Dec 27 - Revelations 3:20

Merry Christmas - day 6

Behold, I stand

at the door and knock.

If you hear my voice and open the door,

I will come in to you, and eat with you,

and you with me

Revelations 3:20

Following the Bible in a Year, we conclude, of course, with Revelation. And end times messages are not inappropriate as we end a year and claim a few new resolutions.

John's vision begins with being whisked to heaven, being given a vision of God, and being told to write Jesus' letter to seven historic church.

I believe that these seven letters contained a very specific message for seven specific congregations that John knew and was ministering too. God historically did that with prophets. He'd often speak first the people of the prophet's immediate generation.

Often and obviously prophets also speak to other generations as well. Therefore, I'm intrigued by one interpretative conclusion of many scholars today. Some believe that the seven "congregations" also represent seven eras of the church (and with rarely a clear break between epochs, the eras usually overlap). But think about this ... Isn't it clear that: 

• Some of the generation have endured persecution and have been comforted with Christ's message of "Do not fear" (2:10);
• some generations "tolerate ... Jezebel ... and practice fornication" (2:20);
• some generations have itchy ears and are drawn to false teachers (2:14); 
• and some of us simply "abandoned [our] first love" (2:4).
• Some of those things could clearly be said regarding just about any era. But if it is true, the final two church powerfully match what is going on in our world today (whether this is the end of time or not).

The final two churches are Philadelphia and Laodicea. Philadelphia is commended. They are said to have "little power [but] you have kept my word" (Rev 3:8,10). Laodicea is said to be "lukewarm ... neither cold nor hot" ... and that was not a good thing. (Rev 3:15-16).

If these are, as some scholars suggest, the two final generations, then they clearly parallel what is happening right now in the world-wide church. In the Global South and East, churches tend to be poor, powerless, and persecuted. And yet they are growing! Their faith is vibrant and alive. Jesus says to the Church at Philadelphia, "Because you have kept my owrd of patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial."

The Laodicean church represents the church of the West. Compared to Philadelphia and the churches of the Global South and East, we are rich and historic. But the church in the West is dying. Church attendance in Europe, for example, is anemic, and America is trending increasingly in that direction. Jesus' message: "Because you are lukewarm ... I am about to spit you out of my mouth" (ouch! Rev 3:16).

Fortunately, for all who are lukewarm (or are in lukewarm churches and countries), there is always hope! Jesus says -- to the Laodiceans and to each of us -- "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you, and eat with you, and you with me" (Rev 3:20).

In Christ's Love,

a guy who hears

a knock at my door