Revelation: a Pentecostal Commentary

By Dr. Matthew N. O. Sadiku

Every serious student of the Bible desires to understand the text, discover the biblical principles, and apply the truths too his/her life. This commentary is designed to help students, pastors, and Bible teachers understand Revelation in a simple manner. Working from the popular New International Version (NIV), the author provides helpful commentary on the text verse-by-verse.

This verse-by-verse commentary is different from others in two respects. First, it is brief while some commentaries are unnecessarily wordy and verbose. Second, it is Pentecostal in outlook. This implies that we generally adhere to the doctrine of biblical inerrancy and adopt a literalist approach to the interpretation of the Bible.

Many people today regard Revelation as the most difficult and mysterious book in the New Testament. As the last book of the Bible, it describes the final consummation of all things. In Genesis, the paradise was lost; Revelation shows the new paradise where we will commune intimately with God.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Release date: Dec 30, 2015
• ISBN: 9781490767017

Dr. Matthew N. O. Sadiku

Matthew N. O. Sadiku is a professor emeritus at Prairie View A & M University, Prairie View, Texas. He is a man of many talents with a broad experience in writing, publishing, education, theology, counseling, and engineering. He is the author of over 1,000 professional articles and over 100 books including Secrets of Successful Marriages, Enemies of Your Marriage, and commentaries on all the books of the New Testament Bible. His books are used worldwide, and some of them have been translated into Korean, Chinese, Italian, French, Portuguese, and Spanish. Janet O. Sadiku studied nursing science from 1975 to 1980 at the University of Ife, now known as Obafemi Awolowo University. She has worked as a nurse, educator, and church minister in Nigeria, United Kingdom, and Canada. She is presently retired with her husband in West Palm Beach, FL.

Book preview

Copyright 2015 Dr. Matthew N. O. Sadiku.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written prior permission of the author.

ISBN: 978-1-4907-6702-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4907-6703-1 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4907-6701-7 (e)

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Trafford rev. 02/01/2016

39274.png www.trafford.com

North America & international

toll-free: 1 888 232 4444 (USA & Canada)

fax: [phone]

CONTENTS

Preface

Abbreviations

Introduction

1 The Prologue

2 The Vision of Christ, The Revelator

3 The Letters to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, and Thyatira

4 The Letters to Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea

5 Worship in Heaven

6 The Sealed Scroll and the Lamb

7 The First Six Seals

8 Two Special Groups

9 The Seventh Seal and Four Trumpets

10 The Fifth and Sixth Trumpets

11 The Angel with the Little Scroll

12 The Two Witnesses and the Seventh Trumpet

13 The Woman and the Dragon

14 The Two Beasts

15 The Lamb and His Followers

16 Seven Angels with Seven Plagues

17 The Seven Final Plagues

18 The Mystery of Babylon

19 The Fall of Babylon

20 The Coming of Christ

21 The Reign of Christ

22 The New Heaven and Earth

23 The Heavenly Jerusalem

24 Paradise Restored

Selected Bibliography

To

My wife, Kikelomo Olugbemisola Esther

PREFACE

Earnest Christians are hungry for information that makes their Bible come alive. The Christian life can be described as getting to know God better each day. Every Christian should regularly---daily---read the Word of God. We should find time for quiet or personal devotions. The reason we have so many bad days is that we do not spend time with God. We must spend time with God if we want His blessings on our lives and to hear from Him.

For over 20 years I have been using commentaries in my devotions. The blessings derived from the commentaries are overwhelming. I am writing this commentary to share some of those blessings and lessons I have learned over the years.

This commentary provides verse-by-verse exposition and application on the book of Revelation. It is different from others in two respects. First, it is brief while some commentaries are unnecessarily wordy and verbose. This commentary does not delve into critical and exegetical details. Therefore, the limits of this commentary forbid that we consider all the views concerning any issue, but an attempt will be made to provide a brief, sound, yet scholarly view. Second, it is Pentecostal in outlook. This implies that we generally adhere to the doctrine of biblical inerrancy and adopt a literalist approach to the interpretation of the Bible. Pentecostal doctrines include speaking in tongues, gifts of the Holy Spirit, signs and wonders, divine inspiration, divine healing, to mention but a few. The early church was basically Pentecostal in nature, i.e. it exercised considerable freedom in using the gifts of the Holy Spirit in her life and worship. Although this book is written from a Pentecostal perspective, I draw ideas from scholars from all denominations and believe that the book will serve all Christians.

