Reveling in the RevelationRevelation 12 – Our Great Intercessor

Have you ever been wrongfully accused of something?

What can you do to protect yourself? You may protest

your innocence, but you need a witness to tell the truth

or an advocate to stand for you and prove your

innocence.

Revelation 12 shows us we need a spiritual advocate

because Satan constantly accuses us before God until

the day in the future when he will be thrown out of

Heaven and down to Earth.

“The great dragon was hurled down... to the earth, and

his angels with him.... the accuser of our brothers and

sisters, who accuses them before our God day and

night, has been hurled down.” Revelation 12:7-11

Satan Accuses Us in Heaven

Satan was one of God’s chief angels until he rebelled

and took many angels with him. Today, this chief demon

is called the Prince of this World (John 14:30). However,

our Revelation passage says that he constantly accuses

us before God until his final judgment.

Job 1 makes it clear that Satan and his demons have a

limited-access pass to Heaven. But this access is

limited and under God’s sovereign control. Satan’s

access will one day be revoked, and he will ultimately

be defeated and condemned. Until then, he not only

wars with us on Earth, he also accuses us before God.

We Have an Intercessor in Heaven

How do you feel about Satan constantly accusing you

before God? If you are worried, Hebrews 7:25 should

give you great assurance: “...Jesus is able also to save

forever those who draw near to God through Him, since

He always lives to make intercession for them.”

Although Jesus’ work to secure our salvation was

completed on the cross as evidenced by his cry, “It is

finished.” (John 19:30), his care for his redeemed

children will never be finished.

Jesus did not leave Earth and go to Heaven to take a

break. His role as our Eternal Shepherd continues in

Heaven as our intercessor. Romans 8:34 states, “Who

is he that condemns us? Christ Jesus who...is at the

right hand of God and is interceding for us.”

Jesus is our great defender against Satan’s lying

accusations against us. 1 John 2:1 promises us that “if

anyone does sin, we have an advocate who speaks to

the Father in our defense.”

Jesus is interceding for us while Satan is accusing us

and pointing out our sins to God. But these accusations

fall on deaf ears in heaven. When God looks at

Believers, He cannot see our sin, because Jesus stands

between Him and our sin.

I love the promise in Psalm 103:12 that “He has

removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the

west.” Notice it specifies from east to west because that

cannot be measured like the North Pole to the South

Pole can. If you know Jesus, your sins are not seen in

Heaven because the Blood of the Lamb has forever

covered them.

How Can We Respond?

Rejoice - Even though Satan accuses us, we can stand

on the promise that if we claim Jesus as our Savior, God

no longer finds us guilty. Therefore, we should rejoice

because we do not need to live with guilt or shame.

Such feelings allow Satan to keep calling us unworthy

even though Jesus works to refute these lies in Heaven.

Resist – Remember we still live in a fallen world. But

when we draw near to God, the Holy Spirit will draw near

to us and give us the weapons to fight our spiritual

battles. Equip yourself by reading and memorizing the

following passages that will provide you with weapons

to stand firm: Ephesians 6:12-13, 2 Timothy 1:7, James

4:7-8, 1 Peter 5:8-10, and 1 John 1:8-9.

Reveling in the RevelationRevelation 10 – Biblical Heartburn

Heartburn

Have you ever eaten something that tasted great when

you first tasted it, and then after it had settled, it upset

your stomach? Chips and salsa do that for me. At first, I

can’t get enough. Then suddenly, my stomach signals

that I should have quit eating ten minutes ago, but by

then, it’s too late.

In Revelation Chapter 10, John experienced something

similar. He was in Heaven (not a Tex-Mex restaurant),

where a mighty angel held a little scroll in his open

hand. A thunderous voice instructed John to take the

scroll and eat it but warned him that it would taste

sweet at first but later make his stomach sour.

The imagery in this part of Revelation is some of the

strangest in the Bible. Even so, there are still some

practical questions and answers that will help bolster

our daily faith walk. For instance, what does the scroll

represent, why is John told to eat it, and why is it both

sweet and sour?

The Scroll

In Revelation 10, the voice told John to “Take it and eat

it. It will turn your stomach sour, but in your mouth, it will

be as sweet as honey.”

Most commentators agree that the mysterious little

scroll offered to John represents God’s Holy Word. John

Calvin calls the Word the speech of God. God speaks to

us through His written and revealed Word.

