Revelation 1:9-10a

9 I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day… .

John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress and our Help in Suffering

John Bunyan (1628-1688; pictured left) was a Baptist preacher who wrote a very famous allegorical story — Pilgrim’s Progress. He outlined in its pages the Christian life and all its challenges. Prior to the 20th Century, three books were always in hand for  Christians’ daily comfort — (1) the Bible, (2) a hymnbook, and (3) Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress. I have one favorite story from Pilgrim’s Progress about how we triumph in suffering.

“Then I saw in my dream, that the Interpreter took Christian by the hand, and led him into a place where a Fire was burning against a wall, and one standing by it, was always pouring water upon it, to put it out; yet the Fire burned higher and hotter.

Then said Christian, What does this mean?

The Interpreter answered, this Fire is the Work of Grace that is worked out in the heart; he that pours water upon it, to extinguish it, is the Devil; but in spite of the water poured on it you see the Fire burn higher and hotter; you will also see the reason for that.

So Interpreter led him to the backside of the wall, where he saw a Man with a pitcher of Oil in his hand, out of which, he poured continually (but secretly) onto the Fire.

Then said Christian, What does this mean?

The Interpreter answered, this is Christ, who continually with the Oil of His Grace maintains the work already begun in the heart; By the means of which, notwithstanding what the Devil can do, the souls of His people prove gracious still. And in that you saw, that the Man stood behind the wall to maintain the Fire; this is to teach you — That it is hard for the Tempted to see how this Work of Grace is maintained in the soul.” (language edited for modern meaning; see Pulse below.)

An old illustration of Bunyan’s Story of the fire against the wall.

This is an old story told in allegory, but it shows us that in our communion with the Lord, grace is poured into our hearts so we can stand against the temptations and persecution of the enemy. Prayer is offered both when we are alone and when we are with other Christians. Prayer gives us grace from God to thrive in our sufferings. We must avail ourselves of praying companions in our exile.

But you may ask, “How are we in the West exiled? Most of us feel at home.”

Exile for Christians in the West is More Subtle

I John 3:1 [Behold!] what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know Him. (emphasis mine; See ESV below).

This does not mean that the world in its opposition to God doesn’t recognize who we are. Hardly! It means the world takes no notice of us as important when they meet us. Examples of modern exile are as follows:

A person is shunned by a neighbor who prefers non-Christians to Christians. 
A worker is excluded by peers because he is “too fanatical in his religious views.”
A woman is deprived of a promotion at work because she is  a Christian and does not “fit into” the corporate culture of the company.
A Christian writer’s manuscript is rejected by editors so no book is published in the mainstream publishing world from Christians. 
An older Christian is denied adequate medical care because the administrator has friends who “need it more than Christians do.”

One thing is absolutely clear. Christians in the West are no longer considered as playing on the “home team.” We get the short end of things even if we are considered at all. Isolation can set in if one neglects regular assembly with fellow believers and secret prayer where we meet with Christ alone.

Prayer is our Vital Means of Grace

Matthew 6 states — 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. (see ESV below; emphasis mine).

Let me say, the Father, with whom one meets in secret prayer, communicates his conscious presence to the one who prays. This is the reward — God’s conscious presence!

Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981; pictured left) was a medical doctor and a preacher. The Film, “Logic on Fire,” about his life revealed interesting facts about him not revealed in his biographies.

His daughter Ann (who lived in the upstairs rooms at their mutually owned home in Ealing after 1965) related that he would sit in his living room and pray. If his eyes were opened, the granddaughters would enjoy watching “Little House on the Prairie” with him or his grandson would watch “wrestling” with him. (Yes, Lloyd-Jones watched wrestling!) However, if the grandchildren came in and saw him sitting on the sofa, eyes closed, with his hands on his knees, they knew “he was talking to God” and left him alone. He took no notice of people moving around because he was conscious of being before the throne of God as he silently prayed. 

Short selection from Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones sermon
from Exodus 33 (6 min 16 seconds) Well worth the listen!

Here was a man who experienced the conscious prescience of God! It must be cultivated in secret prayer with God if we want it, but it is the possibility of every believer. It’s not just for a privileged few.

Jesus spoke of the Father’s search in John 3 —

23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.

God is seeking our companionship! We should let that sink in for a moment. Then, let’s make of our exile here a retreat where we continuously meet with our God in prayer! 

Application of Rev. 1:9-11

Revelation 1:12-20 next time.

