Problems = Opportunity

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BIBLE STUDY TONIGHT (1/18) | 6:30 PM | SANCTUARY LIVESTREAM: asburytulsa.online.church

Parents, I LOVE having elementary and especially middle and high school students at Bible study. Bring ‘em!

 
 
 

REVELATION 3:1-6

“And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.

“‘I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. 4 Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. 5 The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. 6 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

 
 

Unlike some of the other churches Jesus addresses in Revelation, the church in Sardis appears to have been relatively well-off and accepted in that city. Unfortunately, they were also (almost) spiritually dead.

That’s the way it so often is in this world, isn’t it? Wealth and comfort make us think (erroneously) that we are self-sufficient, that we don’t need God. And that way lies spiritual death.

I mean that literally—I think Hell is made up of folks who are too proud to admit that they need God’s mercy.

Problems and poverty and persecution can bring out the best in us, though no one actually wants those things in his or her life. Still, problems can cause us to turn to God and admit that we can’t make it on our own.

Today, when you face a problem, consider it an opportunity to humbly ask for God’s help.

P.S. We will see later in Revelation chapters 17-18 that one of the ways Babylon has corrupted people is through wealth. What we see in the letters to the seven churches is that the churches are facing internally the same sins and temptations that the external world is also facing. Things are still the same today.

 

It's Not Too Late to Turn Around

 

Don’t forget!

Revelation Bible Study #2. Wednesday. 6:30 PM. Livestream available.

 
 
 

REVELATION 2:18-29

18 “And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: ‘The words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze.

19 “‘I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient en- durance, and that your latter works exceed the first. 20 But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sex- ual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. 21 I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality. 22 Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works, 23 and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works. 24 But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call the deep things of Satan, to you I say, I do not lay on you any other burden. 25 Only hold fast what you have until I come. 26 The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, 27 and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father. 28 And I will give him the morning star. 29 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

 
 

Jezebel was a wicked pagan queen consort of an Israelite king who had God’s prophets murdered. The reference is meant to show the Christians in Thyatira that the woman they are listening to is a false teacher.

In the Old Testament, idolatry is often described as sexual immorality—committing adultery on God. So, it’s not clear in Thyatira if “Jezebel” is literally encouraging sexual immorality or just figuratively doing so because she is encouraging idolatry. Either way, it’s a problem. The punishment that Jesus is sending on her and her followers is some kind of sickness or pestilence.

This is a harsh message because the truth matters. But, it is also an opportunity for repentance and an invitation of grace—it’s not too late for the wayward Christians in Thyatira to turn back.

The same goes for every one one of us, and every one one we’ll see today—as long as we are breathing, it’s not too late for any of us.

What falsehood do you need to turn from today?
How can you help someone else turn from falsehood today?

 

Beware of False Teachers

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Don’t forget!

Revelation Bible Study #2. Wednesday. 6:30 PM. Livestream available.

 
 
 

REVELATION 2:12-17

12 “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword.

13 “‘I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. 14 But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality. 15 So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth. 17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.’

 
 

In both Pergamum and Thyatira, Jesus warns the churches to stop having contact with false teachers, whom he calls “Balaam” in Pergamum and “Jezebel” in Thyatira.

Balaam was an enemy prophet of Israel who tried to lead the Children of Israel astray as they made their way into the Promised Land. The connection with the Old Testament makes the warning obvious, but if you don’t know those Old Testament stories, you’ll miss the point. The entire rest of Revelation does the same thing constantly—uses Old Testament imagery to “reveal” the truth about history.

A few more points:

  • “Satan’s throne” in Pergamum refers to the pagan worship that was happening there, either of the imperial cult (worship of the emperor) or of Greek religion (worship of Zeus the Savior).

  • We don’t know who the Nicolaitans are, other than some kind of false sect.

  • And the sword in Jesus’s mouth? It is the sword of truth.

Remember, one of the primary themes of Revelation is that the Church stay committed to the truth, no matter what.