For instance, Genesis 1 tells us that God spoke creation

into being by His Word. John 1 proclaims that God’s

Word became flesh as Jesus on Earth, thus personifying

His Word. Hebrews 4:12 declares, “The Word of God is

living and active. Sharper than any two-edged

sword...judging the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

Take the Scroll

Notice in Revelation 10 that the angel holds the scroll in

his open hand, but it is not handed to John. He must

reach out and take it. God offers His Word and wisdom

to us, but He never shoves it into our hands or forces it

down our throats. Instead, He freely offers His Word,

but we must respond and take it.

Eat the Scroll

After John takes the scroll from the angel, he eats it as

instructed. Eating the scroll symbolizes the fact that

God’s word can only impact our lives when we

internalize it and make it part of us. We can never be

satisfied with periodic nibbles or cursory tastes. We

need to learn to feast on God’s Word.

Psalm 119:105 declares, “Your word is a lamp for my

feet, a light on my path.” God’s Word brightly illuminates

the next steps our feet are to take and gives us long-term

guidance as we walk our life path. The better we know

it, the more He can guide us.

Sweet and Sour

When John ate the scroll, it was sweet but then turned

sour. It tasted sweet because it contained the good

news of God’s coming kingdom. But it turned sour

because of the coming judgments and tribulations it

contained. What does this mean for us today?

First, remember we are what we eat. If we want to

experience God's transformed life, we must change our

spiritual diet. We must form good spiritual eating habits

by regularly feasting on God’s Word.

Second, God’s promises are undoubtedly sweet news

to believers. But the trials we encounter often taste

bitter. James 1:2-3 encourages us to “count it all joy

when we meet various trials, for you know that the

testing of your faith produces steadfastness.”

Third, even though we have limited viewpoints, we can

trust that all of God’s ways—both the sweet and the

sour—are true and reliable. God’s sovereignty shows

that nothing is out of His control, while His love proves

He cares for us as unique individuals. This is good news.

After eating the scroll, John proclaimed God’s grace and

judgment to a dying world. We, too, play a role in telling

our world about Jesus. The more we can internalize His

Word and make it part of who we are, the closer we will

draw to Him, and the more clearly we can share the

good news that Jesus came to make all things new.

Reveling in The Revelation Revelation 5 and 8 Our Prayers in Heaven

What Happens to Our Prayers?

What happens to your prayers after you pray? Are they

treated like that box of old tax records in my office

headed for the shredder to become heavenly confetti?

Do they evaporate into a mist, never to be heard again?

Or does God consider our prayers so crucial that He

stores them to be ultimately answered as “Thy Kingdom

come, Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven?”

Revelation 5:8 and 8:3-5 tell us angels are holding

golden bowls of incense in the throne room of Heaven,

and the incense rises as a pleasing aroma to God. This

is one of the few times in Revelation where we are

specifically told what a symbol or image means. The

incense is the prayers of the saints offered up to God.

Prayers are Acts of Worship

In the Old Testament, incense was burned continually

to rise before the Lord in the Tabernacle and Temple.

Prayer is often seen as incense in the Bible. In Psalm

141:2, King David prayed, “May my prayer be set before

you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like

the evening sacrifice.”

In Revelation, our prayers are offered to God like

incense, which is a pleasing aroma to God. That means

our prayers are acts of worship and have eternal

significance beyond what we might imagine.

The fact that these are prayers of the saints indicates

that God hears and remembers the prayers of His

people. You need not be a “super Christian” to be a

saint. Saints are all believers in Jesus, living or dead,

saved by grace through faith.

Our Prayers Have Eternal Consequences

We pray all kinds of prayers. Some are out of

desperation, and our need for help. Many others are for

intercession on behalf of another. Often, we pray in

confession or for guidance. Revelation does not tell us

what kind of prayers are stored in the bowls and lifted to

God. But we can be sure God hears our prayers,

treasures them, and ultimately acts on them.

In his book How to Pray, Pete Greig comments on these

prayers: “I find it awesome to imagine that all the true

prayers I ever prayed – all the frustrations, the tears, the

dashed hopes, and the yearnings - are not wasted, but

cherished, remembered by God, stored up in one of

those golden bowls, awaiting their fulfillment.”

So, if our prayers have eternal significance, doesn’t it

make sense for us to take praying more seriously? To

learn to pray more often and more deeply? Greig

suggests the best way to learn to pray is to pray, and he

offers a quick guide to effective praying -P.R.A.Y.

