Jesus—revealed in Revelation

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! 

"I am...the Bright and Morning Star" (Pixabay.com)

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Revelation 22:6-21

TO CHEW ON: " 'I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last. … I Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.' " Revelation 22:13,16

Since back in the beginning of April this year we have been reading, from time to time, in Revelation. Today as we come to its concluding words, I recall a challenge I put out on April 4th. It was to search through Revelation to list the names and titles that describe the divine-human relationship and the redemptive work of Christ.

I started my list on that day and over the last couple of days have skimmed through the book to complete it. What an inspiring survey!

I'm going to share my list with you today (though that makes this a very long devo—sorry about that!). Several disclaimers:
- I may have missed some names.
- I included descriptive passages that were not names per se.
- I used my simple understanding of the text to compile this list (didn't go to Bible commentaries and scholars).
- Of course I found lots of repetition so didn't mention each recurrence (the name or title of "Lamb," for example, recurs repeatedly).

These titles and descriptions suggest big-picture facts about Jesus. I have organized them in this way.

In Revelation, Jesus is revealed as:

• Creator:
• "Him… who created heaven and the things that are in it, the earth and the things that are in it" - Revelation 10:6.

• Eternal:
• "Alpha and Omega" - Revelation 1:8,11; 21:6; 22:13. 
• "Beginning and the End - Revelation 1:8; 21:6; 22:13. 
• "Who was and is and is to come" - Revelation 1:8; 16:5. 
• "the First and the Last" - Revelation 1:11,17; 22:13. 
• "Him who lives forever and ever" - Revelation 5:14; 10:6.

• Omnipotent:
• "… firstborn from the dead" - Revelation 1:6 
• "Almighty" - Revelation 1:8. 
• " 'I have the keys of death and of Hades' " - Revelation 1:18 
• "He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens" - Revelation 3:7
•  "The Lord God omnipotent" - Revelation 19:6.

• Righteous:
• "He who is holy, He who is true…" Revelation 3:7. 
• "The Faithful and True witness" - Revelation 3:14. 
• "Faithful and True - Revelation 19:11.

• Lord:
• "Our Lord" - Revelation 11:8. 
• "He is Lord of Lords …" - Revelation 17:14. 
• "The Lord God omnipotent" - Revelation 19:6. 
• "Lord Jesus" - Revelation 22:20. 
• "Lord Jesus Christ" - Revelation 22:21.

• King:
• "Ruler of the kings of the earth" - Revelation 1:5. 
• "… having on His head a golden crown" - Revelation 14:14. 
• "He is … King of kings" - Revelation 17:4.

• Communicator:
• "Jesus Christ, the faithful witness…" - Revelation 1:5; 3:14. 
• "Alpha and Omega" - Revelation 1:8,11; 21:6; 22:13 (I include this here because these are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet and imply communication in writing or speech.)
• "For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy" - Revelation 19:10. 
• "Word of God" - Revelation 19:13. 
• "He who testifies to these things" - Revelation 22:20.

• Descended from God:
• "Son of God" - Revelation 2:18. 
• "He who has the seven Spirits of God" - Revelation 3:1. 
• "The beginning of the Creation of God" - Revelation 3:14.

• Human being:  "You shall call His name Jesus," the angel told Mary of the child she would birth (Luke 1:31). Repeatedly the name of Jesus occurs in Revelation.
• "Jesus" - Revelation 1:1,2,5 
• "Son of man" - Revelation 1:13; 14:14. 
• "her child" and "male child"  Revelation 12:4,5.

• Human being who was also called Messiah (Christos = anointed one):
• "Jesus Christ" - Revelation 1:1,2,5; 12:17.

• A Jew and source / descendant of David's royal family:
• "Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of Jesse" - Revelation 5:5. 
• "I am the Root and the Offspring of David" - Revelation 22:16.

• Sacrifice (Lamb):
• "a Lamb as though it had been slain" - Revelation 5:6. 
• "Lamb slain from the foundation of the world - Revelation 13:8. 
• "These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them" - Revelation 17:14. 
• Said of the New Jerusalem: "The Lamb is its light" - Revelation 21:22.

• Ascended:
• "And her Child was caught up to God and His throne" - Revelation 12:4.
  

• Present with the Church:
• "… who walks in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks" - Revelation 2:1. (The candlesticks or lamp stands symbolize the churches - Revelation 1:20.)

• Harvester:
• "Son of Man … in His hand a sharp sickle" - Revelation 14:14.
  

• Warrior:
• "… out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword" - Revelation 1:16. 
• "He who has the sharp two-edged sword" Revelation 2:12. 
• "These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them" - Revelation 17:4.

• The Refined who is now a Refiner (Judge):
• "His eyes like a flame of fire, His feet like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace" - Revelation 1:15,16. 
• "The Son of God who has eyes like a flame of fire and His feet like fine brass" - Revelation 2:18.

