This week’s scripture is Revelation 21:1-8. It can be divided up into two parts. In verses 1-4, there is a voice from heaven that tells John “Look! God’s dwelling is here with humankind.” John is promised that there will be a new heaven and a new Earth. The former things will pass away and God will make all things new!
And then another voice in verses 5-8, understood to be God, reiterates to John that the words spoken by the other divine being are true. In this conversation, the second time God speaks directly to John in Revelation, God is revealed as the Alpha and Omega……Beginning and End.
And it doesn’t stop there! The LORD tells John that those who persevere in this life in the midst of the evil Roman Empire will experience the new creation. But, those who have been cowardly and faithless (in 1st century terms) will receive the justice that is demanded. These are the people who yielded to Caesar and not God Almighty. And what John is getting at here is not a prediction, but is faithfully calling out Christians who have faltered and those who are cronies (idolaters and liars) of the Emperor who have pledged their allegiance to a human-made institution instead of the Maker of humanity! John is pleading for Christians to remain faithful, for Christians who have wavered to repent, and for those who worship the Emperor as god to turn from their ways and follow the God of creation.
Friends, the 1st century Christians were frightened and John is offering them encouragement. And we certainly see the forces of evil at work in our day that, like those in the 1st century world, tempt us in ways that may or may not be similar to those in John’s time. May John’s words also encourage us in our lives to remain faithful to the One who sits on the throne, the Maker of Heaven and Earth.
May these words be of Good News to you!
Christ’s Peace,
Pastor T. Wes