Revelation 8

Revelation 8

If you looked at the world when the Revelation was being disseminated and asked who or what are the influences of history, you might expect it would be the powerful men of politics. You might think it would be the generals and the armies. You might even believe it is the people of wealth and riches. If we asked the same questions today, we would likely draw similar conclusions. We might add to that list the powers of media, entertainment, or the Internet. But the picture we see in Revelation 8 and 9 offers a very different answer.

Beginning in verse 6, angels are about to blow their trumpets. Trumpets were the early warning system of the day. They were used to call attention and to warn people of impending danger. The events described after each angel’s trumpet blast are warnings to an unrepentant world. The events are world-shaking and reshaping moments. It is important to pay attention to the context in which these events are described.

The context begins with silence, a lost art today, that will give emphasis to the sound of the trumpet. But that silence is not empty. Between the breaking of the seventh seal and the first trumpet sound, what do you see? We see the prayers of the saints. While it may appear that the powerful forces of history and life are the great political, economic, cultural, or military leaders, it is not so. We see that the prayers of the saints go up to God, and then things happen. When faced with the events that occur after the trumpets sound, the world's elites are weak and powerless.

Prayer is the hardest discipline that a Christian can develop. It is so easy to get distracted, to parrot without thought the same old words, to slip into freestyle prayer that requires no heart and no soul. The enemy, our own flesh, and the whole world system will tell you to do something else, something important, to get busy, to be active, and not just sit and pray and do nothing. One of the messages of this passage is that we are doing the most when we are praying.

“Lord, help me remember the power of prayers. AMEN”

Revelation 7

Revelation 7

Being a disciple is a lot like the history of the Exodus. In the Exodus, God’s people were assembled, led, and cared for by God through a difficult and what, from a human perspective, seemed to be a helpless scenario or journey. The Exodus is a useful metaphor for being a disciple. In Revelation 6 we see the world through which we travel as disciples, which can also seem to be a hapless journey. But in Revelation 7 we see the rest of the metaphor. We see the complete number of God's people sealed and protected. We see that numerically they can't be counted. We see these people are the worshipping community who have been made righteous because of the cross of Christ. We see them protected in God's presence. We see them free from hunger, thirst, and the sun's misery and heat because of the Lamb’s care. We see the Lamb as the Shepherd taking them to water and setting them free from anything that would cause a tear.

When we look at this passage with the lenses of the Exodus, it becomes simply beautiful. As disciples, we are traveling through our own Exodus and wilderness wanderings. Living as a disciple is not easy. We are not blind to nor immune from the hardships of life, just as Israel was not immune from the hardships of the desert. But as Israel was cared for in the Exodus, so we are cared for in our life as a disciple.

It has been said that it took God 10 plagues to get Israel out of Egypt, but it took Him 40 years to get Egypt out of Israel. Why is it that we do not experience a total life of bliss as soon as we become a follower of Christ? Why do we face so many struggles as we follow? The answer is in the symbol of the Exodus; in the process, God is changing us. Sometimes in the process we become discouraged. When that happens, we turn to Revelation 7, and we see that we will make it. Cared for, protected, and comforted by the Lamb, we are not alone on this journey.

It is interesting to note that in this chapter of the tribes, Dan and Ephraim are not mentioned. We can't say specifically why, but we can say viewing this chapter through the lenses of the Exodus, when it came time for Dan and Ephraim to receive their inheritance, they rejected God's provision for them. By not including the tribes of Dan and Ephraim in this list, we see a fantastic symbol that even though God can and will lead us through our Exodus, there are some that will not remain faithful and will miss out.

“Lord, help me to embrace the process by which You will change me. AMEN”

Revelation 6

Revelation 6

What is our reaction to the dramatic events of our world? There seems to be a growing trend toward the histrionic and panic. Every time there is an opportunity for a panic, there is someone who will attempt to capitalize on it. From the passive media (it can hardly be called the news media) to politicians to special interest groups to businesses to individuals wanting to see that everyone is informed and every event is exploited. But to do that, there must be generated fear, sensationalism, and crisis. Events large and small are presented as harbingers of doom. A grown man playing a boy’s game takes a knee during the national anthem, and it spells the end of Liberty. Providing plastic straws with a fast food meal means the ruin of the environment. Nothing is so trivial as to not be useful for exploitation in one way or the other.

