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a) The Calling of John on the Day of the Lord
REVELATION 1:10-11
10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, like a trumpet 11 saying, “What you see, write in a book and send to the seven assemblies: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.”
Amid his loneliness and depression, particularly on Sunday – the Lord’s day and the day on which his churches were gathered on the mainland in honor of the Lord’s resurrection – the Angel of the Lord visited John in his banishment (Revelation 1:1).
The venerable apostle fell into a state of rapture and was filled with a fresh anointing of the Holy Spirit, in order that he might receive supernatural revelations. Flesh and blood, in and of themselves, are unable to comprehend spiritual realities (Matthew 16:17). It is the Spirit of God that searches out the deep things of God (1 Corinthians 2:10). John was equipped by Jesus with a spiritual sense of logic, so that he could understand everything “from above”.
While receiving his revelations, the Apostle did not suffer any oppressive influences at all. He did not behave like an epileptic, nor did he give the impression that he had lost his mind, as did Muhammad when he received his revelation (Suras 37:36; 44:14-15; 52:29-30; 68:2; 81:22). The visions of Judgment that John received, despite their horror, nonetheless produced deep comfort, profound holiness, and a sure sense of revelatory direction.
The Loud Voice as of a Trumpet: The first vision of John did not begin the beholding of a picture, but rather with the hearing of a loud sound. Behind him bellowed a thunderous voice, and John, trembling from the loud flourish, turned around, as if to prepare himself for more supernatural visions. The voice sounded like the peal of a trumpet; yet it was not an actual trumpet blast – it only sounded “like” a trumpet. In his book of revelations, John used the word “like” 70 times, and the concept “resemble” 45 times. These descriptions are necessary, since the realities of the spiritual world can be described only approximately, with concepts that can be perceived by the imagination. The eternal is indescribable; it can only be alluded to with comparisons.
The Command to Write a Book: The Angel of the Lord recommended that John not work himself into a mystic trance, and neither attempt to fathom speculative time events or try to offer possible explanations for the visions; rather, he was to document in detail what he observed as an eyewitness. John was able to write Greek, so he wrote down precisely the words and pictures of his visions as the revelation of Jesus Christ.
John did not publish a book of his own will. It was the living Lord who personally turned to the churches in Asia Minor with His own words for dictation. John gave them the Word of the Lord in written, reliable form.
The order to write is found several times in the Book of Revelation (Revelation 2:1,8,12; 3:1,7,14; 10:4; 14:13; 19:9; 21:5). The book form of the prophecy was prescribed specifically (Revelation 1:11; 22:7,9,10,18,19). John was to write only “one” book and not produce seven copies of it. What he wrote was to be the standard and guide for all other prophets in the seven churches. His composition was to serve as a counterbalance, lessening the sense of impending doom that was being felt among the members of the churches; it was also to be a sobering description of the coming sorrows, emphasizing the intentions and will of the Lord in bringing His salvation and a new creation to fulfillment.
The Seven Churches: The seven prominent cities in the various Roman provinces of Asia Minor were bureaucratic and official centers of the Caesar cult. Tensions had already been building there, and further persecutions of the churches were expected in the near future.
The listing of cities flows clockwise from Ephesus – first northward to the cities of Smyrna (or Izmir, as it is called today), then to Pergamon and then eastward to Thyratira, southeasterly to Sardis and Philadelphia, and finally to Laodicea, between Hierapolis and Colossae. From there it went westward, back to Ephesus. The total distance of this circular stretch is roughly 400 kilometers, and the diameter is approximately 100 to 130 kilometers. In addition to the seven mentioned cities, there were other satellite churches in their vicinity. They grouped themselves around these main provincial cities and were also intended readers of John’s parchment scroll.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus Christ, we give thanks to You for meeting the arrested John in person. You did not forget him, but You spoke to him and ordered him to write everything he heard and saw in exactness to send the heavenly news to his seven churches in Anatolia and to all churches in the world. Open our ears that we may hear what You say to the churches, and give us power to do what you order us to do joyfully.
QUESTION:
- What are the names of the seven churches?