The Lamb that Was Slain - Revelation chapters 4, 5, 13, 19 and 21

“Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah.  For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. 11 They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.” (Revelation 12:10-11)
 
The mid-sections of John’s Revelation seem, well, pretty far out.  One explanation for the exotic imagery used in the book is that John, writing from prison under Roman guard, chose heavily codified language in order to sneak it past the censors and not endanger the life of anyone caught reading it.  But whilst those without spiritual discernment (all of us at first) might dismiss it as the delusions of a mad man, read with a mind already changed by the spirit and informed by scripture, Revelation is no less than a call to a radical revolution against the evil influences at work in the power-structures of the world.  John’s message was that following Jesus meant bringing about another kingdom other than the Roman Empire and pledging allegiance to another supremacy than Ceasar.  As John gazed in to the future under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he saw that this battle would become global and last until the end of time itself.  As a result, there would be great tribulation for followers of Jesus to endure throughout the ages and grave choices for us to make.
 
In chapter 4 John sees Jesus in the figure of a man, as the king of heaven, seated on the throne, deserving and receiving constant worship as having been the creator of everything.  In chapter 5 Jesus is still reigning victoriously, now worthy and able to oversee the completion of everything.  However, the imagery changes, as Jesus is now re-seen in the figure of a sacrificial lamb.  So between the start and end of the world, Jesus has been offered as an effective sacrifice.  He is to be worshipped not only as the start and end of all things, but also because, “with your blood you purchased people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.  You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on earth” (Revelation 5:10).  John saw Jesus as the centre of all things throughout all history, indeed the master and redeemer of history itself.  We have a lot to worship Jesus for.
 
In chapter 13 John sees horrors that are to unfurl as Satan, pictured as two wounded, waring beasts active in devouring and deceiving many people and craving their worship, causes all kinds of distress.  Many have made attempts to fit the various scenes of Revelation in to chronological human history but the book seems to resist such a simplistic view.  However, the feel of many of the scenes, like this one in Chapter 13, matches something about the times we are living in.  John’s clear warning for those who believe is stark: “This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints…This calls for wisdom” (Revelation 13:10, 18).
 
John sees Satan as a furious defeated foe, left to roam earth as God works out his salvation plan.  He is finally finished off in Chapter 20, preceded by worship in heaven in Chapter 19 that, “sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting” (Revelation 19:1).  I love quiet, tender and reflective worship music sometimes.  But we shouldn’t lose the habit of loud worship, roaring and shouting the praise of God.  I’m so thankful for our skilled worship leaders, trained and able to take us through this full spectrum and discerning about when and how to do that.  God has blessed us in these days with some very skilled worship leaders and without putting them on unhelpful pedestals, we should honour and follow them.
 
Enduring the great battles of life and remaining faithful, loving and forgiving our enemies, publicly testifying to our relationship with Jesus, and choosing to worship him even when things are tough – will all be worth it.  Chapter 21 sees the initiation of a new heaven and a new earth.  John is told, “’Look! God’s dwelling-place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.  He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’   He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!’” (Revelation 21:3-5)
 
What else can we do today but worship Jesus, seated on the throne?  If you can today, find somewhere where you can be alone and shout out your praise to Jesus.  Pray that we might keep our passion for worship and pray for our worship leaders.  Ask God for the strength to endure and remain faithful, and for the wisdom we’ll need along the way.  Ask God to build within us a certainty about the hope of heaven and the renewal of all things – the real future that we’ll all one day see.
 
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1)