Tag: Revelation

The first four seals opening leave a minor doubt in the world that the hand of God is not actively at work.  Yet, with the 5th and 6th seal’s being broken, all doubt is removed.  A time is coming when the world will run out of excuses to deny the hand of God.  The core of the Revelation of Jesus Christ is Gospel centric.  The Lamb of God, while pouring out His wrath upon the world, is returning all things to himself.  Every step of God’s intervention has been a heavenly invasion to rend a rebellious people from the clutches of sin and death and return them to the fullness of God.  For some, this will mean entering into the fullness of God’s glory.  For others, they will enter into the fullness of God’s wrath.  While they may know who is pursuing and calling them, their unwillingness to return to Christ will result in the fullness of God’s wrath poured out on them.  The 5th and 6th seals represent those who gave the ultimate price for their faith, the martyrs, and those who would not bow before the Lord.

In Revelation 6, with the Lamb of God being worthy, He opens the first six of the seven scrolls.  The first four have gained the monicker as the “Four Horsemen of The Apocalypse.”  With each opening of the seal, the four creatures worshipping God in the throne room summons one of the horse and his rider to come forth.  These horsemen are not necessarily demonic forces but one thing is clear, they are the instrument of judgment upon the world.  This is the beginning of the end and the timeline has begun for when Christ will return for His people.  Most depictions of the four horsemen tend to be with these as representations of the devil’s work throughout the earth.  Yet, this would ignore the presence of the creatures summoning them.  Whether it be through the permissive will of God, which allows things to happen, or the active will, which causes things to happen, the seals are the result of the judgment of the Lamb being poured out on the world.  For all whose identity remains with the Lamb of God, the consequences of the judgment will not be felt.  The church will feel the effects of the judgments but our ultimate source of hope and salvation is Jesus Christ who reigns in the throne room of Heaven, speaking with the authority of God the Father.

The events of the throne room in chapter four are rich and exciting but they are constant.  God, although on the throne, makes no real action but simply displays His presence.  Do not be mistaken, however, the presence of God is still immensely more powerful than we can image and is worthy to reign on the throne.  In chapter 5, things begin changing and moving.  The events that unfold here establish the foundation for everything else that is to come in the book of Revelation.  The introduction of Jesus Christ to the throne room sets in motion opening of the scroll which contains the finality of creation and the pronouncement of judgment on the world.  The lamb of God makes its appearance in the throne room of God and the response can only be worship.  The final stages of creation are unfolding before John’s eyes and the presence of God remains sovereign and in control.  

The letter to the church in Laodicea ends with Jesus knocking asking to come in.  Yet, for John, the door is wide open for his invitation to the throne room of God.  In chapters 2 and 3, we see the explicit commands for the church on how they should be the church.  Starting in chapter 4, John describes the visions God gives to him.  It seeks to answer not the how but the why. Thus, John is caught up in the Spirit and given an image of the Throne room of God consistent with other biblical depictions of the Throne Room of God in Isaiah and in Daniel. From the specifics of the gems, the nature of the angelic presence, and various other details, John’s vision aligns with previous apocalyptic literature.  This should not lead a person to feel that the work was plagiarized or simply a parroting, but rather speaks to the internal consistency of John’s vision with the rest of scripture.

The city of Laodicea was known for a few things that allowed them to be financial self-sufficient. First, the minerals that had built up around the area allowed them to become the center of ophthalmology, producing various eye salves which people came from all around to be treater. Then there was the fine wool they produced fine clothing with in order to produce elegant clothing.  Finally, with their centralized location along major trade routes, Laodicea had riches beyond understanding.  Likewise, the church profited from their surroundings, becoming supposedly self sufficient in the process.  Yet, for all of it’s riches, the water of that particular area was borderline undrinkable, causing people to often vomit.  Thus, with a set of dual aqueducts, water traveled from two cities to be used in the town.  The Hieropolis became known for their hot springs which acted as a medical mineral baths.  Colosse, on the other hand, had a cold water spring that seemed to continually produce cool and refreshing water.  By the time the water reached Laodicea, it too had become lukewarm and disgusting, becoming known for people causing people to vomit.  

The church in Philadelphia, by human standards, would not have been successful.  While they were in a large city, this city was loyal to Rome and resistant to any Christian influence. They did not present a great deal of wealth or influence.  They city had been ravages by volcanic activity and earthquakes having to be rebuilt in the image of the Rome. Yet, for everything stacked against this church, it is mentioned by name by Jesus Christ in Revelation.  Furthermore, like the church in Smyrna, Christ brings nothing against the church but rather exhorts them to continue in the faith.

As this letter to the church in Sardis starts, we are reminded of the nature of God.  He is all knowing and sovereign overall.  He holds the sevenfold Spirit and reigns from the throne of God.  We see similar things in the church Ephesus whom had lost their love and passion.  Yet, the condition of Sardis is much more grim.  The church remained dead though the world saw them as alive.  There is more to their faith than merely going through the motions but an in-depth relationship with Jesus Christ and the expression of the presence of God in every aspect of their lives.

The Church in Pergamum was in a bad neighborhood, but in a spiritual sense.  The area of Pergamum was surprisingly a well off area housing temples to Caesar as the Lord.  Pergamum remained dedicated to the worship of the Roman Empire as the primary incarnation of divinity that mankind would see.  Furthermore, the people of Pergamum lived their life in celebration of the influence of Rome and chasing after their personal wants and desires, following a hedonistic bent.  This presented the church in Pergamum with unique challenges and opportunities to represent Christ in the world but also to withstand the influence of the outside world.  

The Church in Pergamum was in a bad neighborhood, but in a spiritual sense.  The area of Pergamum was surprisingly a well off area housing temples to Caesar as the Lord.  Pergamum remained dedicated to the worship of the Roman Empire as the primary incarnation of divinity that mankind would see.  Furthermore, the people of Pergamum lived their life in celebration of the influence of Rome and chasing after their personal wants and desires, following a hedonistic bent.  This presented the church in Pergamum with unique challenges and opportunities to represent Christ in the world but also to withstand the influence of the outside world.  

The Church is Smyrna was no stranger to suffering.  The church was in the midsts of profound religious persecution for those who sought to follow Jesus Christ.  Christians would not following the synagogues who denied the divinity of Jesus Christ and even approved of the martyrdom of some of the earliest church fathers (Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna being the first recorded martyr outside of the bible). Nor would the Christians engage in the type of worship of Caesar that would have been mandatory for Roman worship.  Beyond that, there was the profound misunderstanding of Christian doctrines.  As they talked about the body and blood of Jesus Christ, people assumed they were cannibals.  This is just one of the misunderstandings.