John’s revelation

Epistle for May 29, 2022

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Revelation 22:12-21
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

This week’s lectionary readings do not focus on the Day of Ascension.

Ascension Day always falls on the Thursday forty days following Easter Sunday.

If you prefer to use the Day of Ascension Scripture for this Sunday, click here for “Epistle for May 28, 2017”.

Note: The lectionary reading for today is Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21. This post will address verses 12-21 in their entirety.

OBSERVE:

These are the closing verses of the Revelation of John, and of the Bible. This is a fitting conclusion for a library of sixty-six books that presents a grand sweep of history from the dawn of time to the consummation of creation, and tells the salvation history of God’s love story.

However, before we dive into this last chapter, an editorial comment is in order. It is impossible to overlook the fact that the compilers of the lectionary have skipped certain sections of this passage. For the purposes of economy, this practice can sometimes be appropriate. The lectionary does cover a large percentage of the Scriptures over a three year period.

Still, I can’t help but notice that there are just three verses that are deleted from this reading. They aren’t especially pleasant. In fact, we might almost say that in this modern era these verses aren’t even “politically correct.”

I will proceed this way — I will make my observations about this passage, and I will address the verses that are deleted, with some speculation about why they were deleted.

The initial speaker in this passage is Jesus, not the angel who has been revealing the vision to John. He speaks of his parousia, which means his final coming:

“See, I am coming soon; my reward is with me, to repay according to everyone’s work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

This brings us full circle from the very beginning of Revelation:

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty. (Revelation 1:8).

In the beginning of Revelation, John made it clear that Jesus was the Lamb that was slain — now he is revealed as the judge who will reward each according to their work. There are consequences for all human actions, good and bad.

In verse 14, Jesus says:

Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they will have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates.

They have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb, which means they have received the pardon of atonement. They are now eligible to receive eternal life, and have access to the eternal presence of God.

But the lectionary delicately deletes verse 15:

Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and fornicators and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

The point is that the vision presented in Revelation makes it very clear that there are moral consequences for both good and bad human choices.

This conclusion also reconnects to the original premise — that is, that this Revelation was originally intended for the seven churches of Asia (Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea).

Jesus makes this quite clear:

“It is I, Jesus, who sent my angel to you with this testimony for the churches.”

Jesus also makes clear his connection to the house of Judah and the Old Testament Messianic prophecies of the Son of David:

“I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”

Then there is a kind of lyrical refrain, as Jesus issues the invitation for the final meeting between himself and his flock:

The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.”

We are reminded that the Spirit is promised in the Gospel of John as the Advocate, who prepares God’s people for all that is to come:

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come (John 16:13).

The Spirit issues the same invitation that Jesus issues.

Moreover, the bride issues an invitation. The bride of Christ is the church. The role of the church is to proclaim the Gospel and invite people to be a part of this ultimate wedding between Christ and his bride:

“Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb” (Revelation 19:9).

The invitation is quite generously offered to all who seek God:

And let everyone who hears say, “Come.”
And let everyone who is thirsty come.
Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift.

The gift is not withheld from anyone, except those who will not repent of their sins. The writer of 2 Peter 3:9 reassures the church concerning the supposed delay of the coming of Christ, and declares that the reason for the delay is God’s great compassion:

The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance.

But again, we find verses that have been deleted (verses 18-19):

I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book; if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away that person’s share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.

These are very grave words of warning. Obviously, the reference is not to all the words of the sixty-six books of the Bible. Given the context, the reference is to the Revelation of John. However, it is a solemn warning about tampering with Scripture. It is one thing to seek to understand and interpret the Scripture. We must do that, and we may come to different conclusions. But we do not have the prerogative to augment or delete Scripture according to our own preferences.

Finally, there is the promise that is certified by Jesus:

“Surely I am coming soon.”

What does soon mean? Skeptics might point out that nearly twenty centuries have passed since that promise was made. Those who want to salvage some vestige of their faith might attempt to “spiritualize” this claim; and they might argue that the Spirit of Christ has come.

But again, Peter provides a helpful interpretation in the Scripture itself. He recognized that there would be scoffers and doubters, but points out that all time is relative with God:

But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day (2 Peter 3:8).

John finally speaks in his own voice. He prays that Jesus might come quickly; and he also pleads for grace for the church. We remember that John is writing this letter to a persecuted church, and he seeks to offer consolation:

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen.

APPLY:

There has been a tendency in modern Christianity to choose between two extremes. One extreme has been to apply all of the apocalyptical passages to current events, as though everything in the Scriptures is intended for our times. This position takes quite literally the words of Revelation that Jesus is coming soon.

The other extreme denies that there will be a literal return of Jesus at all. This position tends to spiritualize all of the apocalyptical passages, and interprets them as though they are figurative parables that describe human aspirations.

The first position is a little too mechanistic, and doesn’t take into consideration the original historical context of a book like Revelation. So much of the language in Revelation is highly symbolic that it seems nearly impossible to interpret it literally. Apocalyptic literature is a highly symbolic genre, and we must approach it with careful interpretation.

