Sermon for Midweek of Advent 1
+ Revelation 1:1-8 +
In the spirit of our end-times preparations, especially given the world-events that are taking place, I thought it would do us good to turn to the book of Revelation for our midweek Advent services this year, and also for our midweek Lenten services. Over the course of these nine midweek services, we won’t be able to cover the whole book of Revelation, but we will be able to cover the first three chapters, which include the introduction to the book and the seven letters to the seven churches.
Tonight, the introduction. The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants the things which must soon take place. He sent it by his angel and made it known to his servant John, who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to everything that he saw. It was somewhere in the 90’s AD when John was exiled on the island of Patmos, almost certainly while Domitian was emperor. There is some evidence that John was released from his exile by Nerva, who succeeded Domitian in the year 96, so it’s likely John saw the Revelation before then, although he may have not have written it down until later. It seems that he had already written his Gospel account, since he refers to himself as John, who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to everything that he saw.
By this time, all the Apostles, including the Apostle Paul, had carried out their great commission to make disciples of all nations, in Syria, Asia Minor, Greece, and Italy, in Spain, Armenia, Africa, and India, and as far as we know, all of them had already been martyred. Some 25 years earlier, Emperor Nero had begun the first government-level persecution of Christians in Rome. Jerusalem had been decimated by the Roman armies and the Christians scattered. And for about five years or so leading up to John’s vision, Emperor Domitian had been persecuting Christians in Rome and the surrounding areas, including Ephesus, where John had been before being exiled to the island of Patmos.
There, according to the introduction, God the Father gave this Revelation, this apocalypse or “uncovering of hidden things,” to Jesus. It’s the revelation of Jesus Christ, that is, the revelation given to Him to show his servants the things which must soon take place. Why is the Father giving a revelation to Jesus, now that He has entered His state of exaltation? Because Jesus remains the great Prophet, the One who reveals the Father to mankind.
To whom was Jesus revealing these things? To his servants, to all Christians, both preachers and hearers, to the seven churches in Asia and to all the churches that would gather in world ever since, since the number “seven” is a number of perfection, the number for just the right amount, for everything that is needed. What things were being “uncovered” or revealed to them? The things which must soon take place. It’s always interesting when God uses the word “soon,” isn’t it? Sometimes it really is “soon” from our perspective, as some of the things in Revelation were about to take place while John was still alive, including the words directed to the seven churches in Asia Minor. Other times, “soon” in spoken from God’s perspective and in comparison with eternity. From that perspective, these past 1,925 years are like a day gone by. And yet most of the things discussed in Revelation have been happening repeatedly over the centuries, so that in every generation, they take place “soon.”
Then John adds his own divinely inspired beatitude: Blessed—fortunate, enviable—is the one who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy and keep those things that are written in it, for the time is near. So blessed are you, blessed are we, because God is telling us ahead of time what we can expect in this world leading up to His coming: In summary, we can expect that it will look very much like God is not ruling in this world, but we can be assured that, in spite of it all, He is.
John, to the seven churches in Asia: Grace to you, and peace, from him who is, and who was, and who is to come. We’ll hear more about each of those seven churches in the weeks to come. John is the writer, but the grace and peace he delivers to his readers don’t come from him, just as they don’t come from me when I begin my sermons with similar words. Grace and peace come from the Triune God: From him who is, and who was, and who is to come, here referring to God the Father, since the Spirit and the Son are mentioned next. That’s essentially the meaning of His name, the LORD, Jehovah, or Yahweh. While the world changes around us, while people come and go, God the Father is, just as He was, just as He will be. Always faithful. Always dependable. Never changeable or changing. The unchanging Father bestows His grace and peace on His Church as it faces all the changes of this world.
And from the Seven Spirits before his throne. With the Father and the Son so clearly identified in this greeting, it seems clear this is a reference to the Holy Spirit, who is said to be “seven” here because of the sevenfold gifts He gives: wisdom and understanding, counsel and might, knowledge and godliness, and the fear of the Lord. Also seven, because He gives them in perfect measure, in just the right measure, everything His Church on earth needs as it waits for Christ’s appearing.
And from Jesus Christ, the Faithful Witness, and the Firstborn of the dead, and the Ruler of the kings of the earth. Jesus also bestows His grace and peace on His Church. He is the faithful witness who stood before Pontius Pilate and allowed Himself to be killed rather than to deny the truth of God, which would have been to deny Himself. But Jesus’ martyrdom didn’t end in death. He was raised from the dead, the “firstborn,” the first one to be raised from the dead, never again to die. And if the kings or presidents or governors of the earth trouble you or oppress you, know that this same Jesus Christ ,whose servants you are, is the Ruler of the kings of the earth.
We join the Apostle John in the words of praise that follow: To him who loved us. Who loved us, past tense, because John is talking about that great act of love on the part of the Son of God that began with His incarnation and continued all the way up to His death and burial, all one great act of love. That act of love was done for all people, but what John says next doesn’t apply to all people. He washed us from our sins in his own blood. That’s Holy Baptism, the washing with water by the word, the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Spirit. It’s that strange washing with the blood of Christ—the “rosy-red water of Baptism,” as Luther called it—that leaves a person, not dirty, but clean, justified, forgiven. And since He has washed us and made us clean, He has also made us kings and priests to God his Father. It doesn’t look that way right now. But just as Jesus stood before Pontius Pilate and confirmed that His was not an earthly kingdom, so He has made you kings in a much better kingdom, and priests who have direct access to God with your prayers and with your sacrifices of thanksgiving. To him be the glory and the might forever and ever. Amen.
Behold, he is coming with the clouds; and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him. Not yet, but soon. Soon He is coming with the clouds. Soon every eye will see Him, including those who pierced Him on the cross, because He will raise them from the dead and they will have to answer for it. Including also those who pierced Him by attacking His body, the Church. All the people who mock you and marginalize you now for believing in the God of the Bible will see Jesus coming with the crowds. And all who mocked and persecuted Him, all who mocked and persecuted His people, will mourn because of Him. Because when they see Him, their time of grace will have ended, and they will experience His wrath and punishment. Then, finally, the words of Jeremiah that we heard this evening will be fully fulfilled: He shall execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. To that John adds a, Yes, amen! to that. It isn’t wrong for Christians to yearn for the day when our enemies will mourn and be condemned. At the same time, it has to be our goal now for our enemies to repent before that day, so that they are converted from being our enemies and reconciled with God through faith.
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, says the Lord, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty. Alpha and Omega, the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. Nothing comes before Him. No one can get rid of Him, no matter how hard they try. And no one has power to thwart His plans, because He is the Almighty. The Lord—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—is really there, behind all the terrible things that happen in the world, ruling unseen, waiting to show Himself visibly in the end. Everything really is going according to His plan. Everything really will work together for good to those who love Him. Everything really will be fine in the end, and, actually, far better than fine. But that’s not something you can see now. It has to be believed. It requires faith.
But that’s what the book of Revelation is for. It’s the Word of the Word, the Word that creates and strengthens faith. Take these words with you out into the world. Take them with you tonight, and let them give you hope and joy and peace. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, says the Lord, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty. If the Alpha and the Omega is for us, who can be against us? Amen.
