v.1 “‘Dear friends’ (lit., ‘beloved’) is repeated in vv. 8, 14, and 17 in this chapter (see also 1Pe 2:11; 4:1). ‘This is now my second letter to you.’ Does this refer to 1 Peter? Most commentators say yes. But this is not certain because (1) it has not been established that the recipients of [...]

Background: “Although the themes of persecution and vindication pick up where they left off in the vision of the two witnesses, the beginning of chap. 12 is one of the most abrupt transitions in Revelation.  Two visions occur in this chapter: a woman pursued by a dragon and the heavenly war between the hosts of [...]

Click here to download the commentary vv. 1-10 “Now the dragon’s seven heads and ten horns showed that power was of his very essence.  Of all the attributes of God, his omnipotence is what Satan aspires most to have.  And the beasts of Daniel 7 are actually explained as being four great kings, or empires:  [...]

Click here to download the commentary vv.1-5 Who are the 144,000? “That the 144,000 are those ‘redeemed’ (14:3) and ‘purchased’ (14:4; both forms of the same Greek word, agorazo) from the earth and from among humanity reminds us that they stand for all believers (5:9). That the Lamb bought them more than makes up for [...]

Click here to download the commentary. “Chapters 15 and 16 are one unit; preaching and teaching from any text in this unit should consider the function of the unit as a whole. The seven last plagues are announced in 15:1, and the last plague is referred to in 16:21. Although the action proceeds by pouring [...]

Background: “In an important sense, the interpretation of this chapter controls the interpretation of the whole book of Revelation. For many exegetes, Babylon represents the city of Rome, and the beast stands for the Roman Empire. The seven hills (v.9) are the seven selected dynasties of Roman emperors from Augustus to Domitian. The ten kings [...]

v.2 “Babylon was the name of both an evil city and an immoral empire, a world center for idol worship […] Just as Babylon was the Jews’ worst enemy, the Roman empire was the worst enemy of the early Christians.  John, who probably did not dare speak against Rome openly, applied the name Babylon to [...]

v.2 “The outburst of praise rests upon the fact that the judgments of God – specifically, his judgment of the great harlot – are true and righteous […] Constant reference to her corrupting influence upon the kings of the earth (14:8; 17:2; 18:3) stresses the extent of her guilt.  Her fornication is her seductive and [...]