Читать книгу The Revelation Explained - F. G. Smith - Страница 6

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The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:

2. Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.

3. Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

This book of the Revelation is frequently styled the Apocalypse, derived from the word by which it is designated in Greek. Jesus Christ having received it from God, its author, designed it for the future benefit of his church, and communicated it to his servants by the hand of the beloved apostle John. Its character is described by its title "Revelation," which signifies something revealed or made known; and its object was to "show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass." This object of God's in delivering the Revelation to his church should be a sufficient refutation of the popular theory that this book is unintelligible, and its varied symbols wrapped in such deep mystery that their meaning can not be evolved; for it is not consonant with the supreme power and wisdom of the God-head to suppose that, in making a revelation to man, he would make the fatal mistake of clothing his language with a mystery that defies the intellect of mortals to unveil. It is said of the things herein revealed that they "must shortly come to pass," by which is meant not that they were all to be completely fulfilled within a short time, but that the series of special events predicted were soon to begin. Thus, we speak of a century or eternity as near at hand, by which we mean that the events of the period spoken of are about to commence, although the end of the series may be very far off.

But who are "his servants"? For whose benefit was the Revelation given? Surely it was for all those who become children of God by faith in Christ Jesus, from the beginning of the gospel dispensation when it was given, until the end of time; for a benediction is pronounced upon all those who read and hear its prophecies and "keep those things which are written therein." It was this promised blessing unto the earnest inquirers into the truths of Revelation that enabled the writer to decide to give these prophecies the consideration that is justly their due, and to recognize their infinite importance to the present church; "for the time is at hand" that will close the series of events herein predicted and usher in eternity. Every fulfilment of prophecy brings with it new duties, and enjoins fresh responsibilities upon the people of God; yea, "every revolving century, every closing year, adds to the urgency with which attention is challenged to the concluding portion of Holy Writ." Daniel prophetically described some of the events contained also in the Apocalypse, but he was told to shut up the words and seal the book until the time of the end, when "many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased."

It has been a matter of conjecture as to who the angel or messenger was that Christ sent to deliver the prophecies to John. Some suppose it to have been Gabriel, because of his having been a chosen instrument to deliver similar prophecies to Daniel. Some think it was Elijah, he having been translated that he should not see death, and afterwards appearing on the mount of transfiguration. Others think it was one of the redeemed sons of earth; because afterward, when rejecting the worship John was about to tender him, he says, "See thou do it not: I am thy fellow-servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God." Chaps. 19:10; 22:9. But we can not identify this messenger positively, as no definite information is given. To these revelations received John bore a faithful record of all things that he saw, implying the fact that they passed in vision before him and he beheld them as in a picture.

4. JOHN to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;

5. And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

6. And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

7. Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

8. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

The Apocalypse opens with the salutation of John to the seven churches in Asia, unto whom it was particularly addressed, and for whom special messages were prepared. There were other congregations of the church of God in Asia, or Asia Minor, besides the seven to whom the Revelation was sent, such as Colosse, Miletus, Troas, etc. Why only seven were addressed, we do not know, unless it be that the number seven is used, as elsewhere in the Sacred Volume, to denote fulness or completeness, being, as has been said, "a kind of memorial of the great facts of the first seven days of time which have divided all ages into cycles of weeks." So when we read of Christ's walking in the midst of the seven churches, we are to understand that he is in all the congregations of his people; and the ministers of the seven churches who are upheld by the Lord himself are representative, in one important sense at least, of the entire Christian ministry; for Christ has promised to be with them alway "even unto the end of the world." Mat. 28:20.

This salutation of John's is one of great beauty and splendor, setting forth, as it does, the divine attributes of the great Jehovah in a striking manner as he "which is, and which was, and which is to come," an expression embracing eternity and designating the eternal, unchangeable God. The seven spirits before his throne describe the third person in the Trinity, as will appear clearer hereafter, seven being used as a sacred or perfect number designating his dignity and excellence. Some have supposed that seven angelic spirits were here described; but it is not consistent with the honor due the God-head to suppose that created intelligences should be exalted to a plane of equality with the supreme Deity. Moreover, they would probably have been described as seven angels, and not as seven spirits.

