At the time of Christ’s ascension into heaven he told his followers, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. Matthew 28:18-20
Christ’s followers were obedient and spread the message of the free gift of eternal life throughout the world. I Timothy 3:16 Because of their efforts many Jews and Gentiles became believers. However, those early Christians were ruthlessly persecuted by both the Israeli religious establishment and the Roman authorities. We are all familiar with the stories of Saul traveling throughout the country with letters from the Sanhedrin authorizing the arrest and murder of Christians. Saul began to destroy the Church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison. Acts 8:3
Put yourself in the place of those Christians. When you are losing your job or home or, as did Stephen, his life, Acts 7:60, because you are trusting in Christ, you might begin to wonder; It certainly doesn’t look like Christ is really reigning with all authority on earth. What is going on? The Church needed to know what was going on. To explain the big picture the enthroned Christ met with the Apostle John and had him write a letter to the seven Churches in Asia Minor. Revelation 1:1 The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and keep what is written in it, because the time is near.
For many readers today, Revelation is a book shrouded in mystery. Creatures and frightening events are described for which we seemingly have no frame of reference, leading many to wild speculation. To prevent that from happening, there are four things that we must keep in mind when reading Revelation.
The first thing that we should notice in the first verse is that this is a revelation. Christ is revealing, unveiling, making clear to his readers, the First Century Churches, something that was going to soon take place.
Before Christ had ascended into heaven he told his disciples that in the coming days the disciples would be flogged. They would witness wars and hear rumors of war. False messiahs would appear and the sun and moon would turn dark and stars would fall from the sky. When the disciples asked when these things would happen Christ’s answer startled them:
“Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” Mark 13:30-32
At his ascension into heaven Christ knew that a judgment was coming and, in fact, stated that, “this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened,” however at that time even Jesus did not know the “day or hour.” Here in Revelation we are told thatGod the Father had now disclosed to his eternal Son, Jesus Christ the timing of the events that were soon to take place.
Soon? This generation? I am fully aware that the idea that the events written about in Revelation are widely understood by folks today to be future events: things that Twenty-First Century believers are looking forward to. But notice the First Century readers of Revelation were told that the events written about were to “soon take place.” The Greek word for soon is tachei, meaning haste, speed, quickly. We see this word used throughout the Bible to mean exactly that: soon. For example, I tell you, he will see that they get justice, quickly.
Luke 18:8, Quickly, get up, he said, and the chains fell off of Peter’s wrists. Acts 12:7, Quick, leave Jerusalem immediately. Acts 22:18, I myself am going there soon. Acts 25:4, The God of peace will soon crush Satan. Romans 16:20
And, just in case we missed the idea here in verse 1, that the First Century readers of Revelation would soon see the events described in Revelation happen, Jesus Christ ends his Revelation with the same words.
The angel said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God who inspires the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place.” Revelation 22:6
The second thing that modern readers must understand is that the creatures, events and images described in the book of Revelation are the same images that are used throughout the Scriptures from the book of Genesis onward. In order to understand what they mean in Revelation we must be familiar with what these images meant when they were used throughout the Scriptures. Unfortunately, many today, being unfamiliar with the images in Revelation turn to free association to glean their meaning rather than turning to the Old Testament to understand what is being taught. For example they may read of the stars falling from the sky and, associating that image with nuclear weapons raining down, conclude that Revelation is speaking of a future catastrophe, being totally unaware that stars falling from the sky is frequently used prophetic language referring to events that have happened over and over again throughout Biblical history.
We will see strange images used in seemingly confusing ways throughout Revelation but with a little knowledge of the Old Testament these images are quite clear. I will start with the example mentioned above:
In Matthew 24 as Jesus and his disciples are leaving the temple Jesus points to the temple and tells his disciples, Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down. Shocked that such a thing could happen to God’s Temple, the center of true worship and one of the wonders of the ancient world, the disciples ask, when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and the end of the age? Christ responds by giving them a sign just like they asked for by quoting Isaiah 13:1:
The sun will be darkened
And the moon will not give its light;
The stars will fall from the sky,
The heavenly bodies will be shaken…
Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.
