Glory to God! Hallelujah! God is good and He is faithful! You and I, as God’s dearly loved children, can boldly and loudly testify that our Father in heaven who is the Lord God Almighty has been good to us throughout the past week. Of course, the Lord had been good to me and I am sure that He was good to you too. It is not just you and me God loves but everyone on planet earth (God loves everything He created, this includes mankind whom He created in His likeness and image [Genesis 1:26-27; 2:7] despite their rebellious attitude towards Him), and everything beyond planet earth (which includes the angelic beings and rest of His creation in the universe). We can understand that God loves His creation because He was pleased with what He created, as it is mentioned that God looked at all that He created and saw that it was good (Genesis 1:10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31). One of the Psalmists testified that: How many are your works, LORD! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures (Psalm 104:24). God loves you and I and everyone else because God is love (1 John 4:7-9, 10, 19). Some of the Scripture passages we can refer in this regard are: John 3:16, which says: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life; Romans 5:8, which states: God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us; Matthew 5:45, which states (Jesus commanded His disciples and other followers to): love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous; Ephesians 4:32, which states: Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you; Deuteronomy 10:17, which states: For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, mighty, and awesome God, showing no partiality and accepting no bribe; Romans 2:11, which states: For God does not show favoritism; and there might be many more similar Scripture passages in this regard. In response to God’s love for us and everything He has said and done for us, we are called to love Him, trust Him, and obey Him in word and deed.

The Lord God has blessed us with a very wonderful Scripture passage for our meditation this week, which is taken from Revelation 1:1-3, which is canonically placed as the last book in the Bible. Although, at the deep end, the message is received and written down by Apostle John while he was in banishment on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus (Revelation 1:9).  The message itself is revealed by God the Father to God the Son Christ Jesus who made it known by sending His angel to His servant John, the disciple whom Jesus loved the most (John 13:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:7, 20), and John received the prophetical message on the Lord’s day while he was in the Spirit (John 1:10).  John, in turn, testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ (Revelation 1:11a), so that rest of God’s servants and all those who faithfully adore and worship Him will be able to understand what is about to happen in the near future (Revelation 1:2). Although, this prophetical message was written for the seven churches, which are: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea (Revelation 1:11), these seven churches represent the rest of the churches across the world, and thus, it is meant to be for all churches and all believers across the world. The contents of the message mentioned in the book of Revelation is the revelation that God the Father revealed to Jesus Christ to show His servants regarding the things/events that are about to take place in the near future, as it is mentioned in Revelation 1:1a that The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. The message includes the end-time events (Revelation 12:9; 13:1-18; 20:1-15), including Jesus’ second coming, God’s judgements (Revelation 6:1-17; 22:12-21); the new Jerusalem, new heave, and new earth (Revelation 21:1-2; also refer to Isaiah 65:17; 66:22; 2 Peter 3:13); God’s judgement upon the earth – warnings of punishment to those who live an unrighteous life [those who carry out wicked deeds] as well as promises of reward to those who live a righteous life [those who carry out righteous deeds] (Revelation 22:10-14); the proclamation of the eternal gospel (Revelation 14:6); everlasting life with the Lord God Almighty, i.e., God the father, God the Son Jesus Christ, and God the Holy Spirit (Revelation 7:16-17; 21:3-4); and so on. Christ’s revelation to John also focused on urging those who are doing wrong to stop doing wrong and return to the Lord God Almighty with a repented heart and accept the Lordship of Jesus Christ in their lives in order to be entitled for God’s blessings that includes eternal life that is promised for everyone who obeys His righteous laws and decrees wholeheartedly and lives a righteous life (Revelation 3:3; 11:18; 12:9; 20:7-10; 22:5; also refer to: Matthew 19:29; John 3:16; 5:24; 10:28; Romans 6:23; Titus 1:2; 1 John 2:25; 5:11-13). In and through all these things, God is fulfilling all that He has promised in the Holy Scriptures.