However, the second position, which dismisses the historical promise that Christ will return, fails to take seriously the fact that this is a persistent expectation throughout the New Testament. Not only does Revelation look forward to Jesus’ return at the end of the age, so does virtually every New Testament writer — and Jesus himself throughout the Gospels proclaims that he will return!

If he is not coming back, then the Scriptures have a serious credibility problem.

This passage, from Revelation 22, is a little like Genesis 1. Genesis 1 makes the claim that God is the Creator of all things. It does not purport to answer the question of how the light explodes into being, or defining the speed of light. Genesis isn’t concerned with what, or how, but with theological truth — who, and why.

I think the same thing is true of Revelation. Trying to parse out the what and the how of the return of Jesus misses the point. The real point is the who, and the why.

Jesus is returning — because he loves us. It is that simple.

RESPOND:

I believe that the Scriptures are very clear — Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.

This gives me a sense of hope when I consider the future — especially in uncertain times like these.

But I also recognize that knowing the timetable, and making predictions is not my business. Jesus has made it very clear that no one knows the day or the hour; and that it is not the purview of the church to try to determine times or seasons (Matthew 24:36; Acts 1:7).

Instead, it is my business to be busy with the work that he has given me to do now. And I am answering, with faith, his invitation:

And let everyone who hears say, “Come.”
And let everyone who is thirsty come.
Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift.

Lord, thank you that you have promised that life and history are not merely a ‘tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing’; but that history has a beginning and an end, and that we are going somewhere. We are going somewhere wonderful! Help me to prepare myself and others for your coming, and to be part of the bride, your church, inviting others to the wedding! Amen.

PHOTOS:
"MESSAGES FROM GOD'S ABUNDANCE - Corrie ten Boom" by Corrie ten Boom Museum is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.

Epistle for May 8, 2022

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Revelation 7:9-17
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

There are so many different approaches to the interpretation of the Revelation that we may sometimes lose sight of its underlying purpose — to offer hope and encouragement to a persecuted church.

Once again in this passage we are introduced to a vast worship service in the courts of heaven.

Just prior to this passage, John has described the opening of six seals on the heavenly scroll by the Lamb of God. And the 144,000 have been sealed as those who are set apart in advance of the disasters that are to come. Who the 144,000 are is a debatable point that is beyond our scope just now.

But it is very significant that John describes the myriad number of those who are gathered before the throne of God:

After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands.

Whatever the symbolic interpretation of the 144,000 who are sealed (and there are many conflicting interpretations), what is made clear is that those who are gathered here are beyond numbering. Not in the thousands, or hundreds of thousands, but perhaps in the millions if not billions!

His description of the great multitude suggests that John sees a vision of the souls who are to be gathered at the end of time. They are diverse nationally, ethnically, racially and linguistically. This is a fulfillment of the Great Commission of Jesus to:

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19).

This vast crowd, dressed in white, are waving palm branches — typically a Biblical symbol heralding a festive occasion, and of course associated in the Gospels with the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem.

Now, these souls in heaven are praising the risen Christ who is seated at the right hand of the Father with their uplifted palm branches!

Imagine the chorus of voices as they proclaim in unison:

“Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

Then the angels and the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures who have already been introduced in the heavenly court all join together in this massive worship experience:

they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, singing,
“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom
and thanksgiving and honor
and power and might
be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

Frequently in the Revelation of John, there are dialogues between John and members of the heavenly court. Here, one of the elders asks John a question:

“Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?”

He is asking about the vast congregation who come from every nation and tribe. John either doesn’t know, or he is too humble to answer:

“Sir, you are the one that knows.”

This is reminiscent of the encounter between Ezekiel and the Lord in the Valley of the Dry Bones. The Lord shows Ezekiel the bones and says:

“Mortal, can these bones live?” I answered, “O Lord God, you know” (Ezekiel 37:3).

This dialectal style of question and answer was fairly typical in the ancient world — we see it in Plato’s Dialogues when Socrates asks questions that eventually lead to discovery.

The elder does know the answer to the question he has asked:

“These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”

Are these all of the martyrs of the church? Is the great ordeal (also known as the tribulation in other translations) John’s description of the Roman persecution of his time, or a later more universal period of persecution? We can’t be sure, because there are many opinions on this aspect of The Revelation.

What is clear is that those who have been martyred are honored as those who are gathered before the throne of God, where they:

worship him day and night within his temple,
and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them.

John describes the comforting shelter that God provides for them:

They will hunger no more, and thirst no more;
the sun will not strike them,
nor any scorching heat;
for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd,
and he will guide them to springs of the water of life,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

Note the irony — the Lamb, who has been sacrificed for these martyrs, now becomes their shepherd. Only now the Good Shepherd guides them to the water of life that flows through the Holy City.

APPLY:

Anyone who has worshiped in a huge, packed church or attended a large Christian concert or outdoor festival, might have a faint appreciation for the kind of experience described in Revelation 7:9-17.

Except, of course, that the “special effects” and the distinguished guests — such as the twenty-four elders, the four living creatures, and the vast crowds of the martyrs — are real in this scenario.