Throughout the Old Testament the image of sun, moon, and stars going dark and falling is used to refer to God’s judgment falling on a nation. Isaiah 34:5 uses that language in speaking of the destruction of Edom, as does Ezekiel 32:7-8 for the destruction of Egypt, as does Amos 8:9 for the destruction of Northern Israel.
Today we frequently hear similar language on ESPN. When ESPN is promoting an upcoming prize-fight the boxers are brought together for the official weigh-in. To pique interest in the fight and, no doubt, to increase sales of pay-for-view, the fighters are brought face to face where they can insult one another. One might say “I’m going to destroy you.” to which his opponent might respond, “I’m going to knock your lights out.” Then pushing, shoving, and preening ensue.
When the prophets speak of the upcoming judgment of God saying that the sun, moon, and stars will go dark and fall they are saying to the nation under judgment that God is going to knock their lights out. They will be judged by God. The third thing that we must keep in mind when reading Revelation is that because we are often easily overwhelmed by current events many have looked to Revelation to understand those events. Over the past one hundred or so years the Church has followed wildly speculative interpretations of Revelation based on world events rather that anchored to Scripture. We have allowed the prevailing unbelieving culture to shape our understanding of Revelation.
When I was in elementary school I was in the Boy Scouts. During one campout I entered an orienteering contest. Though I was the youngest in the contest I was pretty confident in my skills with the compass, but as the contest wore on I could see in the distance, older, cooler guys going in a different direction than the one I was following. Their track raised doubts in my mind and I began, ever so slightly, at first, to adjust my course to align myself with them because, I reasoned, they must know better. The Scout Master saw what I was doing and confronted me. When I admitted to him what he had suspected he told me that the older, cooler guys were hopelessly lost but that if I would go back to where I had changed course and again trust my compass I would win the contest. He was right.
This is why God reminds believers; Do not conform to the pattern of thinking of this world. Romans 12:2. To help us remain faithful we are encouraged to stay grounded in God’s word because it is our only reliable compass. As Christ says here, read aloud the words of this prophesy. Why?So that we may keep God’s word. It is not enough to read or hear, we are to keep, that is, we are be obedient to God’s word, not allowing current events or culture or the cool kids, to shape our thinking and actions.
Forth and finally, we are reminded here that it is God who rules over every aspect of his creation. He sees the end from the beginning, Isaiah 46:10, and is working out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will. Ephesians 1:11
With these things in mind, Christ, the ruler over all history, tells John that he is going to reveal to the beleaguered First Century Church things that must soon take place.
Christ’s message to the seven Churches of Asia Minor.
Revelation 1:4 John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia:
Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, 6 and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.
Grace and peace; as Christians we hear these words so frequently that we hardly give them any thought. But they both convey amazing, life and world changing truths.
Grace is God’s gift of salvation offered freely to everyone. God came to us to offer us life. In contrast, every other world religion requires its followers to be good enough to earn salvation. All other religions require followers to work their way to God. Of course salvation based on my ability to be good enough to deserve heaven is always a dead end, for All have sinned and fall short of God’s standards. Romans 3:23 In the First Century, as today, the predominate heresy teaches that salvation comes through works. There is something that you can do to earn God’s favor. Counter to that widely held false belief, John writes, Grace, the favor of God, is freely given to those who deserve nothing but wrath.
Accepting God’s free gift of grace brings Peace: You can rest in the peace that God has granted you eternal life in his kingdom, both here on earth and forever into eternity. While restlessness, anxiety, and despair characterize, for many, the spirit of our age, Christ offers peace. This is a great comfort, as we will see, not only to us but to the First Century readers, facing the threat of death at the hands of both the State and false religious leaders.
And who is giving John this message?
