Bible Studies for Life Sunday School Lesson for March 5, 2017

Bible Studies for Life Sunday School Lesson for March 5, 2017

Bible Studies for Life By James Riley Strange, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Religion, Samford University

Jesus, Our Victor
Revelation 1:12–20

Contrary to the way we read it, John’s revelation is meant to encourage believers who are suffering persecution for their faith (Rev. 1:9; 13:9–10). It is a book of hope. It can be hard for American Christians to grasp the weight of this hope because we comprise the majority of citizens, and the vast majority of our elected officials say they share our faith. But we know of places in the world where our brothers and sisters suffer because of their faithfulness to God.

For them the hope in God that John discovers is not an abstract idea. I suggest even if you discuss only the printed verses, you begin reading with Revelation 1:1.

The glory of Christ reflects His victory. (12–16)

Notice that starting in verse 10, John must use similes, for language cannot fully describe the divine. John’s first readers would have understood “seven golden lampstands” as a vision connected with the temple in Jerusalem, where the menorah — a gold, seven-branched lampstand — stood until the year 70. Perhaps John’s vision shows us that God’s light — God’s wisdom and righteousness — now abides with the Church. John’s vision also links to Daniel 7, where we first see “one like a Son of Man” (v. 13). The colors and substances resemble Daniel’s Ancient of Days and represent attributes of God: a gold sash for honor, white for age and purity, fire for refining, waters for subduing chaos (Gen. 1:2, 9–10), a two-edged sword for prophecy (Isa. 49:2) and so on.

The seven churches named in verse 11 all lie in the Roman province of Asia, in the western part of modern Turkey. John indicates that Christians there are undergoing persecution (Rev. 1:9), probably for refusing to worship images of the emperor (13:11–15; 20:4), and John anticipates the persecution will get much worse before God’s redemption comes.

The resurrection of Christ guarantees His victory. (17–18)

John’s terror puts him in the company of Isaiah (6:5), Daniel (7:15) and others in the Bible who encounter the divine. John is not to fear, however, because the alarming “one like the Son of Man” is none other than Jesus. And even though it appears the wicked — in this case, the Roman Empire — control everything, it is Jesus Himself who is in control. That God is a God of justice no matter how things appear. God’s justice will triumph in the new heaven and earth.

John calls the abode of the dead “Hades” (Rev. 20:13). But death and Hades also are powers that will meet the same fate as the devil and the wicked (20:10–15). Jesus’ death and resurrection show that death, Hades and the devil only have temporary power.

The Church is victorious because Christ is victorious. (19–20)

The lampstands represent the seven churches of verse 11 and the stars represent angels of these churches. They are not brick buildings; rather each city probably has several small congregations that meet in houses. Each “church” has an “angel.” The word simply means “messenger,” in this case someone who communicates God’s message to a church.

Note the risen Jesus stands in the midst of the lampstands, the churches. This is both a warning and one of the first words of hope for the churches as they face oppression.

Despite its bizarre and frightening images, Revelation expresses a sober realism. Things are bad for the churches of Asia and they are likely to get worse, so much so that some of their members will die in persecutions. Nevertheless they must remain faithful even if they must wait for the coming new creation to experience God’s justice.