Revelation

Read This Week: Revelation 12

Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him. – Revelation 12:7-9 NIV

Revelation 12 begins a narrative stretch of introducing three central figures in the tribulation – Satan (seen as the dragon), the one who is the false Christ, and the deceitful and false prophet. They will oppose the Lord and Christians in every way. They will try to destroy the people of God and the gospel and unleash havoc, chaos, and torment in a manner never seen on earth. They will confuse the people and even sow unimaginable discord among believers and those wanting to hear the message of salvation through Christ. They will attempt to overthrow the God of the universe once and for all. But they will not succeed.

The first part of the chapter reveals the nation of Israel giving birth to Jesus from the remarkable perspective of the heavens. It details how the enemy tried to prevent Christ from being born and mankind from having a savior and experiencing the love, grace, mercy, and hope of God. Verses 1-5 tell us of this amazing scene:

A woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth so that it might devour her child the moment he was born. She gave birth to a son, a male child. And her child was snatched up to God and his throne.

John continues on by describing the great war in heaven between Michael, the archangel, and his band of angels against Satan and his followers. It was an intense, supernatural battle that ended with the Devil being thrown out of heaven and losing his place there. Verses 7-9 tell us that Satan and his army fought back furiously, but he was not strong enough. Consequently, he is cast out of his position and made to dwell in this sort of no man’s land, between heaven and earth, where he leads the world astray (v.9) and wages war against humanity, especially those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus (v.17). But he is ultimately not strong enough.

The enemy has power, no doubt, but he is not strong enough to overcome the supremacy, authority, and capacity of Almighty God. He was not strong enough to stop the birth of Jesus. He was not strong enough to kill the Messiah as a baby when his parents had to flee the country. He was not strong enough to stop Jesus’ ministry or tempt him in the wilderness or cause him to give up in the garden. Satan was not strong enough to put him to death permanently, keep him in the grave or stop him from overcoming death. He wasn’t strong enough to keep the church from forming and advancing the gospel through the ages.

As the biblical commentator Warren Wiersbe said, “Satan even has access to heaven, where he accuses God’s people, but he cannot dethrone the exalted Savior.” Even in the moments when it looks like Satan is winning, victory is out of reach. Even when he tries to make life unbearable for followers of Jesus, he can’t win. He can’t supersede or overcome the eternal and conquering power of God. He was and is not strong enough.

Read This Week: Revelation 11

The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and his Messiah, and he will reign forever and ever.” And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying: “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign. The nations were angry, and your wrath had come. The time has come for judging the dead and rewarding your servants, the prophets, and the people who revere your name, both great and small. – Revelation 11:15-18 NIV

Chapter 11 is much like Chapter 10 of Revelation, containing some descript, dreadful, and shocking scenes from the middle of the tribulation. The first 14 verses of the passage detail the experience of the two witnesses for Jesus that will testify of God’s power, sovereignty, and salvation for over three years. After they finish sharing the message of Christ in those days, the Enemy will be allowed to come up from the Abyss and attack, overpower, and kill them. Then to make matters worse, the masses will celebrate their deaths, and everyone who sees them will abandon their bodies. Verses 9-10 say: 

For three and a half days, some from every people, tribe, language, and nation will gaze at their bodies and refuse burial. The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate.

But then, after three and a half days, something unbelievable, supernatural, and miraculous will happen. God will bring the two witnesses back to life before the whole world. They will stand up, and the Lord will call them back up into heaven, and the people will be terrified and in awe of God’s power. Furthermore, it will cause them to give glory to the God of heaven. God will redeem this horrible scene in a way that will cause sadistic, unfeeling, and evil people to fall on their faces and worship Him.

This transformation is what God does all the time. He infuses His love, grace, and power into situations that are ugly, vile, and difficult to watch, and transforms, changes, and makes them right. He takes people and any circumstance, both great and small, and redeems them for His glory and our good. Doing so causes the most unlikely individuals, communities, and nations to turn in awe and reverence toward His heart in worship. 

The rising from death to life is what He did for us and all those who have and will call on His name. No person, both great and small, is beyond the reach of God’s mercy and love. No situation is too difficult for His mighty strength. No relationship is too complicated for His wisdom. No sickness is too aggressive for His healing hands, and no despair is too oppressive for His freedom. God rules over everything, both great and small, and with this knowledge, we can be confident and say as the twenty-four elders in verses 17-18:

We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign.