None other than the triune God: God the Father, God the Spirit, and God the Son, described in detail: God the Father: Him who is, was, and is to come: God the father is eternal and unchangeable: Malachi 3:6
God the Spirit: The seven spirits: God the Holy Spirit: Seven lamps. ‘Not by might or power but by My Spirit’ Zechariah 4:1-6
Jesus Christ, the:
- Faithful witness: God will raise from among you a prophet: Deuteronomy 18:15, Matthew 13:57
- Firstborn from the dead: Christ came as high priest: Hebrews 9:11, the mediator I Timothy 2:5
- Ruler of the kings of the earth: King: King of the Jews. Matthew 2:2, 27:11
Christ is the ruler of the kings of the earth and we are his priests. This is not just some high-sounding theological nonsense. At the time that this revelation was given the Church was thought to be an heretical Jewish sect, sparsely scattered throughout the Roman Empire. They were persecuted wherever they went from Jerusalem to Rome. Their leaders were imprisoned because: They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus. Acts 17:7, Philippians 1:13, Acts 12:1, Matthew 10:22-23
Let us not forget why the Christians were killed. They were not killed because they worshipped Jesus. Nobody cared who worshipped whom so long as the worshipper did not disrupt the unity of the state centered worship of Caesar. The reason Christians were killed was because they were rebels. They worshipped Jesus only as God. The Caesars would not tolerate this worshipping of the one God only. It was counted as treason. Francis Schaeffer, “How Should We Then Live”
However, from those small beginnings, the unimaginable has happened; Christianity is now the largest religion on the face of the earth with over 2 billion followers, and growing. The might of the Roman Empire is no more. Yes, Christ is the ruler of the kings of the earth and he has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father.
Think about this as it relates to our interpretation of Revelation. Christ, the Creator God, gave his life for you to free you from the consequences of your sins: eternal death. But he has not only given you life, he has given you meaning and purpose in your life, consecrating you as priests in his kingdom. Why would we ever be tempted to follow the confusion of the world or the manipulations of false teachers?
What is the role of a priest?
A priest is granted permission to come directly into God’s presence. Think about that for a moment. You have the privilege of coming before the Creator and sustainer of the universe. We are to both worship God and represent God in and to the unbelieving lost sons and daughters of Eve. The Apostle Paul put it this way:
We understand our fearful responsibility to the Lord… Whoever belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun. And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” II Corinthians 5:11-21
We are not to allow the speculations of the world to shape our thinking nor are we to just drift along in the Christian life secure in salvation. No, we are to be priests and ambassadors representing our King and calling others out of their lives of futility with the message of hope: reconciliation to God.
Revelation 1:7 “Look, he is coming with the clouds,” and “every eye will see him, even those who pierced him”; and all tribes of the land “will mourn because of him.” So shall it be! Amen.
8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”
Who will see Christ come in judgment?
Those who pierced him, in other words, those responsible for Christ’s death were to, and in fact did, experience his judgment.
No doubt, John recalled Christ teaching, throughout his earthly ministry, of his coming to judge apostate Israel, Those who pierced him. For example Christ taught:
When they persecute you in this city, flee into another: for I say to you, you shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, before the Son of Man comes. Matthew 10:23
These words simply mean what they say – that before the apostles completed their life-work of evangelizing the land of Israel, the coming of the Lord should take place. J. Stuart Russell, “The Parousia”
This generation shall not pass away till these things are fulfilled… Be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. Matthew 24:32-42
For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels… Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom. Matthew 16:27-28
The coming alluded to is the destruction of Jerusalem and the dispersion of the Jewish nation; and the meaning is, that the apostles would barely have time, before the catastrophe came, to go over the land warning the people to save themselves from the doom of an untoward generation. A.B. Bruce, “The Training of the Twelve”
See also: Mark 9:1, Luke 9:27
Throughout the Old Testament the most familiar and frequently used image for the judgment of God, describes God coming on the clouds. For example:
By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. 22 Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people. Exodus 13:21-22, 14:19-25
The earth trembled and quaked,
and the foundations of the mountains shook;
they trembled because he was angry.
8 Smoke rose from his nostrils;
consuming fire came from his mouth,
burning coals blazed out of it.
9 He parted the heavens and came down;
dark clouds were under his feet.
10 He mounted the cherubim and flew;
he soared on the wings of the wind.
11 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him—the dark rain clouds of the sky.
12 Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced,
with hailstones and bolts of lightning.
13 The Lord thundered from heaven;
the voice of the Most High resounded. Psalm 18:7-15
He spoke to them from the pillar of cloud;
they kept his statutes and the decrees he gave them. Psalm 99:7
He makes the clouds his chariot
and rides on the wings of the wind. Psalm 104:3
See, the Lord rides on a swift cloud
and is coming to Egypt.
