Remember we are reading the Bible, the Word of God. – Every word is inspired. – Every portion is inerrant; there are no mistakes.

Remember we are reading the Bible, the Word of God. – Every word is inspired. – Every portion is inerrant; there are no mistakes.

Remember we are reading the Bible, the Word of God. – Every word is inspired. – Every portion is inerrant; there are no mistakes.

Remember we are reading the Bible, the Word of God. – Every word is inspired. – Every portion is inerrant; there are no mistakes.

Allow the Bible to speak for itself. – What we want to do is exegesis, which means drawing out the meaning. – What we do not want to do is called eisegesis, which means reading into the text what we want it to say.

Allow the Bible to speak for itself. – What we want to do is exegesis, which means drawing out the meaning. – What we do not want to do is called eisegesis, which means reading into the text what we want it to say.

Allow the Bible to speak for itself. – What we want to do is exegesis, which means drawing out the meaning. – What we do not want to do is called eisegesis, which means reading into the text what we want it to say.

Observe the context. – Read any verse with the passage above and below.

Observe the context. – Read any verse with the passage above and below.

Use Scripture to interpret Scripture. – Many of the mysteries of Scripture are explained in other Scriptures.

“When the plain sense, makes sense, seek no other sense, or you end up with nonsense.”

Look at the meanings of words in the original language as needed. – We are greatly blessed at this point. You do not have to learn Hebrew or Greek. In the My Wordsearch Bible – basic information about the meanings of words in the original language are given. You will find this in other online Bible studies as well.

Look at the meanings of words in the original language as needed. – We are greatly blessed at this point. You do not have to learn Hebrew or Greek. In the My Wordsearch Bible – basic information about the meanings of words in the original language are given. You will find this in other online Bible studies as well.

Look at the meanings of words in the original language as needed. – Just be sure that the online study you are accessing is not sponsored by a cult or marginal group. Do not use the sites for Jehovah Witnesses, Latter Day Saints, or Seventh Day Adventist. These groups will mess with the translation to try to prove their point.

Here is the general reading screen in My Wordsearch Bible.

When you click on the Alpha & Omega sign you get the Strong´s numbers, which are standard numbers for root words in the original languages used by many reference tools.

When you double click a number, like the one by the word “revelation,” it tells you how all this word is translated. In this case, it is translated as revelation 14 times, revealed 2 times, and revelations 2 times.

When you click on Dictionary Reference, it gives you the English transliteration and a brief definition.

Clicking on Usage Study shows you how the same Greek or Hebrew word is used in other passages of the Bible. I find this to be one of the most helpful ways to understand the meaning of words in the original languages.

“The Plain Things are the Main Things, and the Main Things are the Plain Things.”

Read the Bible prayerfully and pensively. – Ask God to illumine your understanding. – After you read and/or study a passage, meditate one it – chew on it.

Read the Bible prayerfully and pensively. – Ask God to illumine your understanding. – After you read and/or study a passage, meditate one it – chew on it.

Read the Bible prayerfully and pensively. – Ask God to illumine your understanding. – After you read and/or study a passage, meditate one it – chew on it.

Read the Bible prayerfully and pensively. – Ask God to illumine your understanding. – After you read and/or study a passage, meditate one it – chew on it.

Now we are going to work our way through the Revelation, doing these simple things. – You will be surprised how easy they are as we practice them. – And you will be surprised how easily the meaning flows from the text as we do them.

Revelation 1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants— things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John,

What is the first thing we are to do? Knowing this is God´s Word, we want to let it speak to us. So, next, to understand the first verse, we read the context. Let´s read chapter 1.

The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, 2 who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw. 3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.

4 John, to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, 6 and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

7 Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen. 8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

9 I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. 10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet, 11 saying, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,” and, “What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.”

12 Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. 14 His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire;

15 His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters; 16 He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. 17 And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last.

18 I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death. 19 Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this. 20 The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches.

This first chapter gives us a good beginning on the context of the whole book. Author – What verses identify the author? 1, 4, 9 – What does it tell us about John so that we can determine if this is John the Apostle or some other John? v. 1 – This John is the servant of Jesus. v. 4 – This John is known to the seven churches in Asia.

This first chapter gives us a good beginning on the context of the whole book. Author – What verses identify the author? 1, 4, 9 – What does it tell us about John so that we can determine if this is John the Apostle or some other John? v. 1 – This John is the servant of Jesus. v. 4 – This John is known to the seven churches in Asia.

This first chapter gives us a good beginning on the context of the whole book. Author – What verses identify the author? 1, 4, 9 – What does it tell us about John so that we can determine if this is John the Apostle or some other John? v. 1 – This John is the servant of Jesus. v. 4 – This John is known to the seven churches in Asia.

This first chapter gives us a good beginning on the context of the whole book. Author – What verses identify the author? 1, 4, 9 – What does it tell us about John so that we can determine if this is John the Apostle or some other John? v. 1 – This John is the servant of Jesus. v. 4 – This John is known to the seven churches in Asia.

This first chapter gives us a good beginning on the context of the whole book. Author – What verses identify the author? 1, 4, 9 – What does it tell us about John so that we can determine if this is John the Apostle or some other John? v. 1 – This John is the servant of Jesus. v. 4 – This John is known to the seven churches in Asia.

What land area was called Asia during the Roman Empire? – (To find out, you could do a Google search “Where was Asia during Roman Empire”) You will discover from many sources that Asia was a Roman Province that occupies the western half of modern day Turkey.

What land area was called Asia during the Roman Empire? – (To find out, you could do a Google search “Where was Asia during Roman Empire”) You will discover from many sources that Asia was a Roman Province that occupies the western half of modern day Turkey.

What land area was called Asia during the Roman Empire? – (To find out, you could do a Google search “Where was Asia during Roman Empire”) You will discover from many sources that Asia was a Roman Province that occupies the western half of modern day Turkey.

Where are these seven churches in Asia? – Verse 11 identifies them. (Again we can search on “Seven Churches of Asia” and get a ton of maps and articles. They pretty much all agree.) We know where these ancient churches were. Here is one of the maps.

v. 9 – This John is known as a brother and a companion during tribulation to the people of the seven churches. He was actually on the island of Patmos when he was given the Revelation.

What historical records might be available which could tell us which John meets all of these qualifications found in chapter 1? – If we do a Google search on “sources of early church history,” we will be led to multiple sites about the early church fathers. In general, these were pastors writing letters, papers, or books in the early centuries of Christianity.

What historical records might be available which could tell us which John meets all of these qualifications found in chapter 1? – They are not Scripture, so they are not inerrant, but they are historical sources and can be treated as other historical sources are treated. In researching these, I found the following good summary:

The early church fathers writing less than a generation later including Justin Martyr confirmed by Melito of Sardis and Irenaeus of Lyons identify the author of Revelation as John the son of Zebedee, the disciple.

Recipients – In working on authorship, we also discovered the original recipients: The seven churches of Asia. We will discover more about them in chapters 2 and 3.