March 30: Living 3:16—With Passion for Jesus

Wiley Richards is a retired professor of theology and philosophy at The Baptist College of Florida in Graceville.

There is no finer way to develop a passion for Jesus than to study His unveiling in the Book of Revelation. Many interpreters take Revelation 1:1 to speak of the unveiling of historical events. Another approach focuses attention on the unveiling of Jesus in the book. As we ask the Holy Spirit to show us the majesty and power of Jesus throughout the book, we gain a special appreciation of our Lord. Chapters 1-3 feature His work in and on behalf of the churches.

We begin by noting that the Bible pictures worship for Him on a Special Day (1:9-10). John, the writer used by the Holy Spirit to write the book, identified himself as a brother and companion in the tribulation on behalf of Jesus Christ. When he identified the Lord’s Day as the time he was given the revelation, he said much. About 55 A.D., when Paul and Luke met on the “first day of the week” in Troas to break bread (Acts 20:7), the missionaries had abandoned the Jewish Sabbath, meeting on the seventh day of the week, to honor Christ’s resurrection on Sunday. The adoption of a different day of worship gave a continuing witness to the powerful effect Jesus exerted on their lives. No one less than God in the flesh could have had such a profound impact on them. A new era had dawned.

In the first spoken words to John, Jesus affirmed Himself to be the Everything Ruler (v. 11). As recorded in verse eight, Jesus called Himself the Alpha and Omega, or as we would say in English, the A to Z. He is the beginning and the end, the one “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” The last word translates a Greek word which could be translated, “the Everything Ruler.” This word contrasts with the statement in Ephesians 6:12, which calls demonic forces “the rulers of the darkness of this age.” The Greek word denotes world-rulers. The phrases in Revelation 1:8 and 11 ascend the heights to describe the uniqueness of Jesus, the Ruler of time and eternity and not just of this world.

In addition to being the Everything Ruler, in particular He is the churches’ Guardian (vv. 12-13). The Bible describes the One who spoke to John as “One like the Son of Man.” Son of man is the title Jesus most frequently ascribed to Himself. John’s gospel depicts Him the Divine Ladder between heaven and earth (John 1:51). In the Revelation He appears among the seven golden lampstands, that is, the seven churches (v. 20). Jesus loved the church and gave Himself for it (Eph. 5:25), but He never “went to church” because it was born officially at Pentecost. In the opening vision of Jesus as recorded in the Revelation, He is among the churches.

Not only is He among the churches, but He is the Head (vv. 14-19). Whereas the Bible designates Jesus as the Head of the church (Eph. 1:22), the Revelation depicts it in a magnificent way. Verse 14, in which the seventh church (Laodicea) is addressed, completes the series begun with 2:1, addressed to the first church (Ephesus). The message to each successive church begins with a description of the exalted Lord in Chapter One. By this method the lordship of Christ is affirmed to the churches. He knows the inner workings of every church.

Note also that the message to each church ends with the admonition for us to “hear what the Spirit says to the churches,” as stated in 2:7; 3:11; and so forth. The Lord provides the message and the Holy Spirit delivers it. The work in all the churches is Christ-and-the-Holy-Spirit maintained.

Finally, the Revelation shows Jesus as the Rewarder (vv. 20-23). As we study the rewards and criticisms of each of the churches, two conclusions stand out. First, no matter how dismal the analysis of a given church may be, Jesus never tells the faithful members to leave the church to find one more spiritual or more in line with their desires in worship. They are to remain steadfast where they are. Second, the rewards are not promised for the present, but are given when Jesus returns. To illustrate, the reward for the Laodiceans, the promise to sit with Jesus on His throne finds fulfillment in 20:4. The promise to Ephesus, to eat from the paradise of God, is fulfilled in 22:2. Careful study reveals the same pattern for the other five. The rewards are certain.