REVELATION’S BIG 3 | ENDURANCE, HOLINESS & CONFIDENCE
As you well know SGC, we have been hearing God’s Word from Revelation lately. What an amazing time, right?! It goes without saying, that the vision God gave Jesus Christ (1:1) to give to John while he was “in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day” (1:10, 14:13) has been quite thoroughgoing and eye opening. Definitely a much more practical and day to day letter to the church that many have missed this meaning of as flights of fancy have so often predominated about Revelation.
Our time in Revelation has surely fed our faith. And, this is of primary interest throughout Revelation. Jesus is actually aiming to encourage the faith of Christians – those God has sealed for salvation with His name and the name of Jesus (3:12, 7:3-8, 9:4, 13:8), those Jesus has commanded to be measured as means of adding them to His church (11:1-2) – toward endurance (13:10, 14:12, 2:25-29, 3:10-11). An endurance that even those who have died and gone to be with Jesus in heavenly places are encouraged with (6:9-11).
Why endurance? Well, our Lord is encouraging an endurance of faith because the impact sinful interlopers, disease, oppression, and spiritual warfare were having upon Christians living life out during the last days. An impact immediately being experienced in the days of the churches of Revelation (ch’s.2-3). And, an impact that will be continually experienced throughout the church age, until Jesus returns. After all, the last days began with the ascension of Jesus and continue until he returns (Rev.1:9;1 John 2:18; Hebrews 1:1-2; 2 Peter 2:3-4; 2 Timothy 3:1-5; Acts 2:17(1-17).
We all need to hear Jesus’ call to endure, even as the early church did. While the issues that we find ourselves embroiled with in 2020 aren’t nearly the same as what the churches Revelation was originally written to toward the end of the 1st century going into the 2nd were experiencing, you and I nevertheless experience personal conditions and situations such that we need to hear Christ’s encouragement to endure. Much like my high school track teammates were vocally encouraging me to endure the burn in my legs as I caught the lead runner toward the end of our 4×4 relay. Their voices encouraged me to endure the burn and surpass that lead runner for the team win.
Maybe you need to hear Jesus’ encouragement to endure in faith. Maybe you are wearied by a prolonged illness that doesn’t seem to give you a breather. Perhaps you are parenting a special needs child and wrestle with questions, worries and uncertainties. Maybe you are processing a change of career to have more available time for ministry. In the areas of church or family. If not both. Or, possibly you are processing how to raise children in such a tipsy turvy culture where sinful license is seemingly ubiquitous. So forth and so on.
Well, “Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep. . .their faith in Jesus” (Rev.14:12). Jesus Himself encourages your faith, whenever and wherever you are!
In addition to encouragement, there is another salient message that courses throughout Revelation. A message of fear. That’s right! Now, you may be thinking to yourself, “Well, one of the most oft repeated prohibitions throughout God’s Word is, ‘fear not’ or ‘do not be afraid’?!” This is indubitably true. This, though, is more often than not, a call to not recoil from the faith and endure while trusting the Lord; as touched on above. However, the message of fear in Revelation, is a different kind of fear. It is a true and sober and godly fear. A fear of God that cultivates and motivates a life of holiness and reverence for God.
As the eternal gospel is being proclaimed throughout the last days, we find in Revelation 14:7, that this gospel declaration includes a call to, “Fear God and give him glory. . .and worship him” as your Creator. Our Creator.
We find this dichotomy of fears and differentiation of fear being taught by Moses in Exodus 20:20, “Do not be afraid; for God has come into order to test you, and in order that the fear of Him (reverence) may remain with you, so that you may not sin (holiness).” Jesus calls us to a pursuit of holiness and a life of reverence throughout Revelation. Even as He is calling us to an endurance of faith while not fearing our experiences.
As a young adolescent, there was a trendy clothing line recognized by the expression ‘No Fear’. It was quite popular when I was in 9th grade. If you have no memory of it, this is understandable. This brand was en vogue during the mid 1990’s. This lifestyle clothing brand was meant to engender an existential and situational and recreational fearlessness. Which is why, it makes total sense that such attire was popular with extreme sports enthusiasts. The brand’s expression, ‘No Fear’ promoted disdain for social traditions and brazen disregard for law and order.
Conversely, the fear of God calls us to sport or don a different sort of attire with an entirely different message and lifestyle. Throughout Revelation, God calls us to ‘Know Fear’ rather than to have ‘No Fear’, in relation to the Lord, as we are positioning ourselves toward sin. Rather, against sin.
In fact, when brought to saving faith, we are brought into a reverent fear of God throughout life, as Moses was teaching above in Exodus.
