Chaos is a state that most people don’t like to live in. Chaos and its cousins: confusion, disorder, mess, clutter, muddle, anarchy, and pandemonium are never welcome in my life. But for some reason, just like a natural gas salesperson, they keep knocking at my door; seeking to interrupt my life with a not so health dose of stress.
Sometimes chaos is self-inflicted, like the state of my office. At other times chaos is imposed, like a couple of years ago when we were renovating our kitchen and while we were waiting on a counter, we basically had to live without water or a skink, or tables in our kitchen for a couple of months. Meanwhile the cabinets sat in boxes that filled our entryway. The result was that you could clearly document the decent into madness that affected our entire family.
This past summer, one day after returning from our holidays, our adjoining neighbour had a fire and lost the interior of their house and caused some significant damage to our house as well. We had broken windows and smoke damage and a few holes in the walls of the basement. We were blessed that we didn’t have more damage, but still, it wasn’t until mid-January when everything was repaired. Our cat, Lucy, who is definitely the most sensitive of the family, is still in therapy as a result.
A home is supposed to be relaxed and safe. It is supposed to be a refuge from chaos; not the source of chaos. Chaos is never supposed to make its way through the door of where we live, but it does!
In fact sometimes chaos digs its way deep into our lives. Maybe it is illness or a lost job, or bills too big to manage, or relationships that no longer relate. Nothing is worse than chaos that moves into our relationships. Sometimes we want to just run away, or hide, or give up. We stand in the middle of a whirlwind that seems to be destroying everything we trusted to make us feel safe. Sometimes the confusion takes over and we don’t have a clue about what to do.
Please turn with me to Revelation 1:4-8, p. 1033
As you turn there, let me remind you that last week we talked about the fact that while Revelation has much in common with the rest of the New Testament in content, it differs considerably when you look at its style and approach. It speaks in a way that is loud, confusing and chaotic.
As an apocalyptic work, it reveals to us a view of the spiritual world that we wouldn’t be able to see otherwise, and it does it in a way that creates within us an experience designed to enhance and emphases its themes. At the same time, the prophetic side of its message has much more to do with a call to stand firm and stay faithful to Christ than it has to do with future predictions. Like all prophesy, it speaks of the past and the future, but only in relation to the present. It was designed as a wake-up call and an encouragement to Christians who were surrounded by chaos.
Beginning with verse 4 we read: 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. 7 Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth 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."
The first thing I want you to notice is that Revelation isn’t only apocalyptic and prophetic; it is also a letter. Verse 4 makes that clear. John writes: “John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you . . .” So after John gives a general introduction in verses 1-3, he gives us the common greeting that was part of many of the New Testament letters, whether we are talking about the letters of Paul , or Peter, or anyone else.
Note also that the last verse of Revelation ends with these words from John, “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people. Amen. (Revelation 22:21). This again, is a typical, or common way, to end a letter. This is the New Testament equivalent of “sincerely yours.”
What does this mean? It means that John considers all that is included in Revelation to be a message to the seven churches in the province of Asia Minor. This is important for us to understand because many people have divided Revelation into two parts. The first part is Revelation 1-3, which they would say, deals with the seven churches in Asia Minor and then the second part of Revelation, chapters 4-22 are then considered prophesy only to be understood by those living close to the time of Christ’s return. It is an easy understanding to come to because in chapter 2 and 3, there are seven specific messages to each of the churches and then in chapter 4 the setting changes to a vision of the heavenly throne room.
But, John, by ending Revelation the way he does, tells us that all of Revelation is a letter to the churches. So, what we then have in chapter two and three are specific prophetic messages to the seven churches designed to warn, correct and encourage them in their present situation, but all of Revelation is a letter, which means it was written to be read aloud. Verse 3 tells us as much when John says, “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,”
It also means that Revelation was meant to be circulated and probably copied among the churches in Asia Minor. The idea of Revelation being a letter circulated through the churches of Asia Minor is further supported by the order of the churches listed in verse 11. In verse 11, John writes that Jesus instructs Him to: "Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea."
Now, let me show you a map of where these churches were located. Notice that the order of the churches listed in verse 11 are exactly the order that someone would travel from Patmos, where John was imprisoned when he received and wrote Revelation. If you were to take a circular letter to the churches in Asia Minor, you would leave Patmos and first arrive in Ephesus. Then you would go up to Smyrna and next further up to Pergamum and then back down to Thyatira. After that you would continue on to Sardis, and then over to Philadelphia, ending finally with Laodicea.
So Revelation is a letter to the seven churches of Asia Minor. Letters were written to be read and heard and obeyed. They were written to address present situations and to encourage and help the churches to which they were addressed. So, the fact that Revelation is not only apocalyptic and prophetic, but also a letter, gives us further insight into God’s purpose for Revelation.
Verse 11 tells us that Jesus Himself wanted Revelation to be written as a letter to the seven churches. What this also tells us is that Revelation is rooted in history. It was written to real churches at the end of the first century in the province of Asia Minor, or western Turkey in our present day.