God spoke through prophet Isaiah that He is doing a new thing: See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland (Isaiah 43:19). As God is making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland, He will make the juniper grow instead of the thorn-bush and the myrtle will grow in the place of briers (Isaiah 55:13). As part of making everything new, God will make new Jerusalem, new heaven, and new earth (Revelation 21:1-2; also refer to Isaiah 65:17; 66:22; 2 Peter 3:13); and He will give us a new heart and put a new spirit within us (Ezekiel 36:26; 2 Corinthians 5:17), and so on. This will take place when God establishes His everlasting Kingdom at the return of Jesus Christ (Revelation 21:5; also refer to: Isaiah 65:17; 66:22). As a result, the human kingdoms will end and God’s Kingdom will be established, as prophet Daniel stated: In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever (Daniel 2:44). In fact, the kingdoms of the earth will become the Kingdom of our God, as it is mentioned in the book of Revelation: The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever (Revelation 11:15). Similarly, the reign of the earthly kings will end and, from that time forward, Jesus Christ, the King of kings and the Lord of lords will reign over us forever and ever (Revelation 11:15b); and we, His chosen people, will reign with Him, as Apostle John mentioned: … with your blood you purchased for God persons 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 the earth (Revelation 5:9b-10) because the God whom we worship is a God of compassion and faithfulness: … the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness (Lamentations 3:20-23).

God has been continuously speaking to mankind ever since we were created by Him. Almost all the prophetical books in the Holy Scriptures, particularly the book of Revelation, speak about God’s plan for end-time events. The end of everything we see and hear in the world will come soon and, at the same time, everything that is promised in the Holy Scriptures will come into being. As we meditate upon the Scripture chosen for our meditation (Revelation 1:1-3), let us know the fact that God is Sovereign and He rules over everything He created in this universe (Psalm 103:19), and He is sovereign to judge everyone and everything He created, as John stated:

Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire (John 20:11-15; also refer to: Psalm 9:7-8; Ecclesiastes 12:14; Romans 2:6)

As the creator and the sustainer of the universe, He is Sovereign over everything He created: His sovereignty in judging the world and everything in it, including humanity (Revelation 20:11-12); His sovereignty in judging the heavenly bodies, including the angels who resisted the authority of God (Revelation 19:20; 20:10; also refer to: 2 Peter 2:4); His sovereignty in holding Satan accountable for every evil act He committed (1 John 3:7-8); His sovereignty on bringing an end to all kinds of evil practices on earth (Psalm 103:6-12, 17-18); His sovereignty in saving all those who willfully call upon His name and worship Him (Psalm 145:18-20; Romans 10:13; 1 Timothy 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9); His sovereignty in punishing the rebellious and wicked people who have revolted against God’s plans and purposes (Revelation 6:16); His sovereignty over death and hell (Revelation 20:14-15; His sovereignty in overthrowing the existing heaven and earth and creating a new heaven and a new earth (Revelation 20:11; 21:1; also refer to: Isaiah 65:17; Matthew 24:35; 2 Peter 3:13); and so on. As we have seen, the Father, who is the Lord God Almighty, is the supreme judge, as prophet Isaiah noted: For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; it is he who will save us (Isaiah 33:22; also refer to: Psalm 75:7; 98:9; James 4:12; 1 Peter 1:17). However, the Father has given the authority and power to judge the world to His Son Jesus Christ (John 5:22-23), as Apostle John stated: The Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him (John 5:22-23).  Apostle Paul stated that God judges people’s secrets through Jesus Christ (Romans 2:16). Jesus Himself said to His disciples/apostles as He was just about to ascend to Heaven that all authority in heaven and earth is given to Him, as it is mentioned in Matthew: Then Jesus came to them and said, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me (Matthew 28:18).