Pause—We cannot pray while we multitask. Psalm

46:10 says, “Be still and know I am God.” Jesus often

went off by himself to pray. If he needed alone time with

his Father, imagine how much we need to set aside

quiet time to pray, talk to God, and listen to Him as He

responds through the Holy Spirit.

Rejoice – Anxiety is a wet blanket that can smother

prayer. In Philippians 4:4, Paul tells us the first step to

defeating worry is to “Rejoice. Again, I say rejoice.” The

simple act of listing our blessings and rejoicing over

them allows God to put an exclamation mark where our

anxiety often puts a question mark.

Ask – God promises to answer our prayers in Matthew

7:7, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will

find; knock and the door will be opened to you. Asking,

seeking, and knocking are continual actions, not one-

time events. God invites us to stay at it as we develop a

lifestyle of dependence.

Yield – Yielding to anything except self in our “in itto win

it” world is counterintuitive. Yet, Romans 12:1 tells us,

“...offer yourselves as living sacrifices, holy and

pleasing to God.” Pray is placing ourselves in the proper

alignment with our Creator and allowing Him to be the

Lord of our lives instead of ourselves.

Prayer is an ongoing journey of being with God each day.

But that is just the opening act to an eternal adventure,

where what we pray here on Earth has eternal

consequences. So, let’s take it seriously.

Maranatha,

Andy

Reveling in the Revelation Revelation 5 Worshipping Jesus

What About Jesus Do You Worship?

Who do you think of when you think of Jesus? We might

see Jesus as a friend or “co-pilot” in life. We may think

of him as the baby in the manger or the beaten man

hanging on a cross. We could even see him as a great

teacher, a miraculous healer, or our savior. Do these

images cause you to worship Jesus?

Jesus is the Only One Worthy

In Revelation Chapter 5, the Apostle John shares a

startling new vision of Jesus in the center of the throne

room of Heaven that should alter our view of Jesus. In

this powerful vision, Jesus is the only one found worthy

to open a sealed-up scroll, which represents God’s

divine plan for redemption and judgment of the world.

As Jesus takes the scroll from the Father’s hand, all of

Heaven breaks out in worship, and the praise and

worship spreads throughout the universe. What about

Jesus ignites this praise, and how can understanding

that alter how we see and worship Jesus?

Worshipped For Where He Is

In Revelation 5, we see Jesus standing in the center of

the throne room of Heaven. I wonder if, at that moment,

John remembered what he wrote in John 1:1-2, “In the

beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and

the Word was with God.” We cannot begin to

understand the Trinity, but we can know that Jesus is

God and, therefore, the only One worthy to be in the

center of the throne room.

Worshipped For Who He Is

In the throne room, Jesus is identified by two distinctly

Jewish titles: The Lion of the Tribe of Judah and the Root

of Jesse. These are titles of power, authority, and divine

leadership. He was the only human who could prove his

kingship, marking him as the long-promised Jewish

Messiah and rightful heir of God’s eternal promises.

When he takes the scroll from God the Father’s hand,

King Jesus proves he is the only one qualified to exercise

dominion over the Earth and restore the conditions of

Paradise lost through sin. As the Son of God, he has the

power and authority to fulfill the calling that Adam lost

through sin.

Worshipped For What He Does

When John turned to look at the Lion, he saw a

slaughtered Lamb instead. Not only is Jesus the Son of

God and the King of Kings, but he is also our savior and

redeemer. He died in our place so that we would not

need to suffer eternal death. He then defeated death by

being resurrected. He conquered what we could never

defeat on our own.

Why We Can Worship Him Today

Many Bible verses tell us that Jesus is in Heaven at the

Father’s right hand. In John 14, Jesus told the disciples

he would prepare a place where we could be with him

forever. Acts 2 tells of Jesus rising bodily through the

clouds to Heaven. When Stephen was martyred, he saw

Jesus at the right hand of God. (Acts 7:55)

What does this mean for us today? Romans 8 makes it

clear that Jesus is at God’s right hand, interceding for us

so that nothing can separate us from His love.

Hebrews 4:14-16 says that, because of Jesus’s work in

Heaven, we can “draw near to the throne of grace with

confidence so we may receive mercy and find grace to

help us in our time of need.”

