I first believe that to understand Revelation you need to understand what revelation is.

In religion and theology, revelation is the revealing or disclosing, or making something obvious through active or passive communication with supernatural entities (divine, …). It is believed that revelation can originate directly from a deity, or through an agent, such as an angel.

Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revelation

The Book of Revelation is a book written to the churches of John’s time, now is not the time of Revelation but we can learn so much about what has happened and what will happen.

Revelation 1:1 – 3
¹ The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, ² who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw. ³Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.

Source: New King James version of The Holy Bible

It is kind of obvious that the book of Revelation’s starts off by saying it is a revelation of Jesus Christ.  in the above passage of scripture you can also see that it identifies John as the author who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ.

In verse three of the first chapter of Revelation it mentions that who ever reads, or hears the words of this prophecy will be blessed. You also see that the very last part of verse three it states “for the time is near” which from my understanding of the word near does not mean two thousand years from now, it means with in a short period of time.

In Revelation’s 1:4 wee see the greeting from John to the seven churches in the province of Asia. Part of the greeting the John offers to the seven church is grace and peace. John continues to identify that the following revelations are not from him but are from God.

Revelation 1:4-5

John, to the seven churches which are in Asia:

Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, ⁵ and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood,

In verse five we see that Jesus Christ is the first born of death, this is a simple yet profound that it states that Jesus Christ defeated death and holds the keys to death.

Revelation’s continues by mentioning that we too are kings and priests to his God and Father, John also give glory and honor to God, as well there is a short prayer, and warning that He, Jesus Christ is coming and that He is coming with a cloud, Not with the Clouds, but with a Cloud of his Glory.

Revelation 1:6-7
⁶ and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
⁷ Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.

Further more in verse eight you read that Jesus is the Alpha and Omega, The Beginning and the End. This is yet again simple to understand in that God Began by speaking the work and The end will come from Gods spoken word as well.

^{Revelation 1:8
8} “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Verse nine and ten you see the introduction of the one who is the Son of Man. as well you read in verse ten of the first chapter of revelation’s that John heard a voice that that was loud like a trumpet, but it does not say it was a trumpet it say it was a voice that was loud like a trumpet.

Revelation 1:9-10
⁹ I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. ¹⁰ I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet,

It also mentions that John was in the spirit spending time in God’s presence when he heard the voice from behind him that sounded as if it was loud like a trumpet. The voice that John had heard was the voice of the Lord Jesus Christ and gave John the instructions to write what he hears and sees on a scroll.

^{Revelation 1:11
11} saying, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,” and, “What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.”

The Church of Ephesus or the City of Ephesus was of great importance to the early church it is believed that Mary the mother of Jesus Christ last known residence was located near Ephesus.

Ephesus was an important center for Early Christianity from the AD 50s. From AD 52-54, Paul lived here, working with the congregation and apparently organizing missionary activity into the hinterlands.^[23] He became embroiled in a dispute with artisans, whose livelihood depended on selling the statuettes of Artemis in the Temple of Artemis (Acts 19:23–41). He wrote between 53 and 57 AD the letter 1 Corinthians from Ephesus (possibly from the “Paul tower” close to the harbour, where he was imprisoned for a short time). Later Paul wrote to the Christian community at Ephesus, while he was in prison in Rome (around 62 AD)

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephesus#Ephesus_and_Christianity

As one of the principal cities of Roman Asia, Smyrna vied with Ephesus and Pergamum for the title “First City of Asia.”

A Christian church existed here from a very early time, probably originating in the considerable Jewish colony. It was one of the seven churches addressed in the Book of Revelation.Saint Ignatius of Antioch visited Smyrna and later wrote letters to its bishop, Polycarp. A mob of Jews and pagans abetted the martyrdom of Polycarp in AD 153. Saint Irenaeus, who heard Polycarp as a boy, was probably a native of Smyrna.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smyrna#Roman_and_Byzantine_Smyrna

As you can see that both Ephesus and Smyrna both vied for a tittle of first City in Asia, but they both have notable mentions in the history of the Church, on the other hand the Church of Pergamos has very little or no current reference pertaining to the Church.  Other then a small refference to “The Great Altar of Pergamon” which is referred to in Revelation 2:12-13.