What we must not lose sight of is the message of shining hope that permeates the Book of Revelation, despite all of its descriptions of woe and judgment. Those who have passed through the great ordeal will be in the very presence of God in the heavenly throne room. And no matter what suffering they may have experienced, they will be comforted by the Lamb, they will drink from living water, and every tear will be wiped from their eyes.

Whatever else the great Apocalypse may bring, we know that the Lord will care for his own.

RESPOND:

[Note from Celeste: Tom wrote this post in April, 2016. I do not know if the following statistics have changed in the last 6 years.]

This passage reminds me that we are living in a terrible age of Christian persecution — not in the United States, where I live, but in many nations around the world.

The description of the multitude of the martyrs who:

have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb

is a reminder to me that I have suffered very little, relatively speaking, for my faith.

I am comforted that Revelation 19 seems to open the door for the rest of us who are believers, but not martyrs:

Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:9).

But I am prompted to pray for and support those who are suffering for their faith even now.

Persecution Worldwide, which is a ministry of the Voice of the Martyrs, says that Christians are persecuted in at least forty countries today. Another source says that as many as 60 nations practice discrimination against Christians.

Christianity seems to be undergoing systematic elimination in countries controlled by Muslim radicals like ISIS and the Taliban.

In Communist North Korea, Christians face detention in prison camps, torture, and possible execution for the practice of their faith.

An average of 180 Christians are killed every month for their faith around the world according to reports. Some reports allege that the numbers are even higher, at 100,000 a year!

Most experts believe that the time in which we live far surpasses the early church in terms of the numbers of martyrs.

Ironically, while Christians in the Middle East and in Communist and authoritarian governments are dying for their faith, we in the United States seem to be scrambling to compromise with “this present age.” Western Christians seem eager to accommodate the culture rather than to be light and leaven.

Perhaps that explains why the church in such areas of persecution seems to grow!

Tertullian, the early church Father, wrote:

The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.

A North Korean Christian is quoted as saying,

“We’re just like nails. The harder you hit us, the deeper you drive us; and the deeper you drive us, the more peaceful it becomes!”

Perhaps because there is a cost to their faith, it means something to follow Christ! In the West, if there is a ball game at the same time as the church service — the ball game unfortunately becomes the priority.

To paraphrase Juan Luis Segundo, perhaps the church will flourish with a heroic minority rather than a consumer majority. Paradoxically, the church under such circumstances becomes more muscular, and actually grows!

So — I pray for the persecuted church; and I pray that I might be more faithful and committed in my own faith.

Lord, your vision for your church is a vision of hope and comfort. I pray for those who suffer for their faith. And I pray for that day when suffering and tears and hunger and thirst are no more. Amen.

PHOTO:

"persecuted church" by Imagens Cristas is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic license.

Epistle for May 1, 2022

“Saints and Elders around the Lamb”
This rose window is in the north transept of Downside Abbey church in Somerset.
Photo by Fr. Lawrence Lew, O.P.

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Revelation 5:11-14
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

This excerpt from John’s Revelation gets at the heart of Christian worship.

Earlier, John introduced his Apocalypse (his revelation) by extolling the Trinitarian nature of God:

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 (Revelation 1:4-5).

John follows this (in chapters 2 and 3) with exhortations by the Son of Man (who is Jesus), to the Seven Churches of Asia Minor. And then, in chapter 4 through 5:10, the Heavenly throne room is revealed in all its glory to John, and he beholds the Lamb who has been slain (again, this is Jesus), who is also the Lion of Judah. And only Jesus is worthy to open the scroll with its seven seals that will reveal God’s plan to John.

This brings us to today’s passage. Amidst the prayers and the worship of the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures who occupy a place of honor in the heavenly court, John sees a vast tableau of worship that opens up before him:

Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels surrounding the throne and the living creatures and the elders; they numbered myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands.

Just what inspires these countless angels to worship and praise? As the heavenly host had once sung over the hills of Bethlehem to herald the birth of Jesus, so they sing his praise yet again:

“Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might
and honor and glory and blessing!”

Jesus has completed his earthly mission by his birth, life, death, resurrection and ascension. Now he takes possession of his rightful inheritance as the Son of God. This is the paradox, that this sacrificial Lamb was slaughtered in seemingly helpless weakness, but now has received all power, wealth, wisdom, might, honor, glory and blessing.

And this worship is not limited only to heavenly beings:

Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, singing…

The Biblical vision is that all creatures and all creation will one day give praise and honor to their Creator.

This is their song:

“To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb
be blessing and honor and glory and might
forever and ever!”

Even the created order of nature acknowledges the authority of God the Father, and of his Son the sacrificed and risen Lamb who reigns together with him.

The response of the inner circle who surround the throne of God is humility and worship:

And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” And the elders fell down and worshiped.

The four living creatures, as described earlier in Revelation 4:7-8, have six wings each and are covered with eyes — but their faces each differ from one another. One has the face of a lion, the second of an ox, the third a human being, the fourth of a flying eagle. These creatures are identified by many with the four living creatures described in the vision of Ezekiel 1 and 10, and also with the guardians of the throne of God throughout the Old Testament. In Christian tradition, they also came to represent the four Gospel writers — Mark the lion; Luke the ox; Matthew the human being; John the flying eagle.

