of man, [Dan
7:13] dressed in a robe reaching
down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest.
v.14
(Showing
signs of age, wisdom and piercing insight) The
hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his
eyes were like blazing fire.
v.15
(feet
that speak of endurance, and a mighty voice) His
feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was
like the sound of rushing waters.
v.16
(he
holds 7 stars, and speaks with cutting authority and shines with
the glory of God) In
his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth
was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining
in all its brilliance.
Impact,
Authority & Instruction
v.17
(his
presence makes John fall) When
I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his
right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and
the Last. (he
identifies with God)
v.18
(yet
as one who lived, died and rose again, he is clearly Jesus)
I
am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever
and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. (he
holds the power of life and death)
v.19
(he
instructs John to write) “Write,
therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take
place later.
v.20
(the
stars are angels or leaders and the lampstands are their churches,
i.e. the glorified Son of God holds them and stands in the midst
of their churches) The
mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of
the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels
of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven
churches.