Scriptures: Revelation 1:4-19 (Daniel 7:9-14; Zechariah 12:10-11)
This week we’re starting something a little different than we’ve ever done before. We’re a Lutheran church… and we’re going to do a preaching series on the Book of Revelation. Bizarre… I know.
Its images and message have been interpreted in a variety of different ways and continue to be used as a “predictor” for current world events.
Where a lot of people go wrong when they open the Book of Revelation is they skip over this opening portion and tend to jump right into chapter six – where the four horsemen show up. After all – that’s when things get exciting.
But if you skip over this opening portion, you miss the entire point of the book of Revelation – because the opening is where we are introduced to the hero of the story. We are introduced to Jesus. A vision of Jesus that draws on and stays consistent with the Old Testament visions.
A vision of Jesus who reaffirms his identity and echoes Isaiah 44, which states, “I am the first, I am the last, and besides me, there is no God.”
If you don’t pull anything else out of the Book of Revelation – you should understand this point. Jesus Christ is the beginning and the ending.
The entire book will revolve around this premise. It will revolve around the question of “who do you belong to?” What’s important to you? What things in your faith life are you willing to compromise to make life in modern society easier? Where is your focus? What is your beginning – and your end?
People can sit and make all the little predictions they want about the “end times” – but to focus on that misses the point, because this opening section is what the entire book is ALL about. Not to spoil the ending for you, but this heavenly vision of Christ is how the book starts – and it’s going to be how the book ends. The beginning and the end is all about Christ.
Now a lot of people think that this book was written as a code for future generations to figure out and understand some kind of roadmap for twenty-first century end-times events.
I have one big problem with that.
How many of you have ever written a letter – or in today’s world, perhaps an email – to someone?
Did you expect that the person you sent that email or letter to would understand what you were telling them?
Or did you send them a letter hoping to utterly confuse them and have them hang onto it for future generations hoping maybe someone in the future might possibly understand what it meant?
The last seems a bit ridiculous because the whole purpose in sending a letter is to convey a message that you assume and hope the person or people receiving it would understand.
Yet many people today who read revelation think it states: “to the churches in North America living in the 21st century…” rather than “to the seven churches in Asia…”
That is not to say it doesn’t have meaning and relevance for us – but we have to assume that it meant something to the original audience as much as it means something to us today.
Part of the issue and confusion is that John was using cultural “picture” language – picking on cultural images that meant something in his day and age.
It would be similar to us utilizing Star Wars references today…they have a specific meaning for a specific generation. Darth Vader, Obi Wan, talking about the “force,” etc. triggers a familiarity with popular culture from the late 70’s and 80’s. Someone who was alive and growing up in that era instantly knows what you’re talking about.
While I assume EVERYONE knows these references… I learned recently – the younger generation doesn’t necessarily understand the pop culture references from 20-30 years ago. Some do – but others have never seen the movies and don’t have a clue what a “storm-trooper” is.
John is doing something like that – he’s utilizing a lot of “pop-culture” imagery from his own time and place combined with Old Testament imagery – which can be difficult to understand 2000 years later unless you take the time to study the cultural references as well as the scriptural connections.
Ultimately, the primary function of John’s letter is to remind people of both John’s day and our day of what’s important – Christ – and therefore addresses three primary problems that these seven churches were facing when it came to matters of faith: Assimilation/compromise, complacency and persecution. We unfortunately don’t have the time to read about each of these churches and delve into Christ’s specific messages for them, so I’ll just cover them broadly.
Christians at Ephesus, Pergamum, & Thyatira were struggling with issues of compromise and assimilation into the surrounding pagan culture. Their faith lives were in opposition to their social and economic lives. If you were a merchant, you needed to be part of a trade guild. But being part of a trade guild in the Roman Empire meant you had to make sacrifices to the pagan gods. Threatening economic systems is one of the major themes throughout the book of Revelation. Oddly – this is not a unique message… it’s a message that is consistent with the rest of scripture.
