MPC, 15th February 2004.Revelation 1 - "Witness Protection"
Phil Campbell MPC, 15th February 2004.
You know, there are plenty of people who'll tell you what the book of Revelation's all about. Most of them seem to treat Revelation like a road map for the future, as if it's a string of predictions about what's going to happen and when. David Koresh, the guy who was at the centre of that seige in Waco in Texas, was working on his own commentary on the book of Revelation. That pointed out that he was the Christ. And the world was going to end in a fiery Armageddon. In the end, over 70 of his followers were killed in a fire, that David Koresh himself started. Fulfilling his own prophecy. Or another sect the same. They predicted the end of the world was coming on New Years 1997. When it didn't, four teenage members of the cult strangled their mother, because they believed she was the devil. Or you might have heard of the writer Barry Smith. Who specialises in talking about the predictions of the end in the book of Revelation.
It's scary stuff. Enough to put most of us off ever opening up the last book of the bible. One friend of mine says he reckons there's a 98-2 rule happening. That 98 per cent of Christians never even open the book of Revelation. And the other 2 per cent are totally obsessed by it.
But it's interesting when you look at the first few verses of Revelation Chapter 1, it wasn't meant to be scary at all. It's meant to be a blessing. In fact, it's guaranteed... to be a blessing. If you take it to heart. Verse 3.
"Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near."
Let me say right from the start, if you're finding Revelation scary instead of reassuring, then you're somehow reading it wrong. As I think lots of Christians do.
Over these next few weeks days we're going to be applying some simple rules for reading Revelation. Some principles. That help us make sense of what for so many people is a very confusing book. I'm not guaranteeing that we'll tie up all the loose ends. But that at least we'll be making a start. In seeing the comfort there is in the final book of the Bible.
I want to start off with a simple suggestion. And that is, I want you to try to read through Revelation for yourself, and treat it like a picture book. Instead of a puzzle book.
I was reading a review yesterday of a book called The Waterhole by Graeme Base. The Waterhole has spent 15 weeks on the Times best seller list. It's a book described as an ecological fable. A book raising issues about the worlds declining frog population.
The reason it caught my eye is that it's a picture book. And it gets the message across without a word. Lavish pictures on every page. Full of incredible detail. And frogs. On the first page there are ten frogs hidden around a waterhole. Turn the page and start looking. And at the next page there are only nine frogs. The waterhole on the next page there are eight. And you'll catch a glimpse in the background of a building.
Now you can't read a book like that the same way you'd read a novel. And you're not meant to. You're meant to pick it up and admire the pictures. In Graeme Base's books there's a world of detail to admire. But the details build up a picture. And the pictures build up a message.
And the book of Revelation is exactly the same. It's a book of pictures. Which is pretty obvious, in a way. Beause the apostle John who wrote it actually tells us he's describing visions he had. And visions are meant for looking at.
It probably would have been a whole lot easier if John had just been able to get it all on video. Or painted a picture book. But instead of that, he's written it down. Leaving us to reconstuct the pictures in our minds.
And I want to suggest, the best way to read Revelation is to try and sit back and see it in your imagination.
See, here's what we're tempted to do. And a lot of people do this. They want to make everything mean something. So every little word, every little phrase, it has to be decoded. When maybe we're just meant to let the words and phrases build up a picture. A picture that in the end is simple. And vivid.
Rule number 1. Look at the pictures. Don't look at every little brush stroke. Stand back and look at the pictures. And I reckon if you try it, you'll find reading Revelation's not nearly as hard as you first thought.
Here's the second rule. And it's a bit more down to earth. It's a rule you should apply to everything you read; whether it's someone else's mail, or a doctor's prescription, or part of the bible. And that is, look at who it's written for, and why it's written. Ask who and why.
Now you might never have thought of asking who and why with the book of Revelation. But the fact is, they're the best questions you could possibly ask.
And there's a simple historical answer. John's writing first and foremost to Christians who lived and died almost 2000 years ago. Christians who lived in the Roman Empire. And were about to face the biggest nightmare you can imagine.
John is writing to Christians who are about to fed to the lions. Christians who are about to be exiled. Or thrown out of their jobs. Christians who are going to feel the full force of the Roman empire. This is a message for them.
