Bible History
Picture Study Bible with Maps and Background Information
12. pillar in the temple--In one sense there shall be "no
temple" in the heavenly city because there shall be no distinction of
things into sacred and secular, for all things and persons shall be
holy to the Lord. The city shall be all one great temple, in which the
saints shall be not merely stones, as m the spiritual temple now
on earth, but all eminent as pillars: immovably firm (unlike
Philadelphia, the city which was so often shaken by earthquakes,
STRABO [12 and 13]), like the colossal pillars
before Solomon's temple, Boaz (that is, "In it is strength") and Jachin
("It shall be established"): only that those pillars were outside,
these shall be within the temple.
my God--(See on
Re 2:7).
go no more out--The Greek is stronger, never more at
all. As the elect angels are beyond the possibility of falling,
being now under (as the Schoolmen say) "the blessed necessity of
goodness," so shall the saints be. The door shall be once for all shut,
as well to shut safely in for ever the elect, as to shut out the lost
(Mt 25:10;
Joh 8:35;
compare
Isa 22:23,
the type, Eliakim). They shall be priests for ever unto God
(Re 1:6).
"Who would not yearn for that city out of which no friend departs, and
into which no enemy enters?" [AUGUSTINE in
TRENCH].
write upon him the name of my God--as belonging to God in a
peculiar sense
(Re 7:3; 9:4; 14:1;
and especially
Re 22:4),
therefore secure. As the name of Jehovah ("Holiness to the Lord") was
on the golden plate on the high priest's forehead
(Ex 28:36-38);
so the saints in their heavenly royal priesthood shall bear His name
openly, as consecrated to Him. Compare the caricature of this in the
brand on the forehead of the beast's followers
(Re 13:16, 17),
and on the harlot
(Re 17:5;
compare
Re 20:4).
name of the city of my God--as one of its citizens
(Re 21:2, 3, 10,
which is briefly alluded to by anticipation here). The full description
of the city forms the appropriate close of the book. The saint's
citizenship is now hidden, but then it shall be manifested: he shall
have the right to enter in through the gates into the city
(Re 22:14).
This was the city which Abraham looked for.
new--Greek, "kaine." Not the old Jerusalem, once
called "the holy city," but having forfeited the name. Greek,
"nea," would express that it had recently come into
existence; but Greek, "kaine," that which is new and
different, superseding the worn-out old Jerusalem and its polity.
"John, in the Gospel, applies to the old city the Greek name
Hierosolyma. But in the Apocalypse, always, to the heavenly city
the Hebrew name, Hierousalem. The Hebrew name is the
original and holier one: the Greek, the recent and more secular
and political one" [BENGEL].
my new name--at present incommunicable and only known to God: to
be hereafter revealed and made the believer's own in union with God in
Christ. Christ's name written on him denotes he shall be wholly
Christ's. New also relates to Christ, who shall assume a new
character (answering to His "new name") entering with His saints on a
kingdom--not that which He had with the Father before the worlds, but
that earned by His humiliation as Son of man.
GIBBON, the infidel [Decline and Fall, ch.
64], gives an unwilling testimony to the fulfilment of the prophecy as
to Philadelphia from a temporal point of view, Among the Greek colonies
and churches of Asia, Philadelphia is still erect,--a column in
a scene of ruins--a pleasing example that the paths of honor and safety
may sometimes be the same."
JFB.
The Book of Revelation
Revelation 1:9-11 - I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send [it] unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.
Revelation 19:11-16 - And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him [was] called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes [were] as a flame of fire, and on his head [were] many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he [was] clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies [which were] in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on [his] vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
Revelation 22:18-20 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and [from] the things which are written in this book. He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
Revelation in The New Testament - A Brief Overview
Painting of St. John the Evangelist by Reni - 1620
Introduction to The Book of Revelation
Brief Summary. John describes the seven churches in Asia, he records the visions that he received, and in the prophecy Jesus returns as the kinsman redeemer to claim this world as His inheritance. The final battle unfolds in a 7 year period through a series of seal, trumpet, and bowl judgements, He casts the antichrist and false prophet into the lake of fire and sets up the New Jerusalem, the new heaven and new earth for the redeemed. The book of Revelation is in harmony with the prophecies in the Old Testament especially the ones written by Ezekiel, Daniel and Zechariah.
Summary of The Book of Revelation
Author. John the apostle names himself as the one who wrote down what the Lord said through the angel. The earliest writers in the church like Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Hippolytus, Tertullian, Clement of Alexandria and the Muritorian all credit John the apostle as author of the book of Revelation.
Date. John indicates that he was on the Island of Patmos when he received the prophecy (Revelation 1:9). According to tradition John wrote during the reign of the Emperor Domitian which would have been around 95 AD. Tradition also states that John was released the next year and was allowed to return to Ephesus. Domitian was perhaps the cruelest Emperor toward the Christians, demanding that he was to worshipped as deity, or be put to death.
Audience. John said that the prophecy was directed to the seven churches in Asia (Revelation 1:4).
Outline of the Book of Revelation
Description and Fate of False Teachers - 1:1-16
Encouragement to Believers in Christ - 1:17-25
The Name Jesus In Ancient Hebrew Text
"Yeshua" in First Century Hebrew Text. This is how the name "Jesus"
would have been written in ancient Hebrew documents. The four letters or
consonants from right to left are Yod, Shin, Vav, Ayin (Y, SH, OO, A).
Jesus is the Greek name for the Hebrew name Joshua or Y'shua which means
"The LORD or Yahweh is Salvation".
The Book of Revelation Resources
Map of the Roman Empire (14 A.D.) - This map reveals the Roman Empire during the time shortly after the birth of Jesus, in 14 AD at the time of the death of Augustus. The order which prevailed in this extensive empire, the good military roads, and the use of Koine Greek as the general language of culture throughout the area were among the factors which multiplied the rapid spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. (Color Map)
Map of Paul's First Missionary Journey (48 A.D.) - This map reveals the areas in Asia Minor where Paul visited in his first missionary journey. Around 48 AD, in the springtime, Paul and his companions Barnabas and Mark were sent on a mission from the church in Antioch. This would be the first of Paul's Missionary Journey's. (Color Map)
Map of Paul's Second Missionary Journey (51 A.D.) - This map reveals the areas in Asia and Greece where Paul visited in his second missionary journey. Paul re-visits a couple cities in Asia, one of which was Lystra where he was stoned and left for dead a few years earlier. He later has a vision that leads him over to Greece and Paul and his companions travel and minister in various cities in Greece (Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, Athens and Corinth. Later Paul returns to Ephesus and finally to Caesarea and Antioch. (Color Map)
Map of Paul's Third Missionary Journey (54 A.D.) - This map reveals the areas in Asia and Greece where Paul visited in his third missionary journey. On Paul's third missionary journey he returned to the cities he had first visited on his first missionary journey. During this time he decided to remain in Ephesus for about 3 years, and this city was the main focus of his activities and an important Christian community (Acts 19). (Color Map)
Map of the New Testament World - This map reveals the "Nations" within the ancient world during the first century A.D., the time of the New Testament. The map includes the areas of Israel, Asia, Greece, and Italy. (Color Map)
Map of New Testament Greece This map reveals the cities within Greece in the ancient world during the first century A.D.,The map includes the principal cities of Greece like: Athens, Corinth, and Thessalonica, and provinces like Macedonia and Achaia. (Color Map)
Map of New Testament Asia - This map shows the cities within
Asia Minor during the first century A.D., the time of the New
Testament. The map includes the principal cities of Asia
including Tarsus, Ephesus, and Colossae, and provinces like
Galatia and Pamphilia. (Color Map)