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Song: Hallelujah! What A Savior!
Scripture: Revelation 5:1-14
John, the apostle of the Lord, was banished to the island of Patmos, a leper colony. Persecution against the early Christians had become a policy of the Roman empire, a policy that was to become yet more severe and concerted. The revelation given to John of “things which must shortly take place” (1:1) was to supply strength to the disciples who would suffer persecution in that age and in any age.
Who would be the victor in the struggle? How could the kingdom of God prevail against the armies of Rome which had crushed every army in its path and presently dominated the world? When would God rise up and save His people from the slaughter and injustice of this empire? To answer these questions, the Lord equipped John, not just with words, but with pictures. He presented to the Christians of that age and the ages to follow a “behind the scenes look” at what happens on the world stage. Sure, there was death, destruction, wars, famines, cruelties, injustices, persecution. God was using all of these events to show that His kingdom would be victorious over every enemy.
In the NT age, heaven’s best was pitted against hell’s worst to prove once and for all that the kingdom of God is victorious over the kingdom of Satan. We are heirs of an unshakable kingdom, because the Lamb of God has won the victory over Satan, over Sin, over Death, over the worst of this world. That’s the lesson of Revelation. With that in mind, you’re ready to read the book and to face the day.
Jason Moore
