Revelation1

Bible Reading

Revelation 1: 1 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant john.

2 who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. 3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near

Discussion

If we look at Paul’s letters we find that they were written for a church or a person, yet they became part of the total revelation to the whole church in every town or city right down through the ages. Similarly, Luke wrote to Theophilus but their benefit was to the whole church.

In the same way Revelation is for us all. There may have been churches singled out but they represent the church as a whole.;

The message was sent to John the author of the Gospel of John who is a little more theological than the other gospels. He is the last living apostle so, attests to the concurrence revelation has with the gospel itself.

It is called the Revelation of Jesus Christ. All revelation is about Jesus.  The next part is also important. Because God who is trinity, designates or gives it to the Son to pass on to his servants. The passing of information from

God happens to do this often in the Gospel of John.

 A servant , is a person who chooses to be in the employ of someone in this case: God. It hearkens back to passages in old testament (Ex 21:6 and Deut 15:17

The message of the end is just as logical as the message of the beginning. In 1 Sam 3: 12 (KJV)  God makes this statement about his character when I begin, I will also make an end. (Other versions limit this to Eli only really it is about how God’s character impinges on Eli’s history )

The discussion is about things that must come soon. However, God’s idea of closeness is not ours. The early church for example thought that they were in the last days. (Acts 2:17). In fact they were at the beginning of a new understanding.

Bible Reading

Revelation 1:4-7 (ESV) Greeting to the Seven Churches

4 John to the seven churches that are in Asia:

Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth.

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood 6 and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. 7 Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.

In this section John becomes more specific in his address.  There were at least 10 churches in the area addressed but John  picks out 7; a  number that appears often in scripture. It continues  with the seven spirits that are before the throne. This  is not a new picture but comes from Isaiah 11:1-3 (ESV) here shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. 2 And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,

the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

3 And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.

We also see that  if we look  at the word ‘Jehovah’ It is made up of three words conjugated from the word to be: I was, I am and I shall be.

So what we see is that the greeting is from Jesus Christ listing all his categories. Some encouraging aspects are that we are freed from our sins by his  blood the second aspect of our celebration of communion. The first aspect the bread a reference to his body enables resurrected life because he is the firstborn of the dead.    

It is interesting that we, because of Jesus, become a kingdom of priests. This means that we can come to God and in prayer bring others before God in process which is both a responsibility and a privilege.

Finally he is going to return and all will see it. Many will wail because as Romans says ‘They are without excuse’

Prayer

Revelation 1:  9, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet saying, “Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”

When  does God  talk to you? For John  it was  on an arid  island, surrounded by derelict mines. For Jacob it was when running  from his brother.  For him God spoke to  reiterate our promise  he had made  his father  and  grandfather (Genesis  28: 12) and God spoke through  a dream. For John it was like the sound of a trumpet. For Jacob it was an encouragement for the future. For John it was to send challenges for reflection for the seven churches selected from the many in Asia Minor.

These two were clear messages from God. The Bible is littered with God giving messages to his people and through his people to those around them.

The question that raises for me, is this, does God talk directly to me? Obviously, there are times when I read Scripture that particular versus stand out as messages from God to me. But do I have messages like a trumpet sound, or even a dream.

We continually hear things in our head, and often pass them off as thinking. I believe we need to be  ponderers.  That is we  need  reflect on  what we  think and do. There are times when I have thought that certain action was feasible. Then on reflection found that there have been several coincidences that have happened to enable the action. So reflecting on this gives me some idea that there may be more significance behind the thought than just me thinking. Regular pondering over these situations with careful thinking about outcomes enables me to recognise God's voice in my life more easily.

Prayer

Dear father, as I read your Scripture and reflect on my life may I become more aware of the impact that your truth has, not only on me, but on those around me. May I be careful in my actions and be regularly choosing to listen to your guidance both through the Scripture and through my thinking.

Revelation 1:  9, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 

It is interesting to note that the church is never free from tribulation. We are not placed in the garden of Eden rather we live in the world. Yet it is in this world, that we can find peace through prayer. So for John it was the Lord's day and he was praying when God reaches into his life and he was given the revelation that we are reading. This shows us the faithfulness of God and of his love. Those that are called according to his purpose in Romans 8: 28 are loved by Him; yet they live godly in Christ and shall suffer persecution (2 Tim. 3:12). They shall suffer, however, with the knowledge that it is God working for their good. To us God says, "beloved think it not strange concerning the trial which is to try you, as if some strange thing happened to you but rejoice inasmuch as you are partakers of Christ’s suffering, and when his glory shall be revealed, you may be glad also, with exceeding joy " (1 Peter 4: 12, 13). God promised to be with his people and make them His own. (Matthew 28:20) and promised that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit should take up their abode within the heart of every believer (John 14:23, 17). The Christian carries a spiritual atmosphere with them regardless of where they are, and what's happening.

In the next chapters were going to see some interesting patterns from the old Testament repeated. For example the teaching of Balaam and Jezebel recurring in the life of these new Testament Christians. Some of these patterns can be perceived without any background knowledge at all. Every letter starts with a description of Christ which repeats part of the total description of him at the beginning of the scene. Every letter corresponds in shape to every other beginning with names and addresses and the sender, continuing with statements about the former and messages to them, and ending with a command and a promise. Indeed, it is hard not to see the basic structure of most letters though John does not through attention to this 7 feet whole which echoes the broader with rhythm of the scene as a whole. In the first letter, it runs this way: (1) to the Ephesians (2) speaks to the holder of the seven stars: (3) I know certain good things about you, (4) but a bad thing too, (5) so repent. (6) Hear what the Spirit says: (7) the victor shall each of the tree of life.

Prayer

Father is a stop to ponder these early pictures and letters to the churches and start to see patterns from elsewhere in the Scriptures, may I be humble enough to recognise the wonder of your truth in the Scriptures and apply it to my daily walk with you. May I be a listener and he you talking to me.