Глава I

The inscription of a book, predetermining its content (1–2). The purpose of its writing; Doxology of Jesus Christ and book authorization (3–9). Vision of the like of the Son of man (10–16); final explanations regarding the vision (17–20). Rev.1:1. The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants what must soon happen. And He showed it by sending it through His angel to His servant John, Revelation, with which word He begins his prophetic book. John is the title here, expressing the essence of its content. Further words: “which God gave Him” should mean that in this message of revelation. John received the fulfillment of Divine pre-eternal predestination. This is also indicated by further words: “to show His servants what must soon happen.” The revelation of the Apocalypse is, as it were, a continuation of the revelation already communicated by Jesus Christ to His disciples during His earthly life. According to the interpretation of St. Andrew Caesar., “soon” is used here in relation to the eternity of God, for whom “a thousand years are like yesterday” (2 Peter 3:8). The verb “showed” here suggests Jesus Christ Himself as the direct actor - this is on the one hand; and on the other hand, it indicates that the form of communication of revelation is not the form of prophecy, but the form of visions and symbols, accessible primarily to sensory vision. The name Angel is the general name for the servant of God, the messenger of God. The angel, as a messenger, as a servant of the will of God, must communicate this revelation to her. John, the servant of God, as a kind of mediator, since not all people are capable and worthy to receive Divine revelation directly from the Angel. Rev.1:2. who testified the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ and what he saw. 2nd Art. explains why ev. John can be this worthy mediator - because he testified to the word of God... He, John, testified, that is, conveyed and communicated the teaching of Jesus Christ, which in His mouth was evidence, proof of His Divine messenger, and those great miracles and deeds of Jesus Christ, which, according to the word of Himself, should have served in the eyes of people as evidence of the same messenger. It is for the sake of his former closeness to Jesus Christ that John now presents himself as a worthy and competent transmitter of Divine revelation - an apostle of Christ. Rev.1:3. Blessed is he who reads and those who listen to the words of this prophecy and keep what is written in it; for the time is near. The word “blessed” - in relation to Rev. 22:18-19 can mean freedom from the plagues of the last time and a joyful entry into the future new Jerusalem. Having called the readers and listeners of his Apocalypse blessed, John explains what he expects and desires from them. He demands from them that they keep what is written. This is confirmed by the end of the third verse: “for the time is near.” A Christian must keep in mind the revelations of the Apocalypse about the imminent end of the world, about the bliss of the righteous and the torment of sinners, since it may happen that this death will find him completely unexpected and therefore unprepared. Rev.1:4. John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from Him who is and was and is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, John is the one who was called a servant of Jesus Christ in the first verse. He addresses the received revelation to the seven churches of Asia - that front part of the Asia Minor peninsula, which was the place of preaching activity of St. Paul and John, and where several Christian societies - churches were founded. He addresses only these seven churches as a type of conciliar church and also because it was these seven churches that Jesus Christ chose as a vessel for perceiving the mysteries of the future. John addresses these churches with the usual apostolic greeting, which the apostles were taught by Jesus Christ Himself. This grace and peace are taught not from him, John, but from “He who is, and was, and is to come.” This last expression is repeated two more times in the Apocalypse: Rev. 1:8 and Rev. 4:8. In both cases, this name is applied to God the Father, to the first Hypostasis of the Holy Trinity, and so it is here. The teaching of peace and grace from other persons of the Holy Trinity is spoken of by St. John in the further course of the speech. It is about grace and peace from the Holy Spirit that is spoken of in the words: “and from the seven spirits that are before His throne.” These are not the powers or virtues of God, not the highest Angels, for Angels themselves are never called givers of grace and peace, as created beings, even higher ones. Most interpreters 5 mean the Holy Spirit by the seven spirits. The right to such an interpretation is given by the analogies that we find in other places in St. Scriptures (Isaiah 11:2–3; Zechariah 4:6, 10). The One Hypostasis of the Holy Spirit is symbolically depicted as a sevenfold spirit (no more and no less) because the number seven is, as it were, the seal of the spirit and expresses the fullness of the grace-filled gifts distributed from the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 12:4-11). Rev.1:5. and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins with His Blood The third source of grace and peace, along with God the Father and the Holy Spirit, is Jesus Christ. The Seer characterizes Him: 1) as a witness. Jesus Christ testified and taught about Divine love for people and the calling of all people to divinity - like the ancient prophets, and like the confessors and martyrs, for whom this name - martyrs - was established; 2) Jesus Christ is characterized as a faithful witness, in the sense that He sealed His teaching, His preaching about salvation with His suffering; 3) the characteristic of Jesus Christ lies in the words “firstborn from the dead” (cf. Col. 1:18). The title of Jesus Christ as the firstborn from the dead should be understood as an indication of His perfection and superiority over all those born of mortals. He is the first, the only one of all mortals, for He alone was resurrected by His own power and authority. This is also an indication of His Divine-human nature. 