Let’s stay a while in Revelation. I think as Christians we leave this last book of scripture as something we are incapable of studying. Why is that? Would we ever read any other book only to put it down before the story is completed? We have ‘The Greatest Story Ever Told’ in the scriptures but are apprehensive to look to it for comfort – even though it is the story of God’s redemption plan for mankind.
I find it interesting that we are uneasy and apprehensive yet we continue to go to tried-and-failed solutions for comfort: food, sex, peer-approval, money, alcohol, drugs… You would think we would have learned by now. Our world continues to spin out of control in the very areas these solutions directly impact – our health, our relationships, our families, and our finances. Our lives are increasingly lost to disease, violence, overdose, and suicide.
Perhaps our uneasiness is because this story has been leading, so far, to reveal both God’s mercy and grace, but also His judgment – and we might be unsettled as to where we fit in the story. It is not rocket science, but it is revealing, as we must face ourselves in the revelation provided by scripture. It is a story of a loving Father to His Children. But this story also tells us that we must accept the truth that this Father is God, and we are not. That is a tough pill to swallow for members of a prideful culture.
In Revelation 1:19, John is told… Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. So, we get exactly that – John writing beginning in Chapter 1 what he has seen.
Chapters 2 and 3 show us what is now. These are the letters to the seven churches.
Remember ‘Seven’ in scripture represents completeness. It is a literary consistency from the Hebrew authors that helps us interpret various parts of this story. In John’s gospel he uses this ‘seven’ to record seven times that Jesus calls himself God with the I AM name (John 6:35, John 8:12, John 10:7, John 10:11, John 11:25, John 14:6, and John 15:1.) Jesus answers seven times with I AM. (John 4:26, John 6:20, John 8:24, John 8:28, John 8:58, John 13:19, and John 18:5) Jesus performs 7 signs in John’s gospel – water into wine (John 2), healing a sick boy (John 4), healing a paralyzed man (John 5), feeding the 5,000 (John 6), healing a bling man (John 9), and raising Lazarus (John 11). It is not surprising then that Jesus would reveal, through John, His message to the Church in seven letters. There were obviously more than seven churches operating in John’s day. Maybe each of them were to ‘find themselves’ in one of those symbolic churches – (like 1 Corinthians 10:13 applied to a church body.) It is very likely, those letters had addressed specific issues in those specific churches – letters that provided both warnings and hope. What I find fascinating is the progression of those letters seems to bear a resemblance to several actual historical periods of the Christian Church – from the beginning of the Apostolic church at Pentecost to the present-day church.
Embracing all these ideas puts us in a dilemma. It’s the difference between driving a car and being a backseat driver. It’s the difference between sitting in the stands as a spectator or being a player out in the field. It is easy to read the Old Testament and place ourselves in the story, thinking we would be so much better than those grumbling, complaining Israelites that couldn’t be content with God’s manna or those disobedient and rebellious leaders in the divided kingdom worshipping calves and Ashtoreth poles. If only we had lived when Jesus walked the earth – we would never have questioned Him and stood with the crowd yelling, ‘Crucify Him’. Like Peter claimed, even if all the others fell away, we would stay with Him even unto death.
Revelation Chapter 4 begins as John is invited into heaven to see ‘what will take place later’. He sees God’s throne surrounded by 24 other thrones. Seated on them were the 24 elders – dressed in white wearing crowns of gold. There have been lots of interpretations to these 24 elders on the thrones. But again, the use of the number 24 is meant to draw your mind back to what you know from the rest of the story. You can Google the meaning of biblical numbers and see that 24 can reference the priesthood, or as a multiple of 12 it can reference God’s power and authority. Or, what comes to my mind… there are the obvious hyperlinks to the 12 tribes of Israel as well as the 12 apostles of Jesus.
[pause]
I’ve read the rest of the book of Revelation – I realize this book foretells the end of the earth, the end of our concept of time, and the end of mankind’s natural life. Therefore, it is the end of this fantastic story. It is both now and not yet. (It has been ‘now’ ever since the church started and will continue to be until His second coming.) And suddenly I realize I’m no longer a spectator of the history of Israel or the disciples, I’m out on the field! I had better pay attention to what He’s been saying!
[resume]
What do we know? There are so many cross-references from which we can choose, but I will stick with Isaiah. Revelation is the fulfillment of the prophesies of Isaiah which pronounced both judgment and hope to Israel. Judgment in the form of exile to both Assyria and Babylon, for their rebellious, idolatrous hardened hearts – for they were in a covenant relationship with God, yet they continued to be unfaithful. Isaiah also delivered a message of hope – that a Holy Seed would produce the Messiah – Immanuel – God with us – that would suffer and die as a sacrifice for the sin of mankind. Isaiah adds that when He lives again, this servant-messiah would inspire a group of servants to also humble themselves and repent. Others, the wicked, would resist and reject Him. Isaiah’s message of hope includes a ‘New Jerusalem’ where not only Israel but all nations are invited to join in God’s covenant family.
Like many biblical prophecies, the language is difficult to read – Isaiah spoke in the 720s B.C. and parts were fulfilled in to the 530s B.C. and beyond – including the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus – and onto the New Jerusalem – which makes its appearance here at the end of Revelation.
As players on the field now, we have history on our side. Having Isaiah’s prophesies evidenced throughout history… except for the part that hasn’t happened yet, is more than enough for me to pay attention!
What else do we know? That after Jesus’ resurrection there are still two ways to respond: (1) we humble ourselves before Jesus as the fulfillment of scripture, repent of our sins against God, and call Him, ‘Lord’… those that Isaiah called ‘servants’, or (2) we resist and reject Jesus… those that Isaiah called ‘wicked’.
And we know this: that after Jesus’ resurrection, The Church began with the teachings of the Gospel message from Peter to the Jewish nation and Paul to the Gentile nations.
So, who are the 24 elders? I’m combining all these cross references… the two divisions of Jews and Gentiles, the 12 tribes of Israel, and the 12 apostles of Jesus, giving the 24 elders that we see in Revelation Chapter 4 – they are what some people call the ‘Raptured’ church, they are the servants that Isaiah saw that humbles themselves, repented, and declared their allegiance to the Lord Jesus. (1 Peter 2:9 calls the church a ‘royal priesthood’ in case you want a ‘24’ reference to the priesthood or the crowns that they’re wearing!)
If we’re trying to interpret, ‘what will take place later’, it is a comfort to find the church with the Lord Jesus in Chapter 4 of Revelation – before the scary parts of judgment begin. This is also consistent with what was written in the letter to the Church in Philadelphia in Revelation 2:10 – Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test all the inhabitants of the earth. Yes, I find great comfort in that.