Day 81 - Revelation 1-3

Well, today we begin the "home stretch." Not only is this the last book in the NT, but it is also the final 10 days of our reading schedule. Here we go!

The book of Revelation begins with John seeing a vision of Jesus Christ. As is typical throughout the entire Bible, when confronted with the unveiled glory of God, the beholder (John) falls prostrate before Jesus Christ (1:17). Truly, this was an amazing sight--one that all true believers will have the privilege of enjoying one day! In considering this reaction to the glory of God, it makes me wonder about those whose "worship" of Jesus seems more like a "jam-fest" party than stunned awe and silence. It also makes me think, "When was the last time I felt the awesome, weighty presence of Christ in my own worship?"

Chapters 2 and 3 contain the letters to the 7 churches. Each letter follows this general pattern: A description of Deity, a list of the good works that each church had done (if any), a list of the problems of each church (if any), and a closing exhortation or two. These letters should prove helpful to each of us as we consider our own hearts. We are certainly more prone to look for the "good works" that we are doing; however, we must also search our hearts to see where we are coming up short, and then seek to remedy the problem by submitting to the appropriate exhortation(s). It is interesting how often repentance is encouraged. These letters were written to churches, not unbelieving people! This demonstrates that the Christian life is not an experience characterized by sinless perfection, but by continual repentance. I remember hearing the statement many years ago, "It's not once saved always saved. It's once regenerated, always repenting!" We must attempt to live out our Christian experience in an atmosphere of repentance! One other thing to point out with regard to the fact that these letters are written to believers is that 3:20 is so often used as an invitation to the unbeliever to "open the door of their heart and let Jesus come in." While that is certainly something that is inline with other biblical texts (cf. John 1:12), this verse was written to Christians who have shut Jesus out of their lives, and it calls on Christians to open up that door to experience the fullness of fellowship with Jesus Christ that is available to them!

Some years ago I created a table/spreadsheet that has been helpful to me in seeing an overview of this information. You can download a copy for yourself here if you'd like.