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Judges 1:2

The Lion of the Tribe of Judah

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
January 27, 2023

It appears to me that the book begins with Israel being a Theocracy. It says, “After the death of Joshua, the people of Israel inquired of the Lord, ‘Who shall go up first for us against the Canaanites, to fight against them?’ The Lord said, ‘Judah shall go up; behold, I have given the land into his hand.’” The book of Judges begins with Israel seeking God’s will. They are still a theocracy. God was their Commander-in-Chief. He was their King. At the end of the book, after many cycles of failure, repentance and deliverance, the Israelites are not satisfied with God as their King but demand that Samuel the Prophet of God give the nation a human King.  Fleenor says, “With Joshua gone from the scene, the Israelites lack leadership. Although it will not last, their first instinct is to seek God’s input. Rather than divide the tribes and fight the different people groups in the land concurrently, the Israelites realized that a progressive push against the remaining Canaanite people groups would be the most successful. God’s response is to send Judah against the Canaanites. Sending Judah makes good sense since Judah is the largest tribe at this point. The devastation created by Israel’s largest tribe would no doubt reinforce the psychological impact on the Canaanites already produced by the news of the Exodus.”

The designation “Canaanite” refers to the other nations that occupied the land of Canaan. One of those nations was explicitly identified as Canaanites, but there were six other residents in the land that were also referred to as Canaanites. These are the Amorites, the Girgashites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Jebusites, and the Perizzites. They all occupied the land of Canaan and were descendants of Canaan, Noah’s grandson that was cursed when his father, Ham, uncovered Noah’s nakedness. The curse was not actually on Canaan himself but on his descendants. The curse made these seven tribes servants of the descendants of Shem. Many believe that the reason Noah cursed Canaan rather than Ham, who “uncovered his father’s nakedness,” was because the sin was that Ham had incestuous relations with his mother and Canaan was the offspring. The sexual sin was an attempt of Ham to usurp the role of family leader by sleeping with his father’s wife. Reuben acted similarly in Genesis, as did David’s son in the first book of Kings. So the curse fell on the one Ham wanted to become heir of the family blessing. Instead of the blessing, he got the curse.

The Canaanites’ subjugation to Shem’s descendants was fulfilling Noah’s curse on Canaan. The choice of Judah to lead the way was the fulfillment of Jacob’s blessing on Judah, where he said Judah would be the champion of his brothers and would lead the way in victory. Jacob’s blessing on his son Judah mentioned “the lion of the tribe of Judah.” This lion was symbolic of not only kingship but also victory and leadership. The leadership of the tribes will always be Judah and his descendants. Thus David slew the giant Goliath and conquered the lands for Israel. The rulership of the people was given to Judah and his descendants. The “scepter” would not depart from Judah’s tribe until Shiloh comes. Shiloh was referring to Jesus himself. The victory was promised to Israel under Judah’s leadership. God says, “I have given the land into his hands.” The victory over our spiritual enemies has been handed to the Lord Jesus. We can experience that victory by believing in the actual “Lion of the tribe of Judah.” He has gone before us into the land where he prepares a place for us and has promised to return to take us to be with Him.

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Joshua 1:3

This Land is Mine!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
January 26, 2023

God tells Joshua and the children of Israel “it’s all yours!” Help yourself. He didn’t say it would be easy, but he said it was available if they had the faith to take it. In Joshua 1:3, God says, “Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses.” When you consider the dimensions of the land promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, their descendants never occupied it all. Actually, they occupied very little of it. I love Andy Williams’s vocal of “The Exodus” from 1962. Yes, I can remember it!  Here are some of the lyrics, “This land is mine God gave this land to me. This brave and ancient land to me. And when the morning sun Reveals her hills and plains then I see a land where children can run free. With the help of God, I know I can be strong to make this land our home. If I must fight, I’ll fight. To make this land our own. Until I die, this land is mine”

Paul tells us about the battle that every Christian is to fight. Although Satan is the Lord of this world, through Jesus, we have victory if we but take it. Paul tells us about the spiritual battle that we fight every day. It’s not against flesh and blood like the battle Israel fought. Paul says, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12).” Peter tells us “your adversary the Devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). James instructs is to submit ourselves to God, our supreme commander, “Resist the Devil and he will flee from you.” Jesus sent 72 disciples out to preach the good news in surrounding cities. When they came back Luke 10:17 tells us, “The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!’” He sends us out also.

