Verse 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,”
The Book of Revelation was written by the Apostle John, who recorded the revelation of Jesus Christ made to him during his stay in Patmos, an island in the Aegean Sea to which he was sent in exile in the declining years of the Roman Emperor Domitian’s reign (about AD 95). John was exiled to the Island of Patmos for bearing witness to the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus, and it is in this island where John saw the realm of God shown by Jesus Christ through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and His angels.

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Verse 1: “To the angel of the church of Ephesus write, ‘These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands:’”
The Church of Ephesus was a church of God planted by faith in the gospel of the water and the Spirit that Paul had preached. The “seven golden lampstands” in this passage refer to the churches of God, the gatherings of those who believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, and the “seven stars” refer to God’s servants there. The phrase “He who holds the seven stars in His right hand,” on the other hand, means that God Himself holds and makes use of His servants.

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I thank the Lord who gives us hope in this dark age. Our hope is that everything would unfold as written in the Book of Revelation, and to wait in faith that all the Word of prophecy would be fulfilled.
Much has been written on the Book of Revelation. While theories and interpretations by scholars abound, it is still difficult to come across a work that is truly biblical in its approach. It is only by the grace of God that I, having spent countless hours studying and researching on the Word of Revelation, am able to write this book. Even as I speak right now, my heart is filled with the truth of Revelation. The Holy Spirit has also filled me while I prepared my commentaries and sermons for this book.

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For most of us, martyrdom is an unfamiliar word, but for those who have been raised in a non-Christian culture, it is even more foreign. Certainly the word “martyrdom” is not a word that we often encounter in our everyday life; we feel detached and aloof from the word, for it is quite surreal for us to imagine our actual martyrdom. Nevertheless, chapters 2 and 3 of the Book of Revelation discuss this martyrdom, and from its Word we must establish the faith of martyrdom in our hearts—that is, the faith with which we can be martyred.
Roman emperors were the Empire’s absolute rulers of their people. Wielding absolute power over their domain, they could do anything that their hearts desired after. Having waged and won many wars, the Roman Empire subdued countless nations under its rule, enriching itself with the tributes paid by the conquered nations. Not having lost a single war, the small nation grew to become one of the greatest empires of the world. Only sky was the limit to the power that its emperors came to wield. So great was this power that they eventually came to be worshipped as living gods by the people.

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Verse 8: “And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write, ‘These things says the First and the Last, who was dead, and came to life:’”
The Church of Smyrna was founded while Paul was ministering the Church of Ephesus. According to the above passage, the members of this church were rather poor, who, because of their faith, were antagonized by the Jews in their community. Just how persecuted this church was by the Jews can be seen by the martyrdom of Polycarp, an overseer in the age of Church Fathers. The saints of the Early Church faced constant persecution by the Jewish believers who rejected Christ as their Messiah.

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During the Early Church period, many Christians were wandering the land, looking for a safe place where they could escape from the persecuting hands of the Roman authorities. The Roman Empire continued with its policy of persecution even after the demise of the Emperor Nero, as the Christians kept defying the authority of the subsequent emperors. The early saints accepted and recognized the worldly authority of the Roman emperors, but they refused to recognize it when it required them to give up their faith. Because they stood up against such a demand of the Roman authorities, the annals of the Early Church were filled by persecution and martyrdom.

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This passage is the Lord’s letter to the Church of Smyrna in Asia Minor, a church that was materially poor, but nonetheless spiritually rich in faith. Its saints and servant of God defended their faith despite being persecuted by the Jews, and even in their tribulations of death, they did not deny the Lord and His gospel of the water and the Spirit. They fought and won by believing in the Word of God.
The Lord told the saints of the Church of Smyrna not to fear the sufferings to come, but to be faithful until death, promising them the crown of life.

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Verse 12: “And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write, ‘These things says He who has the sharp two-edged sword:’”
Pergamos was an administrative capital city in Asia Minor, whose inhabitants worshiped many pagan gods. In particular, it was a center of emperor worship. By “He who has the sharp two-edged sword,” it means that the Lord fights against the enemies of God.

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