The Great Altar of Pergamon is in the Pergamon Museum, Berlin. The base of this altar remains on the upper part of the Acropolis. It was perhaps to this altar, believed dedicated to Zeus, that John of Patmos referred to as “Satan’s Throne” in his Book of Revelation (Revelation 2:12-13).The Great Altar of Pergamon is in the Pergamon Museum, Berlin. The base of this altar remains on the upper part of the Acropolis. It was perhaps to this altar, believed dedicated to Zeus, that John of Patmos referred to as “Satan’s Throne” in his Book of Revelation (Revelation 2:12-13).

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pergamon

Thyatira is the forth church of the seven that Jesus was addressing in the book of revelation there is minor evidence that Paul and or Silas visited the Christian Church at Thyatira.

In early Christian times Thyateira was home to a significant Christian Church, mentioned as one of the seven Churches of the Book of Revelation in the Book of Revelation.

The Apostle Paul and Silas might have visited Thyateira during Paul’s second or third journey, although the evidence is entirely circumstantial. They visited several small unnamed towns in the general vicinity during the second journey. While in Philippi, Paul and Silas stayed with a woman named Lydia from Thyateira, who continued to help them even after they were jailed and released.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thyatira

Sardis the fifth church the book of revelation’s was addressed to must have been a substantial faith based city in that it was of importance to God to address them.

As one of the Seven churches of Asia, it was addressed by the author of the Book of Revelation in terms which seem to imply that its population was notoriously soft and fainthearted.

Source:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sardis

Philadelphia, as a name for a city means The City of Brotherly Love, but the ancient city from the book of Revelation and at the time of the witting of the letters the church of Philadelphia was being persecuted.

Although several ancient cities bore the name of Philadelphia, this is definitely the one listed among the seven churches by John in the Book of Revelation. Philadelphia is the sixth church of the seven.(Revelation 1:11). A letter specifically addressed to the Philadelphian church is recorded in (Revelation 3:7-13). According to this letter, the Philadelphian Christians were suffering persecution at the hands of the local Jews, whom Revelation calls “the synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 3:9). The city’s history of earthquakes may lie behind the reference to making her church a temple pillar (Revelation 3:12). Permanency would have been important to the city’s residents.

Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaşehir#Philadelphia_in_the_Book_of_Revelation

Laodicea the last of the seven churches that Paul wrote to in the book of Revelation.

It was probably owing to its large Jewish community, that at a very early period it became one of the chief seats of Christianity, and the see of a bishop. Laodicea receives passing mention in the epistle to the Colossians and is one of the Seven churches of Asia mentioned in the Book of Revelation.The Laodicean Church had probably been founded by theColossian Epaphras, who shared the care of it with Nymphas, in whose house the faithful used to assemble. Paul asks the Colossians to communicate to the Church of Laodicea the letter which he sends to them, and to read publicly that which should come to them from Laodicea, that is, no doubt, a letter which he had written, or was to write, to the Laodiceans.  Anapocryphal epistle purporting to be from Paul to the Laodiceans is extant in Latin and Arabic (see Epistle to the Laodiceans). Some of the Greek manuscripts end the First Epistle to Timothy with these words: “Written at Laodicea, metropolis of Phrygia Pacatiana”.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laodicea_on_the_Lycus#Christian_Laodicea

Now that I touched on the seven different church that John was instructed to write to we can now continue on going through the scripts as it says in verse twelve that John turned around to see where the voice had come from to see a magnificent vision of the Lord Jesus Christ standing there dressed in a rob of white, a golden sash across his chest and the head and hair was white like snow.  It also mentions that the face was radiant and shined.

Revelation 1:12-16
¹² Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, ¹³ and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. ¹⁴ His head and hair werewhite like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; ¹⁵ His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters; ¹⁶ He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength.

The seven lampstands, and the seven stars are symbolic, the lamp stands are symbolic of the seven church that the book of revelation’s is written for and the seven stars the he held in his right hand represent the seven angles of the churches. Further more the double edged sword that protruded out of his mouth symbolic of divine judgment.

Further more as you continue to read on in verse seventeen, you read that John fell at the feet of the Son of Man, as though he was dead when the Lord then placed his hand upon John and said to him do not be afraid.

^{Revelation 1:17-20
17} And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. ¹⁸ I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death. ¹⁹ Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this. ²⁰ The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches.

It is not that hard to understand now what the seven stars and the seven lampstands mean as the Lord explains it as simple as possible.

In conclusion the first chapter of Revelation is primarily an introduction to who the book is for, as well the timing of the events that are to happen.

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