And it’s a problem Christians have faced for the past 2000 years. Our economic security has always stood in opposition to our faith lives. I know I’m guilty of it. Worrying about whether or not I can afford some of the things in life that make life more comfortable. That make living in the American society more acceptable. Being seen as a success by one’s peers, friends and family. I sometimes leave faith at the door when it comes to these matters.
But this is not a new warning… Scripture over and over again has warned us about the conflict between the material world and our dedication to God. How we cannot serve two masters. Revelation is not telling us anything new in that regard. It’s upholding the same messages Jesus had in the Gospels and that the Prophets had in the Old Testament. Revelation is not introducing anything new in this regard.
The second issue Revelation addresses is a warning against complacency. Christians at Laodicea & Sardis were affluent, but their prosperity took the vitality out of their faith. Funny how it still somehow relates to material issues. Their challenge was how to maintain a vital faith in circumstances where they were too comfortable. Things were going a little TOO well. The problem was not that things were so bad…but things were so GOOD! They didn’t want to rock the boat.
They were just trying to blend in… they weren’t caring and loving congregations anymore – they’d turned to in on themselves and weren’t looking at what their role as Christians meant in the world. Can you imagine any Christians having this problem in the 21st Century?
The third issue was of course persecution. Both the churches of Philadelphia and Smyrna suffered from this problem. And in the eyes of Revelation – this was the preferred problem to have, because it probably meant you were doing something right. Smyrna & Philadelphia were denounced because their faith commitments set them apart from the wider non-Christian context. Their challenge was how to persevere in the face of open conflict. Their religion set them apart from their pagan neighbors.
So I want you to imagine for a moment you’re one of these churches – you’re facing one of these problems. Probably not too hard to do…
And as this letter opens and reveals Jesus to us… it reveals a picture of Jesus holding seven stars in his hand.
Stars were frequently used on Roman coins with Caesar to represent dominion. So you’re one of these churches… you’re accustomed to seeing this image – and you get this letter that introduces Christ holding seven stars in his hand, claiming the authority and dominion that is usually ascribed to Caesar – start thinking about what this would have meant to each of these communities.
If you’re one of the churches that has been compromising your faith in order to fit in better socially and economically – what does it mean to have Christ right there claiming dominion and rulership of the world? That HE rules, not Caesar?
This opening scene confronts us not with a future threat of bombs, missiles and plagues… but with a person. The crucified and risen Christ. Someone who is not just a future event – but is a present reality. As the book opens, Christ is already standing among the lampstands, which Revelation tells us a little later on represent each of the churches. He is already in the midst of not just their present reality, but our present reality as well.
If Christ is, as this opening vision of Revelation shows us, present and in our midst… what does that mean for us?
Depending on who we identify with – the complacent, the compromising or the persecuted – we probably all have different reactions to this reality. For some – primarily the persecuted – it is reassuring to know Christ is in our midst. We are not alone. His presence is a comfort. Because of this, Revelation is embraced in the countries of Latin America, Africa and Asia as a book of hope.
For others – the complacent and compromising—it’s an intrusion. We want to keep Christ at a distance so seeing him so fully in our midst can be unsettling. Most North American Christians will probably find themselves a bit disturbed by the images and denunciations Revelation will make…which is probably why most Americans prefer to read it as a futuristic roadmap that promotes a type of escapism where we are exempt from all the things that occur in Revelation. But to do so – utterly misses the point and message.
Whichever way you wind up feeling as we work our way through the book of Revelation, if you feel one of these two things – either comforted or unsettled – then Revelation has had its desired effect.
It’s meant to both give comfort for those who are suffering, while simultaneously startling the rest of us into a present reality that makes us examine our faith lives – not as a past or a future reality – but what’s happening right NOW. “I am the one who was, and is, and is to come.” We focus so much on the “is to come” at times, we forget the “is.” Christ is already here – already present and active.
