By Beth Ann Phifer on Monday, 13 May 2024
Category: The Book of Revelation

Revelation - 3. Outline – Scene 1 - The Island called Patmos (1:9 - 3:20)

3. Outline - Scene 1 - The Island called Patmos (1:9 – 3:20)
The Real-Life World of Revelation 
Print the 4-page PDF (includes worksheet)

The 4 scenes (or sections) of Revelation are separated by the author’s words I was in the Spirit.

Scene 1:
I was in the Spirit on the Lords’s day and I heard behind me a voice like the sound of a shofar, saying, ‘Write in a scroll what you see, and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.’ And I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me. And having turned, I saw seven golden lampstands and in the middle of the lampstands One like the Son of Man…” (1:10-13a)

Scene Summary: Scene 1 includes descriptions of Yeshua (Jesus) as well as His messages to the Apostle John to write to each of the seven churches. Let’s begin with a bit of context:

The Historical Context of the Asia Minor Communities

The Roman emperors and Ceasars who ruled Asia-Minor (modern western Turkey) were called sons of the gods. They connected themselves as offspring to the deities of the time. Their victories, announcements, and achievements were said to be for the benefit of the people and were called euaggelion or good news and peace. They believed they sat in heaven at the right hand of the gods after their death. They called themselves savior and lord.

The terms pre-date the emperors; they are found in the Hebrew Bible. The Jewish Christians were familiar with them and used them purposely to speak in direct opposition to the empire. John taught that to be a Faithful Witness, only One could be called the Son of God, the Good News, and only One could sit at the Father’s right hand. They opposed the empire by using the language of the empire.

Roman propaganda was spread with the use of temples and shrines, the Greek market, and PAX ROMANA. Temples were not only places of worship but centers where the expression of loyalty to their gods was enforced. In the market, one’s ability to conduct business was contingent upon expressing that loyalty; an oath or tribute was required, and a white stone, stamp, or mark was sometimes used to prove that dues had been paid. PAX ROMANA or The Peace of Rome was an order imposed by the emperor by any means; chaos and destruction were promoted as Peace.

John’s letters to the seven Asia Minor communities mentioned in Chapters 2 and 3 are dated by most scholars in the mid-90s near the end of Emperor Domitian’s reign; however, his letters could have developed over time with much reflection. He wrote them at the sound of Yeshua’s voice to His followers dispersed in those cities along a trade route.

John had personally known and pastored these Christians. He knew they were comfortable in this prosperous, wealthy, fertile, industrious part of the Roman empire, and so he passionately sought to protect them from the temptation of assimilating into their surrounding idolatrous culture. Some had already assimilated too much. By the Spirit of the Living God and the Lamb, John’s passion to urge them away from assimilation is his purpose for most of the book of Revelation.

Descriptions of Yeshua

John taught that being Jewish hinged on identifying Yeshua as Israel’s Messiah for the entire world.
(His vision of Yeshua sharing the throne with Yahweh was blasphemous to the unbelieving Jews, and so set him in conflict with them.) His visions of Yeshua are breathtakingly beautiful in their apocalyptic symbolism!

The 7 Messages to the 7 Churches

Each letter included:

As you read the full letters in Chapters 2 and 3 of Revelation on your own, look for these five elements in each one, and use the worksheet on the last two pages of the PDF to fill in the blanks. Also, notice the cities’ historical descriptions noted at the beginning of each, and think about how Yeshua’s words may have applied to the first hearers and how they apply to us. 

Shale Fragments™ - devotionals by Beth Ann Phifer is a division of Flower Girl Greetings, LLC. ©2024, All Rights Reserved.
Blessings and love in Him,
Beth Ann

Related Posts

Leave Comments