Read This Week: Revelation 10

Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars. He was holding a little scroll, which lay open in his hand. He planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion. When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke. – Revelation 10:1-3 NIV

This chapter begins a section of Revelation that describes the events and movements in the middle of the seven years of tribulation. During this time, the Antichrist comes to power by promising peace, unity, and protection of the Jewish people. Then, after three and a half years, he will go back on his word and violate and infiltrate the temple he helps them rebuild in Jerusalem, thus beginning a season of confusing and brutal persecution of the Jews. It will be an alarming time for everyone on earth and one of great hardship. But the people of God will not be without testimony in the world among all of the disorder and reign of evil.

Chapter 10 tells us about the testimony of the mighty angel. Verse 1 says that he was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars. This fantastic description and scene of power and majesty are reminiscent of the Lord. The elements of the rainbow, sun, and fire are those used to describe Jesus himself. The angel holds a scroll with the rest of the revelation that John will record and provide. Earlier, we saw that Jesus is the only One worthy to break the seal and unravel the scroll, and it would make sense that He would be the One to deliver the rest of the message.

Earlier in Revelation 5, we also saw that Jesus is the long-awaited Lion of the tribe of Judah, and here, in verses 2-3, it says He planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion. If indeed this angel is the Lord Jesus Christ, that indicates that amid all the rampant chaos of evil, spiritual disobedience, and the command of terror under the Antichrist, there is still a powerful testimony of Christ in the world. The presence and power of Jesus will be preeminent even though it will look like the Enemy is gaining a foothold and winning. He will still be under the power and authority of Christ in the latter days, and many witnesses will rise and testify to God’s goodness and salvation.

This testimony of the angel should encourage us for the future and in the here and now. It should inspire us to testify to God’s love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness through Jesus Christ amid our present age’s seeming despair and desperation. It should encourage us to share our testimony of salvation and how the Lion of Judah has changed us, how He rescued us from darkness and the control of sin and set us on a new, eternal path of righteousness. A testimony could make all the difference for someone in our lives and generations to come.

Read This Week: Revelation 9

During those days, people will seek death but not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them. The first woe is past; two other woes are yet to come. – Revelation 9:6 & 12 NIV

Revelation 9 is a challenging read. People often comment that some Bible sections present problems in understanding and difficulty absorbing some implications and realities. This particular chapter and chapter 8 fit into this category and are unlike any we have read in the study to this point. These passages present one of the book’s significant movements involving judgment. They describe two terrifying armies liberated at a strategic time and allowed by God to judge humankind, thus presenting things to us that are hard to ingest but are part of the Lord’s redemptive plan.

The first army that John describes is from the Abyss or the pit. This Abyss is not the final and eternal place set aside for the Enemy but part of that realm under God’s authority. When the pit opens, verse 2 says that smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace. The smoke from the Abyss darkened the sun and sky. The smoke damages the atmosphere, but what is truly horrific is what comes out of the smoke. The Bible says it was an army of demons numbered like locusts that terrorized humankind and caused pain and agony. 

They are not locusts; however, they are described as horses prepared for battle. Their faces resembled humans, and their teeth were like a lion’s. They had breastplates of iron and tails with stingers, like scorpions, and in their tails, they had the power to torment people for five months (v.7-10). Even though we endure exposure to many graphic images of war and violence in our day and age, we can barely comprehend this type of judgment and suffering.

The second army in Revelation 9 is from the east and was twice ten thousand times ten thousand. It was an underworld liberation army of 200 million. The number alone is scary and intimidating. This army is not unleashed to torment and harass through stinging hurt, but they are released to kill a third of the world’s population. Yet, after five months of death, distress, and unimaginable affliction to the modern mind, the people do not feel remorse for their wickedness and denial of God. Verses 20-21 provide the unfortunate response of all the rest to the judgments and chances to repent and turn toward God:

The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality, or their thefts.

As followers of Christ, we should be thankful that Jesus holds the keys to hell and death and possesses divine authority over Satan and his armies. We should be humbled and alerted by these words but also motivated and reaffirmed in our mission; to be used by God as vessels and mouthpieces for the gospel. To demonstrate and share the love and message of Jesus with everyone with whom we come in contact. To communicate the sobering truth of God’s righteous judgment while reflecting on the goodness of his grace and the eternality of his salvation. To express to others that woe is past when we are in Christ, and no others are yet to come.

