Seven churches

10
M. M. NINAN
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Chapter Two
Prologue
Rev. 1:1-8
Rev 1:1 ... He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,.....
The revelation was given to John through "his angel" The word angel literally means his
messenger. Who was this messenger is not very clear. In the whole Bible angels were
employed as messengers. Thus the word angels here could be interpreted in several
ways. Very often the one who sends the message is identified as the message, and then
the deliverer is identified as the message. So in this context it could be one of the created
angels or even Lord himself. In the absolute sense of the word, Jesus is both the giver of
the message, the message and the deliverer of the message in his avatar. But this need
not be true in all the cases. The word made it known (signified- as in RSV) does not imply
a direct communication but the involvement of a medium.
What was the manner of this delivery? As we read through the book we see that in most
places he was having a visual experience. In certain places John was actually involved as
an active participant. [Rev 5:4 I wept and wept because no one was found who was
worthy to open the scroll or look inside. Rev 5:5 Then one of the elders said to me, "Do
not weep! See,...]
However he was never a participant in the events that took place in space and time. Even
though John was right in the midst of the events, he was never directly involved in any
action that would produce a consequence or reaction. He is only an onlooker. Time travel
only permits that.