It is not easy to write a commentary on any book in the Bible. In order to provide a readable text, this commentary is based on the New International Version (NIV) translation. The commentary is for laymen, pastors, teachers, and all students of the Word. It is designed to enrich your quiet time or personal study by making the commentary clear and simple. With your Bible in one hand and this commentary in the other, you will be able to unpack the deep truths of God's Word. It is my prayer that this commentary brings you both delight and insight in understanding the Word of God.

I owe a great deal to many scholars whose commentaries on Revelation I have consulted. It is my pleasure and honor to thank Dr. Emmanuel Nzewi and Olusegun Awotesu for reviewing the manuscript. I also want to thank Emmanuel Shadare for drawing a figure. I owe special thanks to my wife for her support and prayer.

ABBREVIATIONS

INTRODUCTION

Many people today regard the book of Revelation as the most difficult and mysterious book in the NT. The book captivates our attention, provokes our fascination, and points us to a glorious future. As the last book of the Bible, it describes the final consummation of all things. In Genesis, the paradise was lost; Revelation shows the new paradise where we will commune intimately with God forever. Revelation completes what Genesis begins.

The term revelation is translated from the Greek word apokalupsis, which means unveiling or disclosure Thus, the book is sometimes called the Apocalypse. In it, God is unveiling His Son Jesus Christ, in all His glory and majesty.

Before we start on our journey through this profound book, we should first consider some preliminary matters-authorship, the date and recipient, the message, and interpretation-that warrant attention in this book.

Authorship

Revelation identifies the author as John four times (1:1,4,9; 22:8). But who was this John? The early church commonly accepted John as the apostle of the Jesus Christ. John was the younger of the two sons of Zebedee---James and John The mother of James and John was Salome, who may have been the sister of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Along with Peter and James, John was part of the inner circle of the Twelve. Paul regards him as one of the pillars of the church (Galatians 2:9).

Tradition claims that John moved to Ephesus in AD 66. He lived to a ripe old age in the city of Ephesus. He was the last surviving apostle.

Date and Recipient

After writing the gospel, John was exiled by the Roman government to the island of Patmos, off the western coast of what we today call Turkey. There he wrote the book of Revelation. John, the son of thunder turned evangelist, possibly wrote Revelation from the island of Patmos at the last decade of the first century when Domitian was Roman emperor (AD 81-96), i.e. Revelation was written around AD 95.

Revelation was written to the churches in Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. (For the location of these churches, see the map at the end of this Introduction.) It is also for all believers everywhere. The book both forth-tells exhortations to apply to people in the present and foretells the future.

Message

The theme of Revelation is: Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him (1:7). The most important person in the book is Jesus Christ. He is both the author and the subject of it.

Revelation tells us how the sovereign ruler of the universe destroys evil, transforms creation, and lives eternally among His redeemed people.

The basic structure of the book is woven around these seven visions:

1. Seven churches (1:9-3:22)

2. Seven seals (4:1-8:1)

3. Seven trumpets (8:2-11:19)

4. Seven symbolic figures (12:1-14:20)

5. Seven bowls (15:1-16:21)

6. Seven judgments (17:1-19:10)

7. Seven triumphs (19:11-22:5)

Numbers play an essential role in Revelation: ½, 2, 3, 3½, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 12, 24, 42, 144, 666, 1,000, 1,260, 1,600, 7,000, 12,000, 144,000, 100 million, and 200 million.

Interpretation

Revelation is the hardest NT book to interpret and understand because of its use of images and symbols. How are these symbols to be interpreted? Four distinct methods have emerged.

• Preterist: This approach does not regard Revelation as a prophecy. (Preterist means past action). It regards it, with few exceptions, as a historical records in the first-century, i.e. everything in it has already being fulfilled in the past.

• Historical: This approach regards Revelation as a symbolic prophecy for the church from apostolic times to the present. This has led to speculations that are without biblical support.

• Idealist: This method sees in Revelation the spiritual conflict between the supernatural forces of good and evil. It allegorizes the whole book as a spiritual conflict unrelated to historical events.

• Futurist: This method views Revelation as a prophecy of future events. It allows a more literal interpretation of the book's prophecies. Only this approach does full justice to Revelation's claim to be prophetic.