We see a different picture in Revelation 6. In this chapter we see history, or should we say historical events, unfolding, but we do not see panic or fear. We see God's plan in the scroll opened up by the Lamb, who is worthy to accomplish God's plan. Note the phrase “it was granted.” Within God's plan there is permission given for the dramatic events of history. It is important to know that while men may act and nature may convulse, it does so not apart from the power of God and the Lamb, but by their permission.

We need to also note the two reactions of people. First is that of the martyrs. They have suffered the worst in this world for the Lamb. Faced with tumult, they turn to and draw close to God. They do not see even their own death as something out of control or beyond God’s power and provision. The second reaction is from kings and rich men, slaves and freedmen. Without faith, these people, who represent all of humanity, face the apparent chaos of the world with a desire to be hidden from God. The world, the flesh, and the powers of darkness are delighted for us to be filled with fear and panic because from there it is a short trip to wanting to hide from God. Instead, we must live understanding all events are in His control. He is worthy to open the seals. 

The saint who is about to give his life for the Name of Christ doesn’t see history running amok. They see all of history working out according to the plan God has prepared and which the Lamb is bringing about. 

“Lord, help me see Your hand in history. AMEN”

Revelation 5

Revelation 5

If Chapter 4 shows us the universe from its true perspective, that it is centered on God, this chapter does the same with God's plan. It seems at times that the world is becoming completely unglued. We look about us, and all we can see is the apparent triumph of evil. If we are pessimistic by personality, the world offers us plenty of evidence to support our opinions. If we are trying to be realistic, the preponderance of the evidence seems to trend toward bad news. It seems that to be an optimist, we must somehow detach from reality and have a Pollyanna disregard for evil around us. The answer is not to be realistic, optimistic, or pessimistic, but rather to have faith in God and His plan. 

We see God on His throne holding a book. It is His plan, His will, and it is all He wants done and accomplished. The plan is sealed perfectly with seven seals. It is God's perfect plan that perfectly makes all the confusing parts of the universe fit together. This plan is locked up until someone good enough can open it and set things in motion. This wonderful, beautiful, and glorious plan seems thwarted, and the loss is so profound that John starts to cry. This is no little cry, rather the wail of great loss that hurts to the core of his very being. It is as if it would have been better if the whole universe had not existed than for this moment to have come about. The hopeless despair we feel as we look about us is multiplied by every pain and care in every place and time, and John breaks down under the sorrow. 

Then comes the word that is possibly the greatest word in Scripture, “Stop weeping; behold the Lion of the tribe of Judah.” It is Jesus that will accomplish or has accomplished all that God desires. This description is not about chronology but the character of the hero of the story. The plan will work because the Lamb that was slain is worthy. The cascading voices of the saints, the leaders, and holy creatures that are beyond description and imagination join together to sing the praises of this Lamb that was slain.

When we are given to discouragement and despair by the world around us, we need to recall this command, “Stop crying.” The bad news is not the real news. Yes, things can be bad, but when we look at Jesus and what He has and will accomplish, we realize the answer is not our optimism or pessimism or perception, but God's plan fulfilled in Christ.

Lord, in this broken world I need You to help me keep my eyes fixed on Jesus, AMEN”

Revelation 4

Revelation 4

This fourth chapter of Revelation has one primary purpose, one main message to communicate to us. We are tempted to attempt to fathom the meaning of every symbol and image, but before we do that, we must not miss the main picture. This chapter is a picture of the entire universe seen not from a physical perspective, but from the perspective of its order. The first question we need to ask is not, “What does this or that symbol mean?” The first question is, “Who is at the center of the universe? Who is it all about?” 