Live no lies today.

 

How to Conquer

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REVELATION 2:8-11

8 “And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: ‘The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life.

9 “‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. 11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.’"

 
 

Jesus introduces and identifies himself in a different way in each of the short messages to the seven churches. Here’s the key to understanding the point of each respective message: use the description of Jesus to underscore the point he is making.

So here, Jesus stresses his Resurrection. As we’ll see, the message to the church in Smyrna is: be faithful, even if it costs you your life.

The early Christians were all Jews; in fact, the early Christians thought of themselves as Jews who followed Jesus as Messiah. There were synagogues in many of the cities around the Mediterranean, and in Smyrna it seems that the non-Christian Jews had collaborated with the Roman authorities to persecute the followers of Jesus. That’s why John calls them “Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.” John saw these Jews as doing the work of Satan.

At this time, the Christians in Smyrna were a tiny, poor minority without social standing or power. Over the centuries, of course, Christians would become the dominant force in Europe, and we all are aware of the ugly and shameful history of European Christian antisemitism. Here, however, that description doesn’t apply.

The church in Smyrna is poor and persecuted, but Jesus is pleased with them and encourages them not to give up. In fact, the way they will “conquer” is precisely by not giving in, even if it costs them their lives. In the same way, that’s how we will conquer: by remaining faithful even to the point of death. What looks like losing—martyrdom and weakness—is actually the way of victory because of the Resurrection

Don’t be afraid today—every courageous, faithful step you take is a step toward victory, no matter what it looks like from an earthly perspective.

 

Zombie Church

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REVELATION 2:1-7

“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands. 2 “‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. 3 I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. 4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. 6 Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’

 
 

The entire text of Revelation is a circular letter that was to be shared among seven churches located in separate cities in the Roman province of Asia Minor (which is modern-day western Turkey).

But at the beginning of the letter there is a specific message from Jesus to each of the seven churches in turn. Imagine Jesus handwriting a brief note at the top of the letter to each addressee respectively.

Today we begin with the message to Ephesus. And that message is: Beware lest you become a zombie church.

Ephesus was the greatest city in the Roman province of Asia, and one of the places Paul lived during his apostolic ministry.

The one with the seven stars and seven lampstands is Jesus (see chapter 1). He is walking among the churches (we learn in chapter 1 that the lampstands represent churches), which means he knows them intimately, both their good and their bad.

One of the major themes of Revelation is truth, and Jesus commends the Ephesians for their hard work and their commitment to truth. Apparently, there were people who claimed to be apostles but were charlatans, and the Ephesians correctly identified them as such. The way one discerns between true and false teachers in the church hasn’t changed: true teachers teach in accordance with the faith that’s been delivered to us from the true apostles; false teachers invent new teachings and doctrines. Always test everything you hear in church by comparing it with the vast, ancient body of Christian teaching. (And the same goes for this commentary!)

Though the Ephesians are courageously bearing witness for Christ in a hostile culture, nevertheless they have ceased to love God and each other in the way they did at first.

Truth is important, but true doctrines are nothing if they are not joined with loving hearts. To love is to will the good of the other.

What does it mean for the Lord to remove the lampstand of the Ephesian church if they don’t repent? I think it means that they would become a zombie church. In other words, they might not literally cease to exist as an organization, but because of their unfaithfulness, the life-giving Spirit would leave.

How many churches do you know that fit that description?

I’ll say more about the Nicolaitans in later commentary. As to what it means to “conquer", this is actually the central message of Revelation to the churches—what it will look like for them to “win”. We’re getting ahead of ourselves, but let me just say that to conquer in Revelation means bearing true witness to the truth of Jesus.

Anyway, I think the idea of the Spirit being removed from an unfaithful church is a convicting idea. Such a church would have “the form of religion, but none of the power.” A zombie church, in other words: one that looks alive, but is actually dead.

Lord, save us from such a fate.

 

Challenging And Comforting At The Same Time

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REVELATION 1:9-20

9 I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the king- dom 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, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet 11 saying, “Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”

12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turn- ing I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the lamp- stands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, 15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.