Speaking of this spiritual battle, Origen, one of the original scholars of the Church in Alexandria around 200 AD, tells us that God has given the spiritual battle to us. He says, “We shall seize their territories, their provinces and their realms, as Jesus our Lord apportions them to us. Thus we understand the promise to us from our Lord Jesus that ‘every place we set the soles of our feet’ will be ours. But let us not imagine that we may be able to enter into this inheritance yawning and drowsy, through ease and negligence.” To Origen we must expel Satan from our lives through the power of Christ as Israel was charged with expelling the pagan nations before them. He says, “Unless you vanquish this [wrath] in yourself and cut off all violent impulses of anger and rage, you will not be able to claim as an inheritance the place that angel once had. For you will not expel him from the land of promise by your slothfulness. In like manner, some angels incite pride, jealousy, greed and lust and instigate these evil things. Unless you gain the mastery over their vices in yourself and exterminate them from your land—which now through the grace of baptism has been sanctified—you will not receive the fullness of the promised inheritance.”[1] J. Vernon McGee tells an interesting story that helps apply this passage to us. He says, “Years ago a certain Englishman moved to the United States. Soon after he arrived he dropped out of sight. One day his uncle in England died and left him about a five–million dollar estate. Scotland Yard went about trying to locate the man whose last address had been in Chicago. They searched for him but never found him. Later I heard that he was found one morning frozen to death in an entryway of a cheap hotel. He could not afford twenty–five cents for a room although he was heir to five million dollars! He did not claim what was his. He did not lay hold of what belonged to him.”[2]

[1] Franke, John R., ed. 2005. Old Testament IV: Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1–2 Samuel. Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

[2] McGee, J. Vernon. 1991. Thru the Bible Commentary: History of Israel (Joshua/Judges). Electronic ed. Vol. 10. Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

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Deuteronomy 1:2-3

Time to leave the Wilderness!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
January 25, 2023

It was only an eleven-day journey from Mount Seir to Kadesh-Barnea but Israel spent 40 years before they could complete that journey as a nation. The book of Numbers records the events that took place in those 40 years, when they came to an end all the generation that had exited Egypt had died in the wilderness except the two spies, Joshua and Caleb, who wanted to enter the land 40 years ago but were outnumbered. Now, in the 40th year, Moses prepares them once again to enter the promised land. He called them together and began the second recitation of the Law. That’s what the word “Deuteronomy” means: The second law. Deuteronomy 1:2-3 says, “It is eleven days’ journey from Horeb by the way of Mount Seir to Kadesh-Barnea. In the fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses spoke to the people of Israel according to all that the Lord had given him in commandment to them.”

McGee comments on this passage, “Mount Sinai is in Horeb. It was a journey of eleven days from Horeb to Kadesh–Barnea, which was the entry point into the Land of Promise. Israel spent thirty–eight years wandering when it should have taken them only eleven days to get into the land. Why? Because of their unbelief. Their marching was turned to wandering, and they became just strangers and pilgrims in that desert. Because they were slow to learn, they wandered for thirty–eight years in that great and terrible wilderness. We also are slow to learn, friends. I think we would characterize ourselves by saying we have low spiritual I.Q.’s. It seems as if the Lord must burn down the school in order to get some of us out of it!”[1]

I think J. Vernon is correct. We spend way too much time ourselves in the “terrible wilderness.” We don’t enjoy all the blessings God has given us in life and remain unthankful most of the time. We are tempted in many ways and always feel like we’re under spiritual attack as Jesus was in his 40 days in the wilderness. Job had his wilderness experience. Elijah had a tough time during his wilderness experience when he wished had could die amid a severe pity party. It becomes a challenge just getting by one day at a time. Financial, material, physical, or emotional burdens may press on us. There is nothing we can do but wait on the Lord and we hate waiting, don’t we?  Paul has experience with periods in the terrible wilderness also. He describes it in 2 Corinthians 4:7-10, “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.” “The wilderness is an unpleasant place. We naturally want prosperity, health, and easy going. But the same God who created the garden also created the wilderness. There will be times of trial and pressure. Our faith will be tested. But the God of grace will meet us even in the wilderness. Missionary Amy Carmichael knew this truth: ‘Bare heights of loneliness . . . a wilderness whose burning winds sweep over glowing sands, what are they to HIM? Even there He can refresh us, even there He can renew us.’”[2] Well, Israel reached the point where it was time to leave the wilderness and enter the promised land. There will always come a time for us as well.

