Tater Returns

by Roc Tater

- Mon, Nov 24 2008

This week we spoke of two things... the question that has been asked about God for a long time "If God is loving and so good, why does he let bad things happen?" and we spoke on the book of Revelation. We only made it threw the first 5 versus of the first chapter... but here is some of the area that we covered:

1:1 Revelation (a word meaning “Unveiling” or “Disclosure”) indicates that this book is a type of literature known as apocalyptic (see the article “Revelation as Apocalyptic Literature”). The Revelation of Jesus Christ can mean it comes from Christ, or is about Him—or in this case most likely both, since He is the subject of the entire book. Christ’s servants are believers. The phrase must shortly take place is an allusion to Dan. 2:28, 29, 45, since shortly seems to indicate that the things that must come to pass in the last days will take place in quick succession. John (v. 4) is the human writer of Revelation, whereas Jesus is the divine Author.

1:2 The word of God, and … the testimony of Jesus Christ are the reasons John was exiled to the island of Patmos (v. 9) and are often the reasons Christians are still persecuted today. All things that he saw are the visions of the Book of Revelation.

1:3 Blessed, meaning spiritually “happy” from God’s perspective, signals the first of seven beatitudes in Revelation (see also 14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6; 22:7, 14). This is the first of many groups of seven throughout the book, a number signifying completeness.

1:4 John addressed Revelation to seven churches in the Roman province of Asia, which today is southwestern Turkey. The churches fit within a square 50 miles on each side, and their names are given in order going clockwise from the southwest. Grace is the Christian version of a common Greek greeting; peace is a common Hebrew greeting. Him who is and who was and who is to come describes God, who not only exists now, but always has and always will exist (see Heb. 13:8). The seven Spirits may refer to the angels of the seven churches (chs. 2; 3), to seven other angels (8:2), or to the fullness of the Holy Spirit (see Is. 11:2).

1:5 Jesus Christ … the firstborn from the dead guarantees the Christian’s future resurrection through His own resurrection (see 1 Cor. 15:20, 23). Though He is the rightful ruler, Christ will not fully exert His authority (see Matt. 28:18) over the kings of the earth until His second coming (19:17–21). At that time, He will establish His kingdom on earth (19:6) and will appoint prepared rulers who will share His sovereignty in submission to Him (2:26, 27; 3:21; 5:10; 20:4; 21:24).

The NKJV Study Bible. Nashville, TN : Thomas Nelson, 2007, S. Re 1:1-5

please email me if you have any questions and tune in next time when we go a little bit further into the Letter that changed history of the world.

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