RSV ~ Revelation 1 Notes

Rev 1:1 | ISB Notes

gave him: In classic apocalyptic fashion, the revealed message comes from God through the mediation of heavenly beings, in this case through Jesus Christ and his angel (1:12-20; 22:16).

must soon take place: A note of immediacy rings throughout the book, especially in the opening (1:3) and closing chapters (22:6-7, 10, 12, 20). The initial fulfillment of the book was thus expected within the lifetime of its first-century readers.

• The expression alludes to the Greek version of Dan 2:28, where Nebuchadnezzar sees in a dream “what will be” in the latter days of the Messiah.

The implication: what was still far off in Daniel’s day is on the verge of fulfillment in John’s day.

John: Probably the Apostle John, a son of Zebedee (Mk 3:17).

See introduction to Revelation: Author.

Rev 1:3 | ISB Notes

Blessed: The first of seven benedictions invoked upon those who heed the injunctions of the book (14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6; 22:7, 14) (CCC 2626). he who reads …

those who hear: The distinction between a single reader and multiple listeners implies a public reading of the book. Most likely this would take place in a liturgical setting, where the book would be read by a lector to a congregation assembled for worship.

prophecy: As in the prophetic books of the OT, Revelation combines disclosures about the future with reflections on the past and appeals to remain faithful in the present.

Rev 1:4 | ISB Notes

the seven churches: Identified by name in 1:11 and addressed individually in chaps. 2-3.

Asia: A Roman province in southwestern Turkey. Grace …

and peace: A standard greeting in Christian correspondence (Rom 1:7; 1 Pet 1:2). By adding the farewell formula in Rev 22:21, John gives the entire book the character of a letter to be read in the liturgy (Col 4:16; 1 Thess 5:27).

him who is: Implies that God is the eternal Lord of history.

• The expression expands on the name of Yahweh revealed at the burning bush (Ex 3:14) (CCC 206, 212).

Rev 1:4-5 | ISB Notes

Grace and peace flow out from the Trinity, as seen in the threefold repetition of from, which is linked to the Father (him who is), the Son (Christ), and the Holy Spirit (the seven spirits). Christian interpreters have often read the “seven spirits” of Revelation as an allusion to the Spirit and his sevenfold gifts mentioned in Is 11:2 LXX (e.g., St. Ambrose, On the Holy Spirit 1, 16). Symbolic reflections of the Trinity also appear at Rev 5:6 and 22:1.

Rev 1:5 | ISB Notes

the first-born: The risen humanity of Jesus is the 1 first specimen of God’s new creation (21:5).

• Jesus is described in the words of Ps 89:27, where Yahweh promises to exalt the messianic heir of David over every world ruler. This was fulfilled in Christ, who became “King of kings” (Rev 19:16) through his Resurrection and Ascension into heaven (Acts 2:2936). See note on Rom 1:3.

• Christ is called the first-born of the dead, not because he died before we did, but because he suffered death for us and was the first to rise again. Since he has risen, we too shall rise again through him (St. Athanasius, Discourses against the Arians 2, 61).

Rev 1:6 | ISB Notes

kingdom, priests: Believers share in the royal priesthood of Christ. This common priesthood of the faithful differs in kind and not simply in degree from the ministerial priesthood of the Church (CCC 1546). See note on 1 Pet 2:9.

• Since the King of kings and Priest of heaven united us with his body when he offered himself for us, there is not one among the saints who does not possess the office of priesthood, for each is a member of the eternal Priest (St. Bede, Explanation of the Apocalypse 1, 6).

Rev 1:7 | ISB Notes

he is coming: The towering expectation of the book, here described in the words of Dan 7:13 and Zech 12:10.

• Daniel sees the Son of man riding the clouds into heaven, where the divine court grants him an everlasting kingdom that results in the destruction of his enemies. Zechariah portrays Israel mourning the death of its pierced and rejected Messiah.

