Category: Revelation

“This is a revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants the events that must soon take place. He sent an angel to present this revelation to his servant John, who faithfully reported everything he saw. This is his report of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. God blesses the one who reads the words of this prophecy to the church, and he blesses all who listen to its message and obey what it says, for the time is near.”

Okay, let’s face it. 2,000 years was a while ago. Some people have wondered if we are living in the “last days.” I don’t see how we aren’t, since 2,000 years ago THEY thought they were living in the last days. Either the Bible is wrong on that or we misunderstand how God and time go together.

A lot of people have a lot of thoughts about the book of Revelation. It’s known as “apocalyptic” literature and there are plenty of apocalyptic movies that you can lean on to get the genre. End of the world and all that stuff. Jesus said he’s coming back and we’re all waiting for that moment. It strikes me that the passages that we read in Isaiah during the Advent series were written in a time quite like this one. Prophetic messages speaking of a coming Messiah. What’s more striking to me is that the religious leaders of the day missed Jesus entirely. They had the Scriptures memorized and taped to their foreheads and they didn’t recognize him. What does that mean for us today as we read a book like Revelation?

I can’t say that I’m going to offer a whole lot of answers in this Revelation devotional series. Scholars have argued over this for a very long time. What I can say is that I want to approach this series with as blank a slate as I can find and just simply look for God. We see in today’s verses that God’s heart is for us to listen to these words. Some of the direct events they described have already happened in certain earthly ways, yet their ultimate fulfillment is probably beyond our grasp until we reach the other side. For now, let’s just start with an openness to what God wants to teach us about himself. If we look for answers that we want to find, we just might miss him the second time around too.

“This letter is from John to the seven churches in the province of Asia. Grace and peace to you from the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come; from the sevenfold Spirit before his throne; and from Jesus Christ. He is the faithful witness to these things, the first to rise from the dead, and the ruler of all the kings of the world. All glory to him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by shedding his blood for us. He has made us a Kingdom of priests for God his Father. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.

Look! He comes with the clouds of heaven.
    And everyone will see him—
    even those who pierced him.
And all the nations of the world
    will mourn for him.
Yes! Amen!

‘I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end,’ says the Lord God. ‘I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come—the Almighty One.'”

There are a lot of Johns in the Bible, and scholars aren’t exactly sure which John authored the book of Revelation. It could be John, the beloved disciple of Jesus, or another John who came later. Most agree that this John was not the disciple John, who wrote the Gospel by that name. It’s okay not to get too hung up on authorship as we continue to focus on finding out what God wants to reveal to us about himself.

Note that there is a clear worship of Jesus as God as this book begins, there is no doubt that the author is ascribing divine status to Jesus. This detail is important because Jesus’ divine nature is unique to Christianity. Other religions may view Jesus as a good teacher or as a prophet, but they do not believe Jesus is God himself. There is a complex and paradoxical way in which the Father, Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit intertwine in the Bible. The relationship between these three persons within God is called the Trinity. You won’t find that word in the Bible, but it’s a theological description of God based on passages like this one. We see God and Jesus interchangeably worshipped.

Let’s be careful here not to jump to conclusions about Jesus riding in on clouds when he returns. Last time he showed up in a manger and only a bunch of shepherds found him there. Everyone else was looking in all the wrong places. Could Jesus show up in the sky on actual clouds? Sure. But if I’m looking at the sky and not actually loving my neighbor, then I really risk missing him completely. Jesus will make himself known, and the world will mourn for him. It sounds like a moment of spiritual awakening. Right now, you have the opportunity to have your spiritual eyes opened by asking Jesus to forgive your sins and lead your life. When you sit with your own sinfulness and Jesus’ death on the cross, mourning is the natural response. Don’t wait for a big show in the sky. See Jesus right here, right now. See what your own sin and our collective sin has done to him. Mourn and repent. That is right where you will find Jesus today.

“I, John, am your brother and your partner in suffering and in God’s Kingdom and in the patient endurance to which Jesus calls us. I was exiled to the island of Patmos for preaching the word of God and for my testimony about Jesus. It was the Lord’s Day, and I was worshiping in the Spirit. Suddenly, I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet blast. It said, ‘Write in a book everything you see, and send it to the seven churches in the cities of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.’

When I turned to see who was speaking to me, I saw seven gold lampstands. And standing in the middle of the lampstands was someone like the Son of Man. He was wearing a long robe with a gold sash across his chest. His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow. And his eyes were like flames of fire. His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice thundered like mighty ocean waves. He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came from his mouth. And his face was like the sun in all its brilliance.

When I saw him, I fell at his feet as if I were dead. But he laid his right hand on me and said, ‘Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last. I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave.

