The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending His angel to His servant John, Revelation 1:1
SERVANT JOHN
Today, we take a look at the author who penned the book— John. True, this isn’t the typical method in which to unfold a book commentary from the Bible, but I suppose I’m not the typical Bible expositor. Often, this information is given up front, at the very beginning; however, because of the majesty and priority of the information revealed in the first sentence of the verse, it seemed to me, more appropriate to examine John after the truth of Christ was sufficiently examined.
John’s name is mentioned, not only in this verse, but also in three other verses (Rev 1:4; 1:9; 22:8). Some of the ancient patriarchs of the early church testify to the John of Revelation being the same apostle to write the gospel account in his name, as well as the three general epistles, also identified with his name; among those patriarchs were Justin Martyr (c.100-165 AD), Irenaeus (c.130-202 AD), Clement of Alexandria (c.150-215 AD), and Tertullian (c.155-220 AD).
SETTING
The setting and date of its writing go hand in hand. There are some who have set an early date to its writing, the late 60s AD, sometime shortly after Nero’s death, because of the short reigns and violent deaths of those Caesars following Nero, citing Revelation 17:10 as a supporting text,
they are also seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he does come he must remain only a little while. Revelation 17:10
With no other support for this early date, and attempting to compute the deaths of certain Caesars from this single verse, causes us to strain at a gnat to swallow a camel, hermeneutically speaking. Which Caesar should one start with? Tiberius, the Caesar alive during Christ’s crucifixion and the birth of the church? Caligula? Claudius? Nero?
No. More than likely a later date of the mid 90s is more appropriate. Irenaeus, who was a disciple of Polycarp (c.69-155 AD), declared that that Revelation had been written during the end of the reign of Domitian, who ruled as Caesar from 81-96 AD (Polycarp, the Christian bishop of Smyrna, was the disciple of John, the beloved apostle). Likewise, Clement of Alexandria, Origen (c.185-253 AD), the early church historian, Eusebius (c.260-339 AD), and Jerome (c.342-420 AD) attest to the later date during Domitian’s reign. John Foxe (c.1516-April 18, 1557), wrote:
“The ‘beloved disciple’ was brother to James the Great. The churches of Smyrna, Pergamos, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea, and Thyatira, were founded by him. From Ephesus he was ordered to be sent to Rome, where it is affirmed he was cast into a cauldron of boiling oil. He escaped by miracle, without injury. Domitian afterwards banished him to the Isle of Patmos, where he wrote the Book of Revelation. Nerva, successor of Domitian, recalled him. He was the only apostle who escaped a violent death. Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody, MA; 2004
SENT BY HIS ANGEL
As the first part of the verse presents the Lord Jesus Christ in a subordinate position to God by His humanity (which God gave to Him), this is not to say Jesus was no less divine. For I had mentioned in chapter three, quoting and briefly expositing Philippians 2:6, “God, being immutable, cannot stop being God, else He was never God at all to begin with.” Here, in such a brief statement, “He made it known by sending His angel,” presents a most powerful declaration of Christ’s glorious deity. In writing to the Hebrew believers in Jerusalem, the writer of that epistle says of the Lord Jesus:
After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name He has inherited is more excellent than theirs. For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are My Son, today I have begotten You”? Or again, “I will be to Him a father, and He shall be to Me a son”? And again, when He brings the Firstborn into the world, He says, “Let all God’s angels worship Him.” Hebrews 1:3-6
Jesus, having all authority upon heaven and earth (Matt 28:18), He has charge over all the angels, heavenly beings created in a higher spiritual order than mankind (Psa 8:4-5). The Lord Jesus sends the blessing of His revelation to John by way of His heavenly messengers; for again, the writer of Hebrews presents the superiority and authority of Christ over the angels:
Of the angels He says, “He makes His angels winds, and His ministers a flame of fire.” Hebrews 1:7
SIGNIFICANT
The King James Version of the Bible renders the last part of this verse:
and He sent and signified it by His angel unto His servant John:
“Signified” is translated from the Greek word εσημανεν (he-SĀ-ma-nen), which means ‘to indicate’ or ‘signify.’ Besides here, John uses the root word, σημαινω, three times in his gospel account (John 12:33; 18:32; 21:19). Luke uses the Greek root twice (Acts 11:28; 25:27). In Revelation 1:1, the English Standard Version translates the Greek word, “made it known.”
Because the KJV uses the word ‘signified’ in English, some have taken the meaning of the word in the verse to that the entire book was written in “signs” or symbols. True, the word ‘signified’ can mean:
“The concept or idea evoked by a sign.” American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
Moreover, the English word ‘signify’ can also mean:
“To make known something, either by signs or words.” Noah Webster, Webster’s Dictionary of American English; 1828
In order to make sense of the original Greek word, we can gather from the three other times John has used the word in his gospel account, that the thing made known or being made known, “signified” or “signifying,” the statement was made in reference to a symbolic statement.
The first instance is from John commenting upon a particular statement made by the Lord Jesus concerning His death upon a cross:
And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me. This He said, signifying what death he should die. John 12:32-33, KJV, emphasis added
Again, John uses the word in reference to Christ’s statement in John 12:32, as it pertained to the conversation between the Jews who desired Christ’s death and Pontius Pilate, in whose hand held the power of capital punishment through the cross:
Then said Pilate unto them, Take ye Him, and judge Him according to your law. The Jews therefore said unto him, It is not lawful for us to put any man to death: That the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled, which He spake, signifying what death He should die. John 18:31-32, KJV, emphasis added
Finally, John uses the Greek word in reference to Christ’s prophecy concerning Simon Peter’s martyrdom upon a cross:
Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not. This spake He, signifying by what death he should glorify God. John 21:18-19, KJV, emphasis added
Why is this significant? What is made known to John by Christ’s angel, and what is most significant about the revelation God gave to Christ Jesus to show His servants, and to John in particular, is that everything in this book is centered in the truth of Christ crucified. Yes, even Paul wrote so emphatically to the Corinthians many years earlier,
For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. 1 Corinthians 2:2
Hallelujah! What a Savior!
May the Lord Jesus bless and keep you until He comes again.
