Last week, I wrote about how I believe that God has been calling me to read the book of Revelations to help prepare others for the return of His son. This book of the Bible was written by John to reveal the full plan of Christ as well as warn and give hope to believers. John was an eyewitness of incarnate Christ and had a vision of the glorified Christ. God revealed to him what will take place during the final judgement and the ultimate triumph of God over evil.
Chapter One
An angel comes to Apostle John to tell of God’s revelation in a vision. John tells us about him being exiled to the island of Patmos for giving his testimony about Jesus when he all of a sudden hears a loud voice behind him that says, “Write in a book.” God is telling John to write down everything that he sees to send to the Seven Asian churches.
When John looks to see who, he sees seven gold lampstands. There stands Jesus; He holds seven stars in his right hand and a double-edged sword in his mouth. The seven stars represent the angels of the seven churches and the seven gold lampstands represent the seven churches themselves.
Chapter Two
Chapter two contains letters from John to the first four churches about what Jesus told of each. The first letter is to the church of Ephesus. He tells the church that he sees the good they are doing and the endurance that they have presented, but his one complaint is that they do not love Christ as they use to. He shows them how far they have fallen and ask them to repent.
The second letter is to the church of Smyrna. John tells them that Jesus has seen their suffering and poverty and that they shouldn’t be scared of what is to come. He warns them that the devil will throw some of them into prison to test them. They will suffer for ten days but if they remain faithful they will be given the crown of life. Whomever is victorious will not be harmed by the second death.
The third of these letters is written to the church of Pergamum. They live in the city were evil dwells but yet they have stayed faithful to the Lord. They have committed sexual sin and eaten foods that were offered to them by idols. Like the churches before, he tells them to repent. To everyone who is victorious he will give a white stone with a new name engraved on it. No one will understand the name except the one who receives it.
The final letter in this chapter is written to the church of Thyatira. Christ tells the that he has seen their love, faith, and service but there is a woman who calls herself a prophet to lead follows of Christ away from Him. She teaches them to commit sexual sin and to worship other idols. He warns them to turn away from these evil deeds or their children will be struck dead.
Chapter Three
Chapter three continues on with the last three letters starting with one written to the church of Sardis. The Lord sees that on the outside they are lively but on the inside they are dead. They have wondered from their Father and must strengthen what little love is left. He tells them to go back to what they believed in at first and to hold on firmly to it.
The next letter is to the church of Philadelphia. I think what should be remembered in this letter is verse 11. It says, “I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take away your crown.” You cannot waiver in your beliefs because He will see it. You must hold on to your crown of life. Hold on to the Lord and stay strong because one day you will live with him eternally and what happened on Earth will no longer matter.
The final letter is written to the church of Laodicea. Jesus sees that the church is neither hot nor cold. They are lukewarm; God will sprit them from his mouth. You cannot kind of be dedicated to Him. You must fully dedicate your life to Him.
Chapter Four
John then saw the throne of heaven with 24 other thrones surrounding him. The elders in the thrones around the throne of heaven where clothed in all white with golden crowns on their head. The sound of thunder and flashed of lightening came from the throne. In front of the throne there are seven torches that represent the sevenfold Spirit of God.
In the center of the throne was four different creatures covered in eyes, front and back. The first a lion, the second an ox, the third had a human face, and the fourth was an eagle. Each creature had six wings that were also covered with eyes inside and out. These creatures stand alongside the elders and worship God.
Chapter Five
The one who is sitting on the throne possesses a scroll that is kept with seven seals. The only one in all of Heaven and Earth that is worthy of opening the scroll to read it is a lamb that looks as if it has been slaughtered. This lamb is not like others; it has seven horns and eyes. The lamb steps forward and takes the scroll from the one who sits upon the throne. When he takes the scroll the four creatures and the 24 elders fall to the ground. They began to sing and worship the lamb with the voices of millions of angels.
This is the first of three parts to this article. Revelations is often put at the end of the list of books Christians want to study. In my opinion it is one of the most important book to read, especially this day in age. Jesus is coming again soon and we need to be able to prepare our hearts and others for his return!
