Behind the Curtain

“The revelation of Jesus Christ that God gave Him to show His slaves what must quickly take place. He sent it and signified it through His angel to His slave John, who testified to God’s word and to the testimony about Jesus Christ, in all he saw. The one who reads this is blessed, and those who hear the words of this prophecy and keep what is written in it are blessed, because the time is near! John: To the seven churches in Asia. Grace and peace to you from the One who is, who was, and who is coming; from the seven spirits before His throne; and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and has set us free from our sins by His blood, and made us a kingdom, priests to His God and Father — the glory and dominion are His forever and ever. Amen. Look! He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, including those who pierced Him. And all the families of the earth will mourn over Him. This is certain. Amen. “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “the One who is, who was, and who is coming, the Almighty.”” (Revelation‬ ‭1‬:‭1‬-‭8‬ ‭HCSB‬‬)

I would be a fool if I didn’t tell you how hard this task I’ve undertaken really is and how nervous it makes me feel. Maybe I feel a bit emboldened by the time we spent in Isaiah and my initial fear and concern with tackling that incredible book that gave way to a sense of awe and wonder. The name of this book comes from the opening phrase, “the revelation of Jesus Christ that God gave Him to show His slaves what must quickly take place.” Revelation is from the Greek “apokalupsis” which means to unveil, uncover or reveal – hence, revelation or “the revealing.” We tend to see it as the book that tells us what will happen at the end of time or the apocalypse (note the Greek).

I think most of us would probably admit that we’d like to know what the future holds. We think we would be better equipped to handle it if we had some insight into what’s coming. We’d like a little peak behind the curtain. We want some inside knowledge, a pop-up notification of what’s ahead and what we can expect. But truthfully, I really think that what most of us want is the ability to change what will happen not just be forewarned about it. “If I could just change this one little thing then everything would turn out better, I would feel better and life would be great.” This week’s focal passage actually addresses both issues.

Let me begin our study by stating that most people’s view of Revelation and its meaning is already skewed by preconceptions, misleading sermons, fiction and non-fiction books, well intentioned but uninformed teachers, misinformation and misunderstanding. By the way, this is true about many Biblical truths, teachings and prophecies. As much as we try to have correct beliefs, we still get it wrong far too often. We have a tendency to believe some religious leaders not because of their credentials but because of their popularity or charisma. One of the core principles governing Biblical interpretation is that scripture cannot say to us what it never said to those for whom it was written. This book was written to the seven churches in Asia Minor (in and around Ephesus) and it must be understood in light of their context and culture. Then and only then can it be properly understood and the underlying principles and lessons be applied to our own context and culture. 

Note: Southern Baptists have always recognized that differences in our interpretation and understanding of end time prophecy does not disqualify us from fellowship and shared service. Our own Baptist Faith and Message includes the following simple statement about end time beliefs as follows: “God, in His own time and in His own way, will bring the world to its appropriate end. According to His promise, Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly in glory to the earth; the dead will be raised; and Christ will judge all men in righteousness. The unrighteous will be consigned to Hell, the place of everlasting punishment. The righteous in their resurrected and glorified bodies will receive their reward and will dwell forever in Heaven with the Lord.” (Baptist Faith and Message)

First, we need to start our study by paying attention to the source, subject and intended recipients of this “revelation”. The source of the revealed knowledge and insight is God, the subject of it is Jesus Christ and the recipients are Jesus’ slaves or servants. God wants us to know, see and understand this unveiling of Jesus because it is essential to our perseverance in faith. Over the next several months we will look at these first three chapters of the book and be confronted by the grim reality of what it meant to live out the Christian faith in a difficult and hostile culture. There’s little doubt that a part of God’s revelation regarding Jesus is intended to have great impact on the daily lives of these servants as they live out their Christian faith. When God speaks we are expected to listen, believe and obey. What God teaches us about these things from our study must also be heard, believed and obeyed in our lives.