‘Write down what you have seen—both the things that are now happening and the things that will happen. This is the meaning of the mystery of the seven stars you saw in my right hand and the seven gold lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.'”

Many of the early Christians were arrested and jailed for preaching the Gospel. In this case, John was exiled to the island of Patmos, which you can see on a map here:

Today, Patmos is a luxurious resort island, but back then it was a far removal from society. Pretty hard to preach from an island out in the middle of nowhere.

Let’s notice that just as was the case in Paul’s life, God’s mission is not thwarted by John being in exile. Supernatural messages can get through anywhere. John begins to see and hear things that freak him out a little bit, but he is faithful to write them down the best he can. You’ll notice he struggles for words at times to describe what he is seeing. A voice “like” a trumpet blast. Someone “like” the Son of Man.

John, and most others in the Bible who hear directly from God or angels, reacted with fear. Supernatural messages can be overwhelming and scary. Yet the reassurance is always the same, “Don’t be afraid.” God still speaks to us today through the Holy Spirit, and it’s not a bad idea to write down what you think you hear from God. If John had not written down what he saw and heard right away, he probably would have lost the vivid imagery. His brain couldn’t have held it all. If you believe you are hearing God’s voice, it may not sound like a trumpet blast and it is possible that you could be wrong. That’s okay. For years I have written out prayers and I write down what I think God is saying to me. Over time, it’s become clearer to me what is God and what is not. Some of those prayers and words from God speak louder to me today than they did when I first wrote them down. Don’t be afraid of God’s voice, just write what you hear. If it lines up with the Bible, that’s a good sign that you are being directed by the Holy Spirit to write.

“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Ephesus. This is the message from the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand, the one who walks among the seven gold lampstands:

‘I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance. I know you don’t tolerate evil people. You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles but are not. You have discovered they are liars. You have patiently suffered for me without quitting.

‘But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first! Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first. If you don’t repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches. But this is in your favor: You hate the evil deeds of the Nicolaitans, just as I do.

‘Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give fruit from the tree of life in the paradise of God.'”

Often when we read the Bible, and especially devotionals that accompany Scripture, we seek to apply it to our lives. That approach can be a very individualistic and self-focused way to try to understand God’s word to us. Not all of the words in the Bible are directly to you. Some are, and some we can learn from. As we explore the letters to the seven churches over the coming days, let’s avoid making them about us while still learning about who God is.

As always, I’m going to encourage us to focus on the central character in this story: Jesus. He was described in chapter 1 and he’s this dramatic, powerful, divine ruler who holds seven stars in his hand beside seven lampstands. Those lampstands, we are told here, represent these seven churches to which letters are written. (Side note: it’s fascinating that each letter was written to an angel that was specifically connected to each church. There’s a lot we don’t know about how angels serve the church!)

What I notice about Jesus in this letter to the church in Ephesus is that he draws them back to love. They’ve worked hard, patiently endured, driven out evil, and never given up. But they lost one of the most central things about God: love. He calls them to repentance for their lack of love, and without repentance it might cost them their place among the churches. Let’s keep the main thing the main thing and love like God loves. His heartbeat is coming through loud and clear.

“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Smyrna. This is the message from the one who is the First and the Last, who was dead but is now alive:

‘I know about your suffering and your poverty—but you are rich! I know the blasphemy of those opposing you. They say they are Jews, but they are not, because their synagogue belongs to Satan. Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer. The devil will throw some of you into prison to test you. You will suffer for ten days. But if you remain faithful even when facing death, I will give you the crown of life.

‘Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. Whoever is victorious will not be harmed by the second death.'”

One of the biggest problems in the American church today is our view of suffering. Some high profile Christian leaders complain about being “persecuted” and this drives their political ambitions. They attempt to put people in power who will protect their religious rights. If someone is crying about being a martyr, it’s a clear sign that they aren’t really being one.

The Bible talks extensively about the benefits of suffering. It is spiritually important, and not just because of how it grows our character, perseverance, and maturity. There are real spiritual battles being fought and won when we deny our flesh and surrender our rights. In today’s passage we see the instructions for how to handle actual persecution: remain faithful.

Earthly power does not bring victory to Christians. The outcomes of courts or elections do not bring victory to Christians. Steady, unwavering faithfulness in the midst of suffering leads to eternal victory and the crown of life. Death on earth matters a whole lot less when God is prepared to reverse it. In fact, he goes out of his way to make the point in this passage that he was dead and is now alive. He’s overcome death before and he will maintain that victory. When we suffer on earth, whining about it is the opposite of Jesus’ example. Let’s be careful to avoid undermining the Gospel by demanding our “rights,” seeking political power, and having thin skin. Jesus never did any of those things.