We do not know who John really was. Through the ages he has been identified with several of the same name: John the Apostle, another person who authored the Gospel of John, and John the Elder who wrote one or more of the three letters of John. Scholars still debate the question without resolution.
In the introduction to his modern paraphrase (1957) J.B. Phillips described the primary intent of the book as upholding the absolute sovereignty of God and God’s ultimate purpose to destroy all forms of evil. The death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ (“the Lamb who was slain”] accomplished this. Accordingly, the faithful can endure persecution and even martyrdom for their faith and be assured of the final victory in life beyond death.
The congregations in the seven cities would be mostly illiterate. So the book was written to be read aloud in the churches. The visions, therefore, were word pictures and vivid symbols intended to carry special meaning to the audience. They may well have understood the symbols and figures in relation to contemporary events, but we have much more difficulty interpreting them. It is a great mistake to interpret these symbols in relation to events of our own time.
Chapter 1 consists of brief details of John’s call (vss. 1-3) and a covering letter addressed to the seven churches. Included in the letter are a few details about his exile and his first vision of the Son of Man standing among seven golden lampstands representing the seven churches. The intent of this covering letter and visions is to give particular authority to what John is about to say. The Son of Man was a typical Jewish apocalyptic figure, but in this case referring to Jesus, the true Messiah.
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