The idols of Egypt tremble before him,
and the hearts of the Egyptians melt with fear. Isaiah 19:1I looked, and I saw a windstorm coming out of the north—an immense cloud with flashing lightning and surrounded by brilliant light. The center of the fire looked like glowing metal,5 and in the fire was what looked like four living creatures. In appearance their form was human, 6 but each of them had four faces and four wings. 7 Their legs were straight; their feet were like those of a calf and gleamed like burnished bronze. 8 Under their wings on their four sides they had human hands. All four of them had faces and wings, 9 and the wings of one touched the wings of another. Each one went straight ahead; they did not turn as they moved. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. When I saw it, I fell facedown. I heard the voice of one speaking. Ezekiel 1
His way is in the whirlwind and the storm,
and clouds are the dust of his feet. Nahum 1:3
The great day of the Lord is near—near and coming quickly. The cry on the day of the Lord is bitter;
the Mighty Warrior shouts his battle cry.
15 That day will be a day of wrath—a day of distress and anguish, a day of trouble and ruin, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness— Zephaniah 1:14-15
In Daniel 7:13-14 we see the same image, There before me was one like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into His presence. He was given authority, glory, and sovereign power.
Before his crucifixion Christ explained to his disciples that the generation currently alive, those who in the coming days would crucify Christ, would see him coming in the clouds, that is, coming in judgment. Every eye will see him, even those who pierced him. Matthew 16:28, 24:30, & 26:64-66
They would experience and understand the consequences for their actions of rejecting and crucifying the Son of God.
Revelation 1:7 All the tribes (12 Jewish tribes) of the land (Israel) will mourn.
Christ had told theHigh Priest that he would soon see Christ coming on the clouds of heaven and sitting at the right hand of God the Father. Matthew 26:64 Christ told his disciples that some of them would live long enough to see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom. Matthew 16:27-28 Christ told Peter that John would still be on earth when he came on the clouds in judgment. John 21:21-22
At Christ’s crucifixion, some thirty years prior to John receiving this Revelation from Jesus, the people had called a curse down upon themselves saying, Let his (Christ’s) blood be on us and on our children. Matthew 27:25 This is the message of the book of Revelation. Christ was about to honor the request of those misguided souls but before he came in judgment he wanted his priests, his ambassadors, his Church to know what was about to happen. They were about to witness the destruction of Israel, the destruction of Jerusalem, the destruction of the Temple, the end of sacrifice, and the end of Old Covenant worship. Because Christ, the Lamb of God, had been slain, the Old Covenant sacrifices, along with the Temple, which had always pointed to Christ, were about to be abolished. In the process millions of Jews would be killed by Rome, millions of Jews would be sold into slavery and Israel would be left a smoldering ruin.
The Mosaic economy – the system of laws and institutions given to the nation by God Himself, was about to be superseded and pass away. Already the last generation that was to possess the land was upon the scene – the last and the worst…Jehovah had exhausted all the methods which divine wisdom and love could devise for the culture and reformation of Israel… The wrath, long pent up and restrained, was about to burst forth and overwhelm that generation… the great and terrible day of the Lord. J. Stuart Russell, “The Parousia”
Revelation 1:9 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. 10 On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, 11 which said: “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.” Christ had warned his disciples about tribulation, suffering and persecution. The world hates you. 20 Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master. ’If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. John 15:18-20, See also: John16:33, 17:14-15.
And, sure enough, John had been exiled to the island of Patmos because he had been a faithful witness to Christ’s free gift of salvation to the world. Like the prophets before him, John was in the Spirit: The Lord came down in the cloud and spoke with him, and he took some of the power of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders. When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied. Numbers 11:25. See also: 2 Samuel 23:2, Ezekiel 2:2, 3:24, 2 Peter 1:21.
Christ, the Creator, the Lord of history, the ruler over the kings of the earth, and the Lord of eternity, appeared to John and instructed him to write a book to explain his eternal and sovereign rule to the beleaguered First Century Churches.
Revelation 1:12 I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and among the lampstands was someone like a Son of Man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. 15 His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.
The book of Revelation relies heavily on both Old Testament imagery and contemporary, meaning First Century, references and allusions. Of the over 400 verses in Revelation, there are over 5000 quotes and references from ethnic Old Testament. This description of Christ is a blending of several Old Testament images such as the Ancient of Days and the Son of Man:
The Ancient of Days took his seat.
