Revelation 1.1-11: The opening orienting the audience. This section contains the basic markers to allow the reader to place this writing: It is first of all a revelation (a message from "God"), but also a letter (a message from a known person).
Read Revelations 1.1-8. In verses 1-3: As v. 3 indicates, the work is to be read aloud, thus the first voice one hears is that of the public reader. This voice announces that the revelation is of Jesus Christ, meaning that it both belongs to him and is about him. The revelation descends through the orders; God, Jesus, angel, John, churches. In verses 4-7: Suddenly the revelation genre is forced into the letter genre, as John speaks in his own voice. This is a standard letter opening, comparable to any of Paul's letters. In verses 4-5a: The grace has three sources: God, Jesus, and the Spirit, each described symbolically. God is described in a terse (and awkward) expression, literally: the being, the was, and the coming. One expects, but does not find, a future tense. The Spirit is symbolized as seven-fold, meaning perfect and complete. Jesus has three symbolic tags, referring respectively to his death, resurrection, and present reign. In verses 5b-6: This short doxology emphasizes two major themes of Revelation: kingdom (politic) and priest (religion); they are thoroughly intermixed in John's vision. In verse 7: This oracle announcement places Jesus' coming in the present tense, surrounded by his past suffering and future revelation, surrounded by his past suffering and future Revelation. In verse 8: The voice of the Lord speaks next; God's title here echoes the Exodus story (Ex 3.14). John carefully avoids a future tense, instead describing God as "coming," a major theme (for example, 1.7; 3.11; 16.15; 21.2; 22.1, 7, 20). Comments or Questions...
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