Read This Week: Revelation 8

When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all God’s people, on the golden altar before the throne. The smoke of the incense and the prayers of God’s people went up before God from the angel’s hand. – Revelation 8:1-4 NIV

A moment of silence is something we observe in our society for various reasons. We frequently see it suggested and done at ball games, award shows, or concerts to honor someone who has passed away. It is also to pay respects to fallen soldiers and memorialize tragic events that affect communities and even countries. In Christianity, a moment of silence is often a way to connect with God and become more in tune with His heart and desire for our lives through prayer, meditation, and worship. A moment of quiet with Jesus can be a beautiful and peaceful communion and a great time to be grateful, reflect on His attributes, gain wisdom, lament, cry out, and endure hardship.

There was a moment of silence in heaven in Revelation 8. It came on the heels of all the loud, celebratory worship and praise of Christ in the last chapter. But when the Lamb cracked the seventh seal, heaven was silent for 30 minutes. Imagine that. Just moments before, the heavenly realm was deafening with the unison praise of God, but it is now eerily soundless for half an hour. 

They had entered a time of preparation for what was to come. The plan was developing in front of them, and they were both amazed by what they saw and quieted by what would follow. Then they prayed and petitioned God, as verse 4 splendidly illustrates: The smoke of the incense and the prayers of God’s people went up before God from the angel’s hand. Their preparation for the trumpet judgments involved silence and prayer.

We should take note of this progression in our lives in the present. No matter what season we go through, our spiritual approach to God should include the following:

• Praise and thanksgiving.
• Being still.
• Quieting our hearts and minds.
• Seeking the Lord through prayer.

A moment of silence is necessary and vital to an intimate and God-glorifying walk with Christ. It brings us closer to our Savior while giving us an eternal perspective as we live daily. It can move us into a greater understanding of truth and give the spiritual clarity to navigate anything life brings. A regular moment of silence can empower us to be grateful in seasons of plenty and secure in seasons of challenge. It can reorientate us to our mission and God’s kingdom purposes that He passionately calls us to.

We might not be preparing for the trumpet judgments like the heavenly community in chapter 8, or enduring and witnessing the end times desolation of the earth, seas, freshwater, and sources of light (v. 6-13). We might not be on the precipice of the destruction of Babylon and viewing eschatological events of a savage and turbulent nature. However, we live in a chaotic age and world broken by sin where the people and family of God must be ready to shine His light in the darkness. We need a consistent moment of silence; to be in the presence of God, read His word, pray, and allow Him to equip us for the journey.

Read This Week: Revelation 7

And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore, “they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. ‘Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will neither beat down on them nor scorching heat. The Lamb at the throne’s center will be their shepherd; ‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’ ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’ – Revelation 7:14-17 NIV

The book of Revelation paints a beautiful picture of God’s grace and love for the whole world. In it, we see the global impact of the Gospel and the implications that the things present and in the future within God’s divine and sovereign plan encompasses all people. This worldwide effect has already been discerned in the first six chapters, but John records an explicit depiction in verse 9 of chapter 7:

After this, I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.

What an incredible illustration of God’s heart for every person of every culture, nation, and tongue. His love, salvation, goodness, kindness, and mercy are not regionalized or applicable to only certain people groups throughout time. It is available and accessible to all who will call on the name of the Lord, no matter their heritage or background. Jesus died for people from every nation, tribe, people, and language, and this is the forward-looking culmination of the Great Commission to go into all the world and preach the Gospel to all creation. Creation in that verse means individual things, beings, and creatures. In essence, everyone.

Revelation 7 captures God’s comprehensive passion for every created person on multiple levels. Verses 1-8 show us the 144,000 Jews from all the tribes of Israel who are witnesses for the Lord during the tribulation. Then in verses 9-17, we see Gentiles from all nations that are innumerable standing in Heaven. They are dressed in white robes and worshipping God with loud voices, praising Him for His salvation.

When John is asked who these people are by one of the elders, he reflects the question back to him for their identity. The elder says these are they. There is no particular distinction or mark among them as people. It is just simply them, the people of God. That is their unifying singularity, along with what they had been through.

That is our identity. We are like them, the people of God in His worldwide family. We are washed by the blood of The Lamb (v.14), brought through great struggle (v.14), blessed by the presence of God (v.15), supernaturally provided for (v.16), protected from harm (v.16), shepherded by Christ (v.17), and guided into His eternal peace (v.17). Like them, we are accepted through the sacrifice of Jesus and because of this, we can experience joy on earth amid our trials, and ultimately rewarded by the reality of Heaven. These are they. We are they.

Read This Week: Revelation 6

When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true until you judge the inhabitants of the earth?” Then each of them was given a white robe and told to wait a little longer. – Revelation 6:9-11 NIV

Martyr. The word itself evokes a deep, emotional response. In the context of faith and living for God, it also brings to mind and heart those who have gone before us and given their lives for the cause of Christ, those who have suffered physical, mental, and spiritual anguish because of their love for Jesus and the Gospel. All it takes is a cursory glance at the men and women throughout history and today that serve the Lord without fear and with courage and boldness in the face of real persecution to feel overwhelming humility and inspiration.

