To the One who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood, and has made us a kingdom, priests before God, even His Father--to Him be glory and power for ever and ever, Amen.  Rev. 1:5, 6.
 
    I didn't show much interest in golf until I turned 40.  That year I spoke at a conference at which two pastors invited me to join them for a round at a nearby course.  Borrowing a set of clubs, I went with them on a blisteringly hot summer day.  It wasn't long before I learned about a special rule that most pastors seem to have if and when they golf.  One of them, Ben, was on the tee of a narrow hole that had thick forest on both sides of the fairway.  He shanked the ball off the heel of his club, and it bounced harmlessly into the woods less than 50 yards away.  With a look of disgust on his face he said, "I think I'll take a mulligan."
 
    My puzzlement over this term did not last long.  He reached into his pocket, pulled out another ball, and set up to drive all over again, as if the first shot had never happened.  I found out that mulligans are something like a second chance, an opportunity to do things over, to get them right.  Somewhat to my amusement, as the game went on Ben's performance got worse and worse.  Instead of an occasional mulligan he began to take one after another.  One time he even did a mulligan, a "secondary" mulligan, and a "tertiary" mulligan (I made the adjectives up on the spot) before he was satisfied with his shot.
 
    While the golf purist will be horrified with me, I find it a relief to be able to play golf without my life hanging on every swing.  The occasional chance to start over takes the pressure off and makes the whole game more enjoyable.  Computers have a similar feature--the "undo" key.  Whenever your finger slips and hits a key that totally skews everything, and you have no clue what went wrong or how to fix it, you just hit the undo key, and everything gets restored the way it was before your mistake.
 
    The analogies are not perfect, of course.  But something like a mulligan happens in your life when you give yourself to Jesus.  You have a chance to start over, to undo the guilt and burden of the past.  The blood of Jesus frees us from sin.  His death makes it possible for us to break the chains of the past, to have a fresh start, to be forgiven.  The blood of Jesus frees us not only from sin but from fear--the fear that something we do will make us unacceptable to Him.  The fear that our best will never be good enough.  I don't know about you, but I could use a mulligan now and them.
 
Lord, thank You that I am no longer a prisoner of the past, that my sins can be forgiven, that I can start over again today.  Help me to bring all my sins and shortcomings to the blood of Jesus.  Give me the sense of freedom that comes from being right with God.

John, to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from the One who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits which are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.  Rev. 1:4, 5.    
 
    It is probably only superstition, but the North Dakota farm culture my wife grew up in believed that things happen in threes.  If two people you knew died, you begin to wonder when the third one would be.  Or if two of your friends and relatives decided to get married, you speculated whom would be next.  People believed that both good and bad things tended to happen in groups of three.
 
    In the book of Revelation a lot of things also occur in patterns of three.  We find three angels (Rev. 14:6-12) and three frogs (Rev. 16:13).  John talks about three beasts (Rev. 12 and 13, cf, Rev. 16:13) and three woes (Rev. 8:13).  The passage above describes the Godhead as a complete "trinity" of persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Revelation 1:4-6 has, in fact, three "trinities."  Today's devotion will focus on the second of the three.
 
    John the revelator describes Jesus as "the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth" (verse 5, NIV).  These phrases describe the main characteristics--or qualities--of Jesus.  You won't read about such qualities in USA Today or hear about them on CNN.  The teens at the local disco are not talking about Jesus as they dance.  Our world is largely oblivious to the marvelous qualities of Jesus.  That's why the book of Revelation is so important.  It openly and publicly reveals the secret things about Jesus.
 
    Jesus is "the faithful witness."  In the original language the word for "witness" is the one from which we get the English word "martyr."  In the self-sacrificing love of Jesus on the cross, we see a clear demonstration of the character of God.
 
    Christ is also "the firstborn from the dead," a reference to His resurrection.  When God raised Jesus from the tomb, He pronounced a blessing on the whole human race (Acts 13:32, 33).  From then on a human being was seated at the right hand of God (Heb. 8:1, 2)!
 
    That means He is the "ruler of the kings of the earth."  While most people do not acknowledge Him as such, we can become citizens of His kingdom and receive all the benefits of citizenship in it.  Because He rules the kings of the earth we don't have to be afraid of oppressive governments anymore.  They govern only by permission (John 18:36, 37).  In the book of Revelation Jesus is everything we need.
 
Lord, I see the greatness of Jesus more clearly than ever.  I will worship Him today with all my heart.

 John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace to you and peace....From Jesus Christ.  Rev. 1:4, 5
 
    In the opening lines of most books the author tries to bring the reader up to speed on his or her purpose for that book.  The book of Revelation is no exception.  The first eight verses of the book form a prologue that presents the major themes and intentions for the book.  The style of the prologue (Rev. 1:1-8), however, is different from the rest of the book.  It is fairly normal and straightforward, the typical language of the New Testament.  As a result it is quite unlike the apocalyptic language of the rest of the book, which is filled with complex images that have vexed interpreters for nearly 2,000 years.
 
