Revelation 1:9-20

This book is perfect for a time when the Church has it's back against the wall. It tells us that Jesus is Lord, and is the last word in human history. This book is a huge encouragement - Jesus Christ is Lord and nothing can stand against us! This changes everything!

John begins by highlighting the pain and suffering that both him and the church are going through. Authentic Christian faith will undergo suffering, that much is clear from many in the Bible. But there is an endurance that Christ brings. Hang on in there and the end will come - how glorious will that be!

Chirst is closer to us in those times, He is right there beside us. If we don't go through the 'Patmoses' of life we won't get to experience the amazing comfort and salvation that Christ brings into our lives.

Looking a the description of the Son of Man, we see that comparing to Daniel 7 shows us that He is Yahweh - the God made flesh. Jesus who is absolute dieity, has absolute humanity too. He is one of us and understands us. The description evokes the majesty of Christ. We are intimate but He has such majesty that is beyond us and unique. His beauty is inexpressible, and we do not even compare to Him. But the great story of the gospel is that He came so that one day we might stand before this figure and see Him. We are being prepared to see God.

The image of God is both a judge and a priest. He builds the bridge between the perfect judge and a sinful humanity. His understanding allows our brokenness to be forgiven. We can shelter in Christ.

There is an immense amount of fear in our world today. There is only one true fear and that should be the judgement of a Holy God (not the God Himself, though) but Christ has rescued us from that judgement and we are free to live without fear. We know the Lord of life, and so the inevitable death we will have is not something to fear. So we should live boldly our faith in Him. We cannot put ourselves in comfort and compromise the gospel that saved us. We should be bold and risk-taking Christians. So don't be afraid!