Revelation 1

Revelation 1-3

Objective: 

• Vision of the Son of Man
• The Seven Churches

Resources:

• Fr Tadros Y Malaty Commentary
• Catena Bible Commentary
• HEMY
• Fr Dawoud Lamie Bible study (Arabic)
  

Reading:

• Revelation 1
• Revelation 2
• Revelation 3

Key verse(s):

"Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works" Revelation 5:2

Comments:

• The word translated “Revelation” means “unveiling.
• The verb simply means “to uncover, to reveal, to make manifest.”
• Apocalypse = Revelation = unveiling = uncover = to make manifest
• The author is St. John the Beloved

• Author	St. John the Beloved
  Place	Patmos during exile
  Date	96 AD
  Theme	The things which are things which you have seen the things which will take place after this
  Key verse	Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this-1:19

• St. John was exiled to Patmos when God revealed to him His mysteries
• It is the only writing that St. John mentioned his name in
• Ch. 1
  • V.1: God Himself revealed this to us so we can live and benefit
  • V.3: A special blessing of this book. "Keep" - know, memorize, and do what is in this Book
  • V.5: Testifying the death and resurrection of our Lord. We too shall believe and have faith in His Kingdom
  • V.6: He gave us a new nature and the old man is dead. We all became like priests, kings, and prophets of the OT who revived the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit even dwells in us now!
  • V.7: Confirmation of the Second coming and Judgment day. Everyone "Every eye" will see Him and be judged
  • V.8: He is the beginning and end and everything to us!
  • V.9: He did not say that he was exiled in Patmos. This shows that he does not complain about enduring hardships for Christ
  • V.10: "The Lord's Day" = Sunday. St. John was filled with the Spirit on Sunday. We too shall seek this by filling ourselves with the Spirit in Liturgy.
  • V.11: Confirming the reality of this Book that these Churches existed at that time. The messages can also be understood about the Church through the years
  • V.18: God wants to assure us that He is in control of everything and that He is taking care of everything and everyone "Pantocrator"
  • V.19: Asked St. John to write so we too can enjoy this with St. John and increase our faith
• Ch. 2-3
  • Use the table below to summarize each church
  • God knows the works of everyone. This should give us comfort and warning at the same time!
  • "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says"
    • Critical reminder that we need to listen and analyze what God wants us to do/hear. Everyone has two ears, but only a few people differentiate God's voice and apply it in their lives. This is very important that the Church arranged for this part to be chanted during Bright Saturday 
  •  Ephesus:
    • God mentioned the good things first. He then explained to him his faults, then ended with other good things
    • He left the days when his zeal for God and service was at their peak before lukewarmness hits
    • "the deeds of the Nicolaitans" = They were doing sexually immoral acts. This means the bishop of Ephesus resisted sexual immorality
  • Smyrna:
    • May appear poor in earthly things, but RICH in faith and Spirit
    • "Ten days" A period of time, not necessary 10 of 24hr days
      • Some scholars applied this to the 10 Roman emperors who persecuted the Church
  • Pergamos:
    • Allowed wrong teachings and heresies
      • "Doctrine of Balaam" = Sin of adultery (As Balaam suggested in Numbers 22–24)
        
      • "The Doctrine of the Nicolaitans" = Liberal sexual immorality
      • This Church suffered from adultery and sexual immorality
      • "The hidden manna to eat" = Eternal union with Christ
      • "White stone a new name written" = New pure nature with Christ
  • Thyatira:
    • Thyatira = Theater
      • This church shows the looks and works of faith, but inside is empty and sinful
    • "eyes like a flame of fire" = God knows the truth and reality behind every work
    • "Jezebel" = Some scholars say she is a real person or refers to Ahab's wife (1 Kings)
      • She is the one behind sexual immorality, worshipping Baal, and adultery
    • God is giving time to the people to repent before His judgment on them. This should give us comfort and warning to keep our lives pure and to repent or to act on our sinful acts and repent.
  • Sardis:
    • "you are alive, but you are dead" = Life of hypocrisy
    • We shall "hold fast and repent" because we do not know the hour "I will come upon you as a thief"
    • The righteous:
      • walk with Me in white
      • they are worthy
      • "will be clothed in white garments"
      • "will not blot out his name from the Book of Life"
      • "will confess his name before My Father and before His angels"
        • Many good promises for those who keep their lives pure and are steadfast in the faith
  • Philadelphia:
    • Philadelphia = brotherly love
    • The strength of the Church is in the love of her members
    • This Church is very strong in faith and received many promises
    • V. 3:10: The time of great tribulation and Antichirst
  • Laodicea:
    • Lukewarmness and hypocrisy
    • Christians can be of three types:
      • Cold = Away from church. Can be visited and brought back
      • Hot = In Church and faithful in his life
      • Lukewarm = Neither. Worst type. Thinks he is with God, but really far away from Him. Easy to fall and leave God
      • "I will vomit you out of My mouth" = Not being in His kingdom
    • V.18: He is poor. But Christ gives freely
      • Gold = purity
      • "Buy from Me gold refined in the fire" Get a pure repentant life from God Himself
        • Ask and you will receive!

Review/recap questions:
**Servant may add more questions

1. How is the Lord Jesus Christ described by St. John in this greeting?
2. What is said about the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ?
3. For what does the Lord commend the Church in Ephesus?
4. List the promises given in this chapter to those who overcome.
5. Which of the seven churches pleased the Lord and were not rebuked by Him?
6. What does the Lord counsel the Laodiceans to do? 
7. Why does God rejects the lukewarm?

Homework:
**Servant may add more questions

1. "I am the _______ and the Omega, the __________ and the End," says the Lord, "who is and who was and who ____ to come, the __________."
2. How does St. John describe the Son of Man? 
3. The seven stars are:
   a) the churches b) the angels c) the messages d) the lamp stands
4. "He who has an ______ let him hear what the _______ says to the __________."
5. To which church did the Lord promise the crown of life?
   a) Ephesus b) Smyrna c) Pergamos d) Thyatira