Christ is here among us and is calling us into a future that involves Him.
This week we’re starting something a little different than we’ve ever done before. We’re a Lutheran church… and we’re going to do a preaching series on the Book of Revelation. Bizarre… I know.
Its images and message have been interpreted in a variety of different ways and continue to be used as a “predictor” for current world events.
Where a lot of people go wrong when they open the Book of Revelation is they skip over this opening portion and tend to jump right into chapter six – where the four horsemen show up. After all – that’s when things get exciting.
But if you skip over this opening portion, you miss the entire point of the book of Revelation – because the opening is where we are introduced to the hero of the story. We are introduced to Jesus. A vision of Jesus that draws on and stays consistent with the Old Testament visions.
A vision of Jesus who reaffirms his identity and echoes Isaiah 44, which states, “I am the first, I am the last, and besides me, there is no God.”
If you don’t pull anything else out of the Book of Revelation – you should understand this point. Jesus Christ is the beginning and the ending.
The entire book will revolve around this premise. It will revolve around the question of “who do you belong to?” What’s important to you? What things in your faith life are you willing to compromise to make life in modern society easier? Where is your focus? What is your beginning – and your end?
People can sit and make all the little predictions they want about the “end times” – but to focus on that misses the point, because this opening section is what the entire book is ALL about. Not to spoil the ending for you, but this heavenly vision of Christ is how the book starts – and it’s going to be how the book ends. The beginning and the end is all about Christ.
Now a lot of people think that this book was written as a code for future generations to figure out and understand some kind of roadmap for twenty-first century end-times events.
I have one big problem with that.
How many of you have ever written a letter – or in today’s world, perhaps an email – to someone?
Did you expect that the person you sent that email or letter to would understand what you were telling them?
Or did you send them a letter hoping to utterly confuse them and have them hang onto it for future generations hoping maybe someone in the future might possibly understand what it meant?
The last seems a bit ridiculous because the whole purpose in sending a letter is to convey a message that you assume and hope the person or people receiving it would understand.
Yet many people today who read revelation think it states: “to the churches in North America living in the 21st century…” rather than “to the seven churches in Asia…”
That is not to say it doesn’t have meaning and relevance for us – but we have to assume that it meant something to the original audience as much as it means something to us today.
Part of the issue and confusion is that John was using cultural “picture” language – picking on cultural images that meant something in his day and age.
It would be similar to us utilizing Star Wars references today…they have a specific meaning for a specific generation. Darth Vader, Obi Wan, talking about the “force,” etc. triggers a familiarity with popular culture from the late 70’s and 80’s. Someone who was alive and growing up in that era instantly knows what you’re talking about.
While I assume EVERYONE knows these references… I learned recently – the younger generation doesn’t necessarily understand the pop culture references from 20-30 years ago. Some do – but others have never seen the movies and don’t have a clue what a “storm-trooper” is.
John is doing something like that – he’s utilizing a lot of “pop-culture” imagery from his own time and place combined with Old Testament imagery – which can be difficult to understand 2000 years later unless you take the time to study the cultural references as well as the scriptural connections.
Ultimately, the primary function of John’s letter is to remind people of both John’s day and our day of what’s important – Christ – and therefore addresses three primary problems that these seven churches were facing when it came to matters of faith: Assimilation/compromise, complacency and persecution. We unfortunately don’t have the time to read about each of these churches and delve into Christ’s specific messages for them, so I’ll just cover them broadly.
Christians at Ephesus, Pergamum, & Thyatira were struggling with issues of compromise and assimilation into the surrounding pagan culture. Their faith lives were in opposition to their social and economic lives. If you were a merchant, you needed to be part of a trade guild. But being part of a trade guild in the Roman Empire meant you had to make sacrifices to the pagan gods. Threatening economic systems is one of the major themes throughout the book of Revelation. Oddly – this is not a unique message… it’s a message that is consistent with the rest of scripture.