• Light:
• "… and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength" - Revelation 1:16.  
• Said of the New Jerusalem: "The Lamb is its Light" - Revelation 21:22.
  

• Unpredictable and mysterious:
• "Behold I am coming as a thief" - Revelation 16:15. 
• "He had a name written that no one knew except Himself" - Revelation 19:12.
  

• Majestic in appearance and presence:
• "...and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters" - Revelation 1:13-15.

• Ruler over angels and the spirit realm: 
• "The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in my right hand. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches" - Revelation 1:20.
• "I am … the Bright and Morning Star" - Revelation 22:16. (Compare with the description of Satan's fall from heaven in Isaiah 14 where he is referred to as a "morning star" - Isaiah 14:12-15 NIV.)

• God's final word: 
• "... the Amen..." - Revelation 3:14; 22:20,21.

What an invitation and inspiration to be in awe and worship Jesus—our Saviour, the One who has invited us to call Him friend (John 15:15-17).

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, I worship with Revelation's thousands and thousands:
"Worthy is the Lamb who was slain
To receive power and riches and wisdom
And strength and honor and glory and blessing." - Revelation 5:12.

 *********
Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Fiery refining

Liquid gold - Courtesy RGBStock.com

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Zechariah 13:1-9

TO CHEW ON: "I will bring one-third through the fire,
Will refine them as silver is refined,
And test them as gold is tested
They will call on My name;
And I will answer them.
I will say, 'This is My people';
And each one will say, 'The Lord is my God' " - Zechariah 13:9

This chilling prophecy was fulfilled in the near term for Israel in A.D. 70 when Jerusalem was overrun and sacked by the Romans. The connection is clear because of the picture of the struck shepherd and scattered sheep (Zechariah 13:7) that precedes it. Jesus, who referred to Himself as the shepherd (John 10) quoted words from Zechariah 13:7 to warn His disciples of what would happen with them when He would be struck down (Matthew 26:31). The disciples were scattered first at His crucifixion, and after the establishment of the church by persecution. Jerusalem was destroyed by fire, as predicted.

However, I believe we can view this prophecy of refining as something that is for the entire church age. "No clearer picture of Jesus and His suffering church is given in the Old Testament" says the Reformation Study Bible comments on verse 9.

As we look at some of the places the Bible mentions refining / testing, we see the methods  God uses to refine and what He wants to accomplish.

• Job's test (through a complete turnaround in fortunes and bad health to boot) was to prove what he was really made of (Job 23:10).

• The writer of Proverbs talked of God's correction as a proof of His parenthood and love (Proverbs 3:12).

• Isaiah spoke of God's "hand against you" that was meant to "purge away your dross and take away all your alloy" —a picturesque way of saying God's tests are a way to rid us of all that isn't the real thing (Isaiah 1:25).

• In another place Isaiah talked of testing in the furnace of "affliction" (Isaiah 48:10). "Affliction" - oniy -  means "affliction, poverty, misery."

• In our passage the refining through fire was meant to bring the tested ones back to God. They pray, He answers, and they are reunited in a new identity and loyalty (Zechariah 14:9).

• In Malachi the ministering tribe—Levites—were refined so that their ministry would be acceptable (Malachi 3:3).

• Peter talked about faith developing through testing—faith that showed itself to be genuine and that results in "praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 1:7).

• Peter further reminded us to expect such testing rather than be surprised by it (1 Peter 4:12).

Testing, affliction, refining through fire… I don't particularly want them. You probably don't either. Still, such tests will probably come our way in one form or another.

I love the challenge in Paul Baloche's song "We Will Hold On." In the first stanza he speaks of the kind of tests we've listed above—being "persecuted and reviled ..."

In Stanza 2, he talks of another kind of test—one that might be more familiar to many of us: "We are tested by the blessing / With all the comforts of the world surrounding" (emphasis added).  That's a test that's much more to our liking, though probably as telling a test as any and as easy to fail.  For the temptation is to think we don't need Him and try to get by on our own.

Whatever test comes our way, let's accept the challenge of the Bible to stay with God. As Baloche puts it: "We will hold on to Your love" - Paul Baloche ("We Will Hold On" from the CD Glorious, Integrity Music, © 2009).

PRAYER: Dear God, help me to pass all the tests You send my way. Be very close to our brothers and sisters around the world whose lives are a series of fiery refinings. May I be prepared for a time when the same may be true of me. Amen.

MORE: "We Will Hold On"



 *********
Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Are you being refined?

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Psalm 66:1-20

TO CHEW ON: "For You, O God, have tested us;

You have refined us as silver is refined.

You brought us into the net;

You laid affliction on our backs.

