The Tree of Life
Read: Revelation 2:7; 22:1-5 To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. (Rev. 2:7) The original Tree of Life was in the Garden of Eden, along with the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. After Adam and Eve ate […]
Where Are We Rooted?
Read: Colossians 2:6-13 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. (vv. 6-7) If a plant in a pot does not flower, then we have to carefully examine it. We can check […]
The Alpha and the Omega
Read: 1 Corinthians 15:22-28 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God. (Rev. 1:8) Alpha and omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. In today’s reading, God says, in essence, “I’m the beginning and the end—and everything in between.” Nothing exists apart from God or outside of God. […]
Lost Love
Read: Revelation 2:2-6; Luke 7:36-50 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. (Rev. 2:4) In the musical Fiddler on the Roof, the main character, beset by the uncertainties swirling around his life and family, asks his wife, “Do you love me?” She replies, “Do I what? […]
Among the Lampstands
Read: Revelation 2:1; Matthew 18:18-20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them. (Matt. 18:20) The Lord Jesus dictated seven letters to John for distribution among the churches of Asia Minor. Each letter is addressed to the “angel” of the church. Since angellos in Greek means “messenger,” it […]
What Jesus Looks Like Now
Read: Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14; Revelation 1:12-17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. (Rev. 1:17) What’s your mental picture of Jesus? Some might think of a painting that once hung in many a church lounge, a portrait of an olive-skinned Jesus with brown hair and beard and a rather dreamy […]
Partners in Tribulation
Read: Revelation 1:4-9; John 16:25-33 I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus . . . (Rev. 1:9) A key word in the book of Revelation is thlipsis, meaning distress, suffering, tribulation. John knew all about thlipsis, and so did the churches he […]
To Him Be Glory Forever
Read: Revelation 1:4-6; 5:1-14 . . . to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. (Rev. 1:6) In Greek, doxology means a “word of glory.” Doxologies are brief ascriptions of praise that Christians have used in worship since the very beginning. The salutation of Revelation 1:4-5 is Trinitarian: John offers his readers grace and […]
Blessed Reading, Blessed Hearing
Read: Revelation 1:1-3 Blessed is the one who reads . . . this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it. (v. 3) Jesus didn’t just rise from the dead; he is risen. He’s alive right now, and he’s still speaking to his disciples. The opening chapters of […]