“Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.

• Rev. 1:17b-18

As we have observed previously, these letters are written to the Church at all times and in all places, and we must therefore ask what we at Riverwood are to take from this study? We must also take seriously the Words of Jesus which demand a response. As we bring this series to a close we want to conclude where we began, by considering the importance of visual imagery, the vision of the Son of Man (1:12-16) in particular.

As we have noted throughout the series, this vision is the primary focal point of the letters because it reveals to the churches that it is Jesus Himself is who is their true author. The vision presents Jesus as the Messiah, the King of all creation (1:14) who is sovereign over all things and who is worthy of the worship of His churches. It also presents Jesus as the Priest who who is active among His churches, tending the lampstands in the temple of God (1:12,16). Finally, He is presented as the great Prophet who proclaims the Word of God to the churches by the power of God’s Spirit (Rev. 2-3). The prophetic words of Christ found within the letters demonstrate His knowledge of His churches and the circumstances that they face within the world and contain elements of both warning and invitation.

Although the churches await a glorious future with Jesus, the present reality of life in a fallen world means that they face both external and internal threats. Externally, the church faces the threat of persecution (Rev. 2:3,10,13), as well as the allure of the world system (3:17). Internally, the church can be tempted towards discouragement and complacency (2:4-5; 3:1b-2,15-16) or can succumb to false teaching (2:14-15; 2:20-22). The most potentially damaging internal threat to the churches, however, is their own tendency to compromise the worship of Christ with the worship of idols, the most pernicious of which are sex (2:14,20) and wealth (2:17).

The only way that the churches can remain faithful in these difficult times is for them to walk faithfully with Christ. The great gift of these letters are the continual reminders of who Jesus is (2:1,8,12,18; 3:1,7,14) and of His promises to the ones who conquer/overcome (2:7,11,17,26-28; 3:5-6,12-13,21-22). Seeing Jesus for who He truly is draws the hearts of His people to Him and reminds them that the temptations of the world cannot compare with the satisfaction of knowing Him. Being reminded of His great promises shows the church that the persecution that they may experience is nothing when compared with the glories which await us.

Join us this Sunday as we conclude our study of these wonderful chapters of Scripture!

Soli Deo Gloria.

-Thomas