Jesus Christ is mentioned next and more fully described, he being the direct author of the Revelation. He is "the first begotten of the dead, the prince of the kings of the earth," and the one "that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood." The statement that Christ is the "first-begotten of the dead," is parallel to similar expressions in the Bible, where he is declared to be "the first-fruits of them that slept," "and the first-born from the dead." Though others had been restored to life before the resurrection of Christ, yet he was the first to rise with an immortal, glorified body. These expressions may also denote that Christ was the chief or central figure among all those who arose. But it was by virtue of his coming and of his victory over death that any were enabled to rise before his resurrection, as in the mind and purpose of God, who "calleth those things which be not as though they were" (Rom. 4:17), Christ was ordained to die and rise again, from the foundation of the world. He is the "prince of the kings of the earth" by virtue of his being exalted to the right hand of God, with "angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him." 1 Pet. 3:22. "Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come." Eph. 1:21.

"Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood," describes the great atonement work of Jesus Christ, by which we are cleansed from all sin and made a royal, kingly priesthood unto God even in this world. Every soul that has received the blessed experience John here describes will be able to appreciate the unbounded rapture the beloved apostle felt in the contemplation of this wonderful theme of redemption that caused him to ascribe to God, its author, "glory and dominion forever and ever."

This Jesus is he who will come again, not in humiliation and suffering, but in glory and honor; not as a Lamb to shed his blood for the sins of the world, but as the Lion of the tribe of Juda, with infinite power and majesty, causing all the kindreds of earth to wail because of him. The blasphemous Jews, who clamored for his crucifixion; Pilate, who delivered him up; and the Roman soldiery, who drove the nails and pierced his side, producing a death of greatest ignominy—all will see him when he comes. But while the proud enemies of God and the cruel oppressors of his saints are overwhelmed with terror at the sight of His person, the saints of all ages will shout for joy, saying, "Even so. Amen." "The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether." In the face of this awful truth, how dare men assert that the second advent will usher in a thousand years of peace and tranquility, during which time the wicked will lie in their graves, when God's word declares that every eye shall see him when he comes?

The present description of Christ closes with the statement that he is the Alpha and the Omega, which, being the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, mean the same as "the beginning and the ending"; while the whole concludes with the statement that he is the one "which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty"—which is the same as the description given of God in verse 4. Nothing in addition to this could be ascribed to Christ. Every attribute with which the Deity himself is invested is here ascribed to Jesus Christ. If our Savior is anything more than this description declares him to be, it is beyond the reach of our finite minds to comprehend. The sacred writers everywhere speak of him as a being worthy of worship and praise; and this fact, taken in connection with the universal proneness of men to take the honor from God and to give it to those who are no gods, is a convincing proof that Christ is God and, as such, is worthy of all honor and praise; and nowhere is there given in regard to Christ a warning caution such as John received from the angel at whose feet he fell to worship—"See thou do it not … worship God."

9. I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.

10. I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,

11. Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.

At the time the Revelation was given, John was a prisoner in the Isle of Patmos (now called Patmo or Patino), a small, desolate, rocky island in the Aegean sea, near the coast of Asia Minor, its greatest length from north to south being about ten miles, and its greatest breadth six. To this lonely place, according to Jerome and others, John was exiled during the reign of the tyrant Domitian, in A.D. 95. The reason of his banishment is given—"For the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ." Having confined him to this barren spot, the emperor no doubt thought he had effectually cleared the world of this preacher of righteousness. Doubtless the persecutors of John Bunyan² thought the same when they had him shut up in Bedford jail. But when men think the truth is dead and buried out of sight, God suddenly gives it a resurrection with thirty-fold greater glory. It was so in this case. The giving of the book of Revelation—the writing on this spot of the history of the church in advance—has changed the name of this rocky island from deepest infamy to one of sacred interest and holy recollections. The death of Domitian occurred in A.D. 96, and his successor, the humane Nerva, recalled those who had been exiled because of their faithfulness to Christianity; and John returned to Ephesus, where he spent the remainder of his days, dying a natural death at the advanced age of about one hundred years.