God gave this revelation about Jesus Christ to us through His angel who delivered it to His servant John. This is the same John who has “testified to God’s word and to the testimony about Jesus Christ, in all he saw.” Most scholars agree, this is most likely the Apostle John – the brother of James, son of Zebedee, author of the fourth gospel and eyewitness to Jesus’ life, death, resurrection and ascension. This is also affirmed by many of the early church fathers and the only John who needs no introduction and fits the book’s description: testified to God’s word, gave testimony about Jesus and “saw” these things first hand.

Now, listen to the promise made to us regarding these words: “The one who reads this is blessed, and those who hear the words of this prophecy and keep what is written in it are blessed, because the time is near.” This is similar to the wording we find in the Beatitudes in Matthew 5. If you’d like God’s blessing and the happiness it brings then I suggest you pay attention, listen and obey what is written in the words of God’s revelation. This was written in letter (or epistle) format like Paul’s letters and would have been circulated and read aloud at each of the seven (or more) recipient churches. I said more than the seven because it seems apparent that these seven are representative and that the letter would have been circulated to a much wider audience than just those seven churches. These words may have been specifically written to the seven churches in Asia but they are for all of God’s people and every church to read, hear and obey.

Now, let’s talk about how “quickly” and how “near” these things are. I have a mirror on the right side of my car that says “objects in mirror may be closer than they appear.” The reason for that warning is that the mirror is convex and designed to give the driver a wider view of the right side of the vehicle. It causes any objects to appear further away than from the vehicle than they actually are. We have a tendency to read the words and prophecies of Revelation and question their proximity to us or even their distance from us. Simply put, some of the things revealed to them were both closer and further away than they probably realized. It is important for us to recognize the same thing. Some of these prophetic events must have been close enough at hand to have impacted the readers of these words while some of them are still awaiting fulfillment. 

Yes, you heard me right. The prophetic words of Revelation are similar to the words we’ve already studied in Isaiah in that they may have both immediate and long-term application. If you’ll recall in our Isaiah study we saw how a prophecy could have immediate and contextual fulfillment through Cyrus on the lives of God’s people and yet be ultimately fulfilled in the birth, life and death of Jesus. Some of the events in Revelation must be contextually fulfilled in the lives of these seven churches while others are still awaiting ultimate fulfillment in the second coming of Jesus and the final judgment. But don’t miss this, the timing of what God was doing was always perfect in His purpose. So whether something is fulfilled now or later, it will be fulfilled in accordance with God’s purpose and He always provides grace and strength in the interval. That would be a comfort to believers in those seven churches and should be a comfort to us, as well.

Next, these churches are granted “grace and peace to you from the One who is, who was, and who is coming; from the seven spirits before His throne; and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead and the ruler of the kings of the earth.” Grace and peace are divine gifts from the triune God: Father, Spirit and Son. We seek and desire peace, but this is the Hebrew “shalom”. Biblical shalom is so MUCH bigger than even the peace and ceasefire that took place in Gaza last week. Shalom is physical, emotional and spiritual wholeness or wellbeing and is life the way God intended it to be. As Jesus put it, “Father, may your will be done on earth just as it is in heaven” – that’s shalom.

But shalom, peace or personal wellbeing ONLY comes as the result and outgrowth of God’s grace. You cannot know God’s peace and wellbeing in your life without the benefit of His grace. Why? Because we are all sinners and deserving of His wrath, judgment or death. But grace is God’s recognition of our sinful state and His willful act of redeeming us from our sin and guilt (see Eph. 2:1-10). We cannot know and experience the life God intends for us to have until we know Him through His saving grace as provided through faith in Jesus the Christ. 

Notice, the grace and peace that John prays upon us is “from the One who is, who was, and who is coming.” This is a clear reference to not only the Trinity, but also to God’s nature and personal name: I AM. He is the God who always was (has been revealed), the God who is (is revealed) and the one who is coming (is being revealed). But it is also from the “seven spirits” before God’s throne. Be careful, don’t try to make this something John never intended. Most scholars agree that this is just John’s way of describing the Holy Spirit in the current context. We will see the number seven referenced time after time throughout John’s vision. It simply means perfection, completion or fulfillment/fullness. It is the fullness of God’s Spirit working His grace and peace in us.