4) The characteristic of Jesus Christ is an indication of His royal dignity: He is “the ruler of the kings of the earth.” Here the kings of the earth are taken, obviously, as representatives of all humanity, all its power and strength. Directly to the characterization of Jesus Christ as the giver of grace and peace, St. John joins in glorification. In this glorification, the originality of the speech structure attracts attention. The originality occurred as a result of the extreme excitement of the seer and the extreme speed of the flow of ideas in his mind: this is new evidence of the peculiarity of the Apocalypse as a book, different from other prophetic books and written in a state of supreme prophetic ecstasy. Rev.1:6. and made us kings and priests to His God and Father; glory and power forever and ever, amen. The meaning of the expression of the 6th Art. can be clarified by analogy with the expression Ap. Peter: “for a chosen race, a royal priesthood” (1 Pet 2:9). Christians begin to constitute the Kingdom of Christ because they dominate, with the help of God's grace, over their human passions and lusts, because they follow Jesus Christ, denying themselves and bearing their cross. In this sense, Christians can also be called priests. They are priests to God and His Father, that is, they serve Him by making a bloodless sacrifice, offering Him their prayers and hearts, contrite and humble. Every Christian performs and should perform sacred acts in this sacrifice. For everything to Him (Jesus Christ) be glory, that is, glorification, praise of gratitude and power, that is, submission to His power. Rev.1:7. Behold, He comes with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the families of the earth will mourn before Him. Hey, amen. Verse seven, although also speaks of Jesus Christ, but in relation to the future, in relation to His second coming. The image of this second coming, which should be imprinted in the memory of Christians, is partly the same as what we find in other places of St. Scriptures (Matthew 24:30; cf. Matthew 26:64; Dan.7:13). John could have drawn this expression from his memory as a hearer of the conversation of Jesus Christ or from the prophecy of Zechariah: they will look at Him, whom they have pierced, and will mourn for Him (Zechariah 12:10). It is worthy of note that his prophecy of St. John also cites in his Gospel what is obviously well known to him. By the expression: “and those who pierced Him,” we must understand not only the descendants of Judea according to the flesh, but persons of other nations who, through their sinful lives, through their rejection of the Gospel, will pierce the Savior a second time (Gal. 2:17, 19, 21). Rev.1:8. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, says the Lord, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty. In 8 tbsp. it speaks of God the Father - the primary cause of Divine knowledge, Who, according to Art. gave revelation to Christ for communication to believers. So this verse, like the previous one, aims to further strengthen the authority of what is communicated in the Apocalypse. - “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.” The meaning of this expression is that God, as the Almighty, is the real beginning and first cause of all existence. At the same time, He is the end (alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet, omega is the last), the final goal of all existence; everything, as created by Him, must strive towards Him, with His help strive for perfection and ask Him for bliss (Col 1:17). Typically, interpreters end with the introduction to the Apocalypse in Art. 8. and art. 9 already belongs to the first part of it. But you can take 9 tbsp. and to the introduction and start the first part only with 10 tbsp. Only this last one stands in direct connection with what follows; verse 9 can be understood both as a preliminary explanation of what follows and as the end of the previous one. Rev.1:9. I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and in the kingdom and in the patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. The seer calls himself by name - this is in accordance with the Old Testament and New Testament apocalypticism (Dan. 7:15, 8:1). – In addition to what was said in Rev. 1, the seer in v. 9. speaks of himself as a brother. The name brother, here, as in other places of the Apocalypse (Rev. 6:11, 12:10, 19:10), is used not with the purpose of specially distinguishing oneself from other believers, but with the purpose of indicating greater affinity and closeness. The subsequent words: “and a partner in sorrow” are a further revelation of the same thought. John is not only a brother by nature, but is similar to them in other conditions of life. He also suffered persecution for the name of Christ; not alone, but together with others, he participates both in the Kingdom of Christ and in the patient hope of Jesus Christ. Pointing out his closeness to all Christians, St. John in the words: “was on the island called Patmos” also defines the place from where he sends his Apocalypse. He was exiled here during the reign of Domitian for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. He was exiled because his preaching of the word of God too incited the pagan people and the pagan Roman authorities against him. They sent him to do hard work in the mines of Fr. Patmos, as they did with other Christians. This is how St. ends. John's introduction to the Apocalypse. Now readers already know who they are dealing with, who will tell them, about what and on whose behalf. Rev.1:10. I was in the spirit on Sunday, and I heard behind me a loud voice, like a trumpet, which said: I am Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last; John prefaces his message of revelation to the seven churches of Asia Minor with an image of his own internal state in which he received this revelation. “I,” he writes, “was in the spirit on Sunday.” Apparently this was the day of the week that St. John, along with other