Footnote 2: (return)

John Bunyan (1628–1688) was a Puritan. After the restoration of the Stuarts to the throne, at the close of the English Revolution and the failure of the Commonwealth, he was imprisoned for twelve years "on account of non-conformity to the established worship." It was during this dreary confinement that he wrote his "Pilgrim's Progress," the most admirable allegory in English literature.

The humble manner in which John speaks of himself is affectionate. He does not represent himself to the churches as some great apostle or prophet, but as "your brother and companion in tribulation," a sharer with them in the trials and the persecutions that they were all called upon to endure. He also testified that he was "in the kingdom and patience of Christ," of which we will speak more hereafter.

It was on the first day of the week, or the Lord's day, that the vision recorded in this chapter was given John, while he was "in the Spirit," or under the influence of the spirit of prophecy. He was commanded to write in a book the things that he saw and to send it unto the seven churches of Asia. It is important to bear in mind the fact that these visions are things that John saw, all the actors and events passing before him as a moving panorama—the most stupendous scene that human eyes have ever beheld, containing the future political history of various nations and kingdoms and also the history of the church in her different phases from the beginning until the final consummation. Of the seven churches we will speak more particularly hereafter.

12. And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;

13. And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.

14. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;

15. And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.

16. And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.

17. And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:

18. I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

The hieroglyphic, or symbolic, characters now begin. Turning in the direction from which the voice came, John saw seven beautiful candle-sticks and standing in their midst, a personage whose appearance was inexpressibly glorious. John had recognized the voice of Christ announcing "I am the first and the last," but he was not prepared for the sight that met his gaze when he turned and found himself in the immediate presence of his August Majesty, the Son of God. A human form was there, but clothed in such vestments as proclaimed God; and no wonder mortality was overwhelmed when ushered into the presence of the uncreated Deity—he whose feet glowed as brass in a furnace, whose eyes were as a flame of fire, and whose voice was as the sound of many waters. Any man would have fallen as dead before such a personage as is here described. Men may talk atheism, but it is the atheism of the lips and of a coward heart, an atheism that would flee appalled before the burning footsteps of the Deity, and the irresistible conclusion would be, "It is God himself."

John was not left in doubt regarding the identity of this personage; for, laying his hand upon the prostrate form of the apostle, he said, "Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive forevermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death." The ever-living One entered death's domains and permitted himself to be bound with chains; but at his pleasure he broke them asunder, conquered death, and rose triumphant, carrying with him the keys of hell and of death; and he has ascended on high, alive forevermore; and at his voice all the dead will arise at his appearing, for the grave can no longer hold its victims.

This vision settles an important fact—that when Christ appears upon the panoramic scene, he comes in his own person, and not in the character of a created substitute. There may be symbols connected with his person—the sword of his mouth may signify vengeance upon his enemies; his eyes as a flame of fire, superior intelligence and penetrating vision, etc.—but he distinctly announces himself to be the Christ of God. There is no creature in the universe that could personate "him that liveth, and was dead, but is alive forevermore."

19. Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;

20. The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.

Here John received a special commission to write the things of the future that were to be given, the things that were then taking place, and also certain events which had come under his personal observation during his life-time, and which were also included in the symbolic visions, thus covering the entire gospel dispensation.

The special symbols employed in this introductory vision are here explained by Christ himself, thus leaving us in no doubt whatever. A star is a fit symbol of the position of a Christian minister—set in the church to give the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world; while a candle-stick fitly represents the congregation working with him and sustaining him in his position. The special power of Christ—symbolized by his right hand—is manifested in upholding his ministers, while he walks in the midst of his churches, ready with the sword of his mouth to defend them from the attacks of their adversaries and to prove their constant Guardian and Protector.