Today’s passage: Revelation 1:9-20
Helpful thoughts:
- Under persecution for his faith, John had been exiled to the island of Patmos in the Aegean Sea, off the coast of modern day Turkey. This island had been used in the Roman Empire to detain political prisoners. Of the seven churches who would receive this letter, Ephesus was the closest city. Today, Patmos is part of Greece.
- Through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, John sees the Lord, Jesus Christ! He is given the vision and message of Revelation in the same fashion as prophets like Ezekiel and Isaiah.
- The angels of the churches are most likely references to the personification of each church. The word, “angels” means messenger. Some have believed these angels are truly heavenly angels, some think they are pastors (preachers), some think they are the men who would take the letter and read to the churches. However, when each individual message is given to each church, the messages begin with, “To the angel of the church in…” and then the messages are written to the churches themselves.
Questions to consider:
- On what day did John receive this vision? What name does he give for Sunday? What are some implications of the name the early church gave to this day of the week? What is it’s primary purpose? To whom does it belong?
- What things does John see when he sees Jesus? How do the things he describes give insight into who Jesus is, what He has accomplished, His authority to judge, etc.?
- What did John do when he saw Jesus and realized who He was (Verse 17)? What would have been the sense of glory and gravity John felt in that moment that made him do that? What reverence, respect, fear, love and obedience is properly due to our Lord and Savior?