17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, 18 and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades. 19 Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this. 20 As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

 
 

Revelation is an account of a vision that a man named John was given
by the Holy Spirit. John has then given us a written account of what he saw and experienced—Revelation is the result of much subsequent reflection on those experiences. If you’ve ever tried to explain a dream to someone else, you know how hard it is to convey into simple words the immediacy and emotion of the experience. The imagery of Revelation is vivid and at first obscure; one of the keys to understanding it is to simply read the book over and over, and see how images explain images.

As the vision opens, John sees Jesus in the midst of seven golden lampstands, which we shortly learn are the seven churches. (The image of the lampstand will be important later, in chapter 11. And note how it draws on what Zechariah saw in Zechariah 4 [see the reading for 1/5].)

John is afraid, but Jesus graciously puts his hand on John’s shoulder and tells him not to be afraid and that his task is to write down the content of the vision and share it with the seven churches in Asia.

Note that Jesus is in the midst of his churches. He will subsequently give John a message for each of the seven churches individually (chapters 2-3), messages he is able to give because he is right there with them. The fact of his presence is both challenging and comforting.

Jesus’s presence is challenging because Jesus knows the truth about us. One of the central themes of Revelation is truth, and nothing is hidden from God.

But Jesus’s presences with his churches is also comforting, because he knows the truth about our situation and wants to encourage us to keep going—to hang on until the end and to persevere.

If you are headed in the wrong direction, repent! (Repent means nothing more than “turn around.”) If you are doing the right thing, keep going! The Lord is with you.

 

Kings and Priests

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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 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.”

 
 

The number 7 signifies completeness, and so the seven churches that are in Asia (present-day Turkey) represent the entire Church—this letter is for every church. What we learn here is that death of Jesus has freed his people and made them into both kings and priests:

Kings, because they rule with him;
Priests, because they live in his presence.

 

How can you use your free will to reign with God today, and how can you go about your daily life in his presence?

 

P.S. Note that v. 7 says that “he is coming on the clouds.” Does that remind you of the vision in Daniel 7? (See the reading for Wednesday, 1/4.)

P.P.S. Did you catch the way John refers to God in a way that is strange to us, and yet still trinitarian:? “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, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth.”

 

Revelation Begins TODAY!

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REVELATION 1:1-3

1 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 2 who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. 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.

 
 

“Apocalypse.” The first word of the book we call Revelation tells us something important: it is about an unveiling, a revealing (this is where we get our word “Revelation”) of the truth of reality. Truth will be one of the central themes of the book, because the enemy’s main weapon is deceit.

Truth requires that God’s people bear witness to what they have heard and seen—John says that when people bear faithful witness to the truth of Jesus, they will be blessed.

In a large or small way today, how can you commit to the truth?

Live no lies.

P.S. Note the chain of transmission (it will be important later): God gives the revelation to Jesus who gives it to his angel (angel is the Greek word for messenger), who gives it to John, who has written it down for us:

God→Jesus→Angel→John→Church

 

The River and the Tree

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If you would like a digital copy of the handout from the Wednesday Evening study, please click HERE.

EZEKIEL 47:1-12

Then he brought me back to the door of the temple, and behold, water was issuing from below the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was flowing down from below the south end of the threshold of the temple, south of the altar. 2 Then he brought me out by way of the north gate and led me around on the outside to the outer gate that faces toward the east; and behold, the water was trickling out on the south side.

3 Going on eastward with a measuring line in his hand, the man measured a thousand cubits, and then led me through the water, and it was ankle-deep. 4 Again he measured a thousand, and led me through the water, and it was knee-deep. Again he measured a thousand, and led me through the water, and it was waist-deep. 5 Again he measured a thousand, and it was a river that I could not pass through, for the water had risen. It was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be passed through. 6 And he said to me, “Son of man, have you seen this?”