But, having said that, there is something else going on here—why do I say that?—because there are more than seven churches in Asia Minor. For example we know that there were Christians in Colossae (Col. 1:2) and Hieropolis (Col 4:13), and Troas (Acts 20:5) at the time that Revelation was written. So, at least ten churches had been established in the Roman province of Asia by the time John was writing. The question then becomes why are only seven churches mention?
The short answer is that the number seven has a strong symbolic meaning in Revelation. In Revelation, the number seven is often used to suggest completeness or perfection. There are seven days in a week and seven days in the Genesis account of Creation. In Revelation there are seven spirits (1:4); seven stars and seven golden lampstands (1:12, 20); seven horns and seven eyes of the Lamb (5:6); seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven bowls.
So by mentioning seven churches, John is indicating that these seven, real, historic churches are also representative of the whole Church. Perhaps we could even say that the weakness and strengths found in these seven churches are very much the weaknesses and strength that are typical of the Church in any age.
OK, let’s move on to the next section. You’ll notice that I have formatted the rest of verse 4 and the beginning of verse 5 a bit differently. Picking up where we left off,
Grace to you and peace
from
The one who is,
Who was,
And who is coming
from
The seven spirits who are before his throne
And from
Jesus Christ,
The faithful witness,
The firstborn from the dead,
And the ruler of the kings of the earth (Rev. 1:4-5a, HCSB)
The reason I have formatted this next section the way is to show the repetition of threes. Three is the divine number. It communicates divine perfection. God is three-in-one: Father, Son and Spirit. God is omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent—all knowing, ever present, and all powerful. Time has three elements, past, present, future. Space has height, width and depth. Matter is solid, liquid or gas. Man is body, soul and spirit. God’s triune thumbprint is everywhere. So John is emphasizing God’s divinity through the repetition of threes. Here we are told that there is a threefold source of grace and peace. Notice that grace comes before peace. “Peace” is the result of “grace.” This is true whether we are talking about peace with God or peace with each other. Grace comes before peace. Grace brings wholeness and healing.
This passage also includes three titles for God and three descriptions of Jesus—all again, to emphasize the divine glory of God in all His fullness.
If you were wondering if Revelation is well-written or not, here is your answer. Revelation is a literary masterpiece with wonderful attention to detail and structure. It is as if what John has to share is so over-the-top amazing that he does everything he can to fill every syllable of Revelation with significance.
OK, so first we have God the Father as the source of grace and peace. He is characterized as “the one who is, who was, and who is coming.” This is a reference to Exodus 3:14 in which God gives Moses His name as the “I AM WHO I AM,” or another translation is as “I AM the One who is.”
Notice also the tense order: you have present (the one who is), past (who was) and then future (who is coming), rather than past, present, and future as you would expect. This is John’s way of pointing out that while our God has worked in the past and He will work in the future, first and foremost, He is a work right NOW! He is working in the present. God is present.
Notice also that you would expect the last part of God’s description to be the One “who will be,” or the God “who will come,” but John uses a more dynamic description. Literally God is described as the one “who is coming.” John wants us to understand that God is coming. He is breaking into the present time. He has His foot in the door, so to speak, and He is bringing the future with Him. John wants his audience to understand that God isn’t off somewhere else doing something else. He is entering into their realities in new and powerful ways.
Moving on, the second source of grace and peace is the seven spirits. What does John mean when he talks about the seven spirits? Well in Revelation 4:5 we are told: “Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God.”
And in Revelation 5:6 we are told: “Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.”
So obviously the seven spirits are referring to the Holy Spirit. We also know this to be true because of the present context. The context is speaking of the three sources of grace and peace. What is the only real source of grace and peace? It’s God, right? So the seven spirits have to be God. Furthermore we have just talked about God the father and in a moment we will talk about the third source of grace and peace, which is Jesus Christ. So obviously the seven spirits is a reference to the Holy Spirit.
He we have a wonderful description of the triune nature of God. OK, but why the weird description of the Holy Spirit? Well, again, remember the symbolic nature of the number seven. Seven means complete or perfect. So this is John’s way of pointing out that the Holy Spirit is completely and perfectly present within the Church providing us with the grace and peace we need for victory.
It is also a reference to sevenfold nature of the Holy Spirit mentioned in Isaiah 11:2 which says: “The Spirit of the LORD(1) will rest on him-- the Spirit of wisdom(2) and of understanding (3), the Spirit of counsel(4) and of power(5), the Spirit of knowledge(6) and of the fear of the LORD(7). By referencing the seven spirits, or the sevenfold spirit, John is point to all of these descriptions, or ministries of the Holy Spirit.
OK let’s move on to the third source of grace and peace, which is Jesus Christ. First, Jesus is the “faithful witness” referring to His faithfulness even to the point of death, as well as, to His public testimony. Being a witness is one of the most important themes in Revelation. We will talk the significance of witness more next week. For now all we need to realize is that Christ is the “faithful,” or the “model” witness to the Church who is called to be witnesses (11:1-13).
Next, Jesus is also the “firstborn from the dead.” Paul in Colossians 1 writes of Jesus: “And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.” (Colossians 1:18)
Notice that firstborn means something more than just being the first. Paul does say that Jesus is the beginning from among the dead, but that isn’t the primary significance of “firstborn.” Being the firstborn is about having authority. It is connected to being the head of the church and having supremacy in everything.