[1] McGee, J. Vernon. 1991. Thru the Bible Commentary: The Law (Deuteronomy). Electronic ed. Vol. 9. Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

[2] https://www.gotquestions.org/wilderness-experience.html

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Numbers 1:1

How God Speaks to Us

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
January 24, 2023

The phrase “The Lord spoke” appears nearly 100 times in the book of Numbers alone. We see it the first time in the first verse, “The Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tent of meeting, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt.” God spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai. He was instructing Moses on the next phase of their journey to the promised land. They never made it to the land in the book of Numbers, and it’s no wonder that in Hebrew, the book of Numbers is “Bemidbar.” This means “in the wilderness.” But some Hebrew manuscripts say its name is “wayeḏabbēr  meaning “Yahweh spoke.” Allen says, “From the opening words of the book (1:1) to the closing words (36:13), this is stated over 150 times and in more than twenty ways.”[1]

Moses was the spokesman for God. God’s custom was to call Moses to the “tent of meeting” to speak to him. God seems to have spoken to Moses in several ways beginning with the burning bush but regardless of when and how Moses was God’s spokesperson. Cole says, “Theologians have probed this enigma for millennia, giving rise to varied theories of inspiration. However, this communication was accomplished, whether by audible human speech form, mental and spiritual impression and compulsion, or by intellectual impregnation of ideas, the prophet Moses became the instrument for divine illumination of humankind of the will and word of God.”[2] Well, it sounds like the audible speech Moses received from God passed on in legible texts in the scriptures. The tent of meeting was the most critical part of the Israelite’s worship experience because it was from there that they heard an infallible word from God. When God spoke in Genesis, things happened. When God spoke to Moses, things happened.

But God doesn’t speak to us from a tent anymore, a temple, or any object that might have been housed in the tent or temple. According to John, God’s tabernacle is Jesus Christ! “In the beginning was the word (speech), and the word was with God, and the word was God.” This “word” was made flesh, and in John 1:14, it’s said to “tabernacle” with us. He dwelt with us. Hebrews also reminds us that in various times God spoke to us in many different ways. One of those ways was through the tent of meeting by the mouth of the prophet Moses. But today, He speaks to us in His Son. Once established by Moses, only priests could enter the tent, and only the High Priest could enter the most sacred compartment to bring the blood sacrifice for the people’s sins. But in Hebrews 9:11-12, Jesus has accomplished that for us once and for all. It says, “But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.”

[1] Allen, Ronald B. 1990. “Numbers.” In The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, edited by Frank E. Gaebelein, 2:701–2. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.

[2] Cole, R. Dennis. 2000. Numbers. Vol. 3B. The New American Commentary. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

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Leviticus 1:1-2

It’s All In The Blood!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
January 23, 2023

Leviticus is all about the animal sacrifices and other offerings that God’s people were to make. The focus is on “blood.” This is not new. God initiated blood sacrifice when he provided lamb skins for Adam and Eve after the fig leaves failed as an adequate covering for the shame of sin. Then Cain tried to bring another offering of the ground. Nor fig leaves, but bloodless. God did not accept it. Abel offered a blood sacrifice from his flock. God accepted that sacrifice. There is a well-known passage in Hebrews 9:22, “Indeed, under the law, almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins.” Leviticus begins with some specific instructions to Moses to pass on to the children of Israel. It begins, “The Lord called Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying, speak to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘When any one of you brings an offering to the Lord, you shall bring your offering of livestock from the herd or from the flock.’” The “herd” would represent cattle, and the “flock” represents smaller animals like goats and sheep.