    What do you do with a book that describes an animal with seven heads and 10 horns and that has the body of a leopard and feet of a bear (Rev. 13:1, 2)?   What do you do with a book in which eagles speak (Rev. 8:13), but gigantic cities are silent (Rev. 18:22)?  And what do you with a book in which blood flows as high as a horse's bridle (Rev. 14:20)?  With images like that, it is no wonder that 12 people trying to interpret Revelation will often come up with 13 different opinions about what the book means!
 
    The good  news is that before you get into the bizarre stuff, John takes a moment to let you know why he wrote the book.  And he does this in plain language--straightforward prose.  Yes, the book of Revelation does have a strong focus on end-time events (Rev. 1:1, 7).  But above all else the theme of the book is Jesus.  It comes from Him (verse 1), it is His testimony (verse 2), and it is grounded in His death, His resurrection, and His work for us (verses 5, 6).  The reader must not forget this beginning, no matter how confusing the journey gets.
 
    You see, the book of Revelation is like a riddle.  And everybody loves riddles.  Riddles present you with a puzzle that needs to be solved.  Let me share one with you: "The majority of people on earth live within 50 miles of what place?"  When most people hear this riddle, they start thinking about the world's most populated places.  They quickly realize that no place on earth has even a tenth of the world's population located within a 50-mile radius, much less the majority.  So the solution to the riddle will not not be found in a certain spot on the globe.  What is the answer?  Most people live within 50 miles of the place in which they were born!  Once you have the key to the riddle, the response is obvious.
 
    In Revelation the key to the riddle is Jesus Christ!  The key that John has placed at the door of Revelation transforms its meaning.  No matter how weird the images get, the correct interpretation of any passage will always open up a clearer picture of Jesus.
 
Lord, give me a clearer picture of Jesus today.  I want to be more like Him.

Blessed is the one who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy and keep the things which are written in it, for the time is near. Rev. 1:3
 
    The text says, "Blessed is the one who reads....and those who hear..."  What does that mean?  Why does one person read and many persons hear?  Because books in the New Testament times were scarce and expensive to to produce, most people would encounter one only when someone read it our loud to them.  The book of Revelation was meant to be read in church.  It was intended, not as a written work for study by individuals, but rather to be heard orally by groups of people.  A special blessing rests on the public reading of the book of Revelation.
 
    In 1995 I had the privilege of leading a tour of the seven churches of Revelation in Turkey.  The trip was an adventure in many ways.  Thirty-nine people, including my family, crowded into a single bus with a Turkish driver and a Muslim tour guide.  Our driver took more chances on the road than any driver I have ever experienced, yet he did so with a calmness that made it seem like the right thing to do!
 
    Another memorable aspect of the trip was that everyone but the two Turks got sick with some sort of stomach flu by the second day.  That made for many desperate stops at remote pharmacies or even more isolated places as the passengers scattered in all directions looking for trees and bushes to hide behind.  What was even more embarrassing was that most of the sick ones were vegetarians who professed healthy living.  The two Turks who didn't get sick were chain smokers who also transgressed Muslim strictures against alcohol!
 
    A highlight of this trip was the chance to visit the ruins of the seven ancient cities that once contained the churches of Revelation.  A young woman in our group prepared a dramatic reading of Jesus' message for each of those churches.  As prescribed in the text, one or more read out loud as the rest of us listened.  After each reading we sang a song that she had written based on the message to the seven churches.  The impact was unforgettable.  We heard the letter to each church right on the spot where those congregations originally listened.
 
    I doubt that most churches today would have the patience to hear the entire book of Revelation read out loud (it takes about an hour and a half)!  But in small pieces we were able to re-create some of the original setting on our trip.  In Pergamum we heard the letter while standing on the site of the "seat of Satan," the great altar of Zeus.  Then in Thyatira we listened while surrounded by a friendly group of Turkish schoolchildren whose teachers then treated us to apple tea.  John encourages every Christian to experiment with dramatic readings of Revelation in church and in family worship.
 
Lord, give me attentive ears to listen to You and Your Word as never before.  I also pray for a heart that is willing to obey.

Who testified concerning the word of God and the testimony of Jesus, which he saw.  Blessed is the one who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy and keep the things which are written in it, for the time is near. Rev. 1:2, 3.
 
    The book begins with the phrase, "the revelation of Jesus Christ."  Verse 1 goes on to report that the revelation is signified, and in verse 2 it becomes the testimony of Jesus, something that John can see.  So John speaks of two things: the "word of God" and the "testimony of Jesus."  The word of God is likely a reference to what was John's Scriptures, the collection of writings that we know today of as the Old Testament.
 