Finally, when Jesus ascended into Heaven, he sent the

Holy Spirit to dwell in each believer. Think about that!

The King of the universe not only died for us, but he lives

in us today, so we can worship him as King of Kings and

draw near to him as Lord of our lives each day. We have

all the reasons in the world to worship Jesus.

Maranatha,

Andy

Reveling in the Revelation Revelation 4/ Worship in the Throne Room

What does worship mean to you? Last week, we saw some remarkable examples of worship from a worldly perspective. The week started with the inauguration of a new president who is hated by many and worshipped by many others. It ended with two NFL playoff games leading to the Super Bowl. Each team was cheered on by adoring crowds, rooting for their teams with raucous celebrations, including a singing star worshipped by millions of fans.

In Revelation Chapter 4, we glimpse what worship is like in Heaven. The writer, John the Apostle, is suddenly spiritually transported into God's throne room. There, he sees and hears an incredible worship service. Before God’s throne, Johnsees two groups of worshippers. One group consists of four angels with different faces, and the other is composed of twenty-four elders in white robes and gold crowns. The angels continuously praise God, saying Holy, Holy, Holy. Theelders fall down at each praise and cast their crowns at God’s feet.

The worship scene in Revelation 4 is the first of several heavenly worship moments throughout Revelation. What can we learn about worship from this incredible scene that could help us draw nearer to God and further from the world?

Worthiness – In the throne room, the angels and the elders worship God for who He is – the creator and ruler of the universe. The English translation of worship originally meant “worth-ship.” Worship is ascribing worth to someone or something. We attribute value, honor, and devotion to the object of our worship. Idolatry happens when we begin to replace our focus on a worthy God with a focus on spiritually worthless things.

Presence—Worship in the throne room focuses on God's presence. For centuries, the Jews encountered and worshipped God in the temple. When Jesus arrived on Earth, he spoke of himself as the temple. Through his death and resurrection, Jesus became the dwelling place where God and His people can now meet spiritually. Even though we physically meet in churches, true worship first occurs in our hearts.

Reality – In Celebration of Discipline, Richard Foster proclaims, "To worship is to experience reality, to touch life.” As followers of Jesus, we often live suspended between two worlds - a physical, broken world and a spiritual Kingdom of God that exists both in heaven and in our hearts. Which one is our reality? The One Who is on the throne and guaranteedto last forever, or those things that come and go with the whims of the crowds and the outcomes of games or politics?

Our Act of Worship - The Bible describes worship as both specific activities and a way of life. Publicly and privately praising, adoring, and expressing reverence for God through prayer and praise are specific acts of worship. But, in a broader sense, worship also refers to an overall lifestyle of glorifying and reflecting God’s glory to others. Both types of worship are essential as our responses to God’s sovereignty and mercy.

In Romans 12:1, the Apostle Paul encourages us to make worship an all-encompassing way of life, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God. This is your true and proper worship.”

We can help make worship a central part of each day by asking three questions:

1. What is valuable enough to be worthy of my attention today?

2. How can I allow God to become a living presence today?

3. Will my reality today be my focus on problems and distractions or on the One who has overcome these things?

Maranatha,

Andy

Reveling in the RevelationRevelation 2-3 Lukewarm

Heat Exchange

The other night, we had chicken for dinner. So, I rescued

a frozen chicken breast from the freezer and put it into

warm water to thaw. Later, I checked the thawing

progress and found that the cold chicken and the warm

water were nearly the same lukewarm temperature.

According to the laws of thermodynamics, two bodies

with different temperatures will do what my chicken and

water did—move toward the same temperature. In

Revelation, chapters 2 and 3, John describes how this

process impacts believers and churches—not in food

prep, but in how the coldness of sin and false teaching

can creep in and displace the warmth of righteousness.

In Revelation 2 and 3, the Apostle John transcribes

letters from Jesus to seven churches in Asia Minor. In

these letters, Jesus warns the churches of destructive

practices. He especially rebuked two of them, Thyatira

and Laodicea, because they allowed false teaching to

water down their ministry.

Thyatira – The Tolerant Church

What does tolerance mean to you today? Does it mean

respecting others and allowing them to maintain their

beliefs, even though you disagree? Or does it mean

approving those beliefs or even adopting them?

The church at Thyatira faced this question because

many of its members were tradesmen who could not

work unless they belonged to the guild. However, guild

members were forced to worship at the local pagan

temple. So, some church leaders encouraged the

church to compromise and allow pagan immorality to

mix with Christian beliefs for economic benefit.

