God's letter to us
Notes
Transcript
Appetiser
Appetiser
What do we need to know in order to live as God’s people in this world?
Main Course
Main Course
We must know that God has a message for us, v4a
We must know that God has a message for us, v4a
Lest we think we’re on our own; a short point, reinforcing v1-3
Written to specific churches
Meaningful to the first readers
Rules out certain forms of interpretation
Written to all churches: “seven”
Symbolic number: completion, perfection, fullness. Therefore, “the seven churches” also represent all God’s churches down through the ages. It’s for Rehoboth as well, to be specific.
Timeless message—until Christ comes back!
We must know the God Who is with us, v4b-5a
We must know the God Who is with us, v4b-5a
So we are assured by and take confidence from the fact that that the Almighty is with us
A message from God, the Three-in-One
The Father: “him who is, and who was, and who is to come”: the interpretation of God’s name from Ex 3:14—the ever-being One.
God said to Moses, ‘I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: “I am has sent me to you.” ’
Just like the Israelites, Christians also need to know this: we are serving the eternal God. This world had a beginning and will have an end. God doesn’t.
So when it comes to choosing between who to please, trust in, fear, who will you? Will you live for the whims of the day, fear people who are like you, believe people with no access to the “I AM”? Or will you trust in Him?
The Holy Spirit: “the seven spirits before his throne”
He is God’s Spirit.
He is ever-present with His people: “the seven churches … the seven spirits”—no true church is without God’s presence.
“before his throne”—doing God’s will.
The Son:
“Jesus Christ”—Jesus, God’s Appointed Saviour, to save His people from their sins.
“who is the faithful witness”—He speaks the truth of God, cf. v1.
“the firstborn from the dead”—His privileged position as God’s victorious King, the death-conqueror. By His resurrection, Jesus was appointed as God’s King over His people, the Son of God; Ro 1:4.
and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.
Christ rules the Church; we are His people.
“the ruler of the kings of the earth”—Christ also rules over all kings and nations. All rulers answer to Him. And all rulers are acting to further His plan, even if they desire to hinder it. Think of the cross.
God’s purpose of blessing reiterated: “Grace and peace to you from...”
More than Conquerors: An Interpretation of the Book of Revelation 2. The Salutation and Adoration (Verses 4–6)
Grace is God’s favour given to those who do not deserve it, pardoning their sins and bestowing upon them the gift of eternal life. Peace, the reflection of the smile of God in the heart of the believer who has been reconciled to God through Jesus Christ, is the result of grace.
We must worship God for what He’s done for us, v5b-6
We must worship God for what He’s done for us, v5b-6
For He is worthy of all praise and recognition
Through Jesus, God is for us
He “loves us”—notice the present tense!
He “has freed us from our sins by his blood”—as He saved the Israelites from Egypt, so He has released us from the guilt and power of our sins.
He “has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father”. In the church God’s promise to Israel is fulfilled.
“You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.’
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Dual purpose of our priesthood:
worship God
make Him known among the nations
Our worship is therefore
A recognition of thanks for all of this
A recognition of His supreme being and worth
Normative to what the whole world should be doing: “Amen.”
A witness to the world and...
...a challenge to it.
We must be assured that His plan is being worked out, and will be accomplished, v7-8
We must be assured that His plan is being worked out, and will be accomplished, v7-8
So we don’t lose heart but have full confidence in Him
v7 is a compound verse of two OT references
v7a is from Daniel 7:13-14
‘In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshipped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.
Clouds refer to God’s presence—remember Sinai?
John here does two things:
He underlines that Jesus Christ is the “one like a son of man”; this was one way Jesus referred to Himself.
He applies the verse to His second coming, as Jesus did e.g. in Mt 24:30
‘Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.
v7b is from Zechariah 12:10-14.
Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament Revelation 1:7
in its context pertains to the end-time period when God will defeat the enemy nations around Israel and when Israel will be redeemed after repenting of their sinful rejection of God and his messenger (i.e., “the one they have pierced”).
But this is applied here to “all peoples on earth”—implying that from even among the nations there will be those who repent. We see glimpses of this even during Jesus’s ministry—centurion at the foot of the cross of Christ?
The return of Christ at the end of history will be public, “every eye will see him”. “Even those who pierced him”: His enemies; Christ and His people will be vindicated before all. Might be trampled down, looked down upon, minority now—then, the tables will turn.
v8 assures us that the Lord God will see to it that His plan is accomplished
God’s self-designation in v4 is repeated, marking these verses out as a unit to be taken together. God speaks.
Additional elements highlight that “the Lord God” is the Lord of History, the Sovereign of Time, the Ruler of All.
“‘I am the Alpha and the Omega’”—first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. The beginning and the end, as this is explained in 22:13.
“the Almighty”—there’s nothing He desires to do that He cannot do. It’s not “simply” that God is there with us always; it’s that He is always active.
The Book of Revelation John Communicates Grace and Peace to the Churches from the Eternal Father, the Spirit, and the Faithful Son, Who Conquered Death, Has Begun to Reign as King, and Has Redeemed Believers as Kings and Priests, All for God’s Glory (1:4–6)
All these expansions are used in their respective contexts to describe God, not merely as present at the beginning, middle, and end of history, but as the incomparable, sovereign Lord over history, who is thus able to bring prophecy to fulfillment and to deliver his people despite overwhelming odds, whether from Egypt, Babylon, or the nations.