    The book of Revelation alludes to the Old Testament hundreds of times, employing a word here, a phrase there, a name somewhere else.  It recalls the places of the Old Testament--Babylon, Egypt, and Jerusalem--as well as the people of the Old Testament: David, Jezebel, and Balaam.  The Old Testament is like a current flowing under the surface of the book, yet affecting everything it touches.
    
    A few year ago I visited Russia with my oldest daughter to teach a couple classes.  At the time it wasn't certain if Communism was gone or would make a comeback.  So one of the "must sees" on my to-do-list was Red Square, Lenin's tomb, and the Kremlin in the capital city of Moscow.  Tammy, on the other hand, was more interested in shopping for a nesting doll.  So after we did the tourist stuff we headed for Moscow's market, where you could bargain for local handicrafts.
 
    Nesting dolls are a Russian specialty.  Usually made of wood, they are a series of hollow dolls beautifully decorated on the outside and that can be opened to reveal successively smaller versions of the outer doll.  After some searching we found a black doll in seven layers with a beautiful multicolored scene on each one, all emphasizing the color red.  Tammy was pleased with the doll and negotiated with enthusiasm, bring the price down to $7 ( good deal at the time).
 
    In its use of the Old Testament the book of Revelation is like a nesting doll.  You could read the book without reference to the Old Testament and think you have grasped the whole picture.  But when you discover the text beneath the surface it begins revealing the deeper truths placed in the book.  The book of Revelation is like the finale of the biblical symphony, drawing all of the Bible's themes together in a thrilling conclusion.
 
Lord, thank You for the deep things of Your Word.  It keeps me coming back to the Bible again and again, helping me grow spiritually as I continue to study.  May I never be satisfied with a surface understanding.

The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him, to show to His servants what must soon take place.  And He signified it, sending it through His angel to His servant John. Rev. 1:1.
 
    Stefanie's mother was born on a small island called Krk, off the coast of Croatia in the former Yugoslavia.  As a child she swam daily in the transparent waters of the Adriatic and picked wild asparagus along the rock-laced coast.  Somewhere in the middle of her adolescent years her father's name finally surfaced from an immigration list into which it had been dropped years before, and she found herself transplanted with her parents and sister into the whirling, horn-honking, exhaust-filled cacophony that is New York City.
 
    Perhaps the most disorienting of her new environment was the language.  While many Americans may not realize it, American English is loaded with idiomatic sayings that are extremely difficult for new immigrants to fully understand.  Imagine the wonder when a newcomer to America hears that someone is "head over heels in love."  Even more puzzling to an immigrant's sense of normalcy is the expression "it's a dog-eat-dog world."  And consider the puzzlement when a trusted friend instructs a new immigrant to "break a leg."
 
    None of these expressions make a lot of sense the instant a new American hears them.  But to those who grew up in the States, they communicate significant information, especially when combined with just the right tone of voice.  The best way to learn such idioms is to spend time listening to those who have been around for a while.
    
    Jesus often used similar expressions.  When he warned His disciples against "the leaven of the Pharisees," He was certainly not suggesting that the religious leaders were undercover bakers, churning out poisonous loaves to sell in the marketplace!  And think of how we use the word "heart."  Even though we live in a medically advanced society, we still consider the emotional center of the human body to be the "heart."
 
    When our text says that the revelation of Jesus Christ has been "signified" it warns us to be careful how we move from the words of Revelation to its meaning.  Things will often turn out vastly different than our first impressions might suggest.
 
    So like immigrants, students of Revelation should not try to make too much sense of the book on their own.  They need to compare their impressions with those who have carefully studied the book before them.  When it comes to Revelation, we will find great safety in a "multitude of counselors."
 
Lord, give me a learning spirit as I work my way through this book. Help me carefully consider the ideas of others before I become too confident in my own opinions about it.

The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him, to show to His servants what must soon take place....Rev. 1:1.
 
    The text says that the events described in Revelation will "soon" take place.  Where did the revelator come up with that?  Would anyone in their right mind say 1,900 years is soon?  What could he possibly mean?  Some interpreters suggest that we must understand this "soon" from God's perspective rather than ours.  After all, a day with the Lord is like 1,00 years (2 Peter 3:8)!  In that sense the coming of Jesus has always been soon.  To God the passage of 1,000 years is only a single grain in the infinite sands of time.
 
    That answer may be useful, but it is not enough for most of us.  After all, John did not write the book of Revelation for God's benefit, but rather, "to show his servants what must soon take place."  When the angel came to Peter in prison (Acts 12:7, NIV), and said, "Quick, get up!" (the same Greek word as "soon" in Revelation 1:1), the angel certainly wasn't suggesting that Peter should snooze for another 1,900 years!  What would the first readers of Revelation have made of this comment?  Was Jesus (or John) mistaken here?  How are we to make sense of this?
 