Notes

ESV. Accessed January 2019 from https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation+1&version=ESV

Fee, Gordon D. Revelation (New Covenant Commentary Series). Cascade Books, an imprint of Wipf and Stock Publishers. Kindle Edition.

Lawson, Steven. (2014). “The Preeminence of Scripture in George Whitefield’s Life.” Accessed January 17, 2019 from https://www.ligonier.org/blog/preeminence-scripture-george-whitefields-life/ 

Lloyd-Jones, David Martyn. (n.d.). “The Presence of God” (filmclip). Accessed January 19, 2019 from https://youtu.be/kRJ4BQsAgLw.

Meyer, Jason. (2018). “Dr. Lloyd-Jones on Praying in the Spirit.” Accessed January 18, 2019 from https://banneroftruth.org/us/resources/articles/2018/dr-lloyd-jones-on-praying-in-the-spirit/

Orr, Charles Ebert. (1904). Accessed January 19, 2019 from https://biblehub.com/library/orr/food_for_the_lambs_or_helps_for_young_christians/consciousness_of_gods_presence.htm

Ovid and the Censured Voice. (2019). “History of Roman Exile.” Accessed January 17, 2019 from http://web.colby.edu/ovid-censorship/exile/history-of-roman-exile/

Pulse, K. (1993). Accessed March 23, 2019 from http://kenpulsmusic.com/pilgrimsprogress26.html

Thayer. (2011). Thayer’s Expanded Greek Definition, Electronic Database. Biblesoft, Inc. Accessed January 18, 2019 from https://www.studylight.org/lexicons/greek.html

Zylstra, Sarah Eekhoff. (2018). “The Top 50 Countries Where It’s Most Dangerous to Follow Jesus.” Accessed January 17, 2019 from https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2018/january/top-50-christian-persecution-open-doors-world-watch-list.html

© 2019 C. Richard Barbare All Rights Reserved

Revelation 1:4-8

4 John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne,
5 and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood
6 and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
7 Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail[a] on account of him. Even so. Amen.
8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

We Now have Access to God’s Throne of Grace

vs. 6 and [He] made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Jesus constitutes His church as the new people of God in the New Testament era. Here is another echo from Exodus; this time from 19:6 — “You shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” What was true of Israel of old is now transferred to the Church in Rev. 1:6. This was made possible because of Jesus’s work on the cross. We now have access to the throne of grace as a Kingdom of Priests! (see Hendriksen, p. 68, below). Hebrews 4:14-16 — Click on the link to read this passage.

I like what one of the old Puritan Divines said, “We may not be of God’s council, but we are thankful, nevertheless, we are of his court.”

Also, we may not have access and favor from the halls of power on earth, but we can enter into God’s Holy Place in prayer to ask our God to intervene in our lives. An old hymn brings me much comfort in trial—

You are coming to a king;
Large petitions with you bring.
For his grace and power are such
None can never ask too much.

–John Newton; “Come, My Soul, Thy Suit Prepare,”
language modernized here; Click on link to hear the hymn sung with lyrics.

Hebrews 4:16 gives us the resources we need to deal with any and all trouble that comes our way! God’s throne is a throne of judgment to those who oppose Him. However, it has been transformed into a throne of grace for His children.

Jesus Christ alone is the Ruler of the Kings of the Earth

We serve the true ruler of this world when we bow the knee to Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. More importantly, Christians derive their identity from Jesus Christ. Since we are adopted into the family of God, we are children of the King of Kings!

When you are tempted to pity your circumstances in life or to give up in the fight remind yourself, as do I — “I’m a child of the King!” 

A former pastor used to say that the highest title you can have in this world is one given to Daniel — an MGB — “Man Greatly Beloved.” Daniel 10:11—[Click on link to read.]

Caesar was not God in the 1st Century

Jesus’s kingship would be directly relevant to the Asia Minor churches since the Emperor Domitian had required his attendants to call him Dominus et Deus (in English = “Lord and God”). He was the last of the Flavian Emperors following his brother Titus and before him their father Vespasian. Domitian made both of them gods after their deaths. This particular blasphemy to Christians is deification of any person, the Emperor included, dead or living. (see Domitian below).

Image source

Caesars changed frequently regardless of their claim to deity while living or after death by others. (Vespasian was the fourth emperor in one year’s time, see picture above.) As we read Revelation, we should give attention to the worship of Emperors as Divine since Asia Minor was accustomed to regard their rulers as offsprings of the gods. 