Many of the sermons I’ve heard and preached on Leviticus had to do with the value of our offerings. Indeed, in an agricultural society, cattle and sheep were of most importance for people’s livelihoods. God insists that all our offerings cost us something. “The famed pastor W. A. Criswell told the story of a father and his son who went one Saturday to the local county fair where they splurged on the midway rides, the games, and plenty of cotton candy. The next morning the father and his son attended the Sunday church service, and the father placed a pittance in the offering place as it passed. ‘What did this teach the lad?’ Dr. Criswell rhetorically asked. The sad lesson learned that morning was that the county fair’s amusements were more important than the worship of God. King David said it best: ‘I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing’ (2 Samuel 24:24). Every person should give and should give sacrificially to the Lord’s work if there is to be true worship.”[1] Baker applies the passage to us similarly. He writes, “In an agricultural society where wealth and the very maintenance of life were measured in livestock, these animal presents came from the very life necessities of the people. By comparison, have not our gifts to the Lord at times become trivialized and cheap, not costing us? Does money, which is the ordinary form which offerings take today, really cost anything to many in today’s society? What would, in fact, be a sacrifice for those with abundant financial resources? Might not our time, our work, our service cost us more than cash in some cases?”[2]

With all the sacrifices we could make to God in response to such sermons, I must ask, “Where is the blood?” I don’t bleed when I give or serve. All of that seems to be no more than fig leaves that I attempt to use to cover up my guilt. An innocent life must be offered for the guilty. The animal sacrifice pictures for you and me the one sacrifice of blood that takes away our sins. That’s what John the Baptist meant when he pointed to Jesus and said, “Behold, the lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world.” Jesus, the innocent one, gave Himself as a blood offering for our sins. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “God made Jesus, who knew no sin, to become sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” Animal sacrifices have stopped with Jesus Christ. Animal sacrifices foreshadowed Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf. The only basis on which an animal sacrifice could provide forgiveness of sins is Christ. He would sacrifice Himself for our sins, providing the forgiveness that animal sacrifices could only illustrate and foreshadow. This is the actual application of the blood offerings in Leviticus. Appreciating this in our lives moves our hearts in gratitude to give to God and others!

[1] Mathews, Kenneth A. 2009. Leviticus: Holy God, Holy People. Preaching the Word. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

[2] Baker, David W. 1996. “Leviticus.” In Cornerstone Biblical Commentary: Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, edited by Philip W. Comfort, 2:16. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.

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Exodus 1:2-5

God Keeps His Promises

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
January 22, 2023

As we begin our journey through the book of Exodus, we’re introduced first to the twelve patriarchs of the twelve tribes of Jacob, Israel. The opening five verses say, “These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob, each with his household: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. All the descendants of Jacob were seventy persons; Joseph was already in Egypt.” It doesn’t recognize the order of their birth except for the first four sons of Leah: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah. Bilhah, Rachel’s handmaiden, then gave birth to Dan and Naphtali. Zilpah, Leah’s handmaiden, then birthed Gad and Asher. Leah again has two sons herself. They are Issachar and Zebulon. Finally, God opens the womb of Rachel, and she brings forth the two favorite sons of their father, Jacob: Joseph and Benjamin. Except for the last two, we know a lot about them. They were a motley crew and as they were starving to death during a famine in Canaan, there was very little to commend them. Ryken says they were not very powerful in comparison to the people around them “Nor could this ‘dirty dozen’ claim to be any more righteous than anyone else. Their family history was a sordid tale of treachery, philandering, and violence. Their father Jacob had betrayed his brother Esau by tricking him out of his birthright. Like father, like sons: By getting rid of Joseph, Jacob’s boys had tried to deny their father’s blessing. The most despicable of all was Judah, who had sex with his daughter-in-law Tamar. The sons of Israel were all sinners—ordinary mortals.”[1] They were very much like the rest of us.