When Adam and Eve sinned, they were attempting to place themselves at the center of the universe as the ones who determined right and wrong and law. The rebellion of Satan was an attempt to place himself at the center of the universe, to usurp God's authority. When we sin, we are doing the same thing. By a sin of commission, we are actually trying to take God's place at the center and place ourselves as the one who rules. In a sin of omission, we are ignoring the one who is on the throne. We have been entirely too casual in our thinking about sin. We think of sin as a single act or a simple broken rule. It is much worse than that; it is an attempt to throw God from His throne and to take that place for ourselves. Every attempt to do so is inevitably going to fail, and we are ruined in the process.

Look at the One on the throne, and we will see we are insignificant, tiny, living dust that could be blown to the four corners of the world in a moment. In contrast to our smallness, we see the One who is on the throne. In verse 8, we see three descriptions of Him, none of which would apply to us. He is holy, almighty, and eternal. In verse 11, we see why He is worthy of worship. It is because all that exists apart from Him was created by and has their ongoing existence in Him and because of His will. This incomprehensibly large universe in which our lives are insignificant compared to God. It is as if in making it, He says, “Here is a tiny picture of my power.” The beginning point of understanding Revelation and of being a disciple is to understand it is about God and not me. That is why, as a disciple, our first call, our first order of life, is to die to self.

“Lord, grant me true humility before Your greatness. AMEN”

Revelation 3:14-22

Revelation 3:14-22

It is as if the Lord saved the worst for last.  The church at Laodicea is the only church of the seven to receive no word of commendation from the Lord. It was a church without approval. The church is apathetic about its spiritual condition. They do not seem to be self-deceived, thinking they are spiritually healthy or dynamic when they are not. This church appears to lack any concern about their condition, even if they are aware that something is desperately wrong. They are rather concerned about their financial well-being. “Who needs to get fanatical about religion when you have money?” is their attitude. Their wealth had made them numb to their actual condition. How descriptive of many of our churches today! We build lavish homes for our congregations and are concerned with our personal peace and affluence, and we approach Christ as a consumer approaches a market. We will take a little of this and some of that, but only at our choosing.

Somewhere along the way there was a failure of leadership. The church did not end up in this pathetic shape by itself. There were leaders who either actively led this church towards this selfish life or did not correct it as it was drifting that way. The church in the West is very much in this situation. If the average church attendee were given the choice of losing their faith or their wealth, most would, if they had to make a choice, surrender their faith. But in our religious context that choice is never so obvious. You can easily find a church that will tell you exactly what you want to hear about wealth, no matter how selfish it might be. This is the result of generations that have tried to make Christianity about us and not Him. The seeker-driven church has been stunned to find that what the seeker wants is to be selfish with just enough religion to alleviate the conscience. 

They are deplorable, and their condition is not in spite of the circumstances but because of them. Their focus on personal peace and affluence has blinded them to their true condition. They have five markers of how bad off they really are. They are “wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.” Thankfully, the Lord can provide the cure for their five ailments. They must, however, become passionate about the Lord and express genuine change of heart, AKA, repentance. The Lord stands at the door making noise trying to alert the church. If they will open to Him, He will come in; however, He will not knock forever. 

“Lord, please awaken Your church or our sad condition. AMEN”

Revelation 3:1-13

Revelation 3:1-13

Ours is a society that accepts the ideal that “image is everything.” That mindset was apparently part of the church at Sardis. The description of that church could apply to many churches and individual Christians today: “You have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.” We will go to great lengths to appear to have it all together. The problem is that the facade will only last so long. Many churches and individual Christian have worked hard to appear to be spiritually healthy while not addressing more fundamental and spiritual issues. Sooner or later the truth always comes out. A church or believer with significant problems can only be restored by directly and honestly addressing those issues. The nature of the problem in the church at Sardis was not the issue we typically get worked up about. They were not having a problem of worship or music or style, personality or leadership, or budgets or spending. It was a problem of deeds or works. Our works do not save us, but when we neglect works, we end up neglecting the relationship that ought to prompt or motivate our behaviors. It is vitally important that we notice the metaphor of the thief coming. We often associate this metaphor with the lost being left out or left behind. This warning is not for non-Christians, but for the church. It is the Christian, the church, that needs to be concerned with being caught unaware at Christ’s return. It is the church whose works are incomplete that is being warned in this passage. 