In Revelation 6, we see the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God (v.9) under the altar, and they are honored as those that gave their lives sacrificially for God’s glory and the furtherance of His kingdom on earth. These particular Christians died by the forces of evil that hate the truth of God’s word and want to continue following the lies of the Enemy. But God honors these fallen servants. He holds them under the altar for the time He will give them their just reward. The word martus in the original language means “a witness,” and the word martyria in verse 9 is “what one testifies or a testimony.” Father God rewards faithful witnesses of His name and honors those who testify to the truth.

Verse 11 indicates that more brave and devoted individuals would perish for their testimony and stand on God’s word. It says that the martyrs would have to wait until the total number of their fellow servants, brothers, and sisters were killed just as they had been. This is not ominous but an encouragement to all those called to follow in their footsteps. We see that the souls of the witnesses have a place of high honor in Heaven. They are at peace and encircling the throne as those robed in glory and adorned with esteem worthy of Christ.

This scene in Revelation 6 of the martyrs should urge us to be a witness in our day and age. It should motivate us with the spiritual fortitude and courage to proclaim the good news and the truth amid whatever “persecution” we may face. Even as God urges us to endure and wait as He did those in this passage, we are hopeful because we know God is in control and rewards those who faithfully seek and serve Him. We have nothing to fear with the Lord on our side. There is no measure of persecution on earth that can overcome His power or overshadow what glory awaits us if we remain in Him.

God is calling us to be a witness, to testify of His love, mercy, grace, and salvation in our corner of the world in this moment of history. He calls us to share our testimony of how He changed our lives and not to be afraid of the repercussions that will come as a result. He will protect us. He never leaves or forsakes us. There were no heroes around the throne in chapter 6. They were just steadfast followers of Jesus who didn’t flinch in the face of opposition or evil. God is not calling us to be a hero, just a witness to His great name in our age.

Read This Week: Revelation 5

And they sang a new song: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals because you were slain, and with your blood, you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them a kingdom and priests to serve our God.” – Revelation 5:9-10 NIV.

Revelation 5 gives us one inspiring and majestic moment after another. It begins with the picture of God holding a scroll sealed seven times. John sees writing on both sides and understands what is inside is done and final. He becomes emotional at the angel’s question of who is worthy to open the scroll. He knows that no one in Heaven or on earth is worthy enough, and his tears come from realizing that God’s ultimate plan of redemption for the world and all people would not be complete unless the scrolls open. Then John’s weeping turns to a celebration at the pronouncement that the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals (v.5).

Jesus, with his many names and titles, is the Deliverer. He is the only One worthy to stand at the center of the throne, take the scroll from the hand of God and open it for all time. Jesus Christ is the Deliverer because He is the only One who meets all the characteristics and qualifications to be so. The Deliverer had to be in the lineage of David (v.5), willing to deliver (v.9), and able to deliver (v.9). As John wrote in his gospel (1:14), Jesus became flesh and lived among us and out of his grace, sovereignty, and amazing love willingly laid down his life. And only His shed blood can redeem, restore, and save. 

Imagine how John felt to write those words and then see them playing out in the heavenly place before his eyes. It had to incite a measure of peace and spiritual fulfillment that he had never experienced, even when he walked with Jesus on earth. It had to cause him to worship the Lord as his Deliverer like never before. And worship breaks out three times in this chapter as the crowds of Heaven praise and revere Christ. The first time of worship is led by the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders in verses 9-10:

You are worthy of taking the scroll and opening its seals because you were slain, and with your blood, you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.

Then they are joined by a pretty incredible choir made up of thousands upon thousands and ten thousand times ten thousand angels who were singing this at the top of their majestic voices in verse 12:

Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!

Finally, every creature in Heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea came together and sang with everything that was within them in verse 13: 

To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, forever and ever!

It was an incredible sequence of worship of the Deliverer, who He is, and what He has done and will do. When Jesus opened the scroll, the crying turned to praise and worship. The same is true for us. When we realize that Jesus is our Redeemer, Rescuer, and Deliverer for eternity, we go from broken to whole, sad to glad, and spontaneous worship breaks out in our hearts and lives. Like John and all of those in the heavenly realm, recognizing how Christ has set us free takes us from depths of despair to the heights of eternal joy.

