How YOU get to The Point of Revelation
Revelation 1:9-20
I, John, am your brother and your partner in suffering and in God’s Kingdom and in the patient endurance to which Jesus calls us. I was exiled to the island of Patmos for preaching the word of God and for my testimony about Jesus.
- Siblings and Partner share the same values & Priorities
- The uniting force is what they believe about the Kingdom of God & Jesus Christ
- Submission to the call Christ places on His followers & surrendered endurance
- All of this landed Him on Patmos
- It is what brought him totally into God will and the Revelation
It was the Lord’s Day, and I was worshiping in the Spirit. Suddenly, I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet blast. It said, “Write in a book everything you see, and send it to the seven churches in the cities of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”
- Practice of intentional Spiritual Focus on Sunday (Ancient Practice 4 A Reason)
- Worshiping in the Spirit: what does it look like Biblically?
- You cannot worship ‘In The Spirit’ unless you are ‘Indwelt With The Spirit’
- Supernatural voice
- Specific initial instructions
- He was wired for ‘Spirit Reception’ He had been shaped by God to do this
- These are people John knows and cares about.
- He has desired and lived out the practice of seeing them as God does
When I turned to see who was speaking to me, I saw seven gold lamp-stands. And standing in the middle of the lamp-stands was someone like the Son of Man.
- Who is meant to be at the Center of God’s Redeemed?
- Central but not detached, ‘In The Midst’ (When 2 or more gather in my name…)
- Someone… John knew who that was, but had not seen Him quite like this
- He got a preview on the Mount of Transfiguration
He was wearing a long robe with a gold sash across his chest. His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow. And his eyes were like flames of fire. His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice thundered like mighty ocean waves.
- Length of Robe (Isaiah 6:1 I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple.)
- Gold Sash (High Priest; Exodus 39:5 / Seven Angels from Temple in Heaven; Rev 15:6)
- White Head & Hair (What The Lord Makes Sin; Psalm 147:16 / ‘The Ancient One or ‘The Ancient of days’; Daniel 7:9)
- Feet Like Polished Bronze & Voice (Messenger from Daniel 10:6)
He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came from his mouth. And his face was like the sun in all its brilliance.
- ‘In His right Hand’ (17 references to the ‘Right Hand of God in Scripture) Honor
- Two Edged Sword from Mouth (Word of God; Hebrews 4:12)
- Face Like The Sun ( Mount of Transfiguration Matthew 17:2)
When I saw him, I fell at his feet as if I were dead. But he laid his right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last. I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave.
- To see Jesus Christ as He is in reality should overwhelm us
- He is intent on letting John, and US know EXACTLY Who He is
- Knowing exactly who Jesus Christ is matters…ALOT
“Write down what you have seen—both the things that are now happening and the things that will happen.
- Repetition always has significance in Scripture… PAY ATTENTION!
- Prophecy is current revelation of God’s point of view
- Prophecy is insight into things that will happen in the future
This is the meaning of the mystery of the seven stars you saw in my right hand and the seven gold lamp-stands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lamp-stands are the seven churches.
- Revelation IS Spiritual Reality Revealed
- Use of ‘Seven’ in Apocalyptic Literature
Personal Application Questions:
How can YOU be a Brother / Sister suffering & enduring for Christ’s Kingdom?
How can YOU make the Word of God & who Christ is more central in your daily life?
In honest evaluation of yourself, how committed are YOU to living like John did?
What does it mean to YOU to be ‘In The Spirit’?
Why do YOU think God / Christ picked John to deliver messages to these churches?
Why might revelation of God be connected to what YOU believe about Christ?
How can YOU play a role in something that is represented by ‘Stars’ & Lampstands?