Rev 1:5-6, 2:7, 10-11, 3:21 | Clarke | e4.org | Verse 5. The faithful witness ] The true teacher, whose testimony is infallible, and whose sayings must all come to pass. The first-begotten of the dead ] . The prince of the kings ] οαρχων, The chief or head , of all earthly potentates; who has them all under his dominion and control, and can dispose of them as he will. Unto him that loved us ] This should begin a new verse, as it is the commencement of a new subject. Our salvation is attributed to the love of God, who gave his Son; and to the love of Christ, who died for us. See . Washed us from our sins ] The redemption of the soul, with the remission of sins, and purification from unrighteousness, is here, as in all the New Testament, attributed to the blood of Christ shed on the cross for man .

‏ Revelation of John 1:5-6

Verse 5. The faithful witness] The true teacher, whose testimony is infallible, and whose sayings must all come to pass.

The first-begotten of the dead] See Clarke on Col 1:18.

The prince of the kings] οαρχων, The chief or head, of all earthly potentates; who has them all under his dominion and control, and can dispose of them as he will.

Unto him that loved us] This should begin a new verse, as it is the commencement of a new subject. Our salvation is attributed to the love of God, who gave his Son; and to the love of Christ, who died for us. See Joh 3:16.

Washed us from our sins] The redemption of the soul, with the remission of sins, and purification from unrighteousness, is here, as in all the New Testament, attributed to the blood of Christ shed on the cross for man.

Verse 6. Kings and priests] See on 1Pe 2:5, 9. But instead of βασιλειςκαιιερεις, kings and priests the most reputable MSS., versions, and fathers have βασιλειανιερεις, a kingdom and priests; i.e. a kingdom of priests, or a royal priesthood. The regal and sacerdotal dignities are the two highest that can possibly exist among men; and these two are here mentioned to show the glorious prerogatives and state of the children of God.

To him be glory] That is, to Christ; for it is of him that the prophet speaks, and of none other.

For ever and ever] ειςτουςαιωναςτωναιωνων To ages of ages; or rather, through all indefinite periods; through all time, and through eternity.

Amen.] A word of affirmation and approbation; so it shall be, and so it ought to be.

‏ Revelation of John 2:7

Verse 7. He that hath an ear] Let every intelligent person, and every Christian man, attend carefully to what the Holy Spirit, in this and the following epistles, says to the Churches. See Clarke on Mt 11:15, where the same form of speech occurs.

To him that overcometh] To him who continues steadfast in the faith, and uncorrupt in his life; who faithfully confesses Jesus, and neither imbibes the doctrines nor is led away by the error of the wicked; will I give to eat of the tree of life. As he who conquered his enemies had, generally, not only great honour, but also a reward; so here a great reward is promised τωςικωντι, to the conqueror: and as in the Grecian games, to which there may be an allusion, the conqueror was crowned with the leaves of some tree; here it is promised that they should eat of the fruit of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God; that is, that they should have a happy and glorious immortality. There is also here an allusion to Ge 2:9, where it is said, God made the tree of life to grow out of the midst of the garden; and it is very likely that by eating the fruit of this tree the immortality of Adam was secured, and on this it was made dependent. When Adam transgressed, he was expelled from this garden, and no more permitted to eat of the tree of life; hence he became necessarily mortal. This tree, in all its sacramental effects, is secured and restored to man by the incarnation, death, and resurrection of Christ. The tree of life is frequently spoken of by the rabbins; and by it they generally mean the immortality of the soul, and a final state of blessedness. See many examples in Schoettgen. They talk also of a celestial and terrestrial paradise. The former, they say, "is for the reception of the souls of the just perfect; and differs as much from the earthly paradise as light from darkness."

‏ Revelation of John 2:10-11

Verse 10. Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer] This may be addressed particularly to Polycarp, if he was at that time the bishop of this Church. He had much to suffer; and was at last burnt alive at Smyrna, about the year of our Lord 166. We have a very ancient account of his martyrdom, which has been translated by Cave, and is worthy of the reader's perusal. That account states that the Jews were particularly active in this martyrdom, and brought the fagots, &c., by which he was consumed. Such persons must indeed have been of the synagogue of Satan.

Ten days] As the days in this book are what is commonly called prophetic days, each answering to a year, the ten years of tribulation may denote ten years of persecution; and this was precisely the duration of the persecution under Diocletian, during which all the Asiatic Churches were grievously afflicted. Others understand the expression as implying frequency and abundance, as it does in other parts of Scripture. Ge 31:7, 41: Thou hast changed my wages TEN TIMES; i.e. thou hast frequently changed my wages Nu 14:22: Those men have tempted me now these TEN TIMES; i.e. they have frequently and grievously tempted and sinned against me. Ne 4:12: The Jews that dwelt by them came and said unto us TEN TIMES, i.e. they were frequently coming and informing us, that our adversaries intended to attack us, Job 19:3; These TEN TIMES have ye reproached me; i.e. ye have loaded me with continual reproaches. Da 1:20: In all matters of wisdom, he found them TEN TIMES better than all the magicians; i.e. the king frequently consulted Daniel and his companions, and found them more abundantly informed and wise than all his counsellors.

Some think the shortness of the affliction is here intended, and that the ten days are to be understood as in Terence, Heaut., Act v., scen. 1, ver. 36, Decem dierum vis mi est familia. "I have enjoyed my family but a short time."

Be thou faithful unto death] Be firm, hold fast the faith, confess Christ to the last, and at all hazards, and thou shalt have a crown of life-thou shalt be crowned with life, have an eternal happy existence, though thou suffer a temporal death. It is said of Polycarp that when brought before the judge, and commanded to abjure and blaspheme Christ, he firmly answered, "Eighty and six years have I served him, and he never did me wrong, how then can I blaspheme my king who hath saved me?" He was then adjudged to the flames, and suffered cheerfully for Christ his Lord and Master.

Verse 11. He that overcometh] The conqueror who has stood firm in every trial, and vanquished all his adversaries.

Shall not be hurt of the second death.] That is, an eternal separation from God and the glory of his power; as what we commonly mean by final perdition. This is another rabbinical mode of speech in very frequent use, and by it they understand the punishment of hell in a future life.

‏ Revelation of John 3:21

Verse 21. To sit with me in my throne] In every case it is to him that overcometh, to the conqueror, that the final promise is made. He that conquers not is not crowned, therefore every promise is here made to him that is faithful unto death. Here is a most remarkable expression: Jesus has conquered, and is set down with the FATHER upon the Father's throne; he who conquers through Christ sits down with Christ upon his throne: but Christ's throne and the throne of the Father is the same; and it is on this same throne that those who are faithful unto death are finally to sit! How astonishing is this state of exaltation! The dignity and grandeur of it who can conceive?

This is the worst of the seven Churches, and yet the most eminent of all the promises are made to it, showing that the worst may repent, finally conquer, and attain even to the highest state of glory.