Bible Commentaries

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

The Revelation — Or manifestation of many divine mysteries by the Mediator (who came out of his Father’s bosom) to John, who had the mind of Christ, and that purposely for the behoove and benefit of the family of faith, who are all of his cabinet council,John 1:18; John 1:18 ; 1 Corinthians 2:16 ; Galatians 6:10 ; Psalms 25:14 .

Things which must shortly — That is, sooner or later in their proper season. God’s time seems long, because we are short. Nullum tempus occurrit regi, saith the lawyer. The Ancient of days is not to be limited.

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

Who bare record of the word — This John the divine, then, was John the Evangelist, whatever Dennis of Alexandria dispute to the contrary. It was Moses’s honour (saith one), who was God’s peculiar favourite, to be penman of the first book of the Old Testament; and it was John’s honour, Christ’s peculiar favourite, to be the penman of the last book of the New Testament.

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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.

Blessed is he that readeth — sc. With attention, affection, application, and practice; as knowing that this book hath tot sacramenta, quot verba, so many words, so many mysteries (Jerome epist, ad Paulin.); and that these words are vivenda non legenda, not more to be read than to be lived, as one said once of the 119th Psalm. (Aegid. Abbas Norimberg.) Neither must we only live up to the words of this prophecy, but die for it also, and be content to be burned with it, if called thereto; as that holy martyr, who when he saw the Revelation cast into the fire with him, cried out, O beata Apocalypsis, quam bene mecum agitur qui tecum comburar! O blessed Revelation, how happy am I to be burned in thy company!

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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;

From him which is — An august description of the Father by a manifest allusion to Exodus 3:14 . Some critic reading the words απο ο ων και ο ην as they lie in the original, would be apt to complain of an incongruity, and to say, Nove et duriter dictum. But God, methinks, should have leave given him by these Logodaedali, to pronounce his own name undeclined, and by an outrule, who himseff is undeclined, and comes not under any rule. Non debent verba caelestis oraculi subesse regulis Donati. (Greg.)

And from the seven spirits — So the Holy Ghost is here called, for his manifold gifts and operations in the hearts of those seven, and all other Churches. In like sort he is called the seven golden pipes through which the two olive branches do empty out of themselves the golden oils of all precious graces into the golden candlestick the Church, Zechariah 4:2-3 . So some interpret those seven eyes upon one stone, Zechariah 3:9 , concerning the Spirit in his several operations upon Christ, according to Isaiah 11:2 . There is a prophetic perfection of this number of seven, with which the Spirit of God is much delighted in this prophecy; seven Churches, seven stars, seven candlesticks, seven lamps, seven seals, …

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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,

And from Jesus Christ — Who is here set last of the three persons, because more is to be said of him; both as touching his threefold office, and a threefold benefit therehence redounding unto us.

That hath loved us — See Ezekiel 16:6-9 . Christ, that heavenly pelican, revived his dead young ones with his own heart-blood. (Pierii Hieroglyph.) He saw the wrath of God burning about them, and cast himself into the midst thereof, that he might quench it. Judah offered to be bound that Benjamin might go free. Jonathan risked his life and quitted his kingdom for love of David. Arsinoe interposed her own body between the murderer’s weapons and her children. But what was all this to this incomparable love of the Lord Jesus? When the Jews saw him weeping for Lazarus, "Behold," they say, "how he loved him." When we see him weeping, bleeding, dying for us, shall not we much more say so?

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

And hath made us kings — To rule in righteousness, to lord it over our lusts, to triumph over and trample on all our spiritual adversaries, being more than conquerors through him that loved us, and laid down his life for us, that we might reign in life by one Jesus Christ,Romans 5:17; Romans 5:17 . And surely if (as Peter Martyr once wrote to Queen Elizabeth) kings are doubly bound to serve God, both as men and kings; what are we, for this spiritual kingdom

And priests unto God — To offer up to him the personal sacrifice of ourselves, Romans 12:1 , the verbal of praise, and real of alms, Hebrews 13:15-16 . See Trapp on " 1 Peter 2:9 "

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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.

Behold, he cometh — He is already upon the way, and will be with us shortly. Let us hasten his coming, and say, as Sisera’s mother, Why are his chariots (his clouds) so long in coming? Why tarry the wheels of his chariots?Judges 5:28; Judges 5:28 .

Shall wail — Gr. κοψονται , shall smite their breasts or thighs; the elect as repenting, the reprobate as despairing. Iisdem quibus videmus, oculis, flemus; so here, οψονται και κοψονται , they shall look and lament.

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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.

Which is, and which was — The Father is called "He that is," Exodus 3:14 . The Son "He that was," John 1:1 . The Holy Ghost, "He that cometh," John 16:8-13 , as Aretius observeth. Or, by this periphrasis may be understood the indeterminable eternity of the Son of God. Much like whereunto both in sound and sense is that which the heathens ascribed to their Jupiter in that solemn hymn of theirs. (Pausan.)

Ζευς ην, Ζευς εστι, Ζευς εσσεται, ω μεγαλε Ζευ .

"God was, and God is, God shall be for ever a great God."

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