John blends these visions into one: Christ is the Son of man whose exaltation as king brings a sentence of judgment on those who pierced him. The passage may have provisional reference to the coming of Christ in judgment against unbelieving Jerusalem, the city that pierced him (Rev 11:8) and within a generation lay in ruins (Mt 22:7; 24:1-34). Ultimately, however, its fulfillment awaits the return of Christ in glory, when all peoples will behold his splendor and lament their participation in sin (Acts 1:11).

Rev 1:8 | ISB Notes

Alpha … Omega: The first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. They signify that God is the origin and destiny of all creation, as well as its sovereign Lord (22:13).

• The same idea is expressed in a similar way in Is 41:4, 44:6, and 48:12.

Rev 1:9 | ISB Notes

Patmos: A small island in the southern Aegean Sea that was used by the Romans as a penal colony for criminals. John was banished there for being a Christian.

Rev 1:10 | ISB Notes

in the Spirit: John is seized by the Spirit while engaged in prayer and worship (see Jn 4:23-24). He is carried off into heaven (Rev 4:2), into the wilderness (17:3), and then to the summit of a high mountain (21:10).

• Ezekiel was similarly transported to various locations by the Spirit (Ezek 2:2; 3:14; 11:1; 40:2). the Lord’s day: Sunday, the first day of the week, when Christians gather for liturgy (Acts 20:7) to commemorate the Resurrection of Jesus (Lk 24:1-7) (CCC 1166-67).

Rev 1:12-17 | ISB Notes

The inaugural vision of Revelation. Borrowing 1 images from Ezekiel and Daniel, it describes Jesus in both divine and human terms.

• His hair is white like that of the Lord, the Ancient of Days (Dan 7:9), and his voice is like the rumbling of God’s glory when it draws near (Ezek 43:2). His appearance also resembles a man (Dan 7:13) whose eyes are torches and whose feet gleam like bronze fired in a furnace (Dan 10:6). John, like the prophets before him, falls prostrate before the exalted Lord (Rev 1:17; Ezek 1:28; 44:4; Dan 10:9).

Rev 1:12 | ISB Notes

seven golden lampstands: Each one is modeled on the branched candelabra, or menorah, that flickered in the sanctuaries of Israel (Ex 25:31-39). They symbolize the seven Churches addressed by John (Rev 1:20).

• The passage evokes Zech 4:2, where a Temple menorah burns with the oil of the Spirit. This is a reminder that the seven Churches remain aglow with the Spirit and depend on him to enlighten others.

• The Church’s preaching is steady and true, and through it one and the same salvation radiates throughout the world. Announcing the truth everywhere, the Church is the seven-branched candlestick that bears the light of Christ (St. Irenaeus, Against Heresies 5, 20, 1).

Rev 1:13 | ISB Notes

long robe: A vestment worn by a high priest (Ex 28:4; Sir 45:8). Similar attire is worn by the heavenly angels (Rev 15:6). Jesus ministers to the needs of the seven Churches just as the Temple priests tended the menorah lamps by trimming their wicks and replenishing their oil (Ex 27:20-21) (CCC 662).

Rev 1:18 | ISB Notes

keys of Death and Hades: Symbolizes that Christ has royal and judicial power over life and death (3:7), which is the power to lock and unlock the gates of the underworld, called Hades (9:1; 20:1, 13; Wis 16:13-14) (CCC 633-35). See note on Mt 16:18.

Rev 1:19 | ISB Notes

what … what … what: A basic outline of the book. What John sees is chap. 1, what is refers to the present state of the Churches addressed in chaps. 2-3, and what is about to unfold hereafter is narrated in chaps. 4-22.

Rev 1:20 | ISB Notes

the angels: Perhaps a reference to the bishops or pastors of the seven churches, for each of the seven letters that follow is sent to an “angel” of the community (2:1, 8, 12, 18; 3:1, 7, 14).