Story 3: The First Three Verses
Revelation 1:1-3
When you read the Book of Revelation, you will notice that right from the start, John makes sure we know that this message is from God. It was so important that the Lord Jesus sent an angel to help him bear the greatness of all that he was about to see. Here is how it begins:
“The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who testifies to everything he saw-that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.’”
What do you think it means when John writes that about what “must soon take place,” or when he writes, “the time is near”? This book was written almost two thousand years ago, and most of the things in it haven’t happened yet. If they happened today, they wouldn’t be very soon at all! It will be even less soon when they happen in the future. Was the Bible wrong?
Well, we also know that Jesus said that even He did not know the exact timing of when the world would end (Matthew 24:36-41). Only God the Father knows. In fact, our job as believers is to live our lives in such a way as to be ready for His coming. We are to watch and pray with expectant hope.
We also know that some parts of Revelation have already been fulfilled. Other parts happened before as a partial fulfillment and will happen again in total fulfillment at the end of time. As we read will learn about those things.
Ultimately, we can be sure that God is in control of history and that nothing will keep Jesus from returning at the exact right time. That is part of what it means to have faith. We can be sure that the glorious ending will definitely happen. We can know that one day, we will all live with the Lord Jesus in a paradise so remarkably wonderful that Scripture says we can’t even imagine how great it will be (1 Cor. 2:9). That knowledge has the power to give us tremendous freedom from the bondages and demands of this world. We can cultivate the capacity to live with deep, continual peace and joy in Christ even as we live in a world where there is so much trouble and darkness.
When John wrote this letter, Christians often held Church by meeting in each other’s homes. They would read from the Old Testament and the letters that had been sent from the apostles. Paul’s letters to the Ephesians and the Philippians were written so that they could be read out loud in such a church service. That is how Revelation is written as well. It was meant to be read in front of the whole group. The reader would be blessed as someone giving out the Word of God. The listeners would be blessed by hearing it. However, they were all expected to do more than just listen. They were to believe it and live out their lives in a manner that showed their trust was absolutely true! Did they really believe what they said they believed? And if not, how could they dig in deeper and offer the Lord deeper levels of trust?
Jesus wanted that deep connection with His followers, that deep level relationship. Their inner peace and trust in their King would give them a freedom from the things of this world that would be a powerful testimony to the watching world. This was true of the first Christians in the Early Church. It is true for us as well.
The book of Revelation is the story about how God is going to start a whole new, everlasting Age where we will live in perfect, permanent atmosphere of perfect joy and peace. Every dream you have ever had, every wish for safety and longing for rest, every hope you have had to be more, to live more, to be freer, less afraid, for more belonging and joy, all of those feelings are perfectly natural, because that is what you were made for. We had it in the Garden with God, and we lost it, but Christ paid the price so that we can have it again. Revelation tells us how we are going to get there. Believing it will make all the difference in how you live your life as you wait for it’s coming.