And it’s a problem Christians have faced for the past 2000 years. Our economic security has always stood in opposition to our faith lives. I know I’m guilty of it. Worrying about whether or not I can afford some of the things in life that make life more comfortable. That make living in the American society more acceptable. Being seen as a success by one’s peers, friends and family. I sometimes leave faith at the door when it comes to these matters.
But this is not a new warning… Scripture over and over again has warned us about the conflict between the material world and our dedication to God. How we cannot serve two masters. Revelation is not telling us anything new in that regard. It’s upholding the same messages Jesus had in the Gospels and that the Prophets had in the Old Testament. Revelation is not introducing anything new in this regard.
The second issue Revelation addresses is a warning against complacency. Christians at Laodicea & Sardis were affluent, but their prosperity took the vitality out of their faith. Funny how it still somehow relates to material issues. Their challenge was how to maintain a vital faith in circumstances where they were too comfortable. Things were going a little TOO well. The problem was not that things were so bad…but things were so GOOD! They didn’t want to rock the boat.
They were just trying to blend in… they weren’t caring and loving congregations anymore – they’d turned to in on themselves and weren’t looking at what their role as Christians meant in the world. Can you imagine any Christians having this problem in the 21st Century?
The third issue was of course persecution. Both the churches of Philadelphia and Smyrna suffered from this problem. And in the eyes of Revelation – this was the preferred problem to have, because it probably meant you were doing something right. Smyrna & Philadelphia were denounced because their faith commitments set them apart from the wider non-Christian context. Their challenge was how to persevere in the face of open conflict. Their religion set them apart from their pagan neighbors.
So I want you to imagine for a moment you’re one of these churches – you’re facing one of these problems. Probably not too hard to do…
And as this letter opens and reveals Jesus to us… it reveals a picture of Jesus holding seven stars in his hand.
Stars were frequently used on Roman coins with Caesar to represent dominion. So you’re one of these churches… you’re accustomed to seeing this image – and you get this letter that introduces Christ holding seven stars in his hand, claiming the authority and dominion that is usually ascribed to Caesar – start thinking about what this would have meant to each of these communities.
If you’re one of the churches that has been compromising your faith in order to fit in better socially and economically – what does it mean to have Christ right there claiming dominion and rulership of the world? That HE rules, not Caesar?
This opening scene confronts us not with a future threat of bombs, missiles and plagues… but with a person. The crucified and risen Christ. Someone who is not just a future event – but is a present reality. As the book opens, Christ is already standing among the lampstands, which Revelation tells us a little later on represent each of the churches. He is already in the midst of not just their present reality, but our present reality as well.
If Christ is, as this opening vision of Revelation shows us, present and in our midst… what does that mean for us?
Depending on who we identify with – the complacent, the compromising or the persecuted – we probably all have different reactions to this reality. For some – primarily the persecuted – it is reassuring to know Christ is in our midst. We are not alone. His presence is a comfort. Because of this, Revelation is embraced in the countries of Latin America, Africa and Asia as a book of hope.
For others – the complacent and compromising—it’s an intrusion. We want to keep Christ at a distance so seeing him so fully in our midst can be unsettling. Most North American Christians will probably find themselves a bit disturbed by the images and denunciations Revelation will make…which is probably why most Americans prefer to read it as a futuristic roadmap that promotes a type of escapism where we are exempt from all the things that occur in Revelation. But to do so – utterly misses the point and message.
Whichever way you wind up feeling as we work our way through the book of Revelation, if you feel one of these two things – either comforted or unsettled – then Revelation has had its desired effect.
It’s meant to both give comfort for those who are suffering, while simultaneously startling the rest of us into a present reality that makes us examine our faith lives – not as a past or a future reality – but what’s happening right NOW. “I am the one who was, and is, and is to come.” We focus so much on the “is to come” at times, we forget the “is.” Christ is already here – already present and active.
Christ is here among us and is calling us into a future that involves Him.
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