Tag: Revelation

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Reading the end of the story.

Reading Time: 2 minutes 
“I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close. You have little strength, yet you obeyed my word and did not deny me.” Revelation‬ ‭3:8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

​I never go to the end of a book to see how it ends! I read from the beginning and let the author take me where they want me to go. I follow.

Reading the book of Revelation, Revelation not Revelations, is very different. I believe God wants us to, invites us to see how it ends.

In the book that talks most about finality, then eternity, it’s a page burner. It reveals a winner, God and an eternal loser, evil. Yes, evil has a name for the long season called earth, it’s Satan – the deceiver. He was the character to introduce a human rebellion against God. He did so by not only introducing this idea of sin, but also the beginning of deep distrust of our creator. And there are, there will be humans who see God, believe God’s rescue plan from our own choices and spend eternity with him and others who are similar. There are also humans that want to follow the deceiver and play the rebel all the way to their own judgment and permanent separation from God. Each will get their own way.

John writes about these angelic pronouncements as the end draws near. This one is about the churches or types of believers that are like Philadelphia. The angel speaks kind and encouraging words. This “open door,” the protection, crown and a promise of being “pillars” in the temple. This are powerful annunciations to churches who were suffering from intense, bodily persecution. Everyone, if they understand what the angel is saying, wants to be in the Philadelphia church!

Doesn’t everyone want to live a life of meaning and reward that comes with that reputation. However, even knowing it now or reading about it in the first century, doesn’t seem to be enough to convince us of the work necessary, the faith necessary to BE that kind of church.

We want the results but not the lifestyle necessary to get them. This is our human dilemma! This is our cross to bear, our working out of salvation. I want to be the kind of person that obeys God. I want to be a part of a community that endures suffering, and holds on to their crowns of joy and kindness (real godly kindness, not the value-exchange, bumper-sticker kindness of today). The rewards are real. The struggles to BE and DO the deep work are also real.

Prayer

Dad,
You know that I would want these qualities the angel listed to about the churches of Philadelphia, but you also know there’s a lot of flesh-barriers and selfishness still running around in my heart. Plus, I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but I am just not a big “do it for the reward” kind of person. I would like to think that I’ll do it because it’s right and good. I see small, incremental bursts of goodness in me. But I also see all the other. Can I only think good, be good, do good when I’m not stressed or under pressure of performance? I fear I’m going to end up being one of those other churches 🥴.

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A very real and eternal throne.

Reading Time: 2 minutes 
“The Lord is king! He is robed in majesty. Indeed, the Lord is robed in majesty and armed with strength. The world stands firm and cannot be shaken. Your throne, O Lord, has stood from time immemorial. You yourself are from the everlasting past. The floods have risen up, O Lord. The floods have roared like thunder; the floods have lifted their pounding waves. But mightier than the violent raging of the seas, mightier than the breakers on the shore— the Lord above is mightier than these! Your royal laws cannot be changed. Your reign, O Lord, is holy forever and ever.” Psalms‬ ‭93:1-5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This imagery in Psalm 93 is so interesting. Yes, it summons thoughts of a majestic and powerful ruler. Yes, it is grand and glorious in its eternal, immortal existence.

From this throne, David writes the “royal laws cannot be changed.” They enormously perfect, just, right and true laws of God can never, should never be rescinded. The ideal of a throne, the lavished stories told over ions of time about thrones, kings and their quest for righteous rules all for the kingdom they serve.

I find it all so intriguing because as a kid I read many, many stories of good kings and kingdoms. I also read of bad kings and villains who would try to rule for their own selfish gain, misusing and abusing people and power to pursue their evil plans to keep them in power. All those stories had these good and evil themes woven throughout.

The most recent show that Robin adored and I tolerated, The Crown, opened with majestic music and beautiful cinematography swirling around this ultimate symbol of power – the King’s or in this case, the Queen’s crown. The seat upon which she sat was the last remembrance I have of seeing a throne. The place where laws are declared, justice dispensed, orders given to be immediately executed. The throne, the crown, the person sitting on it was seen as all powerful and revered.

This throne-symbol of power has lasted for several millennia and shows up extensively in the New Testament, much of it in THE book of endings – Revelation. The word thronos appears 62x in the New Testament, 47 of which are in the book of Revelation.

The throne may not be a prominent and even powerful modern symbol, but it will be so in the end. The word picture David paints in Psalms will return in full real and living color as this world wraps up and a new one is created. The words of the psalmist seem to echo from the song that was penned so long ago all the way to the very end of this world’s human existence – “Your reign, O Lord, is holy forever and ever.”

PRAYER:

Dad,
What a very real and very poetically written majestic story. And I’m not just talking about David’s psalm. I am talking about the entire story of your majesty and might, your beauty and wisdom, your truth, righteousness and justice. It’s all there. It’s always been there. A very long story of not only our existence, but more amazingly, our redemption. It is and will be the very happiest of happy ending of any story that has ever been told! And, it is all about you. Gratefully and thankfully about you. I am quite happy being a part of it and even more excited to be present as it all comes to an end, then an entirely new beginning.

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What is it about the Seven churches in Revelation?

