How to Approach the Book of Revelation
The book of Revelation is often viewed through the lens of apocalyptic allegory – as if only a select few can understand its hidden meanings, and that only with a special decoder ring or end-time chart.
The Revelation of Jesus Christ is actually a letter. The aged Apostle John had been banished to the Island of Patmos for his proclamation of Jesus Christ. While there he received a vision(s) from God, revealing many things regarding “what was” (the past), “what is” (the present), and “what is to come” (the future).
John, a father in the faith, an elder, an apostle to seven different city-churches, began his letter by declaring this to be “The Revelation of Jesus Christ” – not the unveiling and “decoding” of the end of time and earth, but the unveiling of the Person and authority of Jesus himself.
John describes Jesus as “walking among the lamp stands” and then explains that to be a picture of Jesus walking among the seven churches, knowing them intimately, and desiring to speak to them personally.
Then John, serving as a scribe and mouthpiece for Jesus, declares to each church a personalized message from the Head of the Church. Each pastor (John refers to them as “angels” or messengers) had the privilege to see the entire letter, including the parts that were personalized to the other churches.
A significant hinge point of John’s letter occurs in Revelation 5:
And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals. Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?” And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it. So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look at it.
But one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.” And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. (Revelation 5:1-6 NKJV)
In his vision John was taken back in time. The aged apostle suddenly found himself looking at a familiar memory from an altogether foreign perspective. It was the day of death. The day that John had stood at the foot of the cross, holding Mary as they watched her Son give his final breath, declaring, “It is finished.” John had never mourned as he did the day his Savior died.
Whereas the young John had looked upon the cross from earth’s perspective (John 19:26-27), the elder John was about to see the same event from the vantage point of Heaven (Revelation 5).
God the Father was seated on His throne, a scroll in his right hand. On the scroll was His last will and testament. God’s will for the earth had not yet been realized. Death and disease, sin and strongholds were rampant, and mankind was bound. God’s will was sealed up and could not be opened and released on the earth. No one was worthy to open and enact God’s will for mankind.
John wept.
Heaven waited.
Just then a most powerful occurrence took place on earth. God’s Son, who had taken on the form of a man, had given His life for mankind.
Through his tears John looked across Heaven’s throne room and saw Jesus. Immediately John’s mind was flooded with memories of the brutality of the crucifixion, and the horror of Jesus’ nearly unrecognizable body hanging on the cross. John’s memories were limited to his earthly perspective, but now he was seeing what Heaven saw that day.
Standing there in the midst of the throne room was Jesus – the Lamb who had just been sacrificed, whose blood had atoned for man’s sin.
John watched as Jesus approached His Father.
Heaven fell silent as His scarred hands reached out for the scroll. The Father was pleased.
With the breaking of each of the seven seals came the realization that Jesus had been found worthy. God’s will for mankind could finally be realized. Redemption and healing were immediately released, as well as judgment for every demonic being who had held earth captive for so long.
A will is just a piece of paper until the testator dies. Then it’s words become reality. God’s last will and testament could finally be read, and would finally be released, all because God was willing to die.
The rest of John’s letter describes the depth of God’s love for man and the gravity of judgment awaiting the kingdom of darkness. He tells of the salvation, redemption, patience, and ultimate victory of the saints, while also warning of the impending catastrophe on rebelliousness and lawlessness. All the earth will be weighed on the scales of justice, and righteousness will prevail.
John’s letter must never be viewed so narrowly as to accommodate our end-time charts; he penned his Revelation of Jesus Christ so we could recognize and worship Jesus, the Head and Builder of the church, and the Savior of all mankind.
Why You Can Trust God’s Timing
But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. (2 Peter 3:8, 9 ESV)
The passing of time is consistent. A second is always a second; a minute always lasts one minute.
Time is life’s metronome. Throughout history man has walked with the same cadence – the rhythm of time.
Yet sometimes time seems to slow down, or accelerate, or stop altogether.
