in praise to the eternity of Jesus

We’re all a bunch of sinners free-riding on Jesus


Revelation has to be one of the most misunderstood books in the Bible. One we’re certainly not very familiar with. 
And that’s too bad. Because the truth is, we’re the one’s missing out. 
Revelation has a message we would all benefit from hearing.

Between the years 65 and 250 A.D., being a Christian was like being a part of a criminal conspiracy. The official charge brought against Christians was “atheism.” But the real threat they posed, was their worship. 
These Christians refused to give their devotion to anyone or anything except the God who raised Jesus. For that kind of exclusive fidelity, Christians were a threat to the way things were. The status quo. (Side note, Revelation is a form of protest writing!)
These early Christians were accused of atheism because the way they insisted on being faithful to God alone, made them just too different. For this kind of refusal to fit in, others tried to find ways to force them. Revelation 2:11 refers to at least one martyrdom. And the author, John of Patmos, has possibly seen others die for their faith. Regardless, he certainly expected more persecutions to come.
And let’s be honest, although we won’t die for our faith, we can relate. We’ve felt the pressure to fit in; to give up our witness when it makes us look a little too different. 

To speak to this, John sends a message to the seven churches he frequented. While the message for each church may be different, their context was the same. The struggle to keep up faith. Fear at the potential costs of bearing witness. Wondering how to make it amidst all these challenges. Uncertainty whether it was even worth it to keep trying.
And we can relate to that, can’t we?

So John sends a revelation, “you’re not seeing things as they are. Look at this through the lens of the resurrection.” 
John asserts that behind these struggles, is a larger battle. One that’s been going on from the beginning. The great battle between Good and Evil. 
But that’s not all, because John has another revelation. God has already won this battle. It’s actually over. The day God raised Jesus from the dead, the days of Evil and all its forces were numbered once and for all. 
John tells these Christians that behind their struggle, something bigger is going on. Something they’re called to bear witness to. Something they’re called to get on board with. Something they can take comfort in. Something they can draw encouragement from. 
Yes, John uses poetry, symbolism, metaphor and a whole lot more to tell this message. And yes, that can make it confusing. But honestly, we lose more than we gain when we don’t wrestle with his Revelation. 
Because truthfully, we could use that message these days. 


One last thing, I’m writing this the day after the bombing at the concert in Manchester. So I feel the need to point something out; no matter what persecutions the Christians faced, John never encourages them to resort to violence.

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