Before the throne in heaven are seven lamps of fire burning, which are the seven spirits (4:5). We know from 1:20 that the lampstands are the seven churches. 4:5 tells us that the archetype of those seven lampstands are the seven burning spirits before the throne. Or, we might say that the light . . . . Continue Reading »
When John ascends in the Spirit through the door in the sky, he sees a throne and on the throne “sitting” (Gr. kathemenos ). The Greek doesn’t have the article; in 4:2, it is not “the One who sits” (though it is in 4:3), but simply the participle. Enthronement is not . . . . Continue Reading »
“I see a voice,” says Bottom the Weaver. And we all laugh. John on Patmos hears a trumpet voice, and turns “to see the voice” (Revelation 1:12). We know Bottom is a seer from his later garbled use of Pauline visionary language. Bottom is Paul the seer, and John the seer, . . . . Continue Reading »
When John first turns to see Jesus, he first sees lampstands, then the garments of Jesus, and finally the face and body of Jesus. He moves from the lampstands of the holy place, to the veiling garments that cover the Son of Man, beyond the veil to the Son of Man Himself. . . . . Continue Reading »
Revelation includes several fourfold lists of the groups that are under the dominion of the Lamb. Four of these lists include ethnos , phule , glossa , and laos (5:9; 7:9; 11:9; 14:6), though in a slightly altered order each time. In addition, 10:11 includes laos , ethnos , and glossa , but instead . . . . Continue Reading »
In an evident allusion to the LXX of Song of Songs 1:2, John says that Jesus’ golden girdle is girded across His “breasts” ( mastoi ). In John’s vision, Jesus has a somewhat feminized body. What could that mean? For starters, it links Jesus with the Lover of the Song. Plus, . . . . Continue Reading »
John describes Jesus’ appearance following a wasf form, listing off His features from white head to face to feet and back to face 1. Head and hair 2. Eyes 3. Feet 4. Voice 5. Hand 6. Mouth 7. Face That list probably has some correlation with the days of creation: White hair is light on the . . . . Continue Reading »
Jesus is “like the son of man” (Revelation 1:13), a clear allusion to Daniel 7. He also sports a head of white hair like wool, white as snow (1:14), another clear allusion to Daniel 7. But the two allusions to Daniel 7 describe two different people. The Ancient of Days, not the Son of . . . . Continue Reading »
Jesus is presented as the “metal man” (James Jordan’s phrase) in His first unveiling in Revelation 1. The imperial statue of Daniel 2 is in the background, the statue that reverts from glorified metal back to dust when the kingdom of God hits it in the feet. Jesus is the metal . . . . Continue Reading »
The name of God in the greeting in Revelation 1:4-7 is triads on triads: A triple source of grace and peace; the Father is given a triadic name; and the Son is not only given three titles but His work is described in three phrases. As Joseph Mangina has put it, God is a fractal: He is Triune at . . . . Continue Reading »
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