We switch our Bible study book from Matthew to the Revelation

Revelation 1:5, 6

“To him who loves us and has freed is from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father – to him be glory and power forever and ever.  Amen.”

The Apostle John was well into his nineties when God opened his eyes and heart to see, once again, his beloved Jesus Christ and the hand of God at work in his time.  For John, it was a very trying time.  The seven churches of central Turkey were flourishing when the Roman Emperor lashed out against the church because they refused to declare that Caesar is Lord, a decree for all in the Empire. The believers knew that Jesus Christ is Lord, there is no other.   Jesus is Lord!   And Jesus is not just the Lord of the believers, he is the Lord of all, even over Caesar.

The believers suffered greatly for their refusal to worship the Emperor as Lord.   I do believe that in the vast Roman Empire that stretched from Britain to Persia, it was only the followers of Jesus who refused to acknowledge that Caesar is Lord.  I find that remarkable. That is our heritage.

Their leader, John, found himself among the stone cutters on the Island of Patmos, a prisoner of Rome.  This turn of events was so dramatic that God knew that John, in the swirl of changes, needed a new vision of Jesus Christ and his kingdom, at least that is the way I see it.  I speak from experience for I, too, have had my share of transitions as a cross-culture missionary. I often needed new glimpses into heaven in order to make sense of what is happening on the earth.

John must have been comforted to be reminded, in a powerful way, that Jesus Christ is, “The ruler of the kings of the earth.”  v 5  John did not try to figure things out.  He could have asked, “Then why am I a prisoner of Caesar?”  When he heard the word of God again that Jesus is ruler of all, he had no further questions.  Jesus said it and John believed it even though it did not square with the present reality.

Here is food for spiritual thought!  I am at the table, spoon in hand.