Henry: Welcome To Immerse: The Daily Bible Reading Experience.
Day 75.
immersed in Revelation.
The book of Revelation has been interpreted in many ways through the
centuries, but the starting point for reading Revelation or any book of the
Bible, well is to appreciate the meaning and impact it had on its first readers.
The Book of Revelation is addressed to the seven churches in the province of Asia.
John wrote down the vision he received in order to describe for his readers
events that must soon take place.
The seven brief letters at the beginning of the book shed Much light on the
situation facing these believers.
Toward the end of the first century, John himself has already been
exiled to the island of Patmos for his testimony about Jesus.
The followers of Jesus are experiencing pressure to participate in immoral feasts,
honoring the Roman gods and pagan temples.
And local Jewish leaders seem to be denouncing believers as participating in
a subversive sect serving a false messiah.
The seven letters to the seven churches, largely worn of suffering
and imprisonment, urging believers to remain faithful even when facing death.
Adding to this pressure on believers, the Roman Empire was promoting a
cult of emperor worship that had its origins a century earlier.
A Roman inscription from four BC describes Caesar Augustus as the God made manifest
the universal savior of human life.
Land and sea have peace.
The city's flourish in harmony and with an abundance of food.
There is an abundance of all good things.
People are filled with happy hopes for the future, and with delight in the present.
This cult was especially strong in Asia Minor.
That is modern day Turkey where the churches of Revelation were located.
And now Emperor to Mission was demanding to be addressed as Lord and God.
Anyone who refused to participate in the cult faced the wrath of the vast
majority of citizens who were eager to curry favor with the emperor.
Revelation was written to give strength and courage to Jesus
followers in this difficult situation.
It urges them to persevere in their worship of the one true God and
the one Lord over all other lords.
John wrote down the vision that Jesus presented to him, intending for it to be
read by the seven churches in Asia Minor, that it addresses, the vision is shared
in the form of an apocalypse, meaning unveiling a kind of writing that uses
striking imagery in a highly symbolic way.
For example, the driving force behind the persecution of believers in these visions
is a dragon, which is later identified as that old serpent who is the devil?
Satan.
The Dragon summons a beast whose seven heads represent seven hills, a reference
to the city of Rome and who is allowed to speak great blasphemies against God.
For the original readers, this beast would've been identified as Emperor
Deion, who claimed to be Lord and God.
The meaning of many of Revelation symbols can be discerned in this way with an
awareness, both of the book's, late first century setting, and of similar
symbols used by First Testament prophets.
After greeting to the churches, John organizes the vision into four key
parts, each introduced by the phrase In the spirit, John was in the spirit
on Patman, the vision of the son of man and letters to the churches.
In heaven, visions of God's reign in heaven and conflict on earth
in the wilderness, the judgment of Babylon, the Roman Empire on a high
mountain, the glorious new Jerusalem.
The Book of Revelation brings a clear call to first century believers to
remain steadfast and to patiently endure the suffering that comes from
being a part of God's kingdom on earth.
But it also brings a fitting close to the story of the entire Bible, presenting all
God's people with reasons for affirm hope.
God's first intentions for his people and his creation will be realized.
God will defeat evil and reveal a new heaven and a new earth.
The place where he will come and make his home with us.
The book of Revelation.
This is a revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants
the events that must soon take place.
He sent an angel to present this revelation to his servant John, who
faithfully reported everything he saw.
This is his report of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.
God blesses the one who reads the words of this prophecy to the church, and he
blesses all who listen to its message and obey what it says for the time is near.
This letter is from John to the seven churches in the province of Asia.
Grace and peace to you from the one who is, who always
was and who is still to come.
From the sevenfold spirit before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, he is
the faithful witness to these things.
The first to rise from the dead and the ruler of all the kings of the world,
all glory to him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by shedding his
blood for us, he has made us a kingdom of priests for God, his father, all
glory and power to him forever and never.
Amen.
Look, he comes with the clouds of heaven and everyone will see him.
Even those who pierced him and all the nations of the world will mourn for him.
Yes, amen.
I am the alpha and the omega.
The beginning and the end says the Lord God.
I am the one who is, who always was and who is still to come.
The Almighty one,
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.
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, th Tyra,
Sardis, Philadelphia, and La Deia.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Write down what you have seen, both the things that are now happening
and the things that will happen.
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.
Write this letter to the angel of the church in Ephesus.
This is the message from the one who holds the seven stars in his
right hand, the one who walks among the seven gold lamp stands.
I know all the things you do.
I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance.
I know you don't tolerate evil people.
You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles but are not.
You have discovered they are liars.
You have patiently suffered for me without quitting, but I have
this complaint against you.
You don't love me or each other as you did at first.
Look how far you have fallen.
Turn back to me and do the works you did.
At first.
If you don't repent, I will come and remove your lamp.
Stand from its place among the churches.
But this is in your favor.
You hate the evil deeds of the Nicolaitans.
Just as I do.
Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the spirit and understand what he is
saying to the churches, to everyone who is victorious, I will give fruit from
the tree of life in the paradise of God.
Write this letter to the angel of the church in Smyrna.
