Revelation 1:11 – Developing Our Spiritual Mind
(In reading this post, please keep in mind that this is part of a long series in which John the Revelator is seen as a type of a believer living in the end times. Each verse seen with this in mind will reveal something we can expect to experience with the Lord as our perception of his closeness increases with our daily pursuit of him. This kind of interpretation is not commonly known in the church today, but it is based on the truths expressed by St. Thomas Aquinas in his Summa Theologica as well as by some of the early Church Fathers. They wrote that Scripture can have, in addition to its historical or literal interpretation, a spiritual sense which includes a threefold division—allegorical, moral and anagogical. For those of you not familiar of the word “anagogical” it means “the interpretation of a word, passage or text (as of Scripture or poetry) that finds beyond the literal, allegorical and moral senses a fourth and ultimate spiritual or mystical sense.” This is what can be seen in my biblical studies posted on this site or in my books.)
Rev 1:11 Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.
This believer, represented by John, knows he is having an encounter with Jesus that is definitely related to the second coming. He has been aware of the signs of the end predicted in Matt. 24, 2 Tim. 3 and many other places that are evident all around him. In the midst of all this, he suddenly has this experience that continues with no interruption. The sweetness and gentleness of the experience leaves no doubt in his mind that Jesus has come to him. This is the One who first came as a babe in a manger (Alpha) and has now come again in the end times (Omega).
As we continue our verse, we must remember that very little of Revelation is to be taken on the surface or we will not grasp the true message of the book. If we were to take this verse at surface value, then I am now doing what Jesus said to do. I am writing a book that will go out to the churches. However, that is not what the deeper message of this verse is about. First of all, we must remember that this is an inward interpretation. The concept I am about to present here is vitally important for us to know and practice if we are to enter the depths of God to which we are being called.
Jesus said, “What thou seest.” There are several Greek words that are translated “see.” The particular word used here is blepo. According to my Expanded Strong’s Concordance, blepo means, among other things, “mental vision.” It is the word used by Jesus when he said, “Therefore speak I to them in parables; because they seeing (blepo) see not (blepo); and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.” For our interpretation of this verse and the next, mental vision is an important concept. These mental visions involve stories that we can call parables. Parables put abstract principles into story form that enable the hearer to picture something in their mind:
All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them.”
(My book on Ezekiel’s Four Living Creatures goes into great depth showing parables as being a superior form of mental activity that can change our lives.)
Once the spiritual body has been awakened, it is important to begin using and developing “mental vision” (blepo), which will help to develop our spiritual mind that dwells within our spiritual body. The spiritual body and the spiritual mind go together. It would make no sense to have a spiritual body if it did not also have a mind, a spiritual mind.
Once the spiritual body is awakened, the feeling of gentle movement never ceases. This awareness of the Spirit of God with us is enhanced by mental visions that we develop with our spiritual mind that is also awakening. As the Holy Spirit inspires our imagination with mental visions, the spiritual body may have feelings that correspond with the visions. There is no limit to what the spiritual body can feel. The spiritual body has other senses that will be awakened later–senses such as seeing and hearing–but the initial awakening is basically in the realm of feeling.
This could be compared to what we humans experience as newborn babies. Our introduction into this world is comprehended at first only through physical touch. Our eyes are not yet able to focus. We don’t understand what we are hearing yet, but one thing we do know is what we feel in our body. Closeness to our mother, nursing at her breast and feeling her gentle touch are the first things we experience of our new world. Through her touch and the closeness with other family members or other caregivers we learn things about life as other parts of our body are maturing.
It is the same when our spiritual body is being birthed into the spiritual world while we are still on this earth in a physical body. The spiritual body, once it is awakened, is able to feel the Lord and his presence. His touch communicates to us of his love as we feel this closeness to him. This feeling is constant and never ending. I have been feeling this since 1997 when his presence came to me and awakened my spiritual body.
I believe there is much more to being born again (John 3) than we have understood. What did Jesus mean when he said, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.”?
Jesus said to John in his revelation, “What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia…”
What we are seeing in the mental visions is to be sent to the churches in Asia. We saw in verse four that for our inward spiritual interpretation, the churches represent our soul that is still clouded with impure motives and sin. Jesus wants us to begin envisioning a deeper relationship with him. He wants us to visualize the truths of Scripture and put them in story form. These visions are pictures we purposely develop in our mind that help bring the truths of the Gospel into the depths of our soul. As we envision these things, the Lord is able to separate unbelief and sinful qualities from the good qualities in the soul and transport the good over to our spirit while discarding the evil.