Read This Week: Revelation 4

Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night, they never stop saying: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.” The twenty-four elders fall before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will, they were created.” – Revelation 4:8-11 NIV

Several things that are done for the Lord will cease in eternity. Evangelism and sharing the gospel message will not be done in Heaven. We will not do outreach or build bridges to people far from God in Heaven. Serving in various areas of the church, like leading a small group, teaching children, visiting the sick, and greeting and assisting people, will not be necessary for Heaven. Local and international mission trips will not be needed, and church business will not have to be conducted. But what will be in Heaven and will last forever that we do here on earth is the passionate and sincere worship of Almighty God.

Worship (proskyneō) means ascribing worth or paying one homage out of reverence or respect). We are created for and called to worship in this life. We are designed to worship God in spirit and truth and to honor Jesus with a lifestyle of righteous adoration. The practice of daily worship, the praise of God, and bringing glory to His name through our words, actions, behavior, and songs is something we’ll do for all of eternity. One Bible commentator said that “God’s people will worship Him throughout all eternity. Perhaps it would be good for us to get in practice now.” 

We need to be ready to worship Jesus forever, and like the four living creatures in Revelation 4, day and night, never stop saying: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come. This scene greatly previews what will come for us in Heaven. This chapter takes us into a new phase where John is taken into the heavens and shown what must take place after this. We see through the Revelator what happens when the church age ends and the afterlife with Father God begins. It is fitting that the first glimpse we have is Christ seated on the throne of majesty, being adorned with praise, celebration, and worship continuously (v.2). 

Our lives on earth should look like worship practice for Heaven. As the twenty-four elders in verses 10-11, we should humbly submit ourselves to Father God daily. We should fall before him and surrender our lives to His service, to be obedient and open to whatever He has for us. To be available and ready to worship at any time, whether giving Him praise in public for His goodness and blessings, singing a song of joy for His provision, serving another person in His name, or helping someone in need as Jesus did. Our worship practice should also include laying our crowns before the throne or giving up our allegiance to earthly possessions and material things to worship God more freely.

God is worthy of our worship, and if we’re going to be doing that in Heaven for an infinite amount of time, why shouldn’t we start now with the same posture and practice? We absolutely should, and it should go something like this: You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will, they were created and have their being.

Read This Week: Revelation 3

I know your deeds. See, I have placed an open door that no one can shut before you. You have little strength, but you have kept my word and have not denied my name. I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that will come on the whole world to test the earth’s inhabitants. I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have so that no one will take your crown. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. – Revelation 3:8-11, 13 NIV

So much is made and talked about regarding the Church at Laodicea in the Book of Revelation. The most often highlighted teaching in chapter 3 usually centers around this church and its foolishness and lack of desire to continue honoring God in its community. They had lost their vitality, commitment to godly values, vision for the gospel ministry, and adornment of righteousness. They were neither passionate about the mission nor apathetic. They were somewhere in the indifferent middle, where God never wanted us to be. He has a holy disdain for lukewarmness and makes the famous charge against the Laodicean believers in verses 15-16:

I know your deeds that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

But a faithful church in this chapter is often overlooked – the Church in Philadelphia. As we know, Philadelphia means “love among brothers.” The connotation of their name even suggests a positive understanding of what a Christian should be. We are to love people in our churches, within the family of God, and those far from the Lord. Other believers persecuted, shunned, and marginalized this church, yet Jesus said they kept His command to endure patiently. In other words, they were the opposite of Laodicea. Their affection and faithfulness ran hot for God even amid circumstances that should have led them to spiritual detachment. They cared more when they could’ve cared less.

Jesus rewards the faithful now and in eternity. For the people at Philadephia, He rewards them with opportunities and possibilities that no one can take from them (v.8). He promises to give them justice and deliver them from their enemies (v.9). Christ gloriously grants relief to their future by promising freedom from trouble at the hands of imminent threats and the chaos of the tribulation (v.10). Finally, Jesus promises to honor these believers by writing on them the name of God and the name of the city of God (v.12). He rewards their faith by giving them an elevated and glorious future in the shadow of their present struggles. He does the same thing for us.

The Lord is a warrior. He fights for us and honors those faithful to His name when quitting, consenting to the opposition, and becoming lethargic toward the call of Christ would be the easy and reasonable thing to do. His promises are reliable for those who remain confident in His word and steadfast in His truth. A faithful person and church are more impactful than a spiritually listless one. An unwavering person and church are unstoppable when an idle one is powerless. A determined person and church are successful, while a vacillating one is defeated. Let’s be like Philadelphia and not Laodecia because faith cares more.