Reading through Proverbs and Psalms you will notice this emphasis quite resoundingly.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom that promotes life :
Proverbs 19:23, “The fear of the Lord leads to life”
Proverbs 14:27, “The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, that one may avoid the snares
of death”
Psalm 34:11, “Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.”
Psalm 128:1, “How blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, Who walks in His ways”
The fear of the Lord promotes holiness and reverence throughout life:
Proverbs 23:17, “Do not let your heart envy sinners, But live in the fear of the Lord
always”
Proverbs 8:13, “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil”
Psalms 112:1, “How blessed is the man who fears the Lord, Who greatly delights in His
commandments”
Again, this fear of the Lord brings us to sport or don a different sort of attire with an entirely different message and lifestyle. For instance, Revelation 3:4 calls upon the church to be those who, “have not soiled their garments (soiled with lifestyles of sin, that is)”. What’s more, Christ calls for the 7 churches of Revelation 2-3 -representing the church throughout the ages until Jesus returns- to repent. This is an unavoidable illustration of Jesus calling us to holiness and reverence.
After all, they’re being called to repent or turn away from sinful practices, temptations, cultures, attitudes, traditions and lifestyles among intense suffering and localized persecution. Suffering that was only increasing in intensity. Bearing this in mind, it is beyond cavil that holiness and reverence aren’t an after thought for Jesus in Revelation.
So, we aren’t only called upon by Jesus to an endurance of faith, but a holiness of faith, “Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus” (Rev.14:12)
However, holiness and reverence are often points of emphasis that fall in between the couch cushions like loose change from our pockets never to be seen again. This happens, when you excuse sin in the name of forgiveness. Or, presume upon grace as an allowance for sin. You also experience this as you disengage from personal devotions or worshipping with the church because, as you’re rationalizing, you aren’t committing adultery or aren’t sinning as much as someone else. Or, you become comfortable with anger, lust or jealously, because you aren’t murdering someone, or watching pornography or stealing from others or gossiping. This also happens as you minimize sinful trends and practices among your friends, by going along with them because it is common place or pop culture, rather than not going along with the herd or bringing sin up as an issue.
Beyond endurance and holiness (fear of God), Revelation also feeds our faith with confidence. This is another major thread weaved into the tapestry this book. This confidence is the peanut butter and jelly that holds the two slices of bread (endurance and holiness) together.
Throughout Revelation Jesus is heralded as Sovereign Ruler and Lord over all of creation and salvation history. Right out of the gate He is declared to be, “the ruler of kings on earth” (1:5). Including the brutal tyrannical Caesars who would oppress the church such as Domitian and the like. Shortly after this, Jesus identifies Himself as “the first and the last, and the living one, I died, and behold I am alive forever more, and I have the keys of Death and Hades” (1:17-18). As the first and the last He holds all things in His hands. Having died, He overcame sin, judgement for sin and death through His resurrection. Such that he has the keys of authority and power over Death and Hades. A key, He hands over to Satan who opens the bottomless pit for demonic activity to unfurl (9:3). Jesus has power and authority over these.
This is underscored by how the demon locusts of 9:4-5 are forbidden by Christ to spiritually devastate all those saved by God throughout the last days, while being able to instigate their derision only because they are allowed by Jesus. We find this language of Christ’s restriction and permission re-occurring in Revelation (6:2 “crown was given”, 6:4, “rider was permitted”, “he was given a great sword”, 7:2, “four angels who had been given power to harm earth and seas” are limited in their activity according to Jesus’ command etc).
SGC, our endurance and holiness are rooted in the rich soil of the confidence we have in Jesus Christ. Whom the angels ascribe, “power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing” (5:12) to, upon Him ascending to the right hand of Father God (5:1-14). The “right hand of Power” as Jesus Himself describes it in Mark 14:62.
In being “the first and last” of Revelation 1, Jesus is also the, “the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end” of Revelation 22:13. All of salvation history, until Jesus returns, including every single event that occurs, is subject to the power and authority of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
Our endurance through sickness, suffering, depression, justified divorce, death, and so forth, is possible because of our confidence in Jesus who is over all and in all. Who Himself endured the cross and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:2). We look to Him to endure.
Our holiness in the face of sinful pressure, temptation, doubt, inconvenience, imposition, marginalization, and so forth, is possible because of our confidence in Jesus. After all, “ because he himself has suffered when tempted (though without sin 4:15), he is able to help those who are being tempted (Hebrews 2:18, 4:14-16). We pursue holiness in the face of sinful pressure or pressure to sin, because of Jesus who lived to the point of death, being tempted all the way and in every way, although without sin.
“It is no longer I who live”. . .No longer Rachel who lives, Demetrius who lives, Gerald who lives, Sasha who lives. . . “But Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20)