Reading Time: 3 minutes 
“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Smyrna. This is the message from the one who is the First and the Last, who was dead but is now alive: “I know about your suffering and your poverty—but you are rich! I know the blasphemy of those opposing you. They say they are Jews, but they are not, because their synagogue belongs to Satan.” Revelation‬ ‭2:8-9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

​I don’t spend a lot of time in the book of Revelation. A book of endings. John, the revelator, is writing what he sees and it is filled with mystery, and God summarizing the finality of the story that began in Genesis and now has its apocalyptic conclusions here. John also gives us the letters to the churches, kind of an update on how they are doing and how the gospel either continues to thrive through the people or how it suffers because of sin, error or distractions. John says these letters are from Christ himself who brings praise, correction or judgment to the church’s behavior. There are seven churches listed. Each one, similar has an understanding from God about the struggles they face and most have a complaint or an admonition as well.

The church of Smyrna only has encouragement and a warning of severe suffering ahead. They were already suffering and poor, John notes, but more will be coming. Their enemies are strong and powerful, but God is with them. I find it interesting that these are individual churches in real cities at the time of John’s writing. These are not seven denominations because they all believe in the same thing. At this time there is no mention of differences in doctrine, polity or practics, they are all ONE church under Jesus. I think each church was too busy struggling for their life, or their sin to be splitting hairs over styles of worship (hymns, choruses, sitting or hands raised), sermons (exegetical, verse by verse, practical, or series), or even church management (elder led, pastor led, congregational, or committee). They were just living or not living the gospel and doing the best they could.

Did you know that some New Testament cities still have a “church” in them? Granted, most are just buildings and do not have a gospel witness through a group of people. Some of the buildings are now tourist attractions only. Some of the cities mentioned have no churches, building or otherwise in them. Take Ephesus for example, they have a lot of monuments and ancient ruins, but no thriving gospel witness in town at all.

The gospel itself is still going out to ALL the world and there are some places that it has not been able to go, thus no church presence has been formed. Much of the emphasis of missions continues to take the message of faith, of grace to these areas where the name of Jesus has not been heard. In the nineties, the church focused on the “10/40” window, highlighting the geographic equator lines where it has been difficult to share the message of Christ. The 10/40 window also refers to the “poorest of the poor” in our world. In the past ten years, there have been so many internal, political struggles within those areas, namely wars and genocides, that refugees have fled their own countries and migrated all over the world. These have been extraordinary opportunities for the them to hear the gospel message. Even in the darkest of political climates and radical religious oppression, God has been speaking to thousands through dreams. Through these powerful dreams, God has put a yearning, a curiosity in the hearts of men and women to find this Jesus that appears to them while they are sleeping. In these last days, we may have difficulty getting the gospel into a nation, but God is supernaturally bringing them out. Some of them may even be your neighbors! You might find yourself being a missionary on your own block!

PRAYER:

Dad,
I am so grateful you found me! I am so grateful for THE Church. I am so grateful for my local church as well. The body of Christ coming together to worship, pray and hear your Word. It is both encouraging and challenging these days because of another round of “falling way.” However, your Church will go on and your gospel will go out because you love us and have made a way for anyone who believes!

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The wedding reception invites have gone out!

Reading Time: 2 minutes 
“Let us be glad and rejoice, and let us give honor to him. For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and his bride has prepared herself. She has been given the finest of pure white linen to wear.” For the fine linen represents the good deeds of God’s holy people. And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.” And he added, “These are true words that come from God.” Revelation‬ ‭19:7-9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

​John writes about an ongoing object lesson that concludes with a grand banquet. Now, admittedly, this illustration is only fitting and even understood by those who believe in Jesus and have become comfortable comparing the body of Christ, the Church to a beautiful bride on her wedding day.

I’m not exactly sure where the beginnings of this picture show up in scripture, but I do know that John the baptist hints are just before his famous quote, “He must increase and I decrease.” John the baptist speaks as a best man at a wedding. “It is the bridegroom who marries the bride, and the bridegroom’s friend is simply glad to stand with him and hear his vows. Therefore, I am filled with joy at his success.” John was speaking of this marriage event that had started and that he, as the best man is to simply witness the vows and union. John clearly understood this was about Jesus as the groom and the church as the bride. Jesus also told of a wedding party that took place but the groom was delayed. And in that story, some of the attendants (bridesmaids) were not prepared for the extended waiting and missed the party. I’m guessing that ceremony itself was the death and resurrection of a Jesus vowing to commit, save and make the bride perfect by God’s sacrificial act.

Here in Revelation, an angel talks about the gigantic party that will be thrown after the ceremony. The final feast, the wedding feast of the Lamb. And even though these events span across several millennium, the banquet itself and its attendants are very real. The global invitations have all gone out and now it is time to see who responds by knowing when and where the event takes place. I have officiated a number of weddings. There is always a nervous anticipation and palpable energy that comes from a certain elegance, even perfection leading up to the ceremony itself. And, even in our post-wedding celebrations today there is still this “presentation of the bride and groom.”

Here, the angel makes a specific note about the bride’s dress. Isn’t that interesting that even in eternity there is a fashion statement of who’s wearing what and who designed it! This bride is wearing an absolute gorgeous material made from the good deeds of God’s holy people. The fashion statement of all times is the good, pure, holy actions of the saints of God! I get chills thinking about it. The angel declares blessed are those who are invited! And I’m sure blessed are those who make it and attend.

PRAYER:

Dad,
Wow! Some powerful and emotional events are still ahead of us to experience in your grand story of redemption. I am one that plans on attending that great feast, that grand ball to beat all banquets. I have received and accepted the invitation and I will wait with preparation and patience as you have instructed. I can’t wait to be there!