70 people went down to Egypt. In the Book of Acts, Steven says there were 75 people. The Septuagint has a different figure. No one can count the number of words written about this detail. They are like stars in the sky! Skeptics use it to support their contention that there are errors in the Bible so many apologists go to great lengths to explain the differences. One web blogger does an excellent job and deals with every possible scenario. It is a horribly boring read! But his conclusion is priceless, “I say somewhat tongue in cheek: If this question were posed to me by a Bible skeptic, I feel sure that upon recounting all of the minute details of the various arguments to vindicate Stephen and/or reconcile the numbers, said skeptic would have fallen asleep or at least daydreamed through half so that they could not adequately counter my arguments. In the event that said skeptic had remained alert and still offered objection, I would point out the fact that the actual number of Jacob’s direct descendants that went to Egypt (66) is agreed upon by both the Greek and the Hebrew. The only thing that is disputed is whether or not Joseph’s extended family should be included, and if so, which ones. I’d also point out that the number doesn’t matter in the overall scheme of things anyway.”[2]

Verse five ends with the statement that all the descendants of Israel, Jacob, were now in Egypt along with Joseph. The original readers of this book were most likely the whole company of the Exodus that Moses took with him from Egypt to the wilderness. This was a massive number. Stuart says, “The main point of the first part of the verse being simply to inform the reader that the great nation of Israel that came out of Egypt numbering many tens of thousands had gone into Egypt numbering only seventy. The first readers of the book were people who belonged to the huge exodus nation, for whom Moses composed the narrative. This little detail was a reminder of the faithfulness of God to his promises. The background of this great host was traceable to a single man’s family.”[3] That single man was Israel who had come from the promises of God to Isaac and Abraham. God is faithful to keep his promises. John Piper concludes one of his sermons, “Nothing, not even nature, can cut the suffocating bands of anxiety from our soul, except one thing, the promises of God. Neither valium nor any other tranquilizer can compare to hearing God say, “Be content with what you have, for I will never fail you nor forsake you.”[4]

[1] Ryken, Philip Graham, and R. Kent Hughes. 2005. Exodus: Saved for God’s Glory. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

[2] https://truthsnitch.com/2017/06/21/many-jacobs-descendants-went-egypt-70-75/

[3] Stuart, Douglas K. 2006. Exodus. Vol. 2. The New American Commentary. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

[4] Piper, John. 2007. Sermons from John Piper (1980–1989). Minneapolis, MN: Desiring God.

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Genesis 7:1

Salvation is by Grace through Faith

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
January 21, 2023

Several people in the Bible are said to be “righteous.” Job and Noah are two Old Testament examples. The way Genesis 7:1 says it, one might think that Noah was righteous because of his good works. It says, “Then the Lord said to Noah, ‘Go into the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation.’” Then you read Paul’s comment in Romans 3:10-12, “There is none righteous, no not one.” He’s getting that from Psalm 14:1-3 which says, “The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.”

There is a difference between being “declared” righteous and actually being “righteous.” In our understanding “being righteous” is living a perfect, or close to perfect life and is related to our behavior. But the Hebrew verb used here is more judicial than practical. It is the judge speaking from the bench and dismissing the charges. It’s not that there weren’t any. They are just dismissed. Exell explains the Hebrew adjective, “Which signifies ‘to justify, make appear just, declare just;’ and, hence, gives to the adjective something of the same forensic force, ‘justified.’ The evangelical importance of this can scarcely be overstated. To be just is to be right in point of law, and thereby entitled to all the blessings of the acquitted and justified. When applied to the guilty, this epithet implies pardon of sin, among other benefits of grace.”[1] So even guilty people, like you and me, can be justified. God offers this justification to us on the same basis that he declared it upon Noah.

McGee says, “Why was Noah righteous? It was by faith, just as later on Abraham was counted righteous because of his faith: Noah believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness. That is the reason God saved him.”[2] It’s faith that pulls the cart of salvation, not works. Hebrews 11:7 “By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this, he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.” In my view, Noah could not have saved himself. Daniel could not have saved himself from the lions. Job could not save himself from the trials and struggles brought upon him by Satan. I agree with my Lutheran brother, “Noah, Daniel, and Job could not save themselves, nor the Jews, nor us from anything. In fact, they had no righteousness of their own. Their righteousness was not that of human works, but it was a gift of God’s grace received by faith.”[3] That’s why Paul can tell the Ephesians, “It is by grace you are saved, it is not of works lest any man should boast.” The Evangelical Presbyterian Church has a similar statement on this subject, “Being estranged from God and condemned by our sinfulness, our salvation is wholly dependent upon the work of God’s free grace. God credits His righteousness to those who put their faith in Christ alone for their salvation, thereby justifies them in His sight.”[4]

[1] Exell, Joseph S., and Thomas H. Leale. 1892. Genesis. The Preacher’s Complete Homiletic Commentary. New York; London; Toronto: Funk & Wagnalls Company.