The pressure is on to stop bearing witness to Jesus. To stop talking about him as if he's important. To stop bearing witness to him at all.
You'll notice that if you read verses 1 and 2, and link them up with verse 9. Because what John's been doing is bearing witness to Jesus. And already, it's got him in trouble. And he says there's more trouble coming soon. Just around the corner.
Now I've got them on the screen side by side. And on your outline. With a key phrase hightlighted. Verse 2 and verse 9.
"This is a revelation from God, through Jesus Christ, to John." And notice how he describes himself in verse 2. "To John... the one who bore witness... to the word of God..." and more literally, was the witness of Jesus Christ.
The ESV translation puts it this way. "The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God, and the testimony of Jesus Christ - all that he saw."
The Revelation of Jesus Christ God has given to someone who won't stop bearing witness to Jesus Christ. No matter what the pressure. And it's a vision of what John says was going to happen very soon. And let me tell you, it did. When John wrote, Christians are about to be hit with terrible persecution. He's warning them it's on the way. And it came, just like he said.
And notice John knows exactly what it's going to be like. Because he's already facing it himself. John's writing from exile. You don't see that at first. Just a casual mention in verse 9. Writing from the Island of Patmos. A bit like in the early 1800s someone writes you a letter from the Island of Norfolk.
Patmos is a prison island. 6 kilometres long. These days, 3000 inhabitants. Part of the Dodecanesian Islands of Greece. These days, full of five star resorts and luxury villas.
Let me tell you, John wasn't there for a holiday. He's there as an old man, sentenced to work in the quarries.
And have a look why he's there. Verse 9. "I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the Island of Patmos - because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus."
John says he's their partner in suffering. Because he's been testifying about Jesus. He wouldn't stop. So now here he is, an old man, far from his friends, far from home, far from anything.
Now let me give you some background. The reason John and the people he's writing to are being persecuted is simple. They live in the Roman empire. And if you were part of the Roman Empire there was one very simple test of loyalty. You had to bow down and worship the Emperor as a God.
In the major cities there were temples to the Emperor. Ephesus, there was a statue of the emperor Domitian, 8 metres high. Domitian made a decree. He decreed that his subjects had to call him "Lord and God." He wasn't satisfied with "Sir" or "Your Highness" or "Your Excellency". "Lord and God." And bow down to the ground whenever you passed by the statue.
Now the Christians back then had a bit of trouble with that. It stuck in their throats. Because if you're a Christian, there's only one Lord and one God. And you're not going to easily bow to anyone else and worship them as a God, are you? So every day, it's the same question. Are you going to be faithful to Jesus? Or the Emperor? Are you going to keep testifying about Jesus? Or are you just going to clam up and be a silent Christian? I guess it's the same question for us, isn't it?
Well, for John the answer's easy. He's going to keep testifying; because Jesus is the ruler of all the Kings of the earth. Why worry about the Foreman when you're taking orders straight from the managing director? Why worry about Nero or Domitian when you're working for Jesus?
Have a look at verse 5. John's boss is Jesus. "Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth." Jesus is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. So when it's a decision between something the Emperor says, and something Jesus says, which way do you reckon he's going to go? Even if it means exile in Patmos; even if it means death, John says God's kingdom is his first loyalty. And that's the way it's going to stay.
And if you glance down at John's vision of Jesus in verses 13 to 20, if you picture it in your mind's eye, what do you see? Remember, we're looking at a picture book. So take it in. And this is a picture of a Ruler of Rulers. Look at him. One like a Son of Man - which you'll know if you were here last week is a loaded expression - the risen and ascended ruler of all the nations - and he's there, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet with a golden sash around his chest, his head and hair white as snow, his eyes like blazing fire, his feet like burnished bronze, his voice like rushing waters. His face shining like the sun.
Picture it. I mean, you don't have to decode the bronze and the snow and the blazing fire. It's just a picture of absolute majesty. And all John can do is just fall at his feet. I mean, it's simple. Rule 1. Just look at the picture. Jesus is the king of kings. And yet when John falls at his feet, Jesus reaches out and lifts him up. Verse 17. And he says this. "Don't be afraid. I am the first and the last. I am the Living One. I was dead, and behold, I am alive for ever and ever. And I hold the keys to death and Hades."
