According to Revelation 2, the false prophetess Jezebel has children, her disciples. And these too are going to suffer the judgment of Jesus. Jesus is going to “kill them with death” (apokteno en thanato). The doubling is for emphasis, and reminds us of the “dying you will . . . . Continue Reading »
The fourth of Jesus’ messages to the seven churches of Asia, to Thyatira, is arranged in a neat chiasm. A. Jesus the Son of God, v 18 B. Love, Faith, Service, Perseverance, v 19 C. Jezebel, vv 20 D. Tribulation for adulteresses, v 21-22 C’. Children with pestilence, v 23 B’. To . . . . Continue Reading »
In Psalm 40, David says that Yahweh has “dug” or “pierced” or “opened” his ear. He is referring to the ritual for permanent slaves, according to which the slave’s ear is pierced at the doorway of the house to symbolize that his ear is open to one master. . . . . Continue Reading »
When John first sees the harlot, she is in the wilderness (17:3). The only other references to the wilderness in Revelation are in chapter 12, where the mother of the heavenly King flees to the wilderness to escape from the dragon (12:6, 14). The mother of Revelation 12, protected and nourished in . . . . Continue Reading »
Like many other words in Revelation, the word “sharp” ( oxus ) is used seven times. The uses divided neatly into a 3/4 pattern. Three times the word describes the sword that extends from Jesus’ mouth (1:16; 2:12; 19:15), while four times it refers to the sickle wielded by . . . . Continue Reading »
JPM Sweet points out that the Greek word “Smyrna” means myrrh, the perfume given to Jesus by the magi and, importantly, part of the mix of spices used for Jesus’ burial (John 19:29). Jesus, the one who was dead and now lives, the one who was anointed with myrrh in His death and . . . . Continue Reading »
When the devil first appears in Revelation, he’s throwing Christians around, throwing them into prison to be specific. After five references to “Satan” in the letters to the churches, he disappears until chapter 12 (the distribution of diabolos is the same). At first, he’s . . . . Continue Reading »
The central section of the message to Smyrna consists of two mini-paragraphs set out in parallels. The first is arranged in six segments, as follows: a. affliction b. and poverty c. but ( alla ) you are rich a’. blasphemy from self-designated Jews b’. and they are not c’. but ( . . . . Continue Reading »
Jesus identifies Himself as “first and last” four times in revelation (1:11, 17; 2:8; 22:13). It is a global, four-cornered declaration. But the particular contours of that phrase are set by the earlier declaration that Jesus is “firstborn” from the dead (1:5). Jesus is . . . . Continue Reading »
How are the three commendations in the first part of Revelation 2:2 (works, toil, perseverance) related to the rest of the commendations that Jesus talks about? There are several ways to look at this, and they all might be intentional. John writes in double entendres in his gospel, and frequently . . . . Continue Reading »
Subscribe
Latest Issue
Support First Things
