After this I looked, and lo, in heaven an open door! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, "Come up hither, and I will show you what must take place after this." At once I was in the Spirit, and lo, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne! And he who sat there appeared like jasper and carnelian, and round the throne was a rainbow that looked like an emerald. Round the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clad in white garments, with golden crowns upon their heads. From the throne issue flashes of lightning, and voices and peals of thunder, and before the throne burn seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God; and before the throne there is as it were a sea of glass, like crystal.
And round the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like a flying eagle. And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all round and within, and day and night they never cease to sing,
"Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,
who was and is and is to come!"
And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever; they cast their crowns before the throne, singing,
"Worthy art thou, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for thou didst create all things,
and by thy will they existed and were created."
Our confirmands are going to study the Bible this year. I always tell them two basic things they need to know about studying the Bible. A lifetime of 100 years is not enough to begin understanding the Scriptures. The second is equally important, let the Scriptures say what they say, not what you want them to say.
Lutherans read the Bible as a whole witness. We do not build our theology on snips of text sewn together, so Scripture says we would like to say. Solid Lutheran theology lets the Scripture say what it will say.
The Revelation of St. John is a prime example. So many people read Revelation as a road map predicting the end of days. The numbers in Revelation are given meanings they were not intended to carry. St. John's visions are interpreted according to current events. The plain meaning of the Revelation is ignored.
Before any study of Revelation, I always point people to what Jesus has said about the end times: "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. Matthew 24:36 (RSV)
If Jesus does not know the day and hour of the end, why in heaven's name are we trying to use the Revelation of St. John figure it out? Revelation is about a far more critical matter, who are you worshiping? If you read Revelation asking, 'what does this vision say about worship?' you will discover a far better purpose for St. John's vision. The first chapter is about God's praise, the Father, who has saved and redeemed us through Jesus. There is the theme of all that follows.
Most who read the Revelation do not ask a straightforward question, 'why is this written?' Christians at the time St. John received this revelation were under great persecution in the Roman Empire. The emperor had come to believe himself as divine and used that to cement control over the empire. The emperor's worship was demanded and expected by burning incense before the altar dedicated to the emperor, confessing 'Caesar is lord.'
A Christian could not make such a confession. Jesus is Lord is the only confession; the only Lord we can claim. Freedom of religion was not a concept Caesar considered. Refusing to say 'Caesar is lord' was considered treason, and we have seen how Rome responded to treason, real or imagined.
The martyrdom of St. Polycarp, a disciple of St. John, gives evidence of this. As the persecution swept through Smyrna's region, St. Polycarp was arrested for refusing to burn incense to Caesar. He was arrested, tried for treason, and condemned to be burned alive. The local magistrate pleaded with St. Polycarp, 'Burn the incense; you don't have to mean it. Why die, old man?'
St. Polycarp responded: 'Eighty and six years I have served Him, and He has done me no wrong. How then can I blaspheme my King and Savior?' Jesus was his Lord, and Jesus alone was the one he would worship.
Revelation is written for Christians under terrible pressure to worship false gods instead of Jesus. It was written to encourage those who faced horrible suffering and death for confessing Jesus as Lord. It has a living word for us today as we are tested and tried, enticed to worship other gods instead of Jesus.
True, we are not faced with being burned alive for our confession of Jesus as Lord, not yet. But should that day come upon us, the witness of St. John's Revelation will stand out for us as strong word as we endure all that would lead us from Jesus.
Read your Bible, read it daily, read it as a faithful witness to Jesus crucified, and risen from the dead. Don't seek what is not there; rather, let what is there nurture your faith so you may ever confess, "Jesus Is Lord!"