This process of separating has been ongoing throughout our Christian walk as we face the circumstances of life and make faithful decisions. Now, at the time of the end, Jesus wants this process to be accelerated because the time is short and there is much to be done.
The mental visions not only reach into the depths of our soul, they also pave the way for our entrance into the realm of heaven—a realm that is very near to us but can only be discerned with spiritual vision. The mental visions we purposely form in our mind will awaken the true spiritual vision of our spiritual body. However, this vision can only be opened according to the purity of our heart. This is because we see according to what is in our heart. While any carnality remains in our soul, we can be deceived by what we see in the spirit realm. A pure heart will see only what God is revealing to us. A heart clouded by sin will see deceptive demonic beings and be misled.
Using the imagination to see mental visions is perfectly safe when we allow ourselves to envision truth based on the Bible. Some people have been afraid to use their imagination because there are several Old Testament scriptures that state the imagination of man is only evil. The fact is, evil men have evil imaginations. People whose hearts are being purified by Jesus are able to see righteous things with their imagination. Our imagination is part of our mind and we all use it every day. The challenge here is to begin using it not just for natural earthly things but also use it to begin picturing spiritual heavenly things.
The Bible is full of stories that would be good to internalize by visualizing them and then personalizing them by putting yourself into them using your imagination. For example, picture yourself being with Jesus at the feeding of the 5000 (or 4000). What does Jesus look like? Imagine the scene…is it grassy, hilly, etc.? Look out at all the people. See Jesus handing the bread to his disciples. Zoom in on the loaf of bread and see it continually replaced as pieces are broken off. Next, interact with Jesus and imagine a conversation with him. Jesus might say something like, “I want you to remember that I am the same yesterday, today and forever. If necessary, I can still multiply food for you. I will supply all you need in the difficult days ahead if you will walk closely with me.”
Let your imagination be inspired by the Holy Spirit as you relate to Jesus in your mental vision. You can worship him here in this lovely, biblical scene. Our mental visions are to always involve ourself with Jesus, and they are to be relational. Let Jesus put his hand on your shoulder as he talks with you. Don’t be surprised if you feel warmth on your shoulder where his hand is in your vision because the mental visions often can be felt in our spiritual body that is now awakened. The Lord may give you dreams that indicate what he wants you to envision.
We learn more about these visions as we examine the next phrase “write in a book.” When we read this passage, we probably think of a book as we know it with many individual pages glued or sewn together at the spine. However, when John wrote this, a book consisted of rolled up parchment or papyrus.
The Greek word for book is biblion, and it is defined as “a roll or scroll.” A roll or a scroll is something that goes around and around itself. Webster states that “roll” is derived from the Latin rotula or rotulus, a diminutive of rota meaning “wheel.” A wheel goes around and around. “Roll” in the adjective form means “rotating or revolving.” Keeping this in mind, let’s look at a Greek word for “meditate:” meletao, meaning “take care of, i.e. (by impl.) revolve in the mind:–imagine, (pre-) meditate.”
To meditate is to revolve something in the mind…to take a concept and go over it again and again. These mental visions are picture stories very much like parables that we are to go over again and again. We are to rotate them in our mind, meditate on them.
One other word we need to examine is the word “write.” Jesus said to write these things in a book. “Write” is grapho in Greek and means “grave, write, describe.” Webster states regarding “grave:” “to shape by carving; to impress sharply and clearly, to fix permanently.” This is what happens as we go over the mental visions again and again. They become permanently fixed in our mind. They reshape our thinking. We begin to see spiritual truth sharply and clearly.
Jesus tells John to send these mental visions to the churches in Asia. We have already seen that these represent places in our soul that are mixed with impure motives and sin. The mental visions being engraved in the mind will change the carnal thinking of the soul helping facilitate our maturation in faith and character. Each city listed in this verse is a type of some aspect of our soul that will be changed as we meditate using our imagination to picture scriptural truths.
In closing my interpretation of this verse, I want to suggest it would be profitable for us to remember what Paul encouraged us to do in his letter to the Philippians:
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” Phil 4:8