The elders are human representatives in the divine court. Some say they simply represent the church; others argue that half of their number represent the twelve tribes of Israel, and the other half the twelve apostles.

What is clear is the focus of their worship — the One seated on the throne, and the Lamb. Lest we think the Holy Spirit has been overlooked, we are reminded that the Seven Spirits of God are simultaneously present before the throne of God and sent forth by Christ into the world. The Holy Spirit is the dynamic energy of God in worship and his power in the world.

APPLY:

True worship involves paradox. On the one hand, we gather in celebration and praise to worship and extol God the Father for all that he has done. We praise Christ as God the Son who sits at the Father’s right hand. But we can never quite forget that Christ is also our sacrificial Lamb who was slaughtered on our behalf. We see his ultimate power in his self-emptying vulnerability for our sake.

Every act of worship with the Community of Faith should be both a humbling act of falling on our faces before God, and a joyous, noisy celebration of God’s mighty victory.

RESPOND:

I doubt that human imagination can ever get even close to the reality of heaven. We have a tendency to take our own experiences and try to project them into images of what we think heaven will be like — going fishing forever; eating a banquet; walking in splendid streets of gold.

I believe John was trying to describe in human terms what he had glimpsed of heaven. His vision is a kind of accommodation to our human limitations and frailties. In a sense, all of Scripture is an effort to accommodate human limitations and help us catch a glimpse of heavenly things.

So, when we worship in our churches, we need to be a little patient with our pastors and choir directors and choirs and musicians, and realize they are trying also to give us a glimpse of the things of God. Our response needs to be a little more like that described in Revelation, as we sing God’s praise with all our might, shout “Amen!” to the truths of the Gospel proclaimed by our preachers, and fall on our faces in humble worship.

Lord, all creatures in heaven and earth join in praising you, especially for the incredible work of redemption through the shed blood of Jesus. We are reminded that all creation looks forward to the ultimate redemption that is to come because creation itself will be rescued from decay. Thank you that your salvation is so complete that we will all be gathered around your throne! Amen.

PHOTO:

"Saints and Elders around the Lamb" by Fr. Lawrence Lew, O.P. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.

Epistle for April 24, 2022

Alpha and Omega Symbol
I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last.

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Revelation 1:4-8
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

The Book of Revelation is without a doubt the most disputed and controversial book in the entire Bible. Delving into this passage alone could take us several different directions, and require pages and pages of research.

Just a few words of background. John, writing in exile from the Island of Patmos, is conveying his visions to the Seven Churches of Asia — Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.

The greeting begins in a way typical of other epistles in the New Testament:

Grace and peace to you…

And then John introduces his own Trinitarian greeting:

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.

The greeting grace and peace comes from all three persons that we have come to know as the Trinity. This is a Trinitarian passage, without ever using the term, Trinity.

The Father is he:

who is, and who was, and who is to come.

We can’t help but think of Moses’ encounter with the burning bush on Mount Sinai, when the Lord discloses his name and nature:

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’” (Exodus 3:14).

God is the eternal one, who transcends time and space, for whom the present moment encompasses past, present and future.

I am in agreement with commentators who believe that the seven spirits before his throne is a reference to the Holy Spirit, although there are some commentators who argue that these seven spirits refer instead to angels. My conviction is strengthened by John’s elaborate descriptions of the heavenly throne room, when he says that:

In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God (Revelations 4:5).

A variant translation of seven spirits is the Sevenfold Spirit.

In the third place, John turns his attention to Jesus:

and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

Jesus is the faithful witness in his earthly ministry through his life and teaching. But we are also reminded that the Greek word for witness is the word we translate as martyr. That has the connotations of sacrificial death because the witnesses in the early church so often died for their faith. Jesus was the first witness and the first martyr.

But John also points to the resurrection of Jesus as the firstborn from the dead. This is language reminiscent of Colossians, where Jesus is called:

the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation (Colossians 1:15)

and also

the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything (Colossians 1:18).

Jesus is the only-begotten Son of God and the Second Person of the Trinity, begotten not made from before time began; but he is also the Son of Man, whose physical suffering and death and subsequent resurrection opens the possibility of resurrection for all who die.

And John also reminds us that Jesus is King:

the ruler of the kings of the earth.

John elaborates on this as he begins to explore what this means for those who believe:

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.

Jesus is our sacrifice, who liberates us from the slavery and bondage of sin. But he also exalts us to be citizens of his kingdom and to offer ministry to God in his eternal temple. We are reminded of 1 Peter 2:9:

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

This is part of the inspiration for the Reformation doctrine of the Priesthood of All Believers.

John makes clear that the arc of Jesus’ ministry as king takes him from the cross to the grave to the ascension and the reign at the right hand of the Father, and will be consummated with his return at the end of the age:

“Look, he is coming with the clouds”

Unfortunately, what is good news to those who believe may be bad news for those who do not:

“every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him”;
and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.”
So shall it be! Amen.

Finally, The Lord defines his character yet again:

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Alpha and Omega, of course, are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, indicating that God is the beginning and the end — from God all things begin, and in God all things find their consummation.

