Revelation 16

Revelation 16:1

Remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord. The language implies that Jude was not an apostle.

Revelation 16:2

They told you there would be mockers. See 2 Peter 3:3 1 Timothy 4:1 2 Timothy 3:1. In the last time. In the last dispensation.

Revelation 16:3

These be they. Already this is being fulfilled. Who separate themselves. Who separate themselves from God and the communion of saints. Sensual, having not the Spirit. Living an animal rather than a spiritual life.

Revelation 16:4

Building up yourselves on your most holy faith. Instead of separating from the faith. Praying by the Holy Spirit. See PNT Ephesians 6:18.

Revelation 16:5

Keep yourselves in the love of God. By holy lives and prayer.

Revelation 16:6

And of some have compassion, making a difference. “On some have mercy, who are in doubt” (Revised Version). The thought is to be very gentle and pitiful to those disturbed by doubt.

Revelation 16:7

And others save with fear, pulling [them] out of the fire. “And some save, snatching them out of the fire” (Revised Version). By snatching away from sin by the most vigorous effort. By stern preaching. Some have mercy with fear (Revised Version). Mercifully point out the danger. Hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. All the while abhorring their sins.

Revelation 16:8

Now unto him. God. That is able. To work out our full salvation. Before the presence of his glory. In his glorious presence.

Revelation 16:9

To the only wise God our Saviour. “The only God our Saviour, through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Revised Version). [Be] glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Not only glory forever and ever, but eternal and universal dominion.

Revelation 16:11

Greet the friends. An uncommon title in the New Testament, where it is almost supplanted by the dearer title of “brethren” or the holier one of “saints”.

Revelation 16:12

The Vision of the Son of Man SUMMARY OF REVELATION 1: Preface. John to the Seven Churches. In the Spirit on the Lord’s Day. The Revelation of the Son of Man. The Seven Stars and Seven Candlesticks. The Revelation. “Apocalypse”, or uncovering, so the Greek word means. The curtain of the future is lifted. Of Jesus Christ. The revelation is made by Jesus Christ. See Revelation 6:1. Which God gave to him, to shew. See Revelation 5:1,2,7,9. He who sits on the throne gave to the Son the sealed book of the future to open it. Things which must shortly come to pass. The series of events began to unfold in a few years after John wrote, and has rolled on through all the centuries. Lange renders the Greek translated “shortly” by the phrase “in quick succession”, which is nearly its meaning. It implies successive order. And he sent and signified [it]. The things “which must shortly come to pass”. By his angel. Here, and throughout the Apocalypse the office of unveiling the different scenes appears to be assigned to a particular angel. See for example Revelation 4:1 21:9 22:1 22:8. Unto his servant John. A usual designation of the prophets. See Isaiah 49:5 Amos 3:7 Revelation 19:10

Revelation 16:13

Who bare record. John is meant, who made the record of all he saw and heard.

Revelation 16:14

Blessed [is] he that readeth. There is a reference to the custom that had already grown up, at the close of the first century, of reading the apostolic writings publicly in the churches. The benediction is pronounced on the public reader; on those that “hear”, and lastly upon those that “keep” the words contained in this prophecy. The time [is] at hand. The period to which the prophecy relates is near.

Revelation 16:15

John to the seven churches which are in Asia. The churches are named in Revelation 1:11. The term “Asia” did not mean in the first century what it does now, but only the Roman province called Asia, of which Ephesus was the capital. All the seven churches are in that province. It is supposed that SEVEN, the perfect and sacred number, were chosen, because the seven were to symbolize the whole Church of Christ. There were in the province of Asia more than seven churches at this time, as we know, Colosse, Miletus (Acts 20:17) and Hierapolis (Colossians 4:13) being named in the New Testament. Grace [be] to you. The benediction, like that in the apostolic epistles, shows that Revelation is an epistle also, addressed directly to seven churches and through them to all the church. From him which is. The I AM. See Exodus 3:14. From the seven Spirits. The Holy Spirit. The numeral seven indicates fulness, perfection. It is the sacred number. The sevens are constantly repeated through Revelation. There are seven churches, seven spirits, seven trumpets, seven thunders, seven vials, etc.

Revelation 16:16

And from Jesus Christ. Some of the glories of Christ, the third whose grace is invoked, are named. The faithful witness. Because all that he ways is faithful and true. The first begotten of the dead. See PNT Colossians 1:18. Through Christ’s resurrection from the dead life and immortality were brought to light for us all. Hence he is called the “first born”. The prince of the kings of the earth. The rightful ruler of all the rulers of the earth. Unto him that loved us. The tense is present, as in the Revised Version: “Unto him that loveth us”. His love never ceases. And washed us from our sins in his own blood. Rather, as in the Revised Version, “loosed us”. This was done by the shedding of his blood.

Revelation 16:17

And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father. Here the Revised Version must be followed: “And he made us [to be] a kingdom, [to be] priests unto his God”. His disciples are constituted a kingdom; a kingdom in which each one is a priest. No disciple needeth a priest to offer incense or sacrifice for him, for he can go directly to the Father through Jesus Christ. See PNT 1 Peter 2:9. Christians are called priests, but are never called kings in a correct translation of the New Testament.

Revelation 16:18

He cometh. Christ. With clouds. See Matthew 24:30 26:64 Acts 1:9,11. The clouds denote the glory and terrors of his coming. Every eye shall see him. He will then come to meet all mortals. They [also] which pierced him. Israel, the nation which rejected and crucified him is meant. See Zechariah 12:10, which is here quoted. All kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. “All the tribes of earth shall mourn over him” (Revised Version). In consternation because he is coming to judge the world.

Revelation 16:19

I am the Alpha and Omega. The first and last letters of the Greek alphabet; hence “the beginning and the end”. All begins with God and he closes the drama of earthly history.

Revelation 16:20

I John. He here names himself for the third time. The fourth and fifth times are in Revelation 21:2 22:8. Companion in tribulation. A partaker of the sufferings of the church like you. Kingdom and patience. In the kingdom they were called to patient endurance. Was in the isle that is called Patmos. For description of this island, see Topic 9307. “Bible Commentary (Speaker’s)” on Revelation states: ``It appears to be the certain result of historical evidence that the Apostle John was banished to the island of Patmos during the reign of Domitian (A.D. 81-96) and in the fourteenth year of that reign, and was recalled from Patmos to Ephesus by the Emperor Nerva in A.D. 96.’' For the word of God. Banished on account of preaching the word of God.

Revelation 16:21

I was in the Spirit. Was lifted to that spiritual exaltation in which revelations are given. On the Lord’s day. The day of the Lord’s Resurrection, the first day of the week. In the earlier apostolic writings the day was called “the first day of the week” (Acts 20:7 1 Corinthians 16:2), but by the close of the century it began to be called “the Lord’s day”, as here. Epistles of Barnabas, Ignatius and Dionysius, written near this time, so style it, and the name is of common occurrence from this time onward, and is confined to Sunday. It is not confounded with the “Sabbath day” of many centuries. See Dr. Wm. Smith’s Unabridged Dictionary of the Bible, article “Lord’s Day”. Heard behind me a great voice. Heard but did not see the speaker.