[2] McGee, J. Vernon. 1991. Thru the Bible Commentary: The Law (Genesis 1-15). Electronic ed. Vol. 1. Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

[3] https://lutheranspokesman.org/2013/03/01/noah-daniel-and-job-cant-save/

[4] https://epc.org/about/beliefs/?

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Revelation 1:1

The End is Near!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
January 20, 2023

The title of the last book of the Bible comes from the very first line in its text. It says, “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place.” Commentators make much of the phrase “of Jesus Christ.” They ask is this a “subjective genitive or an objective genitive?” In plain language, they are asking if Jesus is the subject of the revelation or is He the object. Is it about Jesus or is it from Jesus? Charles says, “The genitive here is subjective. The revelation is given by Jesus Christ to John.”[1] Others will say it is an objective genitive and it is about Jesus. Why the discussion? Isn’t it both?  I agree with Trail, “It means both that Jesus Christ is the one who is revealed and that it comes from him.”[2] Arnold is with us, “It also declares that this divine revelation is from Jesus (its source) and about him (its content).”[3] Some see it as a fifth Gospel. “Most of us read the four Gospel books to hear the recorded words and deeds of Christ. Yet few of us think about reading Revelation for the same reason. That is a mistake. Revelation is an epistle from Jesus Christ that not only records his words but also his deeds throughout. In this sense, it is like a fifth Gospel book.”[4]

This is the “Apocalypse!” That’s the first word in the Greek text that is usually translated as “revelation.” It is all about an unveiling of something that has been hidden but is now being revealed. What is it uncovering? Brown says, “The Apocalypse is of His (Jesus’) second advent, and the preliminary events.”[5] John says it is about things that are to take place soon. It is about the future. We see the chain of the delivery of this revelation is from God to Jesus, to an angel, to John who is now passing it on to us. Wilcock says, “The Title tells us that this book is the Revelation of Jesus Christ given by God to his servants. If I am one of those who serve him, then this book is for me, however irrelevant its contents may seem when I first glance through it.”[6] The chain of delivery continues throughout history and reaches us.

About 2000 years have passed since the Revelation of and about Jesus was given to us through the angel and John and passed on from generation to generation. It is hard to grasp how it will all “take place soon” as John says. Many ignore the book to some extent because they fear since so much time has passed the Bible is not reliable. In my life, it feels like the days just crawl by sometimes, but the years fly by. At 76 I can vouch for the fact that it is coming soon. After my heart attack not long ago, I’m more conscious of my mortality than ever. Michaels has some good things to say about this, “Anyone who has faced the prospect of imminent death, whether from illness or accident, and then recovered knows how precious life then seems. The colors of the world are brighter and its contrasts sharper. Everything around us is etched more deeply than before in our senses and in our memories. When we assume that life will go on forever, one day often blurs into another, but when we are reminded that it has an end, every moment and every perception can come alive.”[7] This is what the “Revelation of Jesus Christ” can do for us all. In verse 3, God promises a special blessing to all those who read this book. That might be what He means.

[1] Charles, R.H. 1920. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Revelation of St John. Vol. 1. International Critical Commentary. Edinburgh: T&T Clark International.

[2] Trail, Ronald. 2008. An Exegetical Summary of Revelation 1–11. 2nd ed. Dallas, TX: SIL International.

[3] Arnold, Clinton E. 2002. Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary: Hebrews to Revelation. Vol. 4. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

[4] https://wyattgraham.com/revelation-is-a-fifth-gospel-in-which-jesus-fully-reveals-himself/

[5] Brown, David, A. R. Fausset, and Robert Jamieson. n.d. A Commentary, Critical, Experimental, and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments: Acts–Revelation. Vol. VI. London; Glasgow: William Collins, Sons, & Company, Limited.

[6] Wilcock, Michael. 1986. The Message of Revelation: I Saw Heaven Opened. The Bible Speaks Today. Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

[7] Michaels, J. Ramsey. 1997. Revelation. Vol. 20. The IVP New Testament Commentary Series. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

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