And he is the one who transcends all time, the all-powerful one.

APPLY:

In this text for Easter season, we are reminded that Christ is the one who has been pierced for our iniquities, and he is:

the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

This image of the firstborn has deep resonance in the Old Testament. The firstborn were consecrated to God as a representative offering, holy to the Lord — although of course human firstborns were redeemed by the sacrifice of a firstborn animal.

The Apostle Paul says:

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family (Romans 8:29).

As we identify with Christ, he becomes our firstborn older brother who opens the way for all of us to experience resurrection. Paul also says of Christ:

He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything (Colossians 1:18)

Our salvation is a process — first there is the forgiveness of sins, effected through Christ’s atoning death on the cross. Christ is he who:

loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood…

And his ultimate goal is the restoration to our intended destiny:

to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father.

The crucifixion, resurrection and ascension of Christ are all a part of a divine drama — or, Dante might say, a divine comedy — that will end with the final return of Christ in victory, when these words will be fulfilled:

“Look, he is coming with the clouds,”
and “every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him”.

RESPOND:

I am aware of a troubling reality. Though God’s love is all encompassing, and his victory is inevitable, not all will turn to God. For whatever reason — self-will, delusion, defiance — some will refuse the love, grace and mercy that Christ offers.

And when Christ returns, we are told that:

all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.”

This statement reminds me of what Paul says in Philippians 2:10-11.

at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,and every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

All will one day bow the knee and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Some will bow and confess the Lordship of Jesus with willing gratitude and worship. Some will bow and confess unwillingly, because they don’t want to acknowledge the Lordship of Jesus.

For those who bow the knee willingly, submission to God will be heaven. For those who bow the knee unwillingly, submission to God will be hell.

Similarly, perhaps even those who are saved and have bowed the knee to Christ will mourn their sins that made the death of Christ necessary. For them, the tears will be therapeutic and cathartic; but for those who have rejected Christ, the mourning will be profound and permanent.

John’s Revelation is a stark reminder to us that we are given the opportunity to choose to bow the knee to Christ as King, and that there are consequences to our choices.

Our Lord, you have been a faithful priest, and you have offered the perfect sacrifice on my behalf — your own life! You are the firstborn from the dead, so that I may be raised as your younger brother. Now, you are calling me to be a priest in your kingdom and to serve you as my King. You have forgiven me, and you empower me to serve you. Thank you. Amen.

PHOTO:

"Linzer Dom - Fenster Versehgang 3 Alpha Omega.jpg" by Wolfgang Sauber is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Austria license.

First Reading for November 1, 2020 All Saints Day

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Revelation 7:9-17
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

There are so many different approaches to the interpretation of the Revelation that we may sometimes lose sight of its underlying purpose — to offer hope and encouragement to a persecuted church.

Once again in this passage we are introduced to a vast worship service in the courts of heaven.

But it is very significant that John describes the myriad number of those who are gathered before the throne of God:

After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands.

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19).

Now, these souls in heaven are praising the risen Christ who is seated at the right hand of the Father with their uplifted palm branches!

Imagine the chorus of voices as they proclaim in unison:

“Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

Then the angels and the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures who have already been introduced in the heavenly court all join together in this massive worship experience:

they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, singing,
“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom
and thanksgiving and honor
and power and might
be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

Frequently in the Revelation of John, there are dialogues between John and members of the heavenly court. Here, one of the elders asks John a question:

“Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?”

He is asking about the vast congregation who come from every nation and tribe. John either doesn’t know, or he is too humble to answer:

“Sir, you are the one that knows.”

This is reminiscent of the encounter between Ezekiel and the Lord in the Valley of the Dry Bones. The Lord shows Ezekiel the bones and says:

“Mortal, can these bones live?” I answered, “O Lord God, you know” (Ezekiel 37:3).

This dialectal style of question and answer was fairly typical in the ancient world — we see it in Plato’s Dialogues when Socrates asks questions that eventually lead to discovery.

The elder does know the answer to the question he has asked:

“These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”

What is clear is that those who have been martyred are honored as those who are gathered before the throne of God, where they:

worship him day and night within his temple,
and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them.

John describes the comforting shelter that God provides for them:

They will hunger no more, and thirst no more;
the sun will not strike them,
nor any scorching heat;
for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd,
and he will guide them to springs of the water of life,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

Note the irony — the Lamb, who has been sacrificed for these martyrs, now becomes their shepherd. Only now the Good Shepherd guides them to the water of life that flows through the Holy City.

APPLY:

Anyone who has worshiped in a huge, packed church or attended a large Christian concert or outdoor festival, might have a faint appreciation for the kind of experience described in Revelation 7:9-17.

Whatever else the great Apocalypse may bring, we know that the Lord will care for his own.

RESPOND:

[Note from Celeste: Tom wrote this post in April, 2016. I do not know if the following statistics have changed in the last 4.5 years.]

This passage reminds me that we are living in a terrible age of Christian persecution — not in the United States, where I live, but in many nations around the world.