You have caused men to ride over our heads;

We went through fire and through water;

But You brought us out to rich fulfillment." Psalm 66:10-12

The silver in the trinkets we wear has gone through a lot to get to its beautiful sheen. Because silver is usually discovered combined with other minerals it is subjected to various processes to isolate it and make it pure. Depending on what it is mixed with, it may be roasted, leached with acid, smelted, ground, refined in an electrolyte solution, added to molten bullion and treated by cupellation (which heats the silver-containing residue to a temperature of 800 C or 1450 F). So when the psalmist talks about us being refined as silver is refined, he is not talking about a pleasant process.

Whenever I come to passages like Psalm 66, which describe people going through such refining, a voice inside my head says, "Who are you to talk?" Because the truth is, I have not experienced much of such extreme refining in my life. However, I do know that even the light 'roasting' I went through, for example, stuck on the couch for a few weeks, many years ago, waiting for a troubled pregnancy to settle down and go to term, or end prematurely, was not fun (especially when it ended prematurely).

I did come through that experience refined and richer in many ways. I was more understanding of the hurts of others. I was less confident in my ability to make my plans and dreams happen. I was thankful for the supports in my life (my husband, family and church friends). And I was more determined than ever to trust God, even when I didn't understand what He was doing.

I will not pretend to know what your refining experience is like or presume to give you advice on how to handle it. But I do hope and pray that you will come through it pure, strong and beautiful. May the result find you bursting with praises like the psalmist's: "Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will declare what He has done for my soul" Psalm 66:16.

You may already know the verses below by memory. If not, you may want to put them on your 'to memorize' list for the future. When you are in the middle of a refining time, they will give you perspective. If things are going well for you, memorize them against the day that refining fire enters your life:

In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 

1 Peter 1:6-7 (besides the NKJV translation quoted, the link goes to this verse in four more Bible versions - so choose your favorite).

PRAYER: Dear God, please be with my friends who are in the midst of refining -- coping with cancer or other physical problems, dealing with difficult family situations, caring for elderly parents, struggling with career disappointments etc. May each one come out pure, beautiful and praising You. Amen.

MORE: "Purify My Heart" by Brian Doerksen




(From the archives)

Are you being refined?

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Psalm 66:1-20

TO CHEW ON: "For You, O God, have tested us;

You have refined us as silver is refined.

You brought us into the net;

You laid affliction on our backs.

You have caused men to ride over our heads;

We went through fire and through water;

But You brought us out to rich fulfillment." Psalm 66:10-12

The silver in the trinkets we wear has gone through a lot to get to its beautiful sheen. Because silver is usually discovered combined with other minerals it is subjected to various processes to isolate it and make it pure. Depending on what it is mixed with, it may be roasted, leached with acid, smelted, ground, refined in an electrolyte solution, added to molten bullion and treated by cupellation (which heats the silver-containing residue to a temperature of 800 C or 1450 F). So when the psalmist talks about us being refined as silver is refined, he is not talking about a pleasant process.

Whenever I come to passages like Psalm 66, which describe people going through such refining, a voice inside my head says, "Who are you to talk?" Because the truth is, I have not experienced much of such extreme refining in my life. However, I do know that even the light 'roasting' I went through stuck on the couch for a few weeks, many years ago, waiting for a troubled pregnancy to settle down and go to term, or end prematurely, was not fun (especially when it ended prematurely).

I did come through that experience refined and richer in many ways. I was more understanding of the hurts of others. I was less confident in my ability to make my plans and dreams happen. I was thankful for the supports in my life (my husband, family and church friends). And I was more determined than ever to trust God, even when I didn't understand what He was doing.

I will not pretend to know what your refining experience is like or presume to give you advice on how to handle it. But I do hope and pray that you will come through it pure, strong and beautiful. May the result find you bursting with praises like the psalmist's: "Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will declare what He has done for my soul" Psalm 66:16.

You may already know the verses below by memory. If not, you may want to put them on your 'to memorize' list for the future. When you are in the middle of a refining time, they will give you perspective. If things are going well for you, memorize them against the day that refining fire enters your life:

In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 

1 Peter 1:6-7 (besides the NKJV translation quoted, the link goes to this verse in four more Bible versions - so choose your favorite).

PRAYER: Dear God, please be with my friends who are in the midst of refining -- coping with cancer or other physical problems, dealing with difficult family situations, caring for elderly parents, struggling with career disappointments etc. May each one come out pure, beautiful and praising You. Amen.

MORE: Happy Independence Day!!

Today is the day our neighbours in the U.S. celebrate their nation and the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776 -- the day they declared independence from Great Britain. They celebrate with parades, community festivals, family picnics and barbecues, concerts, games (especially baseball), public gatherings, speeches, and of course end the day with fireworks.

Do your 8-12-year-olds have daily devotions? Point them to Bible Drive-Thru.