This is the message from the one who is the first and the last
who was dead, but is now alive.
I know about your suffering and your poverty, but you are rich.
I know the blasphemy of those opposing you.
They say they are Jews, but they are not because their synagogue belongs to Satan.
Don't be afraid of what you are about to suffer.
The devil will throw some of you into prison to test you.
You will suffer for 10 days, but if you remain faithful even when facing death,
I will give you the crown of life.
Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the spirit and understand
what he is saying to the churches.
Whoever is victorious will not be harmed by the second death.
Write this letter to the angel of the church in Pergamum.
This is the message from the one with the sharp two-edged sword.
I know that you live in the city where Satan has his throne, yet
you have remained loyal to me.
You refused to deny me even when Anus, my faithful witness was martyred
among you there in Satan's city.
But I have a few complaints against you.
You tolerate some among you whose teaching is like that of Balaam, who showed beak
how to trip up the people of Israel.
He taught them to sin by eating food offered to idols, and by
committing sexual sin in a similar way, you have some nicolaitans among
you who follow the same teaching.
Repent of your sin, or I will come to you suddenly and fight against
them with the sword of my mouth.
Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the spirit and understand what he
is saying to the churches, to everyone who is victorious, I will give some of
the manna that has been hidden away in heaven and I will give to each one A white
stone and on the stone will be engraved A new name that no one understands
except the one who receives it.
Write this letter to the angel of the church in Thia, Tyra.
This is the message from the son of God whose eyes are like flames of fire,
whose feet are like polished bronze.
I know all the things you do.
I have seen your love, your faith, your service, and your patient, and
endurance, and I can see your constant improvement in all these things, but
I have this complaint against you.
You are permitting that woman, that Jezebel, who calls herself a
prophet to lead my servants astray.
She teaches them to commit sexual sin and to eat food offered to idols.
I gave her time to repent, but she does not want to turn away from her immorality.
Therefore, I will throw her on a bed of suffering.
And those who commit adultery with her will suffer greatly unless they repent
and turn away from her evil deeds.
I will strike her children dead, then all the churches will know that I am
the one who searches out the thoughts and intentions of every person.
And I will give to each of you whatever you deserve.
But I also have a message for the rest of you and Thia Tyra, who have not
followed this false teaching, deeper truths as they call them, depths of
Satan Actually, I will ask nothing more of you except that you hold tightly to
what you have until I come to all who are victorious, who obey me to the very end.
To them, I will give authority over all the nations.
They will rule the nations with an iron rod and smash them like clay pots.
They will have the same authority I received from my father and I will
also give them the morning star.
Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the spirit and understand
what he is saying to the churches.
Write this letter to the angel of the church in Sardis.
This is the message from the one who has the sevenfold spirit
of God and the seven stars.
I know all the things you do and that you have a reputation for
being alive, but you are dead.
Wake up.
Strengthen what little remains for even what is left is almost dead.
I find that your actions do not meet the requirements of my God.
Go back to what you heard and believed at first.
Hold to it firmly.
Repent and turn to me again.
If you don't wake up, I will come to you suddenly as unexpected as a thief.
Yet there are some in the church in Sardis who have not
soiled their clothes with evil.
They will walk with me in white for they are worthy.
All who are victorious will be clothed in white.
I will never erase their names from the Book of life, but I will
announce before my father and his angels that they are mine.
Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the spirit and understand
what he is saying to the churches.
Write this letter to the angel of the church in Philadelphia.
This is the message from the one who is holy and true.
The one who has the key of David, what he opens.
No one can close and what he closes, no one can open.
I know all the things you do and I have opened a door for
you that no one can close.
You have little strength.
Yet you obeyed my word and did not deny me.
Look, I will force those who belong to Satan's synagogue, those liars
who say they are Jews but are not to come and bow down at your feet.
They will acknowledge that you are the ones I love.
Because you have obeyed my command to persevere.
I will protect you from the great time of testing that will come
upon the whole world to test those who belong to this world.
I am coming soon.
Hold on to what you have so that no one will take away your crown.
All who are victorious will become pillars in the temple of my God, and
they will never have to leave it.
And I will write on them the name of my God and they will be citizens in the
city of my God, the new Jerusalem that comes down from heaven, from my God, and
I will also write on them my new name.
Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the spirit and understand
what he is saying to the churches.
Write this letter to the angel of the church in Leo Deia.
This is the message from the one who is the amen, the faithful and true witness.
The beginning of God's new creation.
I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold.
I wish that you were one or the other, but since you are like
lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.
You say, I am rich, I have everything I want.
I don't need a thing, and you don't realize that you are wretched and
miserable and poor, and blind and naked.
So I advise you to buy gold from me.
Gold that has been purified by fire, then you will be rich.
Also buy white garments from me so you will not be shamed by your
nakedness and ointment for your eyes.
So you will be able to see I correct and discipline everyone I love.
So be diligent and turn from your indifference.
Look, I stand at the door and knock.
If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in and we will
share a meal together as friends.
Those who are victorious will sit with me on my throne just as I was victorious
and sat with my father on his throne.
Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the spirit and understand
what he is saying to the churches.
This concludes today's immerse reading experience.
Thank you for joining us.