The description of the multitude of the martyrs who:

have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb

is a reminder to me that I have suffered very little, relatively speaking, for my faith.

I am comforted that Revelation 19 seems to open the door for the rest of us who are believers, but not martyrs:

Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:9).

But I am prompted to pray for and support those who are suffering for their faith even now.

Christianity seems to be undergoing systematic elimination in countries controlled by Muslim radicals like ISIS and the Taliban.

In Communist North Korea, Christians face detention in prison camps, torture, and possible execution for the practice of their faith.

An average of 180 Christians are killed every month for their faith around the world according to reports. Some reports allege that the numbers are even higher, at 100,000 a year!

Most experts believe that the time in which we live far surpasses the early church in terms of the numbers of martyrs.

Perhaps that explains why the church in such areas of persecution seems to grow!

Tertullian, the early church Father, wrote:

The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.

A North Korean Christian is quoted as saying,

“We’re just like nails. The harder you hit us, the deeper you drive us; and the deeper you drive us, the more peaceful it becomes!”

So — I pray for the persecuted church; and I pray that I might be more faithful and committed in my own faith.

PHOTO:

"persecuted church" by Imagens Cristas is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic license.

Epistle for June 2, 2019

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Revelation 22:12-21
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

This week’s lectionary readings do not focus on the Day of Ascension.

Ascension Day always falls on the Thursday forty days following Easter Sunday.

If you prefer to use the Day of Ascension Scripture for this Sunday, click here for “Epistle for May 28, 2017”.

[Note from Celeste: Tom wrote this in May, 2016 when the lectionary passage for Year C used to be Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21. This year, (2019) the United Methodist lectionary selection is only verses 12-14. I’m not sure what the other denominations are doing. But Tom Letchworth believed in reading ALL the Scripture, and keeping it in context, so I’ve kept the full passage of verses 12-21 to which he refers. The following is what Tom wrote.]

Note: The lectionary reading for today is Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21. This post will address verses 12-21 in their entirety.

OBSERVE:

I will proceed this way — I will make my observations about this passage, and I will address the verses that are deleted, with some speculation about why they were deleted.

The initial speaker in this passage is Jesus, not the angel who has been revealing the vision to John. He speaks of his parousia, which means his final coming:

“See, I am coming soon; my reward is with me, to repay according to everyone’s work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

This brings us full circle from the very beginning of Revelation:

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty. (Revelation 1:8).

In verse 14, Jesus says:

Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they will have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates.

But the lectionary delicately deletes verse 15:

Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and fornicators and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

The point is that the vision presented in Revelation makes it very clear that there are moral consequences for both good and bad human choices.

Jesus makes this quite clear:

“It is I, Jesus, who sent my angel to you with this testimony for the churches.”

Jesus also makes clear his connection to the house of Judah and the Old Testament Messianic prophecies of the Son of David:

“I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”

Then there is a kind of lyrical refrain, as Jesus issues the invitation for the final meeting between himself and his flock:

The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.”

We are reminded that the Spirit is promised in the Gospel of John as the Advocate, who prepares God’s people for all that is to come:

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come (John 16:13).

The Spirit issues the same invitation that Jesus issues.

“Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb” (Revelation 19:9).

The invitation is quite generously offered to all who seek God:

And let everyone who hears say, “Come.”
And let everyone who is thirsty come.
Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift.

The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance.

But again, we find verses that have been deleted (verses 18-19):

I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book; if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away that person’s share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.

Finally, there is the promise that is certified by Jesus:

“Surely I am coming soon.”

But again, Peter provides a helpful interpretation in the Scripture itself. He recognized that there would be scoffers and doubters, but points out that all time is relative with God:

But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day (2 Peter 3:8).

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen.

APPLY:

If he is not coming back, then the Scriptures have a serious credibility problem.

I think the same thing is true of Revelation. Trying to parse out the what and the how of the return of Jesus misses the point. The real point is the who, and the why.

Jesus is returning — because he loves us. It is that simple.

RESPOND:

I believe that the Scriptures are very clear — Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.

This gives me a sense of hope when I consider the future — especially in uncertain times like these.

Instead, it is my business to be busy with the work that he has given me to do now. And I am answering, with faith, his invitation:

And let everyone who hears say, “Come.”
And let everyone who is thirsty come.
Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift.

PHOTOS:
"MESSAGES FROM GOD'S ABUNDANCE - Corrie ten Boom" by Corrie ten Boom Museum is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.

Epistle for May 12, 2019

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Revelation 7:9-17
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

There are so many different approaches to the interpretation of the Revelation that we may sometimes lose sight of its underlying purpose — to offer hope and encouragement to a persecuted church.

Once again in this passage we are introduced to a vast worship service in the courts of heaven.

But it is very significant that John describes the myriad number of those who are gathered before the throne of God:

After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands.

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19).

Now, these souls in heaven are praising the risen Christ who is seated at the right hand of the Father with their uplifted palm branches!

Imagine the chorus of voices as they proclaim in unison:

“Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

Then the angels and the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures who have already been introduced in the heavenly court all join together in this massive worship experience:

they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, singing,
“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom
and thanksgiving and honor
and power and might
be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

Frequently in the Revelation of John, there are dialogues between John and members of the heavenly court. Here, one of the elders asks John a question:

“Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?”