Then he led me back to the bank of the river. 7 As I went back, I saw on the bank of the river very many trees on the one side and on the other. 8 And he said to me, “This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, and enters the sea; when the water flows into the sea, the water will become fresh. 9 And wherever the river goes, every living creature that swarms will live, and there will be very many fish. For this water goes there, that the waters of the sea may become fresh; so everything will live where the river goes. 10 Fishermen will stand beside the sea. From Engedi to Eneglaim it will be a place for the spreading of nets. Its fish will be of very many kinds, like the fish of the Great Sea. 11 But its swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they are to be left for salt. 12 And on the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither, nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing.”

 
 

We begin Revelation on Monday! Take time this weekend to prepare by reading back over the passages from this past week and making a plan to begin each day next week with the First15—silence, prayer, and scripture.

In his vision, Ezekiel sees the Jerusalem Temple as the source of a river, a river that begins as a trickle but becomes deeper and wider and greater until even the desert itself becomes flooded. The River brings life wherever it goes, and the trees that grow alongside it bring healing.

John sees something similar in his vision (we’ll read it in Revelation 22, the last chapter); both visions relate something remarkable—God’s plan for the world is one of healing and restoration.

It’s not the end yet. If things are difficult today, take heart—one day everything broken will be healed.

 
 

Lampstands and Olive Trees

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ZECHARIAH 4

4And the angel who talked with me came again and woke me, like a man who is awakened out of his sleep. 2 And he said to me, “What do you see?” I said, “I see, and behold, a lampstand all of gold, with a bowl on the top of it, and seven lamps on it, with seven lips on each of the lamps that are on the top of it. 3 And there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.” 4 And I said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?” 5 Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” I said, “No, my lord.” 6 Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.7 Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain. And he shall bring for- ward the top stone amid shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’”

8 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 9 “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also complete it. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. 10 For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice, and shall see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel.

“These seven are the eyes of the Lord, which range through the whole earth.”11 Then I said to him, “What are these two olive trees on the right and the left of the lampstand?” 12 And a second time I answered and said to him, “What are these two branches of the olive trees, which are beside the two golden pipes from which the golden oil is poured out?” 13 He said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” I said, “No, my lord.” 14 Then he said, “These are the two anointed ones who stand by the Lord of the whole earth.”

 
 

Zechariah is yet another Old Testament prophet whose work is important to John. (We’ll see this especially in Revelation 11.) He prophesied around the time when the exiles from Babylon were returning to rebuild Jerusalem. Today, I just want you to notice 2 things:

1. Make a note of the imagery of the lampstands and the olive trees and the anointed ones. It will be important later!

2. Note that the Lord tells Zechariah that it won’t be through military might or political power that God’s purposes will be realized, but through the strength of the Spirit!

Don’t be discouraged at the headlines today—God’s way wins in the end.

 

Daniel's Vision

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BIBLE STUDY TONIGHT (1/4) | 6:30 PM | SANCTUARY
LIVESTREAM: asburytulsa.online.church

 
 

Daniel 7:1-14

In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel saw a dream and visions of his head as he lay in his bed. Then he wrote down the dream and told the sum of the matter. 2 Daniel declared, “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. 3 And four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another. 4 The first was like a lion and had eagles' wings. Then as I looked its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man, and the mind of a man was given to it. 5 And behold, another beast, a second one, like a bear. It was raised up on one side. It had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth; and it was told, ‘Arise, devour much flesh.’ 6 After this I looked, and behold, another, like a leopard, with four wings of a bird on its back. And the beast had four heads, and dominion was given to it. 7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. 8 I considered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots. And behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things.

THE ANCIENT OF DAYS REIGNS

9 “As I looked, thrones were placed,
and the Ancient of Days took his seat;
his clothing was white as snow,
and the hair of his head like pure wool;
his throne was fiery flames;
its wheels were burning fire.
10 A stream of fire issued
and came out from before him;
a thousand thousands served him,
and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him;
the court sat in judgment,
and the books were opened.