In connection with our meditation this week, when God the Father revealed all that is going to take place in the near future, first of all, He revealed it to His Son Jesus Christ and commanded Him to let His servants know about it (Revelation 1:1). And so, Jesus is going to be the in-charge of everything that is going take place in the universe as He was appointed by the Father, for it is written: For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done (Matthew 16:27; [25:31; 26:64]). Apostle Paul also stated that We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad (2 Corinthians 5:10). Jesus said: Behold, I am coming soon, and My reward is with Me, to give to each one according to what he has done (Revelation 22:12). Therefore, let us place our trust and hope in Christ Jesus who is the Lion of the tribe of Judah and the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world, as Apostle John mentioned:

… See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals. Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth (Revelation 5:5-6; also refer to: Revelation 17:14; (Revelation 13:8; 17:14; Isaiah 53:7; John 1:29, 36)

Yes, He [Jesus Christ] is the Lion of Judah, He is the Lamb that was slain, He is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, and the King of kings (Deuteronomy 10:17; Revelation 19:16; Psalm 136:3; Daniel 2:47; Matthew 28:18; 1 Timothy 6:15), He is the One who saved us (you, me, and everyone else who accepts His Lordship in their lives) from the power of sin and death (Ezekiel 18:4; Proverbs 10:16; Revelation 1:18; [Romans 6:23; 8:2; 2 Corinthians 5:21;1 Peter 2:24]), and He is the Lord and Savior of our life and made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father (Revelation 1:6; 5:10).

As we continue to meditate upon the Scripture passage we chose for our meditation (Revelation 1:1-3), it will be our privilege to know the revelation that God the Father revealed to Jesus Christ to show His servants what must soon take place (Revelation 1:1). In fact, the scroll that contains the revelation is held in the hand of the One who is seated on the throne, as John stated: I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals (Revelation 5:1). We can understand from what Apostle John heard and saw in his vision that there was no one worthy in heaven or on earth or under the earth to open or even look inside the scroll that is held in the right hand of the one who is seated on the throne (Revelation 5:1-3); but the Lamb alone was worthy to open the scroll and its seven seals (Revelation 5:5b-6a) and He went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne (Revelation 5:7 & 9-13). The angelic hosts in heaven and the twenty-four elders praised Him, saying: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come … You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being (Revelation 4:8-11). Perhaps, the scroll contains the description of everything that took place on earth from its creation as well as all that is going to take place at the end of the age (Revelation 1:1-3), which includes Christ’s return, God’s judgement upon the earth and establishment of God’s Kingdom on earth, and so on.  As it is mentioned in Psalms: Let all creation rejoice before the LORD, for he comes, he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his faithfulness (Psalm 96:13; 98:9). We read in the gospel of Matthew that:

When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world … 41 Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:31-41)

Apostle John, in his vision, saw God’s judgment upon each person according to what they have done, as he mentioned:

And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done (Revelation 20:12-13)

During God’s judgement on earth, the godly [the righteous] will be redeemed (Hosea 13:14) and rewarded and the ungodly [the unrighteous] will be sentenced and punished (Revelation 20:12; 22:12; also refer to: Ecclesiastes 12:14; Psalm 98:9; Proverbs 24:12; Daniel 7:10; Matthew16:27; 25:41, 46; Romans 2:6, 16; 6:23; 14:12; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Hebrews 4:13). Apostle Paul’s own testimony is one of the best examples of those who are living a godly life, as he mentioned:

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing (2 Timothy 4:7-8)

At the end of God’s judgement on earth, the Lord God Almighty will throw death and Hades into the lake of fire, which is the second death (Revelation 20:14); and, thus, the Lord God will destroy the last enemy – death – completely (1 Corinthians 15:26). The God of heaven will set up His Kingdom among His people (Daniel 2:44) and, from that time forward, He will make His dwelling among His people permanently:

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 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 (Revelation 21:3-4).

Again, it is written about God’s chosen people that:

They are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat down on them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes (Matthew 7:15-17)

Dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, as we conclude this meditation, let us know the scriptural truth that those who read the Word aloud and those who hear it and those who take it to heart and those who obey them and those who live according to what is written in the Word will be blessed, as the Holy Spirit spoke through Apostle John: Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near (Revelation 1:3). As dearly loved children of God, let us read and meditate upon the Scripture and take it to heart, and obey, and live a life according to God’s call upon our lives. Let us also know the fact that the return of our Lord is very near. It is time for us to prepare ourselves to welcome Him as He is about to take us with Him to be with Him where He is (John 14:3; 17:24). May the Lord God Almighty bless us all! Amen!