Related to the letter to the church at Sardis is the warning to the church in Philadelphia. This church is on the other side of the coin; it is sort of an opposite, mirror image. They have not missed their opportunity to complete their deeds as Sardis had; they were facing their opportunity. If the door was closing on Sardis, it was just beginning to open for Philadelphia. The opportunity for Philadelphia was disproportionate to their strength. It was because they had little strength that they were given such wonderful opportunities. In addition to their little power, they had two other qualifications. First, they have kept the word of the Lord, and their lives reflected His command and authority over them. Second, they have not denied Him when the pressure was on; they remained loyal to Him. Here is good news for every disciple: all three of these qualifications are easily within our grasp. We need not wait until we have achieved some level of capacity in order to take advantage of God-given opportunity. Never say “no” to an opportunity because you lack some credential. If it is the good work the Lord has prepared for us, our loyalty to His word and person is all the credentials He thinks we need. This does not mean an absence of hardship. Hardships are promised, but in those hardships He will keep us. There is nothing wrong with degrees or training, but what makes a disciple is loyalty. 

“Lord, help me to always put on confidence in You and not my credentials or training.  AMEN

Revelation 2:18-29

Revelation 2:18-29

There are some people that the more you know them, the more impressed by them you become. And there are some people the more you know them, the less impressed by them you become. That is the way with the church at Thyatira. If all we knew of Thyatira was what is recorded in verse 19, we might conclude that she was a pretty amazing church. But the introduction of Christ in verse 18 is very intimidating, and as we read verse 19, we are expecting the other shoe to fall, and when it does, it is not a pretty picture. 

The address begins, “I know your deeds.” These deeds are defined in four categories: love, faith, service, and perseverance. It is noted that the church is growing in these four categories. So, what could be the problem? Simply this: all these are or can be external; they can be faked. The church had a huge problem, which the Lord defines as “tolerance.” Don’t miss this point! The overarching and supreme problem in this church was tolerance. This tolerance was toward an influential woman who was teaching wrong ideas. It is important to note that she was not teaching immorality or participation in meals conducted in association with idol sacrifice. She was teaching and leading people astray, and the natural, inevitable result was that the people would, of their own choice, engage in immoral behavior.

As disciples, we must be extremely discriminating in the teachers we listen to. A great many teachers have propagated and distorted the faith. They do not overtly teach evil, but they lay a philosophical foundation for evil practices. These acts of immorality may be, but are not limited to, sexual behaviors. Just because a teacher has a platform or a program is no certainty they are teaching the truth. In fact, popularity in a sinful world needs to be a warning sign. Every disciple needs to be a student and scholar of scripture before being a devotee of a teacher. 

The consequences are serious in the extreme. The Lord’s response is fierce. “I will kill…” all those who buy into this doctrine. The fierce lord with flaming eyes and burning feet is ready to kill. Because a teacher or teaching appeals to us is no measure of its validity; in fact, because of our fallen nature, this appeal may in reality spell our doom.  By our very fallen nature, we want to believe those things that appeal to us, that make us feel good about ourselves and our lives. That is a tendency the enemy will exploit and use to deceive us. We must be aware of how we feel about things but take care not to trust our feelings.

But escape is possible. To those who are misguided, the Lord offers the word of repentance. To those who have resisted the siren song, the Lord offers the challenge to hold fast. In the promise there is an important undertone. The false teachers are popular and the faithful are not, but in the life to come the faithful are elevated to rule with and in the company of our Lord. As disciples, we choose our future. That choice is to be made with the greatest care, testing every teacher by the Word of God, not how we feel about his or her message.

“Lord, never all my wants to supersede what is true. AMEN”

Revelation 2:1-17

Revelation 2:1-17

Typically, we attempt to look at the seven churches of Revelation and endeavor to find some insight regarding the end times. A better application and understanding of these messages to the churches is, “What does it mean to be a disciple? What can we learn about how to live for Christ from each of these churches?” 