Jesus addressed three groups at this church: the

faithful, the unfaithful idolaters, and the large middle

group of tolerating people. He encouraged the faithful to

remain steadfast in their faith, condemned the

unfaithful who followed idol worship, and urged the

middle wishy-washy group to get serious about their

faith and reject false teachings.

Laodicea – The Lukewarm Church

Laodicea was one of the wealthiest cities in the region,

even though it did not control its water supply. It

depended on aqueducts to bring cold water from

nearby streams or warm water from neighboring hot

springs. As a result, by the time the water reached the

city, it was all lukewarm.

Jesus noted that this church mirrored the city and its

water supply. They acted like they were wealthy,

independent, and godly. But they were fooling

themselves as they followed a watered-down version of

faith, saying and doing what was in their best interests.

To this, Jesus declared, “You are lukewarm—neither hot

nor cold- so I am about to spit you out of my mouth.”

Despite this condemnation, Jesus still called them back

to follow him when he told them, “Behold, I stand at the

door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the

door, I will come in and eat with that person...” What a

fabulous invitation for all of us.

Managing Our Temperature Changes

How are you maintaining your spiritual temperature in a

world that beckons you to cool off rather than warm up

your faith in Jesus? Here are some thoughts to help:

Flow - The law of spiritual thermodynamics dictates

that everything flows to the wishy-washy middle

because that’s where we are least effective. What

worldly things are flowing into your life that threaten to

water down your relationship with the Living Lord?

Fight - Jesus understands we are in a spiritual battle we

cannot win alone. So, he gave us the Holy Spirit to fight

our spiritual struggles with us. How are you allowing the

Holy Spirit to fight your battles for you today?

Finish - Regardless of where you are on the hot-cold

spectrum, Jesus’s door is wide open to you. He always

invites us to join him in a lifelong spiritual adventure.

What do you need to claim victory over today?

Maranatha

Andy

Reveling in the RevelationRevelation 2 - You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’

Going in the Wrong Direction

We were driving from Dallas to Atlanta and stopped to eat

and refuel. As I returned to the Interstate, Jean said, “I

think we are going in the wrong direction.” Of course, I

replied, “No way. I know what I’m doing.”

Just then, we passed a familiar building, and I sheepishly

looked at Jean and said those three little words husbands

hate to say: “You’re right, Honey.” But to get to Atlanta

instead of back to Dallas, I still needed to turn around at

the next exit and head back east.

I agreed with Jean about my mistake and took action to

change directions. In church, we call that confessing and

repenting. (I probably should have also said, “I will never

do that again,” but Jean knew better.)

Something like this occurred with the church in Ephesus

long before interstate highways existed. In Revelation 2

and 3, John records Jesus' messages to seven churches

in Asia Minor. In each letter, Jesus commends the church

for its faith and actions, rebukes it for its failures, and then

suggests corrective actions.

The Ephesus Church Lost its Way

The first church he addresses is the great church at

Ephesus. It was established by the Apostle Paul sixty

years earlier and was led by an all-star string of pastors,

including Timothy and John. It was the church that the

other churches wanted to grow up and be like.

So it is surprising when Jesus said in Revelation 2:4, “Yet

I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first

love. 5Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do

the things you did at first.”

With everything going for it, how could this church begin

to lose its way in a few short years? Jesus told them they

had become so focused on doing their ministry programs

that they had lost their passion and fervor for Jesus, their

first love. They were so focused on the what of ministry

that they lost sight of the why.

Jesus offered them a three-step process for returning to

their original focus on Jesus: Remember, Repent, and

Return. Let’s examine this advice and see if it applies to

our lives, especially if we have lost our passion or are

experiencing a time of spiritual dryness.

Remember. When I got lost driving to Atlanta, the first

thing I did, with Jean’s help, was recognize and agree with

her that I was driving in the wrong direction. But until I

confessed that, I could not have changed directions.

Jesus told the Ephesians to remember where they were

going and what was necessary and to agree or confess

that they were on the wrong path.

Repent. If I had agreed with Jean that we were going in the

wrong direction but stubbornly kept driving, we would

have ended up back in Dallas. I had to make a U-turn and

reverse course to get where we wanted.

