As we continued our Bible studies on ‘the end of the world as we know it’, we looked at the start of Revelation 1, the introduction to possibly the most misunderstood book in the Bible. A ‘revelation’ (or ‘apocalypse’) simply means an unveiling, and in this book, a vision given by God to the apostle John as a letter to seven churches in Asia, we see an unveiling of the person of Jesus Christ, described in this first chapter as the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the one who was, and is, and is to come. (Rev 1:8) There is much we do not understand in this book, but the centrality and importance of Jesus – who He is and what He has done for us – remain at its heart, and at the heart of world history.
The vision is given to John while he was in exile for his faith, a reminder to us that circumstances do not have to define or control us. Though he was physically in exile and a companion to Christians in suffering for the gospel, he was also ‘in the Spirit’ and able to receive this wonderful message from God. In these opening verses, we are reminded of the grace and peace of God, won for us by Jesus through His sacrifice on the cross, and that we are loved, freed from our sins and set on a new path of service for God. Who we are always needs to be interpreted by whose we are and by what God says of us.
Even before John sees Jesus in this great vision, He hears a voice speaking to him, a voice like a trumpet. God’s voice is powerful (see Psalm 29); it is often described as louder than rushing waters (Ps 93).Jesus is described as the Word of God, the Father’s way of speaking to the world (see John 1, Hebrews 1); He is the Good Shepherd whose sheep know His voice (John 10). A voice is intensely personal and recognisable; we need to learn to listen for God’s voice (even when it comes as a gentle whisper, as it did to Elijah in 1 Kings 19). God’s voice and His words are what make the difference in life.