This year my daughter will graduate from high school and enter college. I’m still wondering where the time went.
A friend of mine graduated from college last week, after years of investment and personal hardship. His perception? He would say: “It’s about time! This took forever!!”
Time is neither friend nor enemy. It shows no loyalty to anyone. It works for us and against us. We adjust to it – it never changes for us.
This Christmas season we celebrate the advent (coming) of Jesus Christ to the earth. God became man.
But this is also a good time to remember that Jesus is coming again. He promised: (1) to come in clouds of glory to catch away His church and rescue us from the implosion of the world as we know it, and (2) to return once again with His church to a renewed, perfected earth to rule and reign as King.
The prophets have declared it to be true.
The Apostles confirmed it to be true.
Jesus himself gave His word.
Yet we still wait.
Personally, I want Jesus to return before I can finish typing this sen…
Just kidding- I’m still here. But I wish I were with Jesus right now. I anticipate the time when time no longer matters, when tears are dried, souls are made whole, sickness is eradicated, and I can see Jesus with my own eyes.
I have so much to thank Him for. An eternity of gratitude.
So why the delay?
Our Father doesn’t want anyone to perish without hope. He wants all men to call on the name of Jesus. His timing is born out of His benevolent compassion.
So, today I live in the rhythm of time, with great expectancy that my Savior is soon returning for me. As I wait I want to be faithful and fruitful. I must work to declare His goodness to people around me, so that they can be ready when He cracks the sky.
Father-
I trust your timing.
Come quickly, Lord Jesus.
Amen.
Living with Divine Assignment
who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, (2 Timothy 1:9 ESV)
There is more to life than just getting saved. Salvation is a gateway, an entry point to a life of purpose. God has placed in you a high calling – a divine assignment that will bring you personal fulfillment and bless others.
Too many people live without a sense of direction and purpose. They live for the fleeting moments of self-fulfilling desires. Yet they cry out for more.
Others try to live out someone else’s calling. A screwdriver can be used to pound a nail, but the risk of failure and injury is increased with every blow. We must identify our God-given identity, and fulfill OUR calling.
Then there are those who know their calling, have once walked in it, but became hurt or discouraged along the way, and thus forsook their call.
I know of no person more unfulfilled than one who has forsaken his calling.
If you are living a life without a real sense of direction and purpose, ask Jesus to reveal your true identity and assignment. Not only has He given us salvation; He has given each of us a calling.
If you are comparing your life to someone else, trying to live out an identity that isn’t yours, find the freedom of coming into your OWN God-given purpose. David refused to wear Saul’s armor; you must be who you are.
If you have forsaken your call because of disappointment and discouragement, you can be both healed and restored.
Perhaps you’ve even failed, to such a degree that you forfeited your privilege to lead others because of a breach of your integrity. Even so, Jesus is a REDEEMER.
The gifts and callings of God are irrevocable. (Romans 11:29). God is not finished with you yet.
Father,
Today I pray that Your church would live with divine purpose, on assignment to destroy the works of the evil one, and to bring freedom, life, healing, and hope to our world.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
“After Further Review” – Why Leaders Sometimes Change Their Minds
I have a friend whose father is one of the NFL’s most respected and tenured officials. Gerry Austin, now retired, officiated hundreds of games in his twenty five year career, and, in a job that is often thankless and demands split-second decisions that can result in divisive backlash, Mr. Austin was respected by players, coaches, and fans.
Like Gerry Austin, leaders are constantly placed in positions to make judgment calls, and expected to get it right! But, like any NFL official or any leader will tell you, “We don’t always get it right.”
Several years ago the NFL established a rule allowing for certain plays to be placed “under review.” Using the benefit of video technology and multiple camera angles, an official can go to the sidelines, review the play as many times as necessary, view the play from various angles, and then conclude what the correct call should be.
When the official comes back onto the field he turns on his microphone, addresses the people in the stadium and states whether the call on the field stands or is overturned. Whatever the final decision, the official’s first words will inevitably be: “After further review…”
Sometimes the initial call and the correct call are two separate things.