It is also a reference to Psalm 89 where we read: “I will also appoint him my firstborn, the most exalted of the kings of the earth.” (Psalm 89:27)
Ultimately to be firstborn from among the dead is to have authority over death itself. John is encouraging those whose witnessing might actually end in their death. Just as Jesus was vindicated by His resurrection, they too also will be vindicated.
Finally, we are told that Jesus is “ruler of the kings of the earth.” The churches in Asia Minor were being challenged and persecuted by those who would have them worship Caesar. As we will see, Caesar’s demands on their lives had all kinds of negative implications. As they witnessed to the truth of their faith, everything was on the line, including their lives, but John reminds them that the faithful witness, who is also firstborn from the dead, is also ruler of Caesar and all the other kings of the earth.
John is trying to take the eyes of his readers’ off of the earthly rulers that seemed to be all powerful and he reminded them to look higher to Jesus who was ruler even over those who ruled them.
This title also points back to Psalm 2 where we read: “The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the LORD and against his Anointed One. . . .4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them.” (Psalm 2:2, 4) Obviously the church in John’s day needs that kind of encouragement.
Now let’s look at verse 7. Verse 7 says: “Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen.”
In this passage John is pointing back to verses in Daniel and Zechariah.
In Daniel 7 we read: "In my vision at night I looked, and 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 peoples, nations and men 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)
And in Zechariah 12 it is prophesied: "And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.” (Zechariah 12:10)
Notice how both of these passages speak about many of the themes we have already discussing about Christ. The One who comes in the clouds is given authority, glory and sovereign power over all peoples and nations. He is the ruler of all the kings, and He will come to establish an everlasting kingdom that will never be destroyed.
And in Zechariah we have an image of Jesus’ crucifixion and the mourning of God’s people at His death. But here it seems that John is referring to the mourning of those who rejected Jesus’ testimony about Himself. It isn’t a mourning of regret so much as it is a mourning that comes with judgement. Ultimately verse 7 speaks to Jesus’ authority and power. It is an authority to which every knee will bow (Philippians 2:10).
Finally, in verse 8 we have the voice of God saying directly: "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty." (Revelation 1:8)
OK, who is speaking in this verse? Is it God, the Father or Jesus? We saw in verse 4 that God the Father was called the One “who is, and who was, and who is to come.” But clearly verse 7 points to Christ. And then we have verses 17 and 18. Where Jesus, referring to Himself as the “First and the Last,” says: “I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever!”
And in Revelation 22 Jesus declares: "Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” (Revelation 22:12-13)
If we put all these things together, I believe we can identify Jesus as the speaker in verse 8. Interestingly verse 8 points back to Isaiah 44. There we read: "This is what the LORD says-- Israel's King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God.” (Isaiah 44:6)
Notice that Lord is in capital letters. That means that we have the name Yahweh in the text, so Revelation attributes to Jesus Christ titles uniquely attributed to Yahweh in the Old Testament. Again, as we have already seen today, no one can read Revelation and walk away thinking that the identity of Jesus is anything other than the Lord, God Himself.
Now, “Alpha” and “Omega” are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. IN Revelation God only speaks directly twice and in both cases He uses the same title: Alpha and Omega. Notice that Revelation both begins and ends with a declaration that Jesus is the Alpha and Omega. He is the first and the last. God is the beginning and the end.
What does it mean that Jesus is the Alpha and Omega the beginning and end? One commentator put it like this: “God has the first word, in creation, and the last word, in the new creation.” The title speaks of God’s sovereign authority over the universe and of His control over the course of history.
So here is the picture I want you to have of Revelation. In the middle of Revelation you have chaos. You have conflict. You have life and death. You have challenges and messy living on every page. But, all of this messiness is sandwiched between two statements that declare that the God of order is in control. You have a declaration that the God of grace and peace is in control. Revelation begins and ends with a declaration of God’s rule.
The very same God who, in the beginning of Genesis, spoke over the chaos and created life and brought order out of disorder, is also God of our chaos. Jesus, the very same person who could lie down and sleep in the midst of a storm while everyone else was afraid they would die,, is the One who can guide us safely through the chaos of our storms and help us find peace enough to rest.
OK, but how do we find peace? How do we find order in the chaos? How do we find rest in the storm? The answer is found in verse 5 and 6. “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.
In other words, we do it by worshipping God in His fullness. Verse 5 and 6 are a hymn of praise. I want you to remember that Revelation tells us that we may feel like we are ruled by the chaos of stress, busyness, fear, doubt, suffering, pain, loss, loneliness or whatever other storm is presently rocking your world, but the reality is that Jesus has authority over what rules your chaos.
He has the authority to step into your storm and help you to find rest. He has the power to speak into your chaos and create order and life. And how does that happen?—by focusing on who He really is, and by worshipping Him. Worship is more than just singing a song. It is the way we find our sanity in the storms of life.
We’ll talk more about worship next week, but for now, know that the very same God that created order and the very same God who will recreate order, is here NOW and He is able to create peace and order in your life today. You just have to focus on Him.