Friends, that's the Jesus we're serving. The King of Kings. There in the beginning, there at the end. The first and the last. The one who died and rose. The one who's holding the keys.
You know, once one of our kids came home from school and was telling me about a couple of grade four boys who were pushing round a pint sized new kid from grade two. Trouble was, they didn't count on the fact that this new kid had a big brother in grade six. Who just happened to be walking past at the time. Who do you reckon came out on top?
So how about us? See, you can be friends with the one who holds the keys to death. And judgement. You can be friends with the one who died and rose. So even death has lost it's sting. And Jesus says don't be afraid. You're with me. So what can anyone do to you?
In those simple ideas I reckon you'll find the keys to Revelation. Sticking with Jesus in the face of trails and tribulations. It's not a road map for the far future. It's about specific things that happened. Right back then. And it tells us how to handle the same sort of things today.
Which is hugely reassuring.
So remember rule 1. Stand back and look at the pictures. And Rule 2. Ask who and why. Who was it first written to? And why? It's a book written for Christians in the first century. About to suffer for their faith. Telling them that however it looks on the surface, Jesus is King. And he's still worth testifying about - even if it costs you your freedom. Or your life.
We get it easy, don't we?
John's writing to Christians who are about to do it very tough. He says, it's just around the corner. And he was right.
Let me step a few decades forward. To February 22nd of the year 156. 1848 years ago tomorrow week. A frail old man by the name of Polycarp was arrested for being a Christian. The name Polycarp means manyfruits. He was one of those prayerful old Christian blokes you meet every now and then; I imagine him with a twinkle in his eye. Never complaining.
Polycarp was a retired bishop. Still in his old age an active Christian. And refusing to worship the Caesar. Someone reported him to the peacekeepers, the Secret Police; and they swooped, heavily armed. They arrested him in a farmhouse where he'd been staying with friends, a few kilometres out of Rome... and they took him into Smyrna. The Proconsul Statius Quadratus was at the Stadium watching the Friday night games. There was a huge crowd - watching the afternoon's entertainment with the gladiators and the wild beasts. And when they heard Polycarp has been arrested they start calling for blood. Chanting.
So there he is, this 86 year old man, standing in front of the Proconsul in his royal box at the stadium. Everyone's watching. Straining to hear what's happening. Quadratus tries to talk him into denying his faith. "It's easy," he says. "All you've got to do is say "Caesar is Lord" and sacrifice at his statue and you'll save yourself. That's all you've got to do. Have some respect for your age. Curse Jesus and we'll let you go. Change your mind."
And you know what Polycarp said? He said this. "Eighty six years have I served him, and he has done me no wrong; how can I then blaspheme my King who has saved me?" He said, "Hear plainly that I am a Christian. And if you want to learn the doctrine of Christianity, make a date, and I'll be happy to tell you all about it."
Well, when they hear the crowd is hooting and booing all the more. They wanted to see Polycarp put to death. A bit of extra sport for the evening. And Polycarp won't change his mind. So they tie him with his hands behind his back and they lay him on top of a woodpile; and they burn him. And an eyewitness said you could hear him praying over the crackling of the flames. Giving thanks to God that he had the strength to stand the test.
You know, it's people like Polycarp that Revelation was first written for. People who faced the reality of that kind of persecution every day. Where Christianity was a life and death committment. Compared to that, we've got it easy. And yet we're such a pack of wimps when it comes to sticking up for Jesus. John is in exile for spreading the gospel. A few years later Polycarp was burned for it. And what are we up against?
One day it might be like that for us. In the mean time, the worst we're up against is friends who laugh. Or call you a Bible Basher. I don't know why it is, but it seems to me like we've got a disproportionate fear of standing up for Jesus. I know for a fact there are Christians who'd rather bungy jump out of a helicopter than tell their mates they're a Christian. Why is that? Maybe the problem is we've got a disproportionately small picture of Jesus. And who it is we're serving.
Friends, remember this. We've got a King who is the King of Kings. And Lord of Lords. Boss of Bosses. Master of Masters. Which means we've got nothing to fear. Except unfaithfulness to him.
As Polycarp's followers wrote down the account of his death, [79K PDF] they finished it this way. "Statius Quadratus was proconsul. But Jesus Christ is king for ever, to whom be glory, honour, majesty, and an everlasting throne, from generation to generation."