Year 0, Day 13: Revelation 1

Prophetic Voices

Let’s move on to Revelation 1.  This is admittedly one of my favorite books of the Bible, although I will confess that I take a fully historical approach to the book well before I take a “futuristic end-times” approach.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not denying that the book of Revelation speaks to the end of the world – certainly it does and at the very least does so quite clearly in the last two chapters!  But I do take the stance that we cannot understand any future re-interpretation of these words that the Holy Spirit might do until we understand the historical context to which John was actually writing. 

I do think the Holy Spirit will re-interpret these passages at the end-times just like the Holy Spirit added multiple layers of interpretation to the words of the Old Testament prophets to show how Christ fulfilled them even more than the original fulfillment they received in the days of the prophets.  As we’ve gone through the prophets of the Old Testament, we’ve seen time and time again that there are verses that can take a historical interpretation and then take a deeper interpretation with respect to the Messiah to come.  This same dynamic is true about the book of Revelation.

Alpha and Omega

First and foremost, I love the fact that the first day we transition to a new book a theme I blogged about in Daniel is brought right to the front.  “I am the Alpha and the Omega.”  God is consistent!  Even here in the New Testament we here God proclaiming that not only is He the creator but He also gets the final word.

Nature of God

Today I am going to focus on the nature of God as we begin this book.  I am going to focus there because I think there is a reason John spends so much time on the subject himself. 

At the time of writing this, the Christians are being persecuted heavily by the Roman Empire.  Gone are the days of Roman religious toleration.  In John’s days the Emperor Cult had grown in delusion to the point that all citizens of the empire had to come and stand before a Roman authority and while burning a pinch of incense in their hand proclaim that they believed the Emperor was a god.  Clearly, this is a violation of one of the basic tenets of Christianity and Judaism. 

Anyone unwilling to do this was arrested, persecuted, tried, and possibly even killed for treason.  So at the very least, John needs to remind the people to whom he’s writing that the God they are risking death for is worth risking death.  The God for whom they are dying is powerful enough to make their sacrifice worthwhile.  The God that we follow was here, is here, and will always be here – unlike those who persecute us.  God is omnipotent and omnipresent even over death.

Furthermore, note that John takes time to remind his audience – us included – that our God is the one who loves us, who freed us by His blood, and has already made us priests in the kingdom.  Let’s look at each of these components and see why they might be significant. 

• God loves us.  If you are risking your life for something, do you not want to make sure that the something for which you are risking your life at least appreciates it? 
• Through the blood of Christ’s suffering we are free.  If you are being persecuted, does it not help to know that the one for whom you are being persecuted understands your persecution?  Christ knows what it is like to face death because He stood up for the truth.  So we should take courage with those of all time who died because of the truth.  When people come against us because we speak the truth of God, God understands. 
• We are already priests in God’s kingdom.  If you are facing the possibility of losing everything – livelihood, job, family, home, standing in your community, etc – would you not be comforted to know that God has already carved out a new niche for you to be in within His kingdom? 
• Don’t forget that John reassures us that Christ is coming for us.  Not only is God aware of our troubles … but He is coming to look for us!  Everyone will see Him – even those who oppose Him.  Now from the perspective of someone who faces persecution on account of their faith in God, that would be some comforting news!

John’s description of God here is not only correct, but spot on for what the people in his day needed to hear.  If they were to stand up against the persecution of the Emperor Cult, they needed to know this God was worth it, understood it, and had already prepared a new place for them.

Know on this day that Christ is still coming.  He’s coming for you.  He’s looking for you – and for me.  And rest easy knowing that whatever trouble you face this day that God understands and He has already prepared for it