He is asking about the vast congregation who come from every nation and tribe. John either doesn’t know, or he is to humble to answer:

“Sir, you are the one that knows.”

This is reminiscent of the encounter between Ezekiel and the Lord in the Valley of the Dry Bones. The Lord shows Ezekiel the bones and says:

“Mortal, can these bones live?” I answered, “O Lord God, you know” (Ezekiel 37:3).

This dialectal style of question and answer was fairly typical in the ancient world — we see it in Plato’s Dialogues when Socrates asks questions that eventually lead to discovery.

The elder does know the answer to the question he has asked:

“These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”

What is clear is that those who have been martyred are honored as those who are gathered before the throne of God, where they:

worship him day and night within his temple,
and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them.

John describes the comforting shelter that God provides for them:

They will hunger no more, and thirst no more;
the sun will not strike them,
nor any scorching heat;
for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd,
and he will guide them to springs of the water of life,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

Note the irony — the Lamb, who has been sacrificed for these martyrs, now becomes their shepherd. Only now the Good Shepherd guides them to the water of life that flows through the Holy City.

APPLY:

Anyone who has worshiped in a huge, packed church or attended a large Christian concert or outdoor festival, might have a faint appreciation for the kind of experience described in Revelation 7:9-17.

Whatever else the great Apocalypse may bring, we know that the Lord will care for his own.

RESPOND:

[Note from Celeste: Tom wrote this post in April, 2016. I do not know if the following statistics have changed in the last three years.]

This passage reminds me that we are living in a terrible age of Christian persecution — not in the United States, where I live, but in many nations around the world.

The description of the multitude of the martyrs who:

have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb

is a reminder to me that I have suffered very little, relatively speaking, for my faith.

I am comforted that Revelation 19 seems to open the door for the rest of us who are believers, but not martyrs:

Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:9).

But I am prompted to pray for and support those who are suffering for their faith even now.

Christianity seems to be undergoing systematic elimination in countries controlled by Muslim radicals like ISIS and the Taliban.

In Communist North Korea, Christians face detention in prison camps, torture, and possible execution for the practice of their faith.

An average of 180 Christians are killed every month for their faith around the world according to reports. Some reports allege that the numbers are even higher, at 100,000 a year!

Most experts believe that the time in which we live far surpasses the early church in terms of the numbers of martyrs.

Perhaps that explains why the church in such areas of persecution seems to grow!

Tertullian, the early church Father, wrote:

The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.

A North Korean Christian is quoted as saying,

“We’re just like nails. The harder you hit us, the deeper you drive us; and the deeper you drive us, the more peaceful it becomes!”

So — I pray for the persecuted church; and I pray that I might be more faithful and committed in my own faith.

PHOTO:

"persecuted church" by Imagens Cristas is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic license.

Epistle for May 5, 2019

“Saints and Elders around the Lamb”
This rose window is in the north transept of Downside Abbey church in Somerset.
Photo by Fr. Lawrence Lew, O.P.

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Revelation 5:11-14
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

This excerpt from John’s Revelation gets at the heart of Christian worship.

Earlier, John introduced his Apocalypse (his revelation) by extolling the Trinitarian nature of God:

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 (Revelation 1:4-5).

John follows this (in chapters 2 and 3) with exhortations by the Son of Man, who is Jesus, to the Seven Churches of Asia Minor. And then, in chapter 4 through 5:10, the Heavenly throne room is revealed in all its glory to John, and he beholds the Lamb who has been slain — again, this is Jesus — who is also the Lion of Judah. And only Jesus is worthy to open the scroll with its seven seals that will reveal God’s plan to John.

Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels surrounding the throne and the living creatures and the elders; they numbered myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands.

Just what inspires these countless angels to worship and praise? As the heavenly host had once sung over the hills of Bethlehem to herald the birth of Jesus, so they sing his praise yet again:

“Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might
and honor and glory and blessing!”

And this worship is not limited only to heavenly beings:

Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, singing…

The Biblical vision is that all creatures and all creation will one day give praise and honor to their Creator.

This is their song:

“To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb
be blessing and honor and glory and might
forever and ever!”

Even the created order of nature acknowledges the authority of God the Father, and of his Son the sacrificed and risen Lamb who reigns together with him.

The response of the inner circle who surround the throne of God is humility and worship:

And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” And the elders fell down and worshiped.

APPLY:

Every act of worship with the Community of Faith should be both a humbling act of falling on our faces before God, and a joyous, noisy celebration of God’s mighty victory.

RESPOND:

PHOTO:

"Saints and Elders around the Lamb" by Fr. Lawrence Lew, O.P. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.

Epistle for April 28, 2019

Alpha and Omega Symbol
I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last.

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Revelation 1:4-8
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

The greeting begins in a way typical of other epistles in the New Testament:

Grace and peace to you…

And then John introduces his own Trinitarian greeting:

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.

The greeting grace and peace comes from all three of persons that we have come to know as the Trinity. This is a Trinitarian passage, without ever using the term Trinity.

