This is the inaugural vision that sets the drama of this whole book. Irish Scripture Scholar, Frances Hogan, continues to explain Chapter 1 of the Book of Revelation. Reading from Chapter 1: Verses 9 to 20, Frances Hogan explains how this is a vision of Christ in glory and it sets the perspective for the rest of the book.
St. John, a Jew, writes from a penal colony with the Temple of Jerusalem and all associated with it in mind. He refers to the Old Testament for imagery so that the Jewish people understand the context. God gives the same imagery to St. John as Daniel so that he would recognize the signs and symbols. St. John starts receiving these visions on a Sunday when he was in prayer; he first hears a voice like a trumpet (a sound for warnings.)
It is the duty of a priest to blow the trumpet and St. John does exactly that as a priest who is looking out for God’s people. The seven cities mentioned here - Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Philadelphia, Thyatira, Sardis, Laodicea - are a part of West Asia evangelized by St. Paul and his team. St. John sees seven 7-branched lampstands and a person at the center of it. St. John, the beloved disciple and the one closest to Jesus sees the person similar to Daniel’s vision hundreds of years ago - a vision of Christ in eternal glory!
St. John reacts in the same way that Moses, Daniel, and Ezekiel reacted to their visions - fainted in horror, awe, and wonder.
Bible References:
Scripture Scholar, Frances Hogan, takes you to the world of the Apocalypse of John shown to us in the Book of Revelation written from the Greek island of Patmos. Through this podcast, we will try to understand the Book of Revelation through St. John’s warnings, the punishment that awaits, and the consolation the Lord offers to the faithful.
Frances Hogan: https://www.franceshogan.com/
Shalom World: https://www.shalomworld.org
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