Ephesus was a great church. She was hardworking with many good deeds. She was determined and faithful in both her works and her commitment to moral purity and doctrine. But into this great church had slipped a problem. They were doing the right stuff as they had always done, but the motivation had changed. Perhaps inertia or tradition or reputation had slipped in and become their motivation. For whatever reason, they had left their first love. It was so subtle that they likely never noticed the change. Where once they did great works for the love of Jesus, now they left love out. They made a choice to leave; they left their first love, but their first love did not leave them. They were not victims but perpetrators; it didn't happen to them; rather, they did it to themselves. As disciples, if the love of Christ is not the motivation for our works, no matter how grand, they will ultimately and finally come to nothing. 

In our “mega” world, where bigger is assumed to be better and more is the goal, the disciple must be content with being a misfit. Our objective is never to be the greatest and biggest. The most positive message from our Lord to these churches is to the  church at Smyrna, a church that would not garner a lot of attention in our world. This church was in the midst of trouble, and it was poor. And it was about to suffer more with prison and testing that were just ahead. But this is, from our Lord's perspective, the best of the churches. As a disciple, we must remember that those things so highly valued by our culture in a church may be contemptible to our Lord, and those things our world wants to avoid may indicate loyalty to the One outside of the world.

Being in the world is the reality for the church and disciple. But being of the world is the ruin of any church or disciple. Apparently, at one time Pergamum was a great church. During a time of persecution, she has remained faithful. But now, and perhaps because of persecution, the church had let down her guard. The reference to Balaam and Balak is related to the teachings of the Nicolaitans. The Nicolaitans were a group that taught the relaxation of the high moral standards that marked the Christian community. Perhaps out of misguided compassion, the desire for growth, wanting the acceptance of the community at large, or even the lure of recreational sin, the church had allowed immoral people to be a part of the church without repentance. Jesus promises a war if they do not repent. Don't miss this; unrepentant immorality will cause Jesus to make war against us. As a disciple, we must remember no matter how compassionate, effective, or appealing something may sound, the compromise of morals is a short path to ruin.

In this passage we see one very good church, one bad church, and one church somewhere in the middle. As disciples and as members of the church, we are always in the process of decision; we are always at a sort of crossroads for the future. The next step we take will move us toward the point of taking the next step, either for good or bad.

“Lord, help me take the next step toward You and Your will. AMEN”

The Seven Churches of Revelation

Getting ready to look at the Seven Churches of Revelation

If Jesus Google rated churches,

What if Jesus rated churches today? Forgive me if I am being anachronistic with the church, but I was wondering if Jesus wrote a Google review of the seven churches, how would they do on a scale of one to five? My guess is that a couple would do fairly well, but most of these churches wouldn’t.  That caused me to wonder, how would our churches do? Which caused me to chase down another rabbit trail. 

I looked up on Google “Churches in (city name withheld)” and looked at their reviews. I reviewed the first 20 churches to populate the list, and to my surprise, they all rated pretty high, the lowest score being a 4.4. The churches in this city rated on average 4.76, which struck me as a bit odd; I seemed to be missing something. This community has a crime problem, a drug and alcohol addiction problem, rumors of corruption in the local government, and widespread educational failures, not to mention a not very well-hidden problem with hatred in the guise of racism. How is it that in a community that is suffused with the symptoms of sin every church is extremely good? One would think that with every church being great, the powers of darkness would be receding if not vanquished. How can this be? I have a few ideas of what may be happening. I do not mean to ridicule or degrade the church, but I am bothered by what I see. 

When Jesus looked at the churches listed in Revelation, only the churches at Smyrna and Philadelphia did not receive stinging rebukes, and those churches don’t look much like us. In fact, these two churches that were given positive divine reviews didn’t have the things that typically get a church good reviews on Google. In contrast, the churches that appear to have the things we would value most—wealth, tolerance, reputation, lots of activity—were the ones most soundly criticized.

Why is it that the Lord’s opinion of these seven churches is for the most part negative while our opinion of our churches is so positive? There are several possibilities for this. But not all of them are equally valid.