“Emperor worship served as a way for subjects of Asia [Minor] province to come to terms with imperial rule within the framework of their communities. Religious practices were very much a public affair and involved citizens in all its aspects including prayer, sacrifice, and processions. Rituals held in honor of a particular emperor frequently outnumbered those of other gods.” (see Asia Minor below).

The State is not God in the 21st Century!

In the West we are witnessing the divinization of the State. Hegel’s maxim is in force, “The state is God walking on earth.” What blasphemy! However, if there is no God for many today, and sin is in the environment, the state is supposed to heal our hurts with health care, a place to live, and a job. All free!

We cannot look to a “Nanny State” for salvation any more than Asia Minor could look to Rome for it. Money won’t save us. Fame won’t save us. A place to live free of charge won’t save us. “Only a Holy God!” can save us in time and in eternity.

What is of Ultimate Concern to Us is our God

I deplore the theology of the man who said this — “Religion is whatever is of ultimate concern to us.” (It is true, in spite of his warped theology.) The dictionary expands the definition of religion to “a pursuit or interest to which someone ascribes supreme importance.”

To Christians, no matter what the cost, our ultimate concern is total devotion to and worship of the Triune God as He is revealed in Holy Scripture. All other things in our lives take their proper place when Christ is in first place!

Application Chart for Rev. 1:4-8

God is our “Safe Place”

“My very first job was at a fast-food restaurant. One Saturday evening, a guy kept hanging around, asking when I got out of work. It made me feel uneasy. As the hour grew later, he ordered fries, then a drink, so the manager wouldn’t kick him out. Though I didn’t live far, I was scared to walk home alone through a couple of dark parking lots and a stretch through a sandy field. Finally, at midnight, I went in the office to make a phone call.

And the person who answered—my dad—without a second thought got out of a warm bed and five minutes later was there to take me home.

The kind of certainty I had that my dad would come to help me that night reminds me of the assurance we read about in Psalm 91. Our Father in heaven is always with us, protecting and caring for us when we are confused or afraid or in need. He declares: “When they call on me, I will answer.” (Psalm 91:15 nlt)

Our King from the perspective of His throne, keeps his watch over us as believers. He defends us against all [that] would harm us.” (See Kasper below.)

Defense of His children is what our King does. We need never fear the authority of the One who died for us! We are in the secret place of the Mose High when bow before His throne and seek his presence when we are in trouble. 

Revelation 1:9-11 next time.

Notes

Domitian. (2019). Accessed January 15, 2019 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domitian

ESV. English Standard Version. Accessed from https://www.biblegateway.com

Hendriksen, William. (1939). More Than Conquerors: An Interpretation of the Book of Revelation. Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

Kasper, Cindy Hess. (2018). “Our Safe Place.” Daily Devotion for June 17, 2018 retrieved from https://odb.org/2018/06/17/our-safe-place/

KJV. King James Version. Accessed January 22, 2019 from https://www.biblegateway.com

© 2019 C. Richard Barbare All Rights Reserved

Revelation 1:4-8

Click on this link to read the verses.

It is easy to get bogged down in the details of Revelation. Commentators famously interact with other commentators and literature on the Revelation. In desperation I end my reading of a great many commentaries by shouting, “Yea! but what does it mean and how does that affect me?”

One of my professors in Seminary used to jest that he was going to come to hear us preach and sit in the back. He would hold up a sign toward the end of the sermon reading, “So What?” I ask myself that question after I prepare every Bible study and sermon. What does this mean to my hearers and how does it impact their lives? 

Let me point out some application from Revelation 1:4-8, where Jesus Christ is presented as King. There is more here, but this impacts how we live in this world.

We Must Embrace the Echo of the Divine Name from the OT

vs. 4 & 8 — “from him who is and who was and who is to come.” This phrase occurs twice in the section like “bookends,” emphasizing Jesus’s  Deity. It is a definite reference to the Divine Name in Exodus 3:14, now applied to Jesus.

14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.'”

Moses was given the Divine Name at the burning bush.

Because we see this phrase in connection with Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, God is shown to be the Trinity revealed in the Gospels and Epistles of our New Testament. Note the comment from the Reformation Study Bible on Ex. 3:14 —

“The Lord is not defined or determined by any other than Himself. As the self-existent One, His promise is sure; He will reveal Himself in His saving deeds.” (see Sproul below).

This echo of the Divine Name from Exodus puts Jesus Christ squarely in the Trinity! Note the chart below that defines the Trinity as much as we are able.

