Soon and very soon...

​We have begun a time of study in the first 3 chapters of the Revelation. I thought it would be helpful to document the main points as we go. This is a bit of a geek fest.

Revelation 1:1-8

Who, what, when, where…
First of all, this “book” of the Bible is a letter. Here are some basics.
Title: The Revelation (This is the short title. Scholars say we could think of the first 3 verses as the title. Also note, this is SINGULAR, there is no “s” at the end. We have instituted among ourselves a harsh and demanding demerit system. If anyone says “Revelations” then the whole group gets a demerit)

From: God
To: Servants/Churches
Through: Jesus, Angel, John (we assume the Apostle John)
About: Jesus
Purpose: To tell us about future events
When was it written: Estimates are In the range of 54-96 AD. 

Themes
Soon: Verses 1 and 4 say “soon” and “near” in the ESV version. There is a sense of urgency and anticipation. This is not a fearful thing but rather a hopeful thing. Written to a persecuted people who needed encouragement, this letter of the coming of an all powerful rescuer is exactly what they needed to hear. This is exactly what we need to hear as well in a time when discouragement is at an all time high. Suicide is a major killer in the USA. Psych drugs are a best seller by pharmaceutical companies. Relationships are a mess in the home as well as in public spheres where hatred is constantly spewed at one another in social media settings.

We discussed that this is a tough pill to swallow because we are reading this 2,000 year old letter about something happening soon. How are we to take it? Has it not yet happened? Is “soon” a very flexible sort of word? Will it ever happen?

One author referenced the fact that all of the New Testament talks this way. We are to live with a constant expectation that God will show up and that we should have hope. Others talk about the flexibility of the word “soon” in light of eternity. What may seem like a long time to us is just a moment in that perspective. Another idea is that these moments of God’s visitation to us are constantly happening as bad leaders fall over the course of history such as various Pharaohs, Nebuchadnezzar, Nero, and Domitian. Our bad times will pass and the key to our surviving them is in keeping His word in hope. We contribute to the Kingdom of God as we live well right now and one day He will come in finality to do away with evil once and for all. Be filled with hope, He is coming soon!

Bear witness: The path of our receiving this letter comes through a chain of faithful witnesses. The path of the letter testifies with God to Jesus to angel to John to churches. And then within the churches it has continued from readers to listeners and around and around it goes. All who participate in this activity are called “blessed” in v3! A very important details is that we not only bear witness in word but also in deed as the blessing reminds us to "keep" what is written. Obedience has always been important. People are more likely to listen when we are people of integrity. Fakers can be sniffed out very quickly. The word for “witness” is a form of the Greek “Martyreo” which exists in noun and verb versions and is where we get our English word “Martyr.” The most extreme example of a martyr is someone who dies for what they are bearing witness to. The word is found 3 times in these first 8 verses. Twice in v2 and once in v5. This connects back to the calling of the first humans to “be fruitful and multiply” Gen 1:28 and continues through Jesus’ commission to his people to “Go into all the world and preach the good news…” Mark 16:15. Bear witness to Jesus and you will be blessed.

Jesus is the Almighty God: Much is made of Jesus in these very few introductory sentences. Verses 5-8 hit us with a tsunami of facts about who Jesus is and what He has done. As we take the time to list each one, and to dig up verses where each idea is reinforced, and look up where the idea originates in the Hebrew scriptures, and consider what difference it makes to us. As we do this we cannot help but be filled with awe in remembering why we believed in the first place and why we can walk in much confidence and hope.

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