11 “I looked then because of the sound of the great words that the horn was speaking. And as I looked, the beast was killed, and its body destroyed and given over to be burned with fire. 12 As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but their lives were pro- longed for a season and a time.

THE SON OF MAN IS GIVEN DOMINION

13 “I saw in the night visions,
and behold, with the clouds of heaven
there came one like a son of man,
and he came to the Ancient of Days
and was presented before him.
14 And to him was given dominion
and glory and a kingdom,
that all peoples, nations, and languages
should serve him;
his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one
that shall not be destroyed.

 
 

Daniel is another Old Testament prophet whose vision was important to John. Yes, it’s strange for us to read today, but the overall message isn’t that difficult to understand:

  • There are rival governments and powers that are like beasts;

  • God is on his throne and will judge the earth;

  • And a mysterious person called “The Son of Man” will come on the clouds and will assume his place next to God, and he will have dominion over all creation.

Daniel goes on to wonder about the vision and ask questions about it, but he’s told that the secret part of God’s plan isn’t for him to know:

8 I heard, but I did not understand. Then I said, “O my lord, what shall be the outcome of these things?” 9 He said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end." [Daniel 12:8-9]

Good news! With Revelation, the time has come and God's plan has been revealed.

 

Live No Lies + Bonus Content

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At the bottom of today’s post, I’ve included the intro I wrote for the Revelation Daily Reading Guides we’ve been handing out. It’s important, if I do say so myself, and I strongly recommend you read it before we start with Revelation proper on Monday. (I didn’t include it in the initial email from January 1 so as to make your reading that first day as simple as possible.)

 

Don’t forget about tomorrow’s Bible study: 6:30 PM CST. Livestream available.

 
 

EZEKIEL 2

And he said to me, “Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak with you.”2 And as he spoke to me, the Spirit entered into me and set me on my feet, and I heard him speaking to me. 3 And he said to me, “Son of man, I send you to the people of Israel, to nations of rebels, who have rebelled against me. They and their fathers have trans- gressed against me to this very day. 4 The descendants also are impudent and stubborn: I send you to them, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’ 5 And whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house) they will know that a prophet has been among them. 6 And you, son of man, be not afraid of them, nor be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you and you sit on scorpions. Be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house. 7 And you shall speak my words to them, whether they hear or refuse to hear, for they are a rebellious house.

8 “But you, son of man, hear what I say to you. Be not rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you.” 9 And when I looked, behold, a hand was stretched out to me, and behold, a scroll of a book was in it. 10 And he spread it before me. And it had writing on the front and on the back, and there were written on it words of lamentation and mourning and woe.

 
 

Ezekiel was another Old Testament prophet whose life and work influenced John of Revelation. In Revelation 10, John will be given a scroll to eat, and the contents of that scroll will be the message of Rev- elation. Here, Ezekiel is given a spiritual vision that he is supposed to share with Israel, and though there are hard parts to the message, he is supposed to share the entire message, regardless of how it is received.

One of the themes of Revelation is the importance of truth, and how God’s people must be committed to truth no matter what.

What would it look like for you to live no lies today?

 
 

BONUS: I’ve included the intro to my Revelation Daily Reading Guide here below. Good luck.

 
 

Start Here.

Apocalypse is a Greek word that means “uncovering” or “disclosure” or “revealing” (from which we get our English word revelation). 2,000 years ago, near the end of the first century, a man named John was on the Mediterranean island of Patmos on a Sunday when he received an apocalyptic vision that he later wrote down and circulated among the churches of the wealthy Roman province of Asia Minor (the western part of modern-day Turkey).

The book of Revelation is that letter.

Revelation is a notoriously difficult book of the Bible, and its difficulty comes from the fact that John is writing as a Jewish-Christian prophet and sees his vision as the culmination of the entire tradition of biblical prophecy; this means his vision is replete with allusions to and images from the Old Testament, allusions and images with which we are not familiar.

