Daily Bread 2011 - Revelation 1
John’s Vision of Christ
9 I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10 On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, 11 which said: “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.”12 I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. 15 His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. 18 I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.19 “Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. 20 The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
What Does This Mean?
Today we begin our study of the Revelation. Notice it is not “Revelations”, as many people mispronounce. It is the Revelation that John received on the island of Patmos, which he was on due to his proclamation of the gospel. Importantly though, this Revelation comes to us through the words of the apostle John, clearly he acknowledges this is the revelation of Jesus Christ from the Father. Though the Revelation was for the Seven Churches in Asia Minor which encapsulated John’s oversight, it is timeless for churches of all time as we anticipate Jesus’ return with an expectancy that should bring us joy not fear.
The IVP Commentary has wonderfully put this concept into words as to the sense that the end is near so I have copied their thoughts on this precious last book of the bible.
“Much of the flavor and excitement of the book of Revelation is traceable to this fervent conviction that the end of the world is near. Many Christian readers and preachers today downplay that conviction in light of the fact that nineteen hundred years have passed, and the expected end has not come. Christians tend to get nervous about any implication that the Bible might be mistaken. Yet a great deal is lost when the striking words soon and the time is near are not given their proper force. The conviction that the end of the world is near is what makes the book of Revelation larger than life.
Anyone who has faced the prospect of imminent death, whether from illness or accident, and then recovered knows how precious life then seems. The colors of the world are brighter and its contrasts sharper. Everything around us is etched more deeply than before in our senses and in our memories. When we assume that life will go on forever, one day often blurs into another, but when we are reminded that it has an end, every moment and every perception can come alive. Samuel Johnson once said that the prospect of one's own imminent death "wonderfully concentrates the mind." (IVP Commentary)
What Does This Mean For Us?
As we journey though this exciting book, which is a foretaste of the feast to come, I invite you to consider all its meaning as we wonderfully concentrate our mind on things that will really matter in the end. Some take the study of end times (called “eschatology”) as an excuse to remove themselves from the world to just wait to be taken to heaven. And yet we will be challenged in this book to live out our days until Jesus decides to return with purpose and an expectant joy of when He will return.
The concept that Jesus will come soon should however also create in us an urgency to be about the things Jesus has commanded us to be about. As we study each of the seven churches there will likely be something in each church for us to learn from. Though we live out our faith as individuals, we also live it out in the context of a Christian community, usually the local church we are a part of it. So the Revelation is a call both to individual expectancy and faithfulness, but also a wake up call for the Church to be about the business Jesus has called us to be faithful to until the end despite the certain opposition the world will bring. I pray the Revelation will wonderfully concentrate all our minds to God’s purposes and how we can be certain that we are ready for Jesus’ return by our faithfulness to His call on our lives in the power of the Holy Spirit. As John describes his image of Jesus it will be quite an amazing and awe inspiring moment when we come into our Lord’s presence, as he has now be raised in eternal glory and power and waits for His bride to return to Him!
Jesus, as we await your return may we heed the words of this book as revealed through Your apostle John but every bit as written to us today. Send Your Spirit so we can do all things through your power and might, Amen.
9 I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10 On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, 11 which said: “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.”12 I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. 15 His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. 18 I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.19 “Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. 20 The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
What Does This Mean?
Today we begin our study of the Revelation. Notice it is not “Revelations”, as many people mispronounce. It is the Revelation that John received on the island of Patmos, which he was on due to his proclamation of the gospel. Importantly though, this Revelation comes to us through the words of the apostle John, clearly he acknowledges this is the revelation of Jesus Christ from the Father. Though the Revelation was for the Seven Churches in Asia Minor which encapsulated John’s oversight, it is timeless for churches of all time as we anticipate Jesus’ return with an expectancy that should bring us joy not fear.
The IVP Commentary has wonderfully put this concept into words as to the sense that the end is near so I have copied their thoughts on this precious last book of the bible.
“Much of the flavor and excitement of the book of Revelation is traceable to this fervent conviction that the end of the world is near. Many Christian readers and preachers today downplay that conviction in light of the fact that nineteen hundred years have passed, and the expected end has not come. Christians tend to get nervous about any implication that the Bible might be mistaken. Yet a great deal is lost when the striking words soon and the time is near are not given their proper force. The conviction that the end of the world is near is what makes the book of Revelation larger than life.
Anyone who has faced the prospect of imminent death, whether from illness or accident, and then recovered knows how precious life then seems. The colors of the world are brighter and its contrasts sharper. Everything around us is etched more deeply than before in our senses and in our memories. When we assume that life will go on forever, one day often blurs into another, but when we are reminded that it has an end, every moment and every perception can come alive. Samuel Johnson once said that the prospect of one's own imminent death "wonderfully concentrates the mind." (IVP Commentary)
What Does This Mean For Us?
As we journey though this exciting book, which is a foretaste of the feast to come, I invite you to consider all its meaning as we wonderfully concentrate our mind on things that will really matter in the end. Some take the study of end times (called “eschatology”) as an excuse to remove themselves from the world to just wait to be taken to heaven. And yet we will be challenged in this book to live out our days until Jesus decides to return with purpose and an expectant joy of when He will return.
The concept that Jesus will come soon should however also create in us an urgency to be about the things Jesus has commanded us to be about. As we study each of the seven churches there will likely be something in each church for us to learn from. Though we live out our faith as individuals, we also live it out in the context of a Christian community, usually the local church we are a part of it. So the Revelation is a call both to individual expectancy and faithfulness, but also a wake up call for the Church to be about the business Jesus has called us to be faithful to until the end despite the certain opposition the world will bring. I pray the Revelation will wonderfully concentrate all our minds to God’s purposes and how we can be certain that we are ready for Jesus’ return by our faithfulness to His call on our lives in the power of the Holy Spirit. As John describes his image of Jesus it will be quite an amazing and awe inspiring moment when we come into our Lord’s presence, as he has now be raised in eternal glory and power and waits for His bride to return to Him!
Jesus, as we await your return may we heed the words of this book as revealed through Your apostle John but every bit as written to us today. Send Your Spirit so we can do all things through your power and might, Amen.
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