Some Bible teachers and preachers use more than one approach. As Edward Hindson said, "Therefore, many of the things referred to in the book of Revelation can be understood only by a literal interpretation. John was really on the island of Patmos. The risen Christ literally appeared to him. The seven churches actually existed in Asia Minor in the first century A.D. The predicted future judgments are real, involving armies, weapons, and mass destruction. Earthquakes are earthquakes. Tears are tears. Nations are nations. Jews are Jews. Gentiles are Gentiles. Heaven is real. So is the lake of fire!"¹

NOTES

¹. Edward Hindson, The Book of Revelation: Unlocking the Future (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2002), p. 3.

map.jpg

Map locating the seven churches of Revelation.

Source: http://www.bible-history.com/maps/7_churches_asia.html

CHAPTER 1

THE PROLOGUE

Revelation 1:1-8

The Purpose and Blessing

Verses 1-3: The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, ² who testifies to everything he saw---that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. ³ Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.

1 The book of Revelation takes the form of a letter, the longest in the NT. But it is no ordinary letter from a Christian leader to a group of churches. It is a letter from heaven. Rather than hiding the truth, the book of Revelation reveals it. It reveals the truths that have been previously concealed.

As mentioned in the Introduction, the word revelation is translated from the Greek word apokalupsis, from which we derive the word apocalypse. It simply means unveiling, so that what is hidden may become known. The book is about the revelation from Jesus Christ. God gives this revelation to Christ to show His servants what must soon take place. The book of Revelation in a sense is the Father's gift to His Son.

Right from the beginning, the book of Revelation shows its own purpose: to show his servants what must soon take place. What must soon take place do not occur in a brief time span, but is immanent or near.

The book of Revelation is unique in the NT in that it is the only book communicated to its human author by angels. Angels are servants or messengers sent by God to accomplish His purpose. John is the human agent through whom the angels transmit their message. The book is a revelation given in four stages: God -- Jesus -- angel -- John -- churches.

2 John is the disciple whom Jesus loved. He faithfully testifies to everything He saw. He specifically bears witness to the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. These two phrases are used synonymously and appear together again in 1:9. The word of God is the testimony about Jesus Christ. At the time he wrote this book, John was abandoned and deserted on the island of Patmos because he refused to be silent about the gospel.

3 The book of Revelation is the only book in the Bible that pronounces blessings on those who read it. It has seven beatitudes or promises of blessing. The beatitudes are as follows:

1. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near (1:3).

2. Write this, Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on. Yes, says the Spirit, they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them (14:13).

3. Look, I come like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake and remains clothed, so as not to go naked and be shamefully exposed (16:15).

4. Write this: blessed are those who are invited to the wedding super of the Lamb! (19:9).

5. Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection (20:6).

6. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy written in this book (22:7).

7. Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city (22:14).

The first beatitude is found here. God promises a special blessing to those who will read, hear and obey the message of the book of Revelation. The Lord's return is near. Although Revelation deals with what must soon take place, there are no dates set in the book.

The Salutation and Adoration

Verses 4-6: John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, ⁵ and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, ⁶ and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father---to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.

4 The letter proper begins at this verse. An ancient letter usually put the author's name at the beginning unlike a modern letter where the author's name comes at the end. John the apostle identifies himself as the sender and the seven churches in the province of Asia as the receivers.

Grace and peace to you is a standard greeting in NT letters (e.g. Romans 1:7). Grace was the Greek greeting, while peace was the Hebrew greeting. This greeting flows from God the Father, the Holy Spirit, and Jesus Christ. The phrase him who is, and who was, and who is to come refers to God, the Father. He is past, He is present, and He is future. He is eternal.

Grace and peace are from the seven spirits before God's throne. The number seven represents fullness or one hundred percent. It indicates the completeness of the work of the Holy Spirit. The seven spirits represent the seven ministries of the Holy Spirit as stated in Isaiah 11:2. They are:

1. The Spirit of the Lord,

2. The Spirit of wisdom,

3. The Spirit of understanding,

4. The Spirit of counsel,

5. The Spirit of power,

6. The Spirit of knowledge, and

7. The Spirit of the fear of the Lord.

5,6 Grace and peace also come from Jesus, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. John gives three descriptions of Christ. First, Jesus is the faithful witness because He speaks and represents the truth. Second,