Repent means to have a change of mind that leads to a

change of direction. Throughout the Bible, God calls His

people back to Himself by repenting from their wayward

paths and changing to His paths.

Return. Jean will tell you that I can be so stubborn that I

resist change, especially if it means admitting I am

wrong. Does this sound familiar? We all want to follow

our own path into the forest until we suddenly realize we

are lost and don’t know how to get out. But God would

prefer we not get lost in the first place.

Part of God’s plan to keep us from getting lost in our sin is

what Tim Keller calls repudiating. Repudiating is a two-

dollar word that means forsaking sinful behavior and

giving it no power or authority over our lives.

When You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’

We all have habits and tendencies that build up over time,

interfering with our growth and fellowship with the Lord.

Jesus tells the Ephesians and us to identify these, turn

away from them, and render them powerless in our lives.

So, if you feel powerless or have lost your passion for your

relationship with Jesus, remember these driving

instructions: Confess - Agree with God that you are

heading in the wrong direction. Repent - Turn around and

go in the other direction. Return - To your relationship

with Jesus and reject those things that try to interfere.

Maranatha,

Andy

Revelin’ in the Revelation/ Revelation 1

A Chance Encounter

What would you do if you ran into an old friend you

haven’t seen in a long time? You would probably shake

hands or hug. You might catch up and share some life

events. If you have time, you may even reminisce and

talk about all the good times you had together in past

years.

What would you do if Jesus suddenly appeared to you?

Run to hug him, try to hide, or would you fall at his feet?

What would Jesus look like? Would he be the gentle

Rabbi waiting to hug you or the battered, beaten man

on the cross who had erased your sin? Or would he

look like the King of the Universe outfitted for battle?

What would you talk about? The past – all the times he

bailed you out or the things you did that caused him

pain? Or would you discuss the future – listen to what

he has planned and share your hopes and dreams?

John Encounters Jesus

The Apostle John had such an encounter with Jesus,

which he recorded in Revelation 1:10-19. At the age of

90, John had outlived all the other apostles. He had

faithfully ministered for years and was exiled to the

prison island of Patmos. Reflecting on his life, I’m sure

he treasured many memories of his time with Jesus

sixty years earlier.

He may have fondly recalled the young rabbi who first

called him or marveled at the glorified image he

witnessed at the transfiguration. He may have wept for

the bloodied man on the cross or rejoiced at the risen

savior alive and returning to heaven.

However, none of those recollections could prepare him

for the startling image of the warrior-king he saw one

morning while praying. John heard a voice like a

trumpet, and when he turned, he saw Jesus wearing a

flowing white robe and golden sash. His face shined like

the sun, and a double-edged sword came out of his

mouth. John’s reaction to seeing this image of Jesus

was to fall at his feet as if dead.

As stunning as this vision of Jesus was to John, it was

what Jesus did next that should inspire us. Revelation

1:17-19 tells us that Jesus touched John, told him not to

fear, and called him to a new mission.

Touch—The first thing Jesus did was touch John.

Imagine Jesus, in all his regal garb, kneeling and

touching John’s shoulder as an intimate act of love and

friendship. In his ministry, Jesus often used physical

touch as he talked and when he healed. He knew John

needed the reassurance that came from his touch.

Peace - Next, he told John, “Do not fear.” Did you know

the phrase “Do not fear” is repeated 365 times in the

Bible? One for every day! It encourages me that these

were Jesus first words to John after nearly sixty years.

Jesus knew what John needed to hear, and he knows

what we need to hear.

Mission - Lastly, Jesus gave John a vital mission. He

instructed John to write down what he would show him

and share it with the world. Jesus did not reminisce with

John about the past as we might with an old friend; he

put him to work, even at the age of ninety.

Jesus was focused on fulfilling all prophecies about his

return to make all things new, and he wanted John to

participate by writing about it. This is a good model for

us when we meet with the Risen Lord, whether in

prayer today or in the future when we are with him

forever.

When We Encounter Jesus

When you need Jesus’ touch, imagine him reaching out

to you and touching your shoulder or pulling you into a

hug. Imagine him telling you, “Do not be afraid,”

because he is Lord of all things. He told John, “I am the

Living One… and I am alive forever and ever.”

Jesus then tells you that he still has important work for

you here to do. There are people in your life who need

to know and be touched by him. And there is a

promised eternity waiting for you, where all your sin has

been wiped away, and you will live with him forever.

Maranatha

Andy