The first possibility is that Jesus is just too demanding. He may have been an un-pleaseable fussbudget that, no matter how good the church was, he was going to find some little thing to complain about. But when we look at His indictments of the church, we see those He rebuked had hideous problems. We also see that His agenda was not criticism but to rescue the churches. We must reject this explanation.

A second possibility is that the churches of today have grown and evolved into genuinely great churches. It may be that our churches really are as good as we seem to think they are. But if that is the case, why are most churches in America in decline or flatlined? Why is the current church so fractured and divided both within and without? Why is there regression in all the disciplines by which we can measure the life and walk of the individual Christian? No one who seriously considered the question would ever imagine that the condition of the American church is anything other than grave. This second possibility we must also reject.

There is a third possibility. The reason that we rate our churches so highly is because we like them for entirely selfish reasons. We have turned religion into a consumer commodity. As individuals, we have made a priority of our likes, dislikes, appetites, and requirements as the means by which we evaluate a church. We have made our wants the idol to which we expect a church to sacrifice itself. If we attend a church and we do not like something, indeed anything, about that church, we will leave and go find a church that suits us. Having done this a few times, we have migrated into churches we like, and thus we rate them highly. This is the only possible explanation of how every church can be so highly rated and yet the church is so utterly carnal, divided, ineffective, and self-satisfied.

We must not, however, place all the blame on the membership of the church. The church is a mess in America, and church leadership is a big part of the problem. In order to grow churches numerically, to keep members from drifting to other congregations, to keep offerings coming in, and to keep the people happy, church leaders have, with good-intentioned motives, pandered to the whims of the religious consumers in their churches and community. Telling them what they want to hear and programming to their demands. 

It is a small wonder that the churches are so highly rated by their members and consumers. But that still begs the question, “What if Jesus rated churches today?”

“Lord, help me see the church the way You do. AMEN”

We have lost Christmas, culturally speaking, that is.

 We have lost Christmas, culturally speaking, that is.

The declining influence of the church and the Christian faith is showing up in the celebration of Christmas.  That is expressed dramatically in a recent survey by cloudcovermusic.com.  The retail industry, generally, and some stores specifically, live or die by sales during the Christmas season.  So everything that can in any way be associated with enhancing sales is researched.  In their recent project Holiday Songs Survey: U.S. Listening Habits, Cloud Cover illustrated for us how we have lost Christmas.  

Of the top ten holiday songs, only two were related to the birth of Christ, which happens to be the same number of songs related to romantic affection and far less than warm feelings about community.  Generationally, the last generation to like sacred Christmas music was the Boomers. Among Gen X and the Millennials, 2/3rds are either indifferent or negative about faith-oriented Christmas music.

The retail industry is taking note and will no doubt apply this research to their in-store playlist.  Survey respondents report that religious music doesn’t enhance the shopping experience.  Of those surveyed, 38% report that the presence of religious music ‘discourages me from shopping there,” and 21% said that religious music “makes me angry.”

Once upon a time churches looked at Christmas music as a positive outreach opportunity.  A great big Christmas music event, concert, cantata, etc., was seen as a way of connecting to non-believers and opening a door to evangelistic outreach in the year to come.  That will not work anymore.  We may attract a large crowd of believers from various churches that will gush about how great our program was, but we will almost certainly not impact our lost neighbors.  We can be very busy and self-satisfied but with minimum impact.  

So how did this happen, and what do we do?  It happened because the church became so soft, warm, and fuzzy that we taught people to be drawn to the ‘baby Jesus’ without giving thought to who He was.  In the revolting movie Talladega Nights, the main character offers a prayer to baby Jesus.  That prayer and character represent much of what has happened in the church.  

The solution will not be fast, but it is tried and true.  In the Advent readings of the liturgical calendar, we see readings associated with the second coming of Christ.  This may seem odd, but the best way to prepare for the celebration of the first coming of Christ is to meditate on His second coming.  When Jesus returns, the songs will be songs of praise, worship, and adoration.  We will hear nothing about a “White Christmas” or “It's cold outside.”