The good news is that once you take the time to understand how John’s vision connects to the Old Testament, and once you pay attention to how the vision is structured, Revelation actually begins to make sense!

Revelation is powerful not just because of the amazing information it provides, but also because of the way it provides that information. Revelation is an invitation to see reality differently; to borrow a phrase from a recent movie, it is a “red pill” that John has given us, and if we take it, nothing will be the same afterward.

So, though the swirling images John gives us can be difficult to understand without studied reflection, be aware that John wants us to experience them just as much as understand them, so that through the experience, we might be changed.

When Dorothy gets back from Oz, Kansas is never the same.
Reading Revelation is like entering Oz. (Except that it’s not make-believe.)

Every time we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we say:

Our Father, who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.


The question Revelation is concerned with is:

“How will this happen? How will the Kingdom come?”

And, along with it, John’s vision will give us insight into this question:

“What is the church’s role in the bringing in of the Kingdom?”

Revelation is difficult not only because of its obscure imagery, but also because of the form John’s vision takes: sometimes it moves linearly, and sometimes it moves cyclically, circling back to show you the same thing from a different angle or with more information revealed.

In other words, sometimes the vision proceeds like this:

A→B→C, etc.

But other times it moves like this:

A→B1→C→B2→D→B3

Where B1, B2, and B3 are all different ways of expressing the same reality.
(This is the case, for example, with the sequences of 7 judgments: the 7 seals, the 7 trumpets, and the 7 bowls are all about the same thing—God’s judgment—but John’s vision gives us different insight each time it circles back to the topic of judgment.)

I tell you this to encourage you to pay close attention to the details of the vision, because the vision contains clues and markers to help us find our way and understand what we’re being told. Expect switchbacks and turns and recaps along the way!

Like the rest of the Bible (only maybe more so), Revelation reveals through re- peated, attentive reading. Accordingly, I’ve parceled out the readings at a slow pace; each particular day’s passage is short and very manageable and it is my hope therefore that you’ll have time to go back and re-read a previous day or days and see how it all connects. (Aside from January 1, the readings are assigned on weekdays only—all the more reason to take your time and read and re-read on the weekends.)

Each day I’ve written some commentary to go with the reading; the commentary is NOT the point—John’s words are the point—but I offer the commentary to help you get something out of what you’ve read each day. Some days I’ve interspersed the commentary in the midst of the reading, and some days the reading is given in its entirety all at once.

There is much more to say about Revelation than I could fit in this little reading guide; I will be preaching through Revelation from January to Easter 2023, and also teaching a series of Bible studies in that same period on the
following Wednesdays:

January 4
January 18
February 1
February 15
March 1
March 22.

The Bible studies will be held at 6:30 PM in the Sanctuary of Asbury Church and are for all-ages. (They will also be livestreamed at www.asburytulsa.org.)

Revelation is the last book of the Bible, and it is the capstone of the entire biblical story. It’s a beautiful, dazzling, piercing book, and if you’re willing to work through it, I’m going to make two bold promises:

1. You will come to understand and love it;

2. You won’t ever be the same.

Let’s go.

☩ Andrew Forrest
Asbury Church

Prophetic Vision [sorry it's late today!]

 

Forgive the late posting today. The plan is for each Revelation post to go live on my blog at 3:30 AM Central, and to be emailed out at 4:00 AM. Today, we had this post set for 3:30 PM. Hey, it’s a new year!

 

Just a reminder that we are going to ease our way into Revelation by working through some preparatory readings this first week, passages that are in the background of John’s vision. Build your habits now, so when Revelation begins next Monday, you are prepared to run. Let’s go.

—Andrew

 
 

Isaiah 6:1-6

In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called to another and said:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”

4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”

6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”

 
 

John—the author of Revelation—understands himself as the last and culmination of God’s prophets, and a key part of his vision (Revelation 4-5) is when he is taken and shown the heavenly throne room. Isaiah was an Old Testament prophet who lived centuries earlier (around 700 BC), but he also was given a vision of the heavenly throne room. In his vision there are strange spiritual beings constantly praising God, and when Isaiah hears the voice of God, he feels utterly unworthy and afraid.