Changing your mind requires humility. As a young leader I feared that changing my mind about a decision would cause others to perceive me as an ineffective or indecisive leader. However, I have learned through the years that, if I would be willing to reevaluate and alter a previous decision, I am building on a much more stable foundation. My track record for right decisions improves significantly.
Wisdom is willing to be put to the test; but foolishness demands unquestioned loyalty.
My most recent example of changing my mind was announced last night in our youth ministry. Having had a youth leadership transition back in May, I have chosen to give my personal attention and leadership to our youth ministry for the last seven months. Not only do I count it as a privilege to give my life to the next generation; I see it as a call.
Over the course of those seven months I have assessed and evaluated our youth ministry. To use the NFL analogy, I went to the sidelines with the Lord and asked Him to replay some of our decisions over the last few years from a variety of angles and perspectives.
That process was both encouraging and enlightening. Encouraging because I became more convinced than ever that many of my initial decisions (gut-instinct calls) were accurate. Enlightening because I recognized at least one decision that needed to be changed.
So, last night, I gathered the teenagers around me, like a father gathers his children for story time, and shared three of the ten commitments (conclusions) I have come to, in regards to our youth ministry. One of those commitments is to provide our youth ministry with an accurate and prophetic sense of their personal and corporate identity. That’s when I announced that we are changing the name of our youth group back to Oneighty.
(To give some context, when Carrie and I came to New Hope Worship Center as youth pastors, we eventually brought the youth group into the name Oneighty, a name and identity that remained for many years until I initiated a change over a year ago. The decisions to change the name “from” and then “back” to Oneighty were mine. Although I had good reasons for the decision to change the name over a year ago, the reevaluating process gave me better perspective, and eventually brought me to a better conclusion.)
As a pastor whose tenure has spanned two full decades in the same church, I must be willing to go back and review my own previous decisions; otherwise, I will slowly lose the sharp edge of visionary leadership that compels us forward to that which is greater.
As leaders we make the best decisions we can make, based on the information and perspective we have in the moment. And, frankly, most of the time, we’re right. But I would never want to suffer a loss simply because I refused to place the call on the field under review.
Will You Pray With Me?
I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf, (Romans 15:30 ESV)
The “prayer of agreement” unleashes tremendous power.
Although Paul was one of the greatest men of faith in all of church history, he depended on his brothers and sisters to pray for him and with him. There are no “lone rangers” in the kingdom of God.
In fact, even Jesus asked his disciples to come with him to the Garden of Gethsemene to “watch and pray.”
One of satan’s routine schemes is to isolate us from other believers. He either convinces us that we shouldn’t be a burden to others; or he stirs up our pride, so that we aren’t honest and vulnerable about our struggles; or he provokes us to be offended at the church and pull away. His strategy is to cause us to walk in our own strength, with an independent mentality.
But God created us to be dependent on Him, and, to a significant degree, on others.
If Paul needed prayer support, don’t you?
If Jesus needed others to surround Him in prayer, what makes you think you can do things on your own?
Prayer is the catalyst that brings God’s will from heaven to earth. We must be people of prayer if we are to be people who experience the miraculous.
The prayer of agreement places an exponent on our prayers. If one can put a thousand enemy forces at flight, two can cause ten thousand to flee!
There are some battles in life that demand partnership of prayer in order to experience victory.
There are two questions we ought to regularly ask others:
1. “Will you pray with me about this?”
2. “Can I pray with you right now about that?”
Imagine the power and presence of God that will be released when you join in prayer with someone else. The possibilities are endless. Nothing is impossible for God!
Father,
Today I choose to have a determined focus both on my personal prayer life, and to take advantage of the opportunities to join my faith with others.
Thank you for brothers and sisters with whom I can partner to see Your will break through satan’s strongholds.
In Jesus’ name, amen!
Pastor Dale Jenkins 