If you want to do some extra reading for preparation for Christ, may I suggest the book of Revelation?  Which is the subject of my devotions this month at Beyondharan.blogspot.com.

Revelation 1:9-20

Revelation 1:9-20

It is important to note where this passage and this whole book begin. John begins with suffering, having been exiled to Patmos and sharing in the tribulations, but still persevering. There is one article, “the,” which is applied to three nouns. In doing so, John links the three into a single unit or reality. They are three expressions of the same thing. These three nouns are suffering, kingdom, and perseverance. Faithfulness or perseverance in the midst of the certainty of suffering is part and parcel of being part of the Kingdom. It is not that suffering is an unexpected aberration and perseverance or endurance is something we have to do. Rather, suffering is to the kingdom life what labor is to pregnancy or muscle strain is to a workout. It is an absolute and necessary part of and the fulfillment of the experience. Throughout most of history, being a part of the Kingdom of God meant suffering, through which the disciple persevered. 

Why didn’t John simply “name and claim” his way out of the suffering? One possibility is that John was ignorant of his authority to name and claim personal peace and prosperity into his life. Another possibility is that John lacked adequate faith. A third possibility is that suffering, perseverance, and the kingdom are so linked together that God works in and through these rather than extracting us out of them. 

John hears a loud voice, and when he turns to see the voice, he is so terrified that he falls like a dead man. Maybe he fainted, and maybe he simply lost all strength because of being overwhelmed. The power and glory and symbolism cause John to collapse. John was no young novice; he had seen and experienced plenty. John has seen the worst you could find on earth but is terrified by the best of Heaven. Completely overcome by what he saw, he falls into a heap. What revives him is the touch of the right hand of what terrified him. We mustn’t miss this point: what devastates us by its grandeur and glory will lift us up with its gentleness.

Perhaps the reason we are lacking in the personal touch of the Savior is that we have lost or have never known the fear of the Almighty. Having reduced Jesus to a personal domestic or wingman and having tried to turn God into a vending machine that dispenses goodies, we have lost the fear and awe of God. Having lost any fear of God, we are incapable of His comfort. We do not have His comfort because all we want are trinkets. As suffering and endurance are part of the Kingdom, so fear is a critical part of comfort. 

“Lord, grant me a holy fear of You. AMEN”

Revelation 1:1-8

Revelation 1:1-8

The greatest problem we face when studying or reading Revelation is the apriori assumption of the purpose of the book. Most of the teachers and writers who deal with Revelation act as if the book is about future history. It is treated as a cheat sheet for a timeline, allowing Christians to know events before they happen. If we begin with this presumption, we fall into a morass of confusion trying to match the descriptions in Revelation to events in history and link them to current or near events. This has been a repeated failure of the church and of sects for years.

In this passage there are two references to time in verses 1 and 4, totaling about 10 words. There are in this passage depictions and descriptions of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, of angels, and of the church in every verse. This book is just barely about time at all. It is almost entirely about the forces of righteousness and their ultimate victory over the powers of evil. This is a panoramic vision of the defeat of the world, the flesh, and the devil at a cosmic level. It is especially important because in life it often feels like evil is winning. 

Verses 4 through 8 are almost a summary of the whole book and all of history in every age. It is also a beautiful hymn of praise. This expression of praise begins with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (vv. 4 and 5) and ends with the Alpha and Omega, the Eternal One, the Almighty God (v. 8). In the middle is the story of our redemption and our sharing in His victory (v. 5–7). The grandeur of God and the salvation He provides and our sharing in that salvation make the obsessions with dates and charts pale into insignificance. Our fixation on charts, timelines, and graphs about dates, chronology, currency, and marks ends up seeming just a little shallow and silly.

This book was written in a world of incredible suffering and persecution for God's people. They lived in a world where it seemed that evil was the stronger and would ultimately prevail. Into this dark world there comes this message: The whole universe, time, history, and everything else is under God's control, and He with His people shall prevail. To understand this book, don't look at history or time, but rather, look to God and His victory and glory.

"Lord, help me keep my focus on You at all times. AMEN"