Christians, was accustomed to serving the Lord. He completely renounced the body, the earth and earthly interests and was, as he puts it, in the spirit (a state of ecstasy). John heard a loud voice, obviously with spiritual hearing (2 Cor 12:2), and the power of the sound was expressed in the strength of the impression that everything he saw and heard made on the seer. Rev.1:11. write what you see in a book and send it to the churches that are in Asia: to Ephesus, and to Smyrna, and to Pergamum, and to Thyatira, and to Sardis, and to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea. This voice warned John that he sees and hears not only for himself, but also for others, and therefore must write it down in order to be able to convey it not only to those close to him, but also to those far away. This revelation must be directly transmitted to seven churches - Christian societies: in Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea. Rev.1:12. I turned to see whose voice was speaking to me; and turning, he saw seven golden lampstands The vision of seven golden lampstands indicates the property of the Divine nature, according to which God is light (1 John 1:5). But in order to be worthy of contemplation of this light, what John expresses with the word “convert” is required, that is, to renounce worldly cares, you need to lift up your spiritual eyes to the mountain. Rev.1:13. and, in the midst of the seven lampstands, like the Son of Man, clothed with a robe and girded across the chest with a golden girdle: Being in the spirit, ev. John saw the one giving him the revelation among the seven lampstands, like the Son of Man, clothed in a podir (a long white robe worn by high priests and kings). This clothing is reminiscent of royal shiny clothing, which is why the golden belt was girded not along the hips, but along the chest, which in turn gave special grandeur to the entire figure of the person who appeared. Rev.1:14. His head and hair are white, like white wool, like snow; and His eyes are like a flame of fire; Rev.1:15. and His feet were like chalcolivan, like those burning in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters. Rev.1:16. He held in His right hand seven stars, and from His mouth came a sword sharp on both sides; and His face is like the sun shining in its power. The following verses 14–16 report other features of Christ's appearance. He appeared as seated at the right hand of the Father. The hair on His head was as white as wool and as white as snow. Whiteness speaks of His eternal birth as the Son of God and of His Divine omniscience (Dan.7:9). Accordingly, John noticed a change in the gaze of Jesus Christ. – The fiery brilliance of the Savior’s eyes is an indication of His property as an omnipotent, omniscient and just Judge. The feet of the appeared Lord seemed to the seer to be emitting such a shine that comes from molten chalkolivan (Lebanese copper). This appearance and property of the feet of Jesus Christ before John revealed the success of the gospel preaching through Christ's apostles, for which feet are needed as if made of solid copper, a zeal is needed as hot as molten copper is hot. The voice sounded with special force and had the goal, by the power of its sound, to give more solemnity to the revelation and impart to it a greater degree of impression. – What the stars are in the hands of the Lord is explained in Rev. 1:20 by Jesus Christ Himself; As for the sword coming out of His mouth, then, obviously, it is the very revelation that Jesus Christ intends to communicate through He. John in the Apocalypse. In the vision, the face (appearance) of Jesus Christ is depicted as like the sun - an indication of the warmth and light of God's word. Rev. 1:17. And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as if dead. And He laid His right hand on me and said to me: Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. Rev.1:18. and alive; and he was dead, and behold, he is alive forever and ever, Amen; and I have the keys of hell and death. Rev. 1:19. So write what you saw, and what is, and what will happen after this. Rev.1:20. The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lamps, is this: the seven stars are the Angels of the seven churches; and the seven lampstands which you saw are seven churches. Verses 17–20 contain the final explanations regarding the vision. St. John, seeing the Lord, fell at His feet, thereby revealing his insignificance and his reverent fear of what appeared, but he heard the soothing words: “do not be afraid.” This meant: I am your almighty and eternal creator and wise provider. I am eternal according to My Divinity. I also experienced the fate of death common to all people. But I was resurrected by My divine power. For the sake of My voluntary suffering, I have the keys of hell and death, that is, I have power over both, for I have defeated the devil. - The Lord commanded John to write down everything he saw - to write down 1) the situation in which he received his Apocalypse (what you see), 2) what he learned about the property of the churches of Asia Minor (what is) and 3) what, according to God's revelation, should happen in the future. Seven churches are named instead of the one universal church, instead of all Christians, for for all of them (Rev. 1:1) God's revelation is appointed. The bishops of each church represent something more than simple lamps as its representatives and bearers of its ideals. It is about them that it is said that the stars are the Angels of the churches. Ancient interpreters 6 understand these Angels as disembodied spirits - Guardian Angels; the newest ones want to see symbolic Angels 7. But it is best to dwell on the interpretation according to which here the Angels mean bishops as representatives of churches 8. Thus, according to the image of the Apocalypse, Christian archpastors are always in the hand of God, and God is their constant patron, mentor and judge. Andrey of Caesarea, Victorinus, Ebrard, Zhdanov Andrew of Caesarea, Arethas, Icumenius. Justin the Philosopher, St. Augustine, Hengstenberg, Lutardt, Kliefoth, etc. You might be interested in: