Evangelist Leonard Ravenhill once said, “The world has lost the power to blush over its sin; the Church has lost her power to weep over it.”

Although Ravenhill meant this for the modern world and church, it is also an apt description of the city and church of Pergamum.

The Church in Pergamum (13-17)

About 70 miles north of Smyrna stood the magnificent city of Pergamum, one of the most important cities in the Roman Empire. The city boasted almost 180,000 inhabitants (about 3 times the size of Burlington, VT) and was known throughout the world for its architectural innovations, including the temple of Athena, the great altar to Zeus, and a library that held over 200, 000 volumes. By the first century A.D., Pergamum had become not only a key political center, but a major intellectual and religious center as well. A plethora of cultic philosophies and spiritualities existed there, but the religious landscape was dominated by the Roman Imperial Cult, which recognized the Greek gods but worshipped the emperor as a “god.” The emperor referred to himself as “savior.”

The city was littered with temples, altars, and shrines, which raised money through elaborate feasts, festivals, and sacred prostitution. If ever there was a pagan city, it was Pergamum. It participated in all sorts of perverse practices, and like Las Vegas and Amsterdam today, it competed against the Corinth for the title “Sin City” of the ancient world.

Satan’s Throne (13a)

This is why Jesus says, “I know where you live—where Satan has his throne.” He empathized with the church in Pergamum because he knew how difficult it was to be a Christian in such a sinful and anti-Christian city. Satan did not literally live there, but there was a pervasive satanic presence in the place. The image of a “throne” was appropriate amid all of the statues and altars in Pergamum, and it would have brought to mind the throne-like altar of Zeus or the temple of Asclepius, the serpent god of healing, which was symbolized by a snake.

Interestingly, the Altar of Zeus still exists today. A German archaeologist, Carl Humann, began excavating the Altar on Sept. 9, 1878 and shipped it out of the Ottoman Empire and reconstructed in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin. Kaiser Wilhelm II celebrated its erection in Berlin in 1902. Adolph Hitler became dictator in 1934 and ordered construction of the Tribune at Zeppelin Field in Nuremberg for his Nazi rallies. He used the Altar of Zeus as the model for the Zeppelintribüne. The Führer’s pulpit was in the center of the tribune, and Hitler used it as Satan’s Throne to carry out his diabolical work in the twentieth century.

“Satan’s throne” is a reference to the ungodly political powers that persecuted God’s people in Pergamum. They tried to force the Christians to accept the pagan religions, make sacrifices and offerings to the gods, and declare that Caesar is Lord and Savior.

Faithfulness amidst Persecution (13b)

But the Christians in Pergamum would have nothing to do with this! Jesus commends the church for remaining true to his name and refusing to renounce its faith in him. They refused to confess anyone other than Jesus as Lord and Savior, even when they faced persecution to the point of death like in the days of Antipas.

The only thing we know for sure about this man named Antipas was that he was a faithful witness of Jesus Christ and that he was martyred in Pergamum sometime before John’s writing of the Book of Revelation. There is a church tradition that says Antipas was the Bishop of the church in Pergamum and had been ordained to that office by the Apostle John.

It is said that the pagan priests went to the Roman governor and complained that the prayers of Antipas were driving their spirits out of the city and hindering the worship of their gods. As punishment, the governor ordered Antipas to offer a sacrifice of wine and incense to a statue of the Roman emperor and declare that the emperor was “lord and god.”

Antipas refused. So, the Governor said, “If you reject the divinity of the emperor, then that is the equivalent of rejecting the city of Rome.” Antipas was sentenced to death on the Altar of Zeus.

At the top of the altar was a hollow bronze bull, designed for human sacrifice. They placed the victim inside the bull, and they would tie him in such a way that his head would go into the head of the bull. Then they would light a huge fire under the bull, and as the fire heated the bronze, the person inside of the bull would slowly begin to roast to death. As the victim would begin to moan and to cry out in pain, his cries would echo through the pipes in the head of the bull so it seemed to make the bull come alive. Even in the midst of the flames, the elderly bishop Antipas died praying for his church.

Antipas did not renounce the name of Christ and modeled faithful Christian witness for his congregation. They followed his lead and Jesus praised them for remaining true to his name!

Pergamum’s Compromise (14-15)

Even though Jesus praised the church at Pergamum for not renouncing his name, he still had a few things against them. Some of the church members had compromised their faith by engaging in practices that were not consistent with their faith. The compromise is explained through references to the compromising relationship Balaam had with Israel in the Book of Numbers in the Old Testament: King Balak of Moab could not conquer Israel with military force, so he hired the evil prophet Balaam to attack Israel spiritually by pronouncing curses. But when God only allowed Balaam to utter blessings, he advised Balak to attack the Israelites by seducing them into idolatry and sexual immorality. The Moabites overcame God’s people by leading them into compromising sin.

This is exactly what was happening to some of the members of the church in Pergamum. The cult of Balaam and a group called the Nicolaitans were enticing the Christians to compromise their faith by participating in the pagan practices of eating meat sacrificed to idols and committing sexual immorality. Even through God’s Word clearly prohibited these practices, Satan used these groups to compel the believers to compromise their godly convictions. The cults would say ungodly things like, “It’s not really that bad! Everybody else is doing it! It’s not hurting anybody! If you can’t beat them, join them!” And because some of the Christians feared being marginalized or ostracized, they decided to conform to the culture of Pergamum rather than the character of Christ.

Pergamum’s Warning (12b, 16)

Since this church had compromised so severely, Jesus introduces himself to the church by reminding them that he is the one who has the sharp double-edged sword coming out of his mouth, an image of his sovereign justice and judgment. After he points out there sin in verses 14-15, he challenges them to repent from their sins of idolatry and sexual immorality and he warns them that unless they change their ethical positions and spiritual practices, he will fight against them with divine judgment and justice.

Pergamum’s Reward (17)

But to those who hear Jesus’ words, repent from their sin, turn away from their compromising tendencies, and remain faithful to Jesus until the end, he will bless them with the reward of eternal life. He uses the symbols of hidden manna and a white stone to represent eternal life. Jesus is saying that if you refuse the idolatrous meat sacrificed to idols, I will sustain you with what comes from heaven. White stones were associated with votes of acquittal in ancient courts. Conversely, black stones were given for guilty verdicts. Jesus is saying that those who remain faithful to him until the end will receive a vote of acquittal from their sins, a new name (which means a new identity), and gain entrance into the eternal community of the redeemed.

The Church in America

In many ways, the American church is like the church in Pergamum. We are trying to live the Christian life and remain faithful to Jesus Christ in the midst of a pagan culture. There are numerous pressures to adopt the values of society and be conformed to the image of this world. As a nation, we don’t bow before statues of Zeus and Athena, but we do erect altars of arrogance, podiums of pleasure, and shrines of selfishness. American culture worships the gods of power, money, materialism, success, celebrities, and entertainment! It is difficult to be a faithful Christian when we dwell in the shadow of Satan’s throne—in a culture of opposing beliefs and values.

I believe that Satan is using the same strategy with the American church today as he did with the church in Pergamum two-thousand years ago. He doesn’t openly attack the church through external persecution; he attacks it subtly by tries to get us to compromise our biblical values and to conform to the culture around us.

The world’s values and God’s values are very different. The world’s business ethic says, “Do what you have to do to get ahead!” God’s business ethic says, “Do unto others what you would have them do to you.” The world tells our young people, “Have sex when you are ready.” God says, “You are not ready to have sex until you are married!” The world says, “Get what you can while you can get it.” God says, “It is more blessed to give than receive.” The world says, “It’s your life, live it how you want to.” God says, “You are not your own; you were bought with a price.”

The church faces incredible pressure to conform to American culture. In some ways, of us are guilty of compromise. Some of us have adopted the culture’s views of society, business, and sexuality. Others have embraced the culture’s political and social positions. Some just “go with the flow” of everyone else at work or school because we are afraid of being marginalized or ostracized. How have you compromised?

Like the church in Pergamum, Jesus offers us the opportunity to repent from the areas where we have compromised. And if we remain faithful to his Word, his ethics, his positions, his practices, and his life, we too will be rewarded with hidden manna, a white stone, and a new name!

 

Jesus’ Sovereignty over History, Life, and Death (8)

Like Jesus’ letter to the church in Ephesus, he opens his letter to the church in Smyrna with an affirmation of his sovereignty from the chapter one vision that suits the situation of the church best. Here he chooses to introduce himself by the title “the First and the Last, who died and came to life again” which asserts his sovereignty over history and life and death. Jesus is eternal; therefore, he is in control of everything that happens in the past, present, and future. He proved his sovereign over life and death by dying on the cross and coming back to life again.

These affirmations were especially relevant to the situation in the church at Smyrna because it was suffering terrible afflictions. The church needed assurance that their ultimate future was already secure, even though their present lives were unsecure. The Christians needed to be reminded that Jesus was still in charge and that he was watching over them.

Does that ever happen to you? Do you ever face afflictions whereby you need to be reminded of God’s sovereignty? Do you ever encounter present problems that cause you to fear for your future security? Do you ever experience crises, dilemmas, and predicaments where you just need to know that Jesus is still in control and he is watching over you?

This affirmation of Jesus’ sovereignty renews our hope! When you experience afflictions, remember that Jesus is eternal; he has authority over your past, present, and future! When you are afraid, remember that Jesus has authority over life and death! Remember that Jesus is in control of everything and he is watching over you, and you will be able to overcome any affliction!

Poverty and Slander in the Church (9)

In verse 9, Jesus identifies the two primary afflictions in the Smyrnian church: poverty and slander, and the two were interrelated. The slander against them contributed to their poverty. The large Jewish population in Smyrna constantly spoke evil and spread negative propaganda against the Christian church. They pointed out to the Roman government that the Christians refused to pay homage to Caesar as Lord. And every time there was an earthquake, flood, drought, or some other natural disaster, they blamed it on the Christian’s refusal to worship the gods of the pantheon. The Jews persecuted the church by slandering the name of Christians.

The church’s lack of physical and material resources was a direct result of this slander. The Jews did what they could to incite Roman hostility against the church. When Jesus says that these people “who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan” he means that even though they were ethnically Jewish, they were not really part of God’s chosen people because they denied Jesus as Messiah, and when they persecuted Jesus’ church, they were actually doing Satan’s work.

Although the Romans tolerated Judaism, they stripped Christians of the right to worship their God and discriminated against them by denying them opportunities for employment. In such an antagonistic environment, it was difficult for the Smyrnian Christians to make a living, and many of them were economically destitute.

Even though the Jewish and Roman persecution was intended to force the church out of the city, it actually had the opposite effect. It brought the church closer together and made it stronger. Jesus acknowledged their physical poverty, but he highlighted their spiritual wealth. They were spiritually rich because their sufferings helped them to identify closer with the sufferings of Christ. This is why God did not remove the animosity and persecution, but he encouraged them to remain faithful and endure, for this was participation in the way of Christ.

Throughout the centuries, slander and poverty has often been the lot of God’s followers, because the people of this world often seek to do them harm. There are many members of Satan’s synagogue, although most of them don’t even recognize it. Even today, Christians all around the world are stripped of their rights, denied employment, and forced to live in poverty. While it is to a much lesser degree, this still happens in America too!

When you face slander or poverty because you are a Christian, remember that even though you may be physically poor, you can be spiritually rich. If you remain faithful to Christ and participate in his sufferings, God will bless you with a wonderful reward of spiritual riches.

When Jesus tells the Smyrnian Christians they are spiritually rich despite their physical poverty, I am reminded of a story that my pastor once told me. When he was in Bible College preparing for the ministry, he went on a mission trip to Russia, not long after the Iron Curtain collapsed. One evening he was slated to lead a question and answer session with a group of communist atheists.

He answered their questions the best he could, but he was so intimidated by the hostile crowd that he lost his composure. As his defense of the Christian faith began to falter, a little old lady in the back of the room stood up and chastised the group for treating the student so badly. Then she said, “Look at me! I have nothing! Come to my flat and see! I have nothing of worldly possessions, but I have Jesus! And I have everything!” The group, who knew the woman’s suffering, walked away in quiet convicted contemplation. The old woman was physically poor, but she was spiritually rich!

Overcoming Affliction (10-11)

In his message to the church at Smyrna, Jesus sympathized with their affliction and exhorted them to remain faithful to him until the end. He told them not to be afraid of what they are about to suffer. Apparently, the persecution was going to intensify and that some of them would be put in prison, but he promised a crown of life for those who overcome affliction and remained faithful until the end, even to the point of death. The crown of life is a symbol of triumphant eternal life. This means that they would not be harmed by the second death. The first death is physical death, which everyone experiences; the second death is the final judgment when Christ returns. They did not have to fear imminent danger because their destiny was secure in Christ, the eternal one who overcame death and gives eternal life.

Sixty years after the writing of this letter, the Smyrnian church was still facing severe persecution. Fourteen Christians were seized and dragged to the public arena where they were fed to wild beasts. All but one died gloriously, one even slapping a wild animal that seemed to be too lazy to attack the Christian who was intended to be its dinner.

The crowd was not satisfied and began to shout for more. They began to shout for Polycarp, the elderly pastor of the Smyrnian church, who had been a disciple of the Apostle John during his younger days. The authorities were sent to find him, after exacting information of his hiding place from a servant, who was subjected to hideous torture.

He was brought before the magistrate in the stands of the arena and immediately tried and convicted while the frenzied crowd shouted for his blood. It was a most unusual and illegal trial that went something like this, the magistrate speaking first:

“Swear by the fortune of Caesar! Repent! Declare: Death to the atheists!”

Turning to the mob, with a lift of his head and a wave of his hand, Polycarp shouted, “Death to the atheists!”

But the magistrate knew what Polycarp meant. “Apostatize! Swear, and I will set you free at once! You have but to insult Christ.”

“I have served Him for eighty-six years and He has never done me any wrong. Why then should I blaspheme against my King and my Savior?”

“Swear by Caesar’s fortune!”

“You flatter yourself if you hope to persuade me. In all truth I solemnly declare to you: I am a Christian.”

“I have the lions here, to use as I think fit.”

“Give your orders. As for us Christians, when we change it is not from good to bad: it is splendid to pass through evil into God’s justice.”

“If you do not repent I shall have you burned at the stake, since you are so contemptuous of the lions.”

“You threaten me with a fire that burns for an hour and then dies down. But do you know the eternal fire of the justice that is to come? Do you know the punishment that is to devour the ungodly? Come, don’t delay! Do what you want with me.”

The condemnation was proclaimed; the mob rushed from the seats to gather sticks and faggots, with the Jews gleefully helping along. Polycarp told the soldiers in charge of the execution that they need not fasten him to the stake, for he had no intention of fleeing. The flames leaped high, while from the flames could be heard this prayer from the lips of Christ’s faithful servant:

Lord God Almighty, Father of Thy beloved and blessed Son, Jesus Christ, through whom we have received the grace of knowing Thee, God of angels and powers, and the whole creation, and of the whole race of the righteous who live in Thy presence; I bless Thee for deigning me worthy of this day and this hour that I may be among Thy martyrs and drink of the cup of my Lord Jesus Christ. I praise Thee for all Thy mercies; I bless Thee, I glorify Thee, through the eternal High Priest, Jesus Christ, Thy beloved Son, with whom to Thyself and the Holy Spirit, be glory both now and forever. Amen.

Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, heard Christ’s words and took them seriously. He endured slander, poverty, and persecution, but he overcame his affliction and remained faithful even to the point of death. As his body was consumed by the flames, heaven received his victorious soul. King Jesus coroneted him a crown of life!

Do you hear Jesus’ words? Are you taking them seriously? In the midst of your afflictions, remain faithful to your King and Savior who never did you any wrong! And you will overcome your affliction, you will receive a crown of life, and your destiny will be secure forever! You will have victory in Jesus!

 

A number of years ago I had the honor of serving as a groomsman in a friend’s wedding. I watched my friend and his fiancé’s relationship develop from the beginning. In the early days, they spend a lot of time together, went out to dinner together, he bought her gifts, and he actively shared in her interests. Their love continued to grow and it culminated on their wedding day.

But as the years went by, the flame of romance began to flicker and their relationship lost its initial excitement. He became consumed with his own interests, their conversations became shallow, and they didn’t spend much time together anymore. Offenses that used to be quickly forgiven turned into bitter resentments. Even though they slept in the same bed at night, their hearts were miles away from each other.

Don’t get me wrong, he was a decent husband: he was morally faithful to his wife and he worked hard to provide for their family, but he became emotionally cold and detached from his wife. He maintained a high degree of purity in his relationship with her, but he lost his passion. She repeatedly tried to talk to him about it, but always shrugged it off and pretended like nothing was wrong, until one day when he came home from work, she and all of her things were gone.

She felt like she had endured a loveless marriage long enough, and it was now time to look elsewhere. She felt like she had a right to “be happy” even if it meant breaking her marital vows. She maintained her passion but lost her purity.

Unfortunately, what happened to my friend’s marriage is similar to what happens to many relationships. One person becomes distant or disconnected, and the other one becomes disappointed and dissatisfied. One person preserves their purity but loses their passion, and the other person preserves their passion but loses their purity. Either way, when purity or passion is lacking, the whole relationship suffers.

It is bad enough when this happens in a marriage, but it is even worse when it happens to our relationship with God. Some people have a high degree of purity in their relationship with God, but they don’t have any spiritual passion. Others are spiritually passionate, but they struggle to maintain their purity.

The church in the city of Ephesus had a high degree of purity, but it lost its spiritual passion. On the outside, the church members did all of the right things, but on the inside, their hearts were far from God. So, during John’s vision of the glorified Christ, he writes to the Ephesian church and praises them for their purity but criticizes them for their lack of passion.

Every local church and every individual Christian is to measure themselves against these seven churches in Asia so we can get an accurate assessment of our own spiritual lives. So, let us take a closer look at Jesus’ praise for and criticism of the church in Ephesus.

Praise for Purity in the Church (2-3, 6)

Jesus begins the letter to the church in Ephesus by reaffirming his sovereignty over the church. Remember, from 1:20 we know that the seven stars are symbols for the angels of the seven churches and the golden lampstands are symbolic of the churches. Jesus has absolute power and authority over the church; therefore he has the right to offer praise and criticism to the church.

His omniscience allows him to see everything that the church had been doing, and he praises the Ephesians for their purity in three specific areas: “deeds” refers to their moral purity, “hard work” refers to their ministerial purity, and “tested those who claim to be apostles but are not…” refers to their theological purity. They behaved properly, served faithfully, and believed correctly. A group of false teachers, who referred to themselves “apostles,” sprang up in Ephesus and tried to spread heresy throughout the church, but the church tested them, proved them to be false, and refused to tolerate their wickedness.

Likewise, in verse 6, Jesus praises the Ephesians for hating the practices of the Nicolaitans, who taught that that participation in the idolatrous culture of Ephesus was permissible, which probably included emperor worship and sexual immorality. Christians would have experienced a lot of pressure to participate in these practices because “everybody was doing it” in Ephesus at the time. But the Ephesian church resisted the temptations of the day and remained faithful to Jesus Christ. They maintained their moral and theological purity, and Jesus praised them for it.

Today the American church faces many of the same temptations and pressures to conform to the idolatrous culture rather than be faithful to the teachings of Jesus Christ. Like the false teachers in Ephesus, there are many today who promote heresies like pluralism (the belief that there are many ways to God), syncretism (the belief that Christianity is compatible with other religions), universalism (the belief that everybody will get to heaven), and what I believe is the most widely held heresy in the church today, works-righteousness (the belief that one can get to heaven by doing good deeds or by being a good person). It is our responsibility to test these and other beliefs against God’s word to see if they are true or not, and if they are not, we must not tolerate these heresies and practices!

Likewise, there are many from outside and within the church who promote the modern equivalent to the practices of the Nicolaitans. They say, “If everyone else is doing it, it must be OK!” They say, “We don’t need no self control!” They say, “If it makes you happy, it can’t be that baaaddd!” They say, “It’s OK to sleep around and fool around with anybody you want!” They say, “It’s your life; live it how you want!”

The Ephesians faced all of these same pressures toward heresy and immorality, and yet, they maintained their purity! And Jesus praised them for it! Will you preserve your moral and theological purity? Will our church preserve its moral and theological purity? Will we receive praise from our Lord Jesus Christ?

Criticism for a Lack Passion in the Church (4-5)

Well, even though the Ephesians maintained their purity, they still weren’t a perfect church. Jesus still had one complaint against them. Yes, their beliefs and behaviors were praiseworthy, but their hearts were far from God. In verse 4, Jesus charges them with forsaking their first love. They lost their zeal from when they first became Christians and fell in love with Jesus. They got to the point that they loved God’s truth more than they loved God. Their early passion for God had been replaced by an infatuation with cold orthodoxy. The Ephesians relationship with God was like my friend’s relationship with his wife. On the outside, it was a good church. It was honest, hard-working, and faithful, but it lost the passion it once had.

So, Jesus exhorts them to rekindle the old flame in their hearts by considering how far they had fallen and to repent by returning to the things they did at first. He warned them that if they did not repent that he would remove the lampstand from its place. If they did not fan the flame of their love and regain their passion for God, Jesus would personally remove their church from the earth. God want his church to be both pure and passionate!

This indictment on the Ephesian church should cause us to evaluate our own relationship with God. There are many people today who followed in the Ephesians footsteps. When they first became Christians, they were filled with excitement, zeal, and passion for God, but over the years the flame of love has died down. They have forsaken their first love and turned their attention to other things. They have become so preoccupied with their own interests that they don’t spent any time with their first love any longer. On the outside, they do and say all the things that Christians are supposed to do and say, but their hearts have fallen so far away.

Does this letter describe your relationship with God? Have you forsaken your first love? Have you become so infatuated by and preoccupied with other things that you have neglected God? Has our church lost its love for the Lord?

If you have lost your passion, I encourage you to heed Christ’s words and warning before it is too late. Repent and return to the things you used to do? Get back to faithful church attendance! Get back to reading and studying your Bible! Get back to spending time in prayer! Get back to sharing your faith with the people around you! Get back to using your gifts to serve people in the church and community! Do what you used to do when you were passionate for Christ!

A Call for the Church to Listen (7)

After Jesus praises the Ephesians for their purity and reprimands them for their lack of passion, in verse 7, he issues a final appeal for the church to listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying to the churches. The fact that he uses the word “churches” in the plural rather than “church” in the singular means that this was meant to be read and heard not just in Ephesus, but in all seven of the churches addressed in the Book of Revelation and by implication, all Christian churches in all places and at all times.

Therefore, to all churches and all Christians who hear his words and heed his warnings and overcome, he offers the hope of eternal life. He uses the image of the tree of life that is in the paradise of God. This should remind us of the tree of life in the Garden of Eden before Adam and Eve fell into sin. Jesus promises paradise to those who persevere to the end—those who maintain the purity and passion of their faith.

Even though Jesus spoke these words nineteen hundred years ago, they are still meant for us today. Do you hear what Jesus is saying to you? Are you persevering in the purity of your faith? Are you persevering in your passion for God? Do you want to taste the fruit of the tree of life in God’s paradise?

I was telling you about my friend who got lost his passion for his wife. When he got home from work that day and she was gone, it served as a wake-up call to him. The fear of losing his wife motivated him to action. So, he found her, apologized to her, and promised to change his ways—and he did. He renewed his passion and started doing the things he used to do in their relationship. She apologized to him for leaving and renewed her purity. They worked through their problems and their relationship began to thrive once again.

The same thing can happen with your relationship with God! Come back to your first love! Jesus wants a pure and passionate church!

 

I read a note my Grandma wrote back in 1923
Grandpa kept it in his coat, and he showed it once to me
He said, “Boy, you might not understand, but a long, long time ago,
Grandma’s daddy didn’t like me none, but I love your Grandma so.

We had this crazy plan to meet and run away together
Get married in the first town we came to and live forever
But nailed to the tree where we were supposed to meet instead
I found this letter, and this is what it said,

“If you get there before I do
Don’t give up on me
I’ll meet you when my chores are through
I don’t know how long I’ll be
But I’m not gonna let you down
Darling wait and see
And between now and then
Til I see you again
I’ll be loving yo
Love, Me.”

Like the boy in this song, you can learn a lot about someone from reading one of their love letters. The Book of Revelation is Jesus’ love letter to his church, sent through his messenger, the Apostle John, and we can learn a lot about Jesus by reading it.

In Revelation 1:9-20, John continues the introduction of this love letter by explaining the circumstances in which he received this Divine Revelation from Jesus. This section teaches us some things about Jesus and his relationship with the church. So, let us listen in on this ancient love letter; it has some profound implications for us today!

1.) Relationships in the Church (9)

The Family of God

The first implication is found in verse 9, where John refers to himself as a “brother” and “companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus.” The fact that he identifies himself as a “brother” highlights the nature of the church as the family of God. Even though the Apostle John did not have any biological family relationships with anyone in these seven churches, they had all been adopted into the same spiritual family through their mutual faith in Jesus Christ.

One of the terms the New Testament uses to describe salvation is adoption. In Ephesians 1:5-6, Paul writes, “In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.” When someone receives Jesus Christ as Lord, they are adopted into God’s family and God becomes their father and other believers become brothers and sisters.

Contrary to common belief and cliché, we are not “all God’s Children.” Over and over again I have heard people refer to humanity in general as God’s children, but this is simply not true. Although the Bible affirms that God is the creator of everyone, he is not everyone’s father. This term is reserved for those who have put their faith in his son! When one becomes a Christian, they gain a wonderful heavenly father and millions of brothers and sisters in Christ.

A good way to think about the church as the family of God is: your local church is your immediate family, and the worldwide universal church is your extended family. You see your immediate family more often and relationships tend to be closer, but you also share mutual love and support with your extended family. Families love, care, serve, and sacrifice for one another.

Have you been adopted into the family of God? Is God your father? How are your relationships with your brothers and sisters in the church?

Companions in Suffering

John also refers to himself as their “companion in the suffering…” The churches in the province of Asia, to whom the Book of Revelation was specifically addressed, were suffering severe persecution from the Roman Empire; he too, was suffering exile on the island of Patmos because of his faithful testimony to the gospel of Jesus Christ. John identifies himself as their companion to encourage them to remain faithful to Christ. He links these terms together to remind them that faithful endurance through tribulation is the means by which one reigns with Jesus. Christians conquer by refusing to compromise their faithful witness in the face of trials, in overcoming the temptations of evil, in defeating sin in their lives, and beginning to rule over death and Satan by identifying with Christ.

John’s words to the churches remind us that we too are companions in suffering. When we are suffering, it is a great comfort to know that we are not suffering alone—that there are others who have already been through what we are going through and that there are others who are currently dealing with what we are dealing with right now. We identify with the sufferings of Christ when we suffer and support others through their sufferings. We reign with Christ when we endure hardship, resist temptation, and overcome evil together. We gain the eternal glory of Christ when we persevere through suffering now.

Have you ever had a companion in suffering—someone who has encouraged, supported, and held you accountable? Are you willing to be a companion in someone else’s suffering? Will you encourage, support, and hold them accountable? In the church, we are brothers and sisters and companions in suffering!

2.) Worship in the Church (10a)

The Lord’s Day

As John begins to describe his supernatural vision, he includes two details that reveal the context in which he received it: worship. He says that it took place on the “Lord’s Day” and he was “in the Spirit.” The Lord’s Day is surely a reference to the first day of the week, Sunday. The Jewish Sabbath, a day reserved for rest and worship, was always observed on Saturday, to commemorate God resting on the seventh day of creation, but the early Christian church changed its day of worship to Sunday to distinguish itself from Judaism and to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. By the time of John’s writing, it was an established practice for Christians to gather for worship on Sunday.

This is why the vast majority of Christian churches worship on Sunday mornings today. Every time we gather for worship we remember that Jesus rose from the dead on Sunday morning. Now I want to be clear: there is no biblical mandate that says that the church has to worship on Sunday mornings, but this is certainly the precedent that has been set since the early days of the church.

Every once in a while, someone asks me why we have church on Sunday morning rather than Saturday evening. I usually tell them that I like to test people’s allegiance to Christ by how early they can wake up on Sunday morning, besides worship on Saturday evenings would conflict with family dinners, fishing, deer hunting, golf matches, NFL football, and hockey practice. I certainly wouldn’t want to inconvenience anyone by changing worship to Saturday evenings, so I guess we will keep it on Sunday morning, and continue to remember Jesus’ resurrection!

In the Spirit

John also tells us that he was “in the Spirit” when he received this vision of Christ. This means that John had an ecstatic experience whereby the Holy Spirit supernaturally took over his senses and gave him a divine vision. This is similar to the typical prophetic experience in the Old Testament where the Holy Spirit would come upon a person and enable them to either see or do something that they ordinarily couldn’t see or do. These experiences continued into New Testament times, as we see when the Apostle Paul was caught up to the third heaven (2 Cor. 12) and they happened throughout the history of the Christian church and they still occur today.

These experiences have always been rare and they are only temporary. Not everyone should expect to have an experience like this and even if you do, you should not expect it to last forever. Sometimes they happen in the context of worship, as with John here, and sometimes they happen in other places. When God gives someone an experience like this, he always has a specific purpose for it: a conversion encounter, a word of encouragement, a command to do something, a revealing of a life calling, etc.

Have you ever had an “in the Spirit” experience? If so, be thankful that God revealed himself to you in this way. If you haven’t, don’t be discouraged. God doesn’t intend to give everyone an experience like this. Whatever you do, don’t think that there is anything you can do to manufacture an experience like this. Some people think that if you have a certain order of worship or style of music or if you just pray hard enough, you can force yourself to be in the Spirit, but this is not the case. Only God can give people an experience like this.

3.) Sovereignty over the Church (10b-20)

Now that the context is set, John describes his vision of the glorified Christ in vivid detail which affirms Jesus’ sovereignty over his church. A reminder of Jesus’ sovereignty would serve as a great encouragement to a church that was enduring severe persecution.

He begins by saying that the vision was auditory before it is visionary. The loud voice being compared to the sound of a trumpet is significant. Throughout the Old Testament, trumpets were used to introduce the presence of royalty. Trumpets sounded before a king would speak. Here, the loud voice compared to a trumpet shows that the King Jesus has just entered the scene and is about to speak, thus asserting his sovereignty. In verse 11, Jesus makes divine declaration to his servant John to write down on a scroll everything he is about to see and send it to the seven churches and he announces them by name.

As John heard the voice, he turned around to see the one speaking to him and he saw one who looked like a son of man standing among seven golden lampstands. The title “son of man” identifies the person as Jesus. This title was proclaimed as a messianic prophecy in the book of Daniel and it was Jesus’ preferred way of referring to himself throughout the gospels. The lampstands in view here were ancient Jewish menorahs. Verse 20 tells us that these lampstands represent the seven churches. The churches are depicted as shining lights for God in the midst of a dark and hostile world, and that the one who looked like “a son of man” was standing among them represents Jesus’ very presence among his churches.

The image of the robe and the sash portrays Jesus’ role as the great high priest. The white hair on his head pictures his divine dignity and eternal wisdom. The eyes blazing with fire represents his omniscience—that is, his ability to see everything. The bronze feet represent his glory and strength. The voice like rushing waters describes his great power. The stars in his right hand picture his power and authority and the two-edged sword coming out of his mouth is a symbol for his judgment. His radiant face sums up all of the others and declares Jesus’ sovereignty and glory.

When John saw this incredible image of the glorified Christ, what else could he do but fall to his feet in humility and worship? Then Jesus comforted him by placing his right on him and telling him not to be afraid. Jesus’ sovereignty has already been revealed by the image, and now he declares his own sovereignty with his words. By saying that he is the first and the last, he is asserting his sovereignty over time. He is eternal—he has no beginning or end, he has always been and always will be! By saying that he is the living one who died and is alive forever and ever, he declares his sovereignty over life and death. By saying that he holds the keys of death and Hades, he declares his sovereignty over sin and the punishment for sin. He is the judge of the universe.

The immediate vision of the glorified Christ comes to an end by Jesus explaining the mystery of the lampstands and stars. He says that the lampstands represent the churches and the stars represent the angels of the churches. Thus, Jesus declares his sovereignty over angels and his church!

John’s message of the vision of Jesus’ sovereignty would have served as an incredible comfort and encouragement to these seven churches that were experiencing persecution and hardship. And so, this vision of Jesus’ sovereignty over the world, over our church, and over our individual lives is a great comfort to us today too. We need to be reminded that Jesus is the sovereign King of Kings and Lord of Lords. When our lives seem so chaotic, we need to be reminded that Jesus is in control. When we are guilty of sin, we need to remember that Jesus is our Great High Priest who offers us forgiveness! When we are victims of evil, we need to be reminded that Jesus is the Judge! When we are weak, we need to be reminded that he has a rushing voice of power! When we are tempted to sin, we need to be reminded that Jesus’ blazing eyes see everything. When we are sick and close to death, we must remember that Jesus’ hands hold the keys to death and Hades!

No matter what difficulty, hardship, persecution, trial, or tribulation we face in this life, we must remember that he’s got the whole world in his hands—he’s got the whole church in his hands—he’s got the little bitty baby, he’s got you and me brother, he’s got you and me sister, he’s got the whole world in his hands!

 

            Like the boy in this song, you can learn a lot about someone from reading one of their love letters. The Book of Revelation is Jesus’ love letter to his church, sent through his messenger, the Apostle John, and we can learn a lot about Jesus by reading it.   

            In Revelation 1:9-20, John continues the introduction of this love letter by explaining the circumstances in which he received this Divine Revelation from Jesus. This section teaches us some things about Jesus and his relationship with the church. So, let us listen in on this ancient love letter; it has some profound implications for us today!

 

1.) Relationships in the Church (9)

The Family of God

            The first implication is found in verse 9, where John refers to himself as a “brother” and “companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus.” The fact that he identifies himself as a “brother” highlights the nature of the church as the family of God. Even though the Apostle John did not have any biological family relationships with anyone in these seven churches, they had all been adopted into the same spiritual family through their mutual faith in Jesus Christ.

            One of the terms the New Testament uses to describe salvation is adoption. In Ephesians 1:5-6, Paul writes, “In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.” When someone receives Jesus Christ as Lord, they are adopted into God’s family and God becomes their father and other believers become brothers and sisters.

            Contrary to common belief and cliché, we are not “all God’s Children.” Over and over again I have heard people refer to humanity in general as God’s children, but this is simply not true. Although the Bible affirms that God is the creator of everyone, he is not everyone’s father. This term is reserved for those who have put their faith in his son! When one becomes a Christian, they gain a wonderful heavenly father and millions of brothers and sisters in Christ.

            A good way to think about the church as the family of God is: your local church is your immediate family, and the worldwide universal church is your extended family. You see your immediate family more often and relationships tend to be closer, but you also share mutual love and support with your extended family. Families love, care, serve, and sacrifice for one another.

            Have you been adopted into the family of God? Is God your father? How are your relationships with your brothers and sisters in the church?

 

Companions in Suffering

            John also refers to himself as their “companion in the suffering…” The churches in the province of Asia, to whom the Book of Revelation was specifically addressed, were suffering severe persecution from the Roman Empire; he too, was suffering exile on the island of Patmos because of his faithful testimony to the gospel of Jesus Christ. John identifies himself as their companion to encourage them to remain faithful to Christ. He links these terms together to remind them that faithful endurance through tribulation is the means by which one reigns with Jesus. Christians conquer by refusing to compromise their faithful witness in the face of trials, in overcoming the temptations of evil, in defeating sin in their lives, and beginning to rule over death and Satan by identifying with Christ.

            John’s words to the churches remind us that we too are companions in suffering. When we are suffering, it is a great comfort to know that we are not suffering alone—that there are others who have already been through what we are going through and that there are others who are currently dealing with what we are dealing with right now. We identify with the sufferings of Christ when we suffer and support others through their sufferings. We reign with Christ when we endure hardship, resist temptation, and overcome evil together. We gain the eternal glory of Christ when we persevere through suffering now.

            Have you ever had a companion in suffering—someone who has encouraged, supported, and held you accountable? Are you willing to be a companion in someone else’s suffering? Will you encourage, support, and hold them accountable? In the church, we are brothers and sisters and companions in suffering!  

 

2.) Worship in the Church (10a)

The Lord’s Day

            As John begins to describe his supernatural vision, he includes two details that reveal the context in which he received it: worship. He says that it took place on the “Lord’s Day” and he was “in the Spirit.” The Lord’s Day is surely a reference to the first day of the week, Sunday. The Jewish Sabbath, a day reserved for rest and worship, was always observed on Saturday, to commemorate God resting on the seventh day of creation, but the early Christian church changed its day of worship to Sunday to distinguish itself from Judaism and to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. By the time of John’s writing, it was an established practice for Christians to gather for worship on Sunday.

            This is why the vast majority of Christian churches worship on Sunday mornings today. Every time we gather for worship we remember that Jesus rose from the dead on Sunday morning. Now I want to be clear: there is no biblical mandate that says that the church has to worship on Sunday mornings, but this is certainly the precedent that has been set since the early days of the church.

            Every once in a while, someone asks me why we have church on Sunday morning rather than Saturday evening. I usually tell them that I like to test people’s allegiance to Christ by how early they can wake up on Sunday morning, besides worship on Saturday evenings would conflict with family dinners, fishing, deer hunting, golf matches, NFL football, and hockey practice. I certainly wouldn’t want to inconvenience anyone by changing worship to Saturday evenings, so I guess we will keep it on Sunday morning, and continue to remember Jesus’ resurrection!     

 

In the Spirit

            John also tells us that he was “in the Spirit” when he received this vision of Christ. This means that John had an ecstatic experience whereby the Holy Spirit supernaturally took over his senses and gave him a divine vision. This is similar to the typical prophetic experience in the Old Testament where the Holy Spirit would come upon a person and enable them to either see or do something that they ordinarily couldn’t see or do. These experiences continued into New Testament times, as we see when the Apostle Paul was caught up to the third heaven (2 Cor. 12) and they happened throughout the history of the Christian church and they still occur today.

            These experiences have always been rare and they are only temporary. Not everyone should expect to have an experience like this and even if you do, you should not expect it to last forever. Sometimes they happen in the context of worship, as with John here, and sometimes they happen in other places. When God gives someone an experience like this, he always has a specific purpose for it: a conversion encounter, a word of encouragement, a command to do something, a revealing of a life calling, etc.

            Have you ever had an “in the Spirit” experience? If so, be thankful that God revealed himself to you in this way. If you haven’t, don’t be discouraged. God doesn’t intend to give everyone an experience like this. Whatever you do, don’t think that there is anything you can do to manufacture an experience like this. Some people think that if you have a certain order of worship or style of music or if you just pray hard enough, you can force yourself to be in the Spirit, but this is not the case. Only God can give people an experience like this.

 

3.) Sovereignty over the Church (10b-20)

            Now that the context is set, John describes his vision of the glorified Christ in vivid detail which affirms Jesus’ sovereignty over his church. A reminder of Jesus’ sovereignty would serve as a great encouragement to a church that was enduring severe persecution.

            He begins by saying that the vision was auditory before it is visionary. The loud voice being compared to the sound of a trumpet is significant. Throughout the Old Testament, trumpets were used to introduce the presence of royalty. Trumpets sounded before a king would speak. Here, the loud voice compared to a trumpet shows that the King Jesus has just entered the scene and is about to speak, thus asserting his sovereignty. In verse 11, Jesus makes divine declaration to his servant John to write down on a scroll everything he is about to see and send it to the seven churches and he announces them by name.

            As John heard the voice, he turned around to see the one speaking to him and he saw one who looked like a son of man standing among seven golden lampstands. The title “son of man” identifies the person as Jesus. This title was proclaimed as a messianic prophecy in the book of Daniel and it was Jesus’ preferred way of referring to himself throughout the gospels. The lampstands in view here were ancient Jewish menorahs. Verse 20 tells us that these lampstands represent the seven churches. The churches are depicted as shining lights for God in the midst of a dark and hostile world, and that the one who looked like “a son of man” was standing among them represents Jesus’ very presence among his churches.

            The image of the robe and the sash portrays Jesus’ role as the great high priest. The white hair on his head pictures his divine dignity and eternal wisdom. The eyes blazing with fire represents his omniscience—that is, his ability to see everything. The bronze feet represent his glory and strength. The voice like rushing waters describes his great power. The stars in his right hand picture his power and authority and the two-edged sword coming out of his mouth is a symbol for his judgment. His radiant face sums up all of the others and declares Jesus’ sovereignty and glory.

            When John saw this incredible image of the glorified Christ, what else could he do but fall to his feet in humility and worship? Then Jesus comforted him by placing his right on him and telling him not to be afraid. Jesus’ sovereignty has already been revealed by the image, and now he declares his own sovereignty with his words. By saying that he is the first and the last, he is asserting his sovereignty over time. He is eternal—he has no beginning or end, he has always been and always will be! By saying that he is the living one who died and is alive forever and ever, he declares his sovereignty over life and death. By saying that he holds the keys of death and Hades, he declares his sovereignty over sin and the punishment for sin. He is the judge of the universe.

            The immediate vision of the glorified Christ comes to an end by Jesus explaining the mystery of the lampstands and stars. He says that the lampstands represent the churches and the stars represent the angels of the churches. Thus, Jesus declares his sovereignty over angels and his church!

            John’s message of the vision of Jesus’ sovereignty would have served as an incredible comfort and encouragement to these seven churches that were experiencing persecution and hardship. And so, this vision of Jesus’ sovereignty over the world, over our church, and over our individual lives is a great comfort to us today too. We need to be reminded that Jesus is the sovereign King of Kings and Lord of Lords. When our lives seem so chaotic, we need to be reminded that Jesus is in control. When we are guilty of sin, we need to remember that Jesus is our Great High Priest who offers us forgiveness! When we are victims of evil, we need to be reminded that Jesus is the Judge! When we are weak, we need to be reminded that he has a rushing voice of power! When we are tempted to sin, we need to be reminded that Jesus’ blazing eyes see everything. When we are sick and close to death, we must remember that Jesus’ hands hold the keys to death and Hades!

            No matter what difficulty, hardship, persecution, trial, or tribulation we face in this life, we must remember that he’s got the whole world in his hands—he’s got the whole church in his hands—he’s got the little bitty baby, he’s got you and me brother, he’s got you and me sister, he’s got the whole world in his hands!

Happy New Year! Here are a few sayings that will make you laugh and think about the New Year:

Bill Vaughan—Youth is when you’re allowed to stay up late on New Year’s Eve. Middle age is when you’re forced to.

P. J. O’Rourke—The proper behavior all through the holiday season is to be drunk. This drunkenness culminates on New Year’s Eve, when you get so drunk you kiss the person you’re married to.

Jay Leno—Now there are more overweight people in America than average-weight people. So overweight people are now average… which means, you have met your New Year’s resolution.

James Agate—New Year’s Resolution: To tolerate fools more gladly, provided this does not encourage them to take up more of my time.

Mark Twain—New Year’s is a harmless annual institution, of no particular use to anybody save as a scapegoat for promiscuous drunks, and friendly calls, and humbug resolutions.

 

A New Year’s resolution is a commitment that an individual makes to one or more lasting personal goals, projects, or the reforming of a habit. It is usually dedicated to some type of self-improvement:

• Improve health: lose weight, exercise more, eat better, drink less alcohol, quit smoking

• Improve finances: get out of debt, save money

• Improve career: get a better job

• Improve education: get better grades, go back to school, learn something new

• Improve self: become more organized, reduce stress, be less grumpy, manage time, watch less television, play less video games

 

Just out of curiosity, how many of you have ever made a New Year’s Resolution? How did that go? Did you keep it? How many of you have made a New Year’s Resolution for this year? Well, if so, I have some bad news. Recent research shows that while 52% of participants in a resolution study were confident of success with their goals, only 12% actually achieved their goals. I guess the saying is true, “A New Year’s resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other.”

This morning I would like to propose to you, that instead of another humbug New Year’s Resolution, what we really need is a holy New Year’s Revelation. By revelation, I mean a communication from God whereby he reveals himself to humanity. Today, God reveals himself most clearly to us through his Word, the Holy Bible—and where better to gain a fresh glimpse of God’s character and action in our lives and our church than the Book of Revelation, the last and most mysterious book of the Bible. So, this year I would like to help you get to know God better via a sermon series through the Book of Revelation. I hope that we will attain a better understanding of what God has done for us in the past, what he is doing for us right now, and what he will do for us in the future, particularly in the end times.

2012 Prophecy

Another reason why I would like to preach through Revelation this year is that there is a chance that I may not be the pastor of this church by this time next year. Actually, I don’t even know if I am going to be on earth at this time next year. Why? How many of you are aware of the 2012 End Times Prophecy? Apparently, many people believe that the world is going to end on December 21, 2012!

In light of this, I would like to go on record this morning and share with you a discovery that I have made about the end times: If you take the ancient Mayan hieroglyphic calendar and divide it by the number of days found in the secret numerical code in the Book of Revelation, and then subtract that from the number of times the name “Jesus” is spelled upside down in Dan Brown’s book The Da Vinci Code and multiply that by the number of times you hear the word “hell” when you play Led Zeppelin’s song “Stairway to Heaven” backwards, it actually spells “Anti-Christ December 21, 2012.”

Ok, not really! And I’m not really going anywhere! But I would like to take this next year and help us wade through the myriad of misguided conspiracy theories and make some real sense out of the Book of Revelation. And I believe that God will give us a fresh glimpse of himself! So, let us begin by looking at the prologue of the Book of Revelation.

Revelation: An Apocalypse (Revelation 1:1-3)

The opening verse tells us a lot about the book. The first phrase reads “the revelation of Jesus Christ.” The Greek word translated here as “revelation” is “apocalypsis” from which we get our English word apocalypse. The literary genre of the Book of Revelation is apocalypse, which typically refers to a special dream, vision, or prophecy of end time events. God the Father gave this revelation (or apocalypse) to Jesus the Son, who gave it to an angel to deliver to the Apostle John. Then John recorded “everything he saw” which was the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ, and distributed it to Jesus’ servants throughout the world. The ultimate purpose of the book was to show God’s servants what is going to take place in the future so that they would be prepared.

This purpose is reiterated by the blessing in verse 3. The phrase “blessed is the one” is the familiar ancient literary form “beatitude.” It is similar to Jesus’ list of beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount, when he says “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Here, Jesus pronounces a blessing on anyone who reads the words of this prophecy, hears what it is saying, and takes to heart what is written in it, because the time is near. Jesus doesn’t promise a blessing for those who simply read the Book of Revelation; he promises blessing for those who take the contents of the book seriously. The blessing comes to those who are spiritually prepared for what is going to take place in the future; those who are not prepared will miss out on the blessing.

This reminds me of the time I organized a night skiing trip when I was the youth director at a church in Pennsylvania. Since it was a youth group event, I invited our pastor to go along. He had never skied before, but he was young and was a good athlete, and I thought he would pick it up quickly. I didn’t know he had a fear of heights and high speeds.

When we got to the main lodge at Seven Springs Resort, outside of Pittsburgh, the high school kids began putting on their ski clothes, but our pastor was just standing there. I said, “Aren’t you going to get dressed?” He had a look of panic in his eyes as he watched the kids get ready. He said, “I never even thought to bring other clothes.” All he had on was a pair of blue jeans, a sweat shirt, thin cotton socks, a baseball cap, and an embarrassing fluorescent orange hunting parka. Even though he lacked the necessary ski pants, hat, scarf, gloves, and goggles, he had already paid for rental skis and a lift ticket, and he was going to give it a try anyway.

We told him that the best way to learn how to ski was to by-pass the bunny slope and just head to the top of the mountain. To make matters worse, during our first chair up, a strange hail, sleet, and lightning storm blew in from the west. After an hour and a half of wind whipping him in the face, sleet smacking against his squinted eyes, and terror from lighting flashes all around him, he eventually took off his skis and walked the whole way back to the lodge. When he came in, his face, ears, and hands were cherry red, his blue jeans were soaked the whole way through, and he was mad! Needless to say, he has never gone skiing again.

He missed out on the blessing of skiing because he wasn’t properly prepared. This is exactly what Jesus is saying about the Book of Revelation. Just as you don’t automatically receive the blessing of skiing by just showing up at the mountain, you don’t automatically receive the blessing of Revelation by just reading the book; you have to be prepared for what will come!

For some of you, this may be the first time you have ever read the Book of Revelation. I hope that you will hear what it is saying! I hope you will take it to heart! I hope that you will be spiritually prepared for everything that is going to happen in the future. I hope that you will receive the full blessing that Jesus offers us in the apocalypse!

Revelation: An Epistle (Revelation 1:4-6)

The Apostle John received this revelation from Jesus when he was exiled on Patmos, a little island off the coast of Ephesus in the Aegean Sea. The volcanic and rocky island was used as a prison colony for the Roman Empire, and John had been banished there for preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. He fashioned this revelation in the form of a letter and addressed it to the seven churches in the province of Asia, with the intention that the book would be circulated among these churches and eventually distributed to other churches.

Before John was exiled, he had ministered in the city of Ephesus (one of the seven churches) for many years, and he would have had personal experience with each of these churches and acted as sort of a spiritual father to them. At this time, these churches were suffering intense persecution from the Roman Empire and John wanted the Book of Revelation to encourage them to persevere by reminding them of what Jesus had done for them in the past and revealing what Jesus would do for them in the future. In the greeting, he immediately reminds them of what Jesus has already done for them: “Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father– to him be glory and power forever and ever! Amen.” (Rev. 1:5-6) The rest of the book will reveal what Jesus will do for them in the future.

The Book of Revelation serves the same purpose today as it did 1900 years ago. It is meant to encourage us to persevere in the midst of persecution and difficulty. It is designed to help us remain faithful in the Christian life amid trials and tribulations. It does this by recapitulating Christ’s work on the cross throughout human history and giving us a glimpse of our future glory, when Satan will be destroyed and we will be delivered from sin and suffering once and for all.

So, whether you are facing persecution for your faith, the pain of suffering, the fear of the future, or you just feel weighed down by the anxieties of life and you feel like giving up, I say to you today: Hang in there! Persevere! Be Faithful! Jesus has shown his love for you by dying on the cross. He has shown his power by rising from the dead. And when he returns, he will deliver you from all of your suffering!

The Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ (5b-8)

Some of you may be saying, “That sounds great, but when is this going to happen?” He has already told us in verse 3—“the time is near,” and he reiterates it in verses 7 and 8. He tells us to look! Be ready! He is coming in the clouds! He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. He is coming soon! We must be ready at any moment!

Neither in the Old Testament prophets, in the Gospels, nor anywhere in the Book of Revelation does Jesus reveal the precise time of his return. Jesus himself said “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. (Matthew 24:36) All the Bible tells us is that he is coming soon!

Throughout history, every generation has had individuals who have tried to predict the specific time or date of Jesus’ return and the end of the world; everyone from the French seer Nostradamus in the 1500’s to radio preacher Harold Camping in 2011. Many people now regret that they were stockpiling bottled water for the devastation of Y2K when they should have been partying like it was 1999. I suppose the Jehovah’s Witnesses are the most famous for this. Their leaders have falsely predicted the end of the world more times than I can count.

Back in the 1980’s, some Christian bookstores ordered large quantities of Edgar Whisenant’s bestselling book 88 Reasons Why the Rapture Could Be in 1988 (over 3 million copies were sold.) The following year he came out with another book called 89 Reasons Why the Rapture Could Be in 1989. He didn’t sell nearly as many of these!

Well, will Jesus return in 2012? Will the world come to an end on December 21st of this year? I honestly don’t know! But let me tell you what I do know: Jesus is coming soon! He will come in the clouds and execute judgment over the whole world and he will gather his people (the ones who have trusted in him as Lord and Savior) from every tribe, tongue, and nation, and take them to heaven to be with him forever.

Are you prepared? Is Jesus your Lord and Savior? Will you be ready if Jesus returns in 2012? Will you experience the blessing? We don’t need a New Year’s Resolution, we need a New Year’s Revelation!