The Father is he:

who is, and who was, and who is to come.

We can’t help but think of Moses’ encounter with the burning bush on Mount Sinai, when the Lord discloses his name and nature:

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’” (Exodus 3:14).

God is the eternal one, who transcends time and space, for whom the present moment encompasses past, present and future.

In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God (Revelations 4:5).

A variant translation of seven spirits is the Sevenfold Spirit.

In the third place, John turns his attention to Jesus:

and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

But John also points to the resurrection of Jesus as the firstborn from the dead. This is language reminiscent of Colossians, where Jesus is called:

the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation (Colossians 1:15)

and also

the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything (Colossians 1:18).

And John also reminds us that Jesus is King:

the ruler of the kings of the earth.

John elaborates on this as he begins to explore what this means for those who believe:

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.

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

This is part of the inspiration for the Reformation doctrine of the Priesthood of All Believers.

“Look, he is coming with the clouds”

Unfortunately, what is good news to those who believe may be bad news for those who do not:

“every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him”;
and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.”
So shall it be! Amen.

Finally, The Lord defines his character yet again:

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”

And he is the one who transcends all time, the all-powerful one.

APPLY:

In this text for Easter season, we are reminded that Christ is the one who has been pierced for our iniquities, and he is:

the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

The Apostle Paul says:

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family (Romans 8:29).

As we identify with Christ, he becomes our firstborn older brother who opens the way for all of us to experience resurrection. Paul also says of Christ:

He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything (Colossians 1:18)

Our salvation is a process — first there is the forgiveness of sins, effected through Christ’s atoning death on the cross. Christ is he who:

loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood…

And his ultimate goal is the restoration to our intended destiny:

to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father.

“Look, he is coming with the clouds,”
and “every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him”.

RESPOND:

And when Christ returns, we are told that:

all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.”

This statement reminds me of what Paul says in Philippians 2:10-11.

at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,and every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

For those who bow the knee willingly, submission to God will be heaven. For those who bow the knee unwillingly, submission to God will be hell.

John’s Revelation is a stark reminder to us that we are given the opportunity to choose to bow the knee to Christ as King, and that there are consequences to our choices.

PHOTO:

"St. Patrick's Cathedral" by Peter Roan is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic license.

Epistle for May 8, 2016

START WITH SCRIPTURE:

Revelation 22:12-21

CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

Note: The lectionary reading for today is Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21. This post will address verses 12-21 in their entirety.

OBSERVE:

I will proceed this way — I will make my observations about this passage, and I will address the verses that are deleted, with some speculation about why they were deleted.

The initial speaker in this passage is Jesus, not the angel who has been revealing the vision to John. He speaks of his parousia, which means his final coming:

“See, I am coming soon; my reward is with me, to repay according to everyone’s work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

This brings us full circle from the very beginning of Revelation:

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty. (Revelation 1:8).

In verse 14, Jesus says:

Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they will have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates.

But the lectionary delicately deletes verse 15:

Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and fornicators and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

The point is that the vision presented in Revelation makes it very clear that there are moral consequences for both good and bad human choices.

Jesus makes this quite clear:

“It is I, Jesus, who sent my angel to you with this testimony for the churches.”

Jesus also makes clear his connection to the house of Judah and the Old Testament Messianic prophecies of the Son of David:

“I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”

Then there is a kind of lyrical refrain, as Jesus issues the invitation for the final meeting between himself and his flock:

The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.”

We are reminded that the Spirit is promised in the Gospel of John as the Advocate, who prepares God’s people for all that is to come:

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come (John 16:13).

The Spirit issues the same invitation that Jesus issues.

“Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb” (Revelation 19:9).

The invitation is quite generously offered to all who seek God:

And let everyone who hears say, “Come.”
And let everyone who is thirsty come.
Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift.

The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance.

But again, we find verses that have been deleted (verses 18-19):

I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book; if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away that person’s share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.

Finally, there is the promise that is certified by Jesus:

“Surely I am coming soon.”

But again, Peter provides a helpful interpretation in the Scripture itself. He recognized that there would be scoffers and doubters, but points out that all time is relative with God:

But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day (2 Peter 3:8).

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen.

APPLY:

If he is not coming back, then the Scriptures have a serious credibility problem.

I think the same thing is true of Revelation. Trying to parse out the what and the how of the return of Jesus misses the point. The real point is the who, and the why.

Jesus is returning — because he loves us. It is that simple.

RESPOND:

I believe that the Scriptures are very clear — Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.

This gives me a sense of hope when I consider the future — especially in uncertain times like these.

But I also recognize that knowing the timetable, and making predictions — not my business. Jesus has made it very clear that no one knows the day or the hour; and that it is not the purview of the church to try to determine times or seasons (Matthew 24:36; Acts 1:7).

Instead, it is my business to be busy with the work that he has given me to do now. And I am answering, with faith, his invitation:

And let everyone who hears say, “Come.”
And let everyone who is thirsty come.
Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift.

PHOTOS:
"MESSAGES FROM GOD'S ABUNDANCE - Corrie ten Boom" by Corrie ten Boom Museum is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.