His clothing was as white as snow;
the hair of his head was white like wool.
His throne was flaming with fire,
and its wheels were all ablaze.
A river of fire was flowing,
coming out from before him.
Thousands upon thousands attended him;
Daniel 7:9-10
There before me was one like a Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence.14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.
Daniel 7:13-14
I looked up and there before me was a man dressed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist. His body was like topaz, his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and his voice like the sound of a multitude.
I, Daniel, was the only one who saw the vision; those who were with me did not see it, but such terror overwhelmed them that they fled and hid themselves. So I was left alone, gazing at this great vision; I had no strength left, my face turned deathly pale and I was helpless. Daniel 10:5-11
Just like the prophets before him, John sees the Throne Room of God the Father, The Ancient of Days. There he witnesses the fulfillment of Daniel’s prophesy. Jesus Christ, referred to as the Son of Man, with a white robe, golden sash, head like wool, blazing eyes, bronze feet, shining face, having overcome death, is now in heaven. Though this is often misunderstood, notice that Daniel 7 is not talking about Christ’s second coming in our future. Instead Christ is coming with the clouds of heaven approaching the Ancient of Days at the time of his ascension in the First Century. In his right hand he held seven stars. John’s readers in the First Century were all familiar with the fact that ancient Roman coins featured seven stars symbolizing the power of the Emperor. Here, however it is Christ, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed, holding the seven stars. The message to the persecuted Church is unmistakable, Rome may be powerful and ruthless, but do not fear, the victorious risen Christ controls all of history. Because Christ is reigning in heaven things are about to change on earth. And change they did.
How was the evil that prevailed on earth to be defeated?
Coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. This is a direct reference to the prophesy of Isaiah: He will strike the land with the rod of his mouth and with the breath of his mouth he will slay the wicked. Isaiah 11:4 The faithful teaching and proclamation of the Word of God changes people’s hearts and minds and conquers nations.
If the Church truly believed that, All the nations You have made will come and bow before You, O Lord and will glorify Your name, Psalm 86:9, we would not be so quick to alter or dilute the Word of God to make it more palatable to the unbelieving world. Ambassadors are to represent, without shame or apology, the words of the King. Yet, somehow we often find ourselves seeking the approval of men rather than faithfully representing the risen Savior. Stop blunting the sword that Christ has given you. Keep it sharp by studying and faithfully proclaiming his word. That is the means that God has given his ambassadors for conquering the world!
Revelation 1:17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. 18 I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.
19 “Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. 20 The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
If John had any doubt as to whom he was speaking to, Christ makes it perfectly clear by identifying himself through several Biblical passages. Christ identifies himself as the First and Last: Isaiah 41:4, Living One: Deuteronomy 5:26, Alive forever: Hebrews 7:24, holding the keys of death: Matthew 28:18
Christ next reveals a mystery to John. In Biblical language a mystery is something that God kept hidden in ages past but, in God’s timing, has chosen to make known. For example, Paul puts it like this:
The message I proclaim about Jesus Christ, in keeping with the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all the Gentiles might come to the obedience that comes fromfaith… Romans 16:25-26
Christ reveals the mystery of the seven stars: They are the angels of the seven Churches to whom the book of Revelation is addressed. To understand what that means you need to understand a little Greek. The Greek word, angelos, means, literally, a messenger of God. As such it can be interpreted to mean either a heavenly spirit (angel) or an earthly minister. So for example Christ refers to John the Baptist in Matthew 11:10 and in Mark 1:2 as angelos, again in Luke 7:24-27, 9:52, Christ refers to John the Baptist’s messengers as angelos. In Mark 1:2 and James 2:25 the Israelite spies are also referred to as angelos.
So, in context and in keeping with Scripture the seven stars are the messengers or pastors of the seven churches. Each Church, Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea is designated with a lampstand. In other words each Church is to be a light to the community where it is established. Matthew 5:15
Christ is reigning over all of the world and we are to be his faithful witnesses, unashamed, and not compromising either God’s Word or our lives.
Next, in Revelation chapters 2 and 3 we will see Christ’s message to his Church.