Finally, we learn that this grace and peace is also “from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead and the ruler of the kings of the earth.” Jesus told His disciples just before He went to the cross that “I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.” John tells us three things about Jesus and this grace and peace He provides: 1) He’s the faithful witness; 2) He’s the firstborn from the dead; 3) He’s the ruler of the kings of the earth.

Why is that important? Because it is our peek behind the curtain. In the context of their persecution, these things provide the hope His servants need to persevere. He stands by them as a witness to the truths they have embraced and as a witness to the promises He has made. He stands by them as proof of the resurrection and of the promise of eternal life in Him. Finally, He stands before the world as true ruler over the kings of the earth. What better evidence do persecuted Christians need than these three things? Their LORD affirms their beliefs as the supreme witness before any and all accusers. He gives indisputable evidence of His ability to grant eternal life as the firstborn from the dead. And they have nothing to fear from the kings who threaten and intimidate them because He rules over all the kings of the earth.

One final little peek behind the curtain before we close out this week. John offers up a little song of praise or doxology: “To Him who loves us and has set us free from our sins by His blood, and made us a kingdom, priests to His God and Father — the glory and dominion are His forever and ever. Amen. Look! He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, including those who pierced Him. And all the families of the earth will mourn over Him. This is certain. Amen.”

In the classic story of the Wizard of Oz, Dorothy and her friends are seeking assistance in their journey from the “great and powerful Oz.” Initially, they are awed by Wizard of Oz and his power. But then they catch a glimpse of the reality of just who Oz is behind the curtain. He’s no extraordinary wizard but just an ordinary man with some mechanical toys that make him appear to be “great and powerful.” He’s not great; he’s not powerful; he’s just a carnival side show.

What does our peek behind the curtain reveal? Some folks think Jesus is nothing more than a “Wizard of Oz” who has pulled a quick con on His followers. I know some of those folks. Maybe you do, too. But my glimpse behind that curtain tells me that He is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead and the ruler of the kings of the earth. He HAS set me free from my sin by His blood. He HAS made us into a kingdom of priests to our God. He IS coming with the clouds and every eye will see Him, including those who pierced Him. This book starts with a promise, if you’ll hear these words, believe them and obey (keep) them then you will be blessed. My prayer is that you will hear, you will believe and you will keep them. 

Why? Because of that very next verse…

“All the families of the earth will mourn over Him. THIS IS CERTAIN! Amen (v. 7).”

If the words of this prophecy are true and they reveal the truth regarding Jesus Christ, then the fulfillment of that verse is inevitable. Every family will mourn over Him. We will mourn because the truth of those words will have their effect on all of us. For blessing and for curse… for life and death… for hope and despair. Jesus said, “Therefore, everyone who will acknowledge Me before men, I will also acknowledge him before My Father in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father in heaven. Don’t assume that I came to bring peace on the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household. The person who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; the person who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And whoever doesn’t take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me. Anyone finding his life will lose it, and anyone losing his life because of Me will find it.” (Matthew‬ ‭10‬:‭32‬-‭39‬ ‭HCSB‬‬)

There’s a part of me who longs for Jesus immediate return. As this book says at the end, “Amen! Come, LORD Jesus!” (Rev. 22:20b) But there’s a part of me who begs for God to be patient, just a little longer. “The Lord does not delay His promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance.” (2 Peter‬ ‭3‬:‭9‬ ‭HCSB‬‬) In reality, I mourn over two things as I consider the words of Revelation 1:7.  First, I mourn over my own sin and lack of consistent faith – “every eye will see Him, including those who pierced Him.” I am forgiven and cleansed by His grace, but I fail Him every day in more ways than I care to admit. Second, I will mourn over those who refuse to believe and be cleansed by His grace. I will be in awe of His power and I will marvel at His glory but I will weep and mourn over those who have rejected Him. 

This is certain! Amen!

My friends, take a peek behind the curtain. Hear the words of the Revelation of Jesus Christ, believe them and keep them. You will be blessed, He promises!