Graph that makes God as Triune as clear as we are able.
Link to the source of the Graph.

From time to time I will include hymns that make us think of the passage under discussion. This one is an old song set to new music.

We Must Look to God alone for Salvation

The Triune God is:  “The One who is,” “who was,” and “who is coming.”

God is the Self-existent One

vs. 4 Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, 5a and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth.

In theology we cite this attribute of God as His aseity. This term means “God is self-existent, a being dependent upon nothing outside of Himself.” (see Aseity; emphasis mine; below). 

“He is the unchangeable God of the Covenant that provides salvation to his people. This grace and this peace are provided by the Father, dispensed by the Holy Spirit, and merited for us by the Son.” (see Sproul below).

“Grace and peace are represented as coming from the Father, who dwelt above the ark in the Holy of Holies; and from the Spirit, indicated by the [Lampstand] with its seven lamps in the Holy Place; and from Jesus Christ, whose atonement was symbolized by the blood under the altar of burnt offering in the court.” (see Hendriksen, p. 53, below).

Holy of Holies: associated with God the Father
Holy Place: associated with The Holy Spirit
Altar of Sacrifice: associated with Jesus the Son

Link to source of the Tabernacle/Temple layout.

We can rely on Jesus in an unstable world! He is unchanging in a world caught up in constant change. Jesus will hold us. We must take hold of Him before the mercy seat and rest in His holding of us in all difficult situations we face.

Jesus Christ Won Victory Over Sin and the Devil on the Cross

vs. 5b Jesus is the one “who has freed us from our sins by his own blood.” He did this on the cross of Calvary. He reigned as King-Priest over the Devil and sin while on the cross. His resurrection was proof his sacrifice was acceptable to the Father. It was vindication (see Beale below).

There is a reference in verse 7 to Jesus’s death on the cross, but included there also is an allusion to vindication at his second coming.

vs. 7 Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen. (see ESV below).

The ones who pierced him were the Romans. Rome was prophesied to embrace Christ and afterward all nations. The believers were in the minority in Asia Minor, but they are assured Christ would conquer Rome.

Note very carefully Christ’s Second Coming is public like his crucifixion. Scripture knows nothing of a secret coming to take his servants away to avoid suffering. Christ can only be vindicated by a coming for all see! We can only serve him through suffering.

More on this later. 

Notes

Aseity. (2018). Accessed January 15, 2019 from https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/aseity

Beale, G. K.. Revelation (pp. 15-16). Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.. Kindle Edition.

Domitian. (2019). Accessed January 15, 2019 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domitian

ESV. English Standard Version. Accessed from https://www.biblegateway.com

Hendriksen, William. (1939). More Than Conquerors: An Interpretation of the Book of Revelation. Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

Sproul, R. C. (2015). Reformation Study Bible. Reformation Trust Publishing.

© 2019 C. Richard Barbare All Rights Reserved

Revelation 1:1-3

Click on this link to read these verses as a whole. (All links to internet websites are in blue and underlined below, and open up in a new window).

First Beatitude of Revelation

1:3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.

This verse records the first of seven blessings promised in the Revelation (click on this link to read all 7 Beatitudes). Note that the phrase “one who reads” is singular, and the phrase “those who hear” is plural. This pictures the scene where the book is read (and applied in a lesson perhaps) in the congregation to whom it is addressed.

The events of the book are described as “near” in the sense that they are about to begin. The events began in John’s day, but the full force of them would begin after John’s day and would end with the Second Coming of Christ.

John Gives a True and Reliable Testimony

1:1b-2 [Christ’s] servant John, 2 …bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw.

The Greek word is martyreō. Our English word “martyr” is derived from this word. A witness (martyr) relates what he knows to be true of his own personal knowledge and experience even if it costs him his life. A martyr can still live after he bears witness, but he has to be so committed to testimony even if he is killed for it.

The elaborate chain of revelation (pictured above) demonstrates to everyone that this revelation comes from the Triune God himself! It has an impeccable pedigree of transmission versus the false narrative of Rome from the Emperor and petty rulers around him.

Application to Us in the 21^st Century

We stand in the Western World today in a similar place as the early church in the 1^st Century. We see false worldviews — humanism, naturalism, and divine-statism combined — with which we are bombarded 24/7 in the written media, TV media and network programming, the internet, smart phones, government elitists, etc.