One of the messages of Revelation is how heaven will come to earth, how the Kingdom will come on earth as it is in heaven.

It’s easy to get caught up in today’s headlines and controversies and to forget that we don’t see the whole picture. What would it mean for you to see things from God’s perspective?

That's the perspective that the great prophetic visions give us.
Don’t be discouraged today. The bad things don’t win in the end.

 

P.S. Mark your calendars: Bible study this Wednesday, 6:30 PM! (Livestream available at www.asburytulsa.org, but being in person is way better….)

 
 

Let's Go

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We are going to ease our way into Revelation by working through some preparatory readings this first week. It’s going to be great. Let’s go!

 
 

Psalm 1

1 Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
3 He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.
4 The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
6 for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

 
 

Psalm 1 says that the person who reads the Bible over and over and thinks about it constantly will be blessed.

Today is the day to make a clean break with the past—on the first day of the year, anything is possible.

What is your plan to become a Bible reader? Where will you sit each morning?

Make a plan now to get the most out of these coming months. Reading Revelation is a challenge, but if you just read it, slowly and deliberately, you will get much more out of it than you put into it.

P.S. If you don’t have Psalm 1 memorized, now’s the time to start. If you do, take time today to write it out by hand.

 

Cosmic Christmas

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John 1:1-14

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,

13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

 
 

John unfolds the great mystery of the Incarnation.

Matthew and Luke start with the events leading up to the birth of Christ, but John starts before the beginning: with the pre-existent Word.

I’m grateful for the particularity and earthiness of the infancy narratives in Matthew and Luke, but I’m also grateful for John’s beautiful prologue that sets the Incarnation in a cosmic context.

And I love his beautiful reminder:
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

Be encouraged. Christmas means Hope!

Merry Christmas.

 

The Grace of God is a Person

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TITUS 2:11-14

11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

 
 

The grace of God has appeared, saving all.

Titus is one of our New Testament letters, written by the Apostle Paul to a man named Titus. Like most of the New Testament letters, it predates the Gospels and comes from the earliest days of the church.

What I find fascinating is Paul’s simple statement: “for the grace of God has appeared.”

The grace of God is Jesus Christ!

Question for the Day:

What does it mean for the world that the grace of God is a person?

 

The Magi

 

Matthew 2:1-11

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:

6 “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” 9 After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 And going into the house, hey saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.

 
 

The wise men follow a star to find the child Jesus, the King of the Jews.

Just as the prophets had foretold, the Messiah was born in Bethlehem and representatives of the nations came bearing tribute:

• Micah 5:2-5 (see December 12, Day 11) says that the Messiah will come from Bethlehem;
• Isaiah 60:1-6 (see December 8, Day 09) says that the nations will come to honor God’s people.

And this is exactly what happened in its own surprising way. God is endlessly surprising and always faithful.

Be encouraged today!

 

Christmas War

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LUKE 2:8-16

8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.

 
 

The shepherds go to see the Savior of the world, lying in a manger.

The meaning of the entire Christmas story changes when you understand that the word “hosts” is just an old fashioned way of saying “armies.”

Christmas is about WAR—war with spiritual weapons.

We wage spiritual war through prayer, silence, and love.

How can you fight back through prayer today?

 

Census At Bethlehem

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Luke 2:1-7

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

 
 

Against a backdrop of emperors and taxes, Jesus is born.

Caesar had no idea that God was using his census as a way to move Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem, thereby ensuring that the Messiah was born in David’s city.

What current events, happenings, or occurrences might God be using for his purposes in our time?

 

Joseph the Righteous

 

MATTHEW 1:18-25

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel”

(which means, God with us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

 
 

The righteousness of Joseph.

Joseph finds out Mary is pregnant before he hears from the angel. Thanks be to God Joseph decided to act mercifully toward Mary.

To whom can you show mercy—unmerited favor—today?