Spoiler Alert!
(Revelation 1: 1-8)
I love books and movies of almost all types. And it doesn’t matter to me whether or not I know the outcome. Who would read a book or watch a movie if they knew the outcome? Yeah, I get that but sometimes the backstory is more interesting than the outcome. For example, several years ago I read a book about Dietrich Bonhoeffer entitled Bonhoeffer, Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas. I knew how it ended, and don’t worry, I won’t spoil it for you as I know the movie on Bonhoeffer just came out, but I found it fascinating how the story developed, the twists and turns, the players, and how it turned out. I will tell you this much; Bonhoeffer was a German cleric who defied the Nazi Party prior to and during World War Two when many in the religious community stood silent, or wanted to be the officially sanctioned state religion. I know that when I go see the movie, I’ll hope for a different ending, but I know that the ending had been foreordained and nothing on God’s green earth could change that. It’s still an excellent book, a New York Times bestseller, and I highly recommend its reading, and you can even borrow my copy if you promise to return it.
And it’s the reading of a book’s final chapter that has yet to have been acted out, a book where the final chapter is yet to be written, that the Apostle John is writing about in our Scripture reading for this morning. Jesus, in a revelation, is telling the last remaining apostle how the book, the story, is going to end, the final chapter, where many people get to live happily ever after in eternity and some don’t. It’s the Book of Revelation which is scary to a lot of people because they’ve heard stories about some terrible events that are to occur in the world as they know it comes to an end. It’s a controversial book, even more controversial than any one of the four gospels where Jesus states openly that he is the Son of God. It’s so controversial that most mainline denominations avoid sermon series on Revelation. When I lived in Texas, I attended Bible Study Fellowship which was a seven-year study of the Bible and the only book that was not included in the study was Revelation due in part to how some of the churches represented interpreted the end of times and they just didn’t want to get bogged down in that discussion or debate.
But that’s really not the case. Revelation is an account of John’s visionary experience with the resurrected Jesus, an experience facilitated from start to finish by the Holy Spirit. It’s the testimony of John, a prophet who writes down the revelation which is closely connected to Jesus’ own testimony and witness. It’s a revelation of Jesus Christ. It’s about Christ and from Christ. It’s the Word of God for us, a prophecy. It’s God’s word for his people in their present circumstances and John’s goal for his readers is not merely informational, but transformational. Here, John is narrating the story of Christ in a nutshell: He is the one who died, He is the one who rose, He is the one who reigns, and He is the one who will return.
Near the end of his life, around 95 A.D. from his exile on the island of Patmos, John received a vision from Christ, which he recorded for the benefit of the seven churches in Asia and for Christians throughout history. My study Bible says that this is the only book in the Bible that promises a blessing to those who listen to its words and do what it says. So, like every good book, it starts with a prologue that says that what follows is: A revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. Christ made it known by sending it through his angel to his servant, John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the witness of Jesus Christ, including all that John saw. It tells us that favored is the one who reads the words of this prophecy out loud, and favored are those who listen to it being read, and keep what is written in it, for the time is near. Well, if that doesn’t get your attention and make you want to read on, I don’t know what would.
John begins by stating: Grace and peace to you from the one who is and was and is coming, and from the seven spirits that are before God’s throne, and from Jesus Christ—the faithful witness, the firstborn from among the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. John’s greeting is by the triune deity: God, Jesus, and the seven spirits which is another name for the Holy Spirit, and the title: “the one who is and was and is coming” is meant to underscore God’s eternal nature. God always has been and always will be. The seven spirits that are before God’s throne emphasize the close proximity and fullness of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit speaks for God. Jesus’ titles: “the faithful witness, the firstborn from among the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth”, and his actions as the one who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, point to the uniqueness of Jesus for the way of salvation. Jesus made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father—to him be glory and power forever and always. This doesn’t sound so bad. Jesus made us a kingdom and we are to act in the capacity of priests to God, ministering to the needs of his children and his creation. I definitely don’t see much doom and gloom here for his faithful followers.
John continues by stating: Look, he is coming with the clouds! Every eye will see him, including those who pierced him, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of him. This is so. Amen. This is the first of the two prophetic words that conclude the prologue which speaks of the manner and nature of Jesus’ victorious return. Christ, who ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father will return the same way, descending from the clouds for all to see, including those who believe and those who don’t which includes those who persecuted him. And then we have God speaking who declares: I am the Alpha and the Omega, the one who is and was and is coming, the Almighty. God speaks here to confirm the importance of Jesus and his self-address as “I am” and the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet “the Alpha and Omega” ground this verdict in God’s unquestionable authority. I also think it’s a nod to the Gentile church, the seven churches of Asia Minor and the rest of us that Jesus is coming back for everyone who believes in him, and not just the Jewish converts who believed in him being the Messiah, the chosen one of God.
Now this may be somewhat disconcerting to those who don’t believe for whatever reason. They may have heard yet still refuse to believe, or they may not yet have heard and have had no one to tell them about Jesus. It’s not a threat or an attempt to scare the unbelievers into accepting Jesus. It’s a warning of what is to come, and the choice is yours. The book of Revelation is merely revealing future events, and it does not contain the gloomy pessimism we might expect. No doubt, the drama of these unfolding events is spectacular, but there is nothing to fear for those of us who are on the winning side, the believers, the Followers of the Way of Jesus Christ. God’s plan for the future provides inspiration and encouragement because we know he will intervene in history to conquer evil. I know, it’s hard to remember that when you turn on the evening news and you are confronted with reports filled with violence, scandal, and political haggling. It is depressing and we are right to wonder where the world is heading. It’s because we have this hope and confidence in the final outcome that we can face with certainty that which is to come.
But what about those others who have not heard or do not believe? Many of us may hesitate to witness about our faith in Christ because we don’t feel that the change in our lives has been spectacular enough. But we do qualify as witnesses for Jesus Christ because of what he has done for us, not because of what we may have done for him. It was Christ who demonstrated his great love by setting us free from our sins through his death on the cross, guaranteeing us a place in his kingdom, and making us priests to administer God’s love to others, to the least, the lost, and the lonely.
The fact that the all-powerful God has offered eternal life to us is, in itself, nothing short of spectacular when we consider the places we’ve been and the things we’ve done. So, here’s your spoiler alert: when you think about the future, walk with confidence because Christ, the victor, walks with you.
Let us pray.
Yes, gracious and loving Father, we do have a story to tell to the nations that shall turn their hearts to the right. A story of truth and mercy, a story of peace and light. And we pray that we might not hesitate in the telling of the great story of love and redemption brought to us by your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. May we not feel unworthy or inadequate in sharing your Word with those who have not heard it, and may we continue to witness to others who have heard yet do not believe. Instill in us the confidence to walk boldly with Christ as we anxiously await his triumphant return. This we pray, in Jesus’ name, Amen
To view service live, click link below
It’s because we have this hope and confidence in the final outcome that we can face with certainty that which is to come.