These false views have hijacked our institutions of higher learning. George Washington’s Farewell Letter in 1796 is very clear about what he thought was important to our Republic’s well-being —

“Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. Let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.” (see Washington below; Click on this link to read the entire letter.)

A Divinized-State is Idolatry

We cannot attribute deity to the state any more than Christians in the first century could call Caesar Lord. Hegel infamously said, “The State is God walking on earth.” (see Brackins below). An all encompassing state with power unshared with any other organization is a divinized State — Thomas Hobbes’ Leviathan (pictured below).

The Latin Verse is based on Job 41.
“On earth there is not his like, a creature without fear.” Source of picture WikiMedia.

The Divinized-State pushes a “New Morality”

“The New Morality does not believe in God or a Supreme Being — it believes instead in man as ruler of his own domain with his experience and knowledge. How’s that working for us today?!?

Humanism is the philosophy and intellectual thought system that powers the New Morality; material naturalism argues that only scientifically verified statements offer valid truth claims.” (emphasis mine; see Feazel below).

Christians cannot go with the Flow of Modernity

Christians may not be able to change the country in which they live, but Christians can and should live by the Biblical Morality in their personal lives. Christians must draw from God’s Word for direction how to live in God’s world.

“Christian self-hood is not defined in terms of who we are in and of ourselves. It’s defined in terms of: (1) what God does to us and (2) the relationship he creates with us and (3) the destiny he appoints for us. God made us who we are so we could make known who he is. Our identity is for the sake of making known His identity.” (see Piper below.)

A prayer to be used after reading Psalm 137 — which describes believers as exiles —

“Lord, remember your pilgrim Church. We sit weeping at the streams of Babylon. Do not let us be drawn into the current of the passing world, but free us from every evil and raise our thoughts to the heavenly Jerusalem.” (see Shorter Christian Prayer, p. 290, below). 

Christians have dual citizenship

We, as Christians, are dual citizens—citizens of our earthly country and citizens of Heaven. We must push back today against ungodly “ideological colonization” by secular humanism, false religions, over-reaching government and educational elites, and pagan philosophies. We must pay heed to Jesus’ Revelation in the Word of God in our interpretation of the world around us. We must not render unto our “Caesar” the things that belong to God alone! (see Fitzgerald below.)

Application Chart of Revelation 1:1-3

For definitions of the left side of this figure, see the section above
“Application to Us in the 21st Century”

Evil is most often done by “Elitist Bureaucrats”

“The greatest evil is not now done in those sordid “dens of crime” that Dickens loved to paint. It is not done even in concentration camps and labor camps. In those we see its final result. But it is conceived and ordered … in clean, carpeted, warmed, and well-lighted offices, by quiet men with white collars and cut fingernails and smooth-shaven cheeks who do not need to raise their voice.” (see Lewis, p. xxxvii, below).

Like first century citizens of Asia Minor, two choices of how to interpret reality lie before us today. John impresses upon us that we cannot live according to the “Elitist Intelligentsia” of our present age and still be true to Christ.

“The Greek and Roman gods were but different faces of the Dragon” (see Rev. 12; also,  see DeSilva, p. 95, below). The ancient Dragon [Satan] did not disappear with the fall of Rome. He simply morphed into a current “elitist intelligentsia” cadre who purports to know how we should think and act better than we do ourselves. The Revelation says that Jesus’s account of how the world operates is how we should think and act as His followers in this world.

Revelation 1:4-8 next time!

Notes

Brackins, Danile. (2017). “The State as the New God.” [essay] Accessed January 13, 2019 from http://www.danielbrackins.com/essays/the-state-as-the-new-god/

Feazel, Steve. (2016). Abduction: How Liberalism Steals Our Children’s Hearts And Minds. Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.. Kindle Edition.

Fitzgerald, Ryan. (2015). African Bishops Sick of West’s ‘Ideological Colonization’. Accessed January 12, 2019 from https://www.churchmilitant.com/news/article/african-bishops-sick-of-wests-ideological-colonization

Lewis, C. S. (1961). The Screwtape Letters: Annotated Edition (New York: HarperCollins, 1942/1996).

Piper, John. (2019). “Identity in Christ.” Accessed February 12, 2019 from https://www.desiringgod.org/topics/identity-in-christ#united-to-jesus

Shorter Christian Prayer. (1988). New York: NY Catholic Book Publishing.

Washington, G. (1796). “Washington’s Farewell Letter 1796.” Accessed February 23, 2019 from http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/washing.asp

© 2019 C. Richard Barbare All Rights Reserved