    For one thing, such declaration seem to be a pattern with God.  Even in Old Testament times you often receive the impression that God's great final act is just around the corner.  When you get to the gospels, the sayings of Jesus don’t seem to suggest more than a few years or decades either.  Scripture throughout presents the time until the end as short.
 
    It is as if God knows that something in the human psyche goes wrong every time the future seems to lengthen.  We may know in our heads that every moment could be our last, yet we live as though our personal history will continue for decades at the least.  Portraying time as short meets a human need.  It helps us to focus on the things that matter the most.  It enables us to set the right priorities for whatever remains of our lives.
 
    A student approached a rabbi and asked, "When should I get right with God?"
 
    The rabbi replied, "The day before you die."
 
    "But when am I going to die?" the student retorted.
 
    The rabbi replied, "No one knows; therefore, the Scriptures say, 'Today, if you will hear His voice, harden not your hearts."  One way or the other, things will take place soon.  What counts is how we respond to that reality.
 
Lord, help me to live this day with the perspective of eternity.  May I experience each moment and treat each person as if I am about to give a final accounting of my life.

                        The revelation of Jesus Christ, Which God Gave Him, to show to His servants what must soon take place.  And He signified it, sending it through His angel To His Servant John, who testified concerning the word of God and the testimony of Jesus, which he saw.  Rev. 1:1, 2.
 
    When our oldest daughter was 5 years old, our lives got out of control.  My wife became pregnant with our third child.  Why were our lives out of control?  Just do the math.  From the birth of Kimberly on, our family would have two parents and three children.  The children outnumbered my wife and I!
 
    I don't know if you think this was a good idea or not, but shortly before the birth we pulled Tammy (our oldest) aside and said, "You know, Tammy, two adults and three children is just not going to work!  From now on, we need you to help us with the little ones and be like half a parent.  Do you think you could be our little helper?"
 
    Did she agree?  Did she ever!  Does the word "bossy" come to mind?  Though we came to regret the conversation at times, Tammy has proved to be a most efficient cook, housekeeper, and family counselor!  Recently we took a family vacation.  Tammy (21 at the time) cleaned the living room and the kitchen, helped her brother pack, prepared all food items, and loaded the car.  While Dad kept a watchful eye, everything was done in superior fashion!
 
    But while the roles occasionally get a little fuzzy in our family, no one questions who has the final word when it comes to the younger children.  The parents do.  Whenever we left Tammy in charge of the younger ones, she was to do exactly as her parents said.
 
    The lines of authority in Revelation are similar.  The author is John, but the content of the book is from Jesus, rather than the human prophet.  While the symbols reflect the apostle's world, Jesus chose them ("signified"--Rev. 1:1).  The book of Revelation is not John's own idea.  He received those things in a vision from Jesus Christ.  His authority, therefore, is like that of the Old Testament prophets and also the apostles of the New Testament.  The "words of this prophecy" are to be obeyed (verse 3, NIV).  Their authority is so unquestionable that not a word is to be added or subtracted (Rev. 22:18, 19).
 
    God's wisdom and knowledge are certainly bigger than anything written in the book of Revelation.  The great God has bent down and used John to speak to us, the way a parent talks to a 2-year-old, getting down to their level and using their language.  The Scriptures are our clearest witness to God, one that is within our capacity to understand.
 
Lord, thank you for reaching out to me in the book of Revelation.  I will follow You with all my heart today.

 The Revelation of Jesus Christ....Rev. 1:1.
 
    Our household and many others share a certain custom.  When young people get hungry, they tend to shout, "Mom, what's there to eat?"  But if Mom is too busy to answer or has stepped outside, the next step is to head into the kitchen and see if something is cooking.  If there is, they lift the cover off the pots on the stove (or open the oven door if something is baking) to see what is inside.  Cooking smells can be a wonderful thing, but often they raise a good deal of curiosity.  What is it that smells so good?  What can we look forward to eating in a few minutes?
 
    The word for "revelation" in the original is apokalupsis, the Greek word from which the English word "apocalypse" comes.  The word apokalupsis consists of two Greek words, apo, "from," and kalupto, "to cover."  So the word apokalupsis means "to take the cover off" something.  If that something were a pot, removing the lid allows you to see what's cooking.  You are "unveiling" the pot's contents.  In the book of Revelation you are "taking the cover off" Jesus--learning something about Him that would be hidden if you didn't have access to this book of the Bible.
 
    In what sense does Jesus need uncovering in the book of Revelation?  Think for a minute what we would be missing if it hadn't made it into our Bibles.  When Jesus  was on the earth, He was a human being, in the flesh.  He walked as any other person, talked in human language, and dressed like the people around Him. Jesus lived in a particular culture, time, and place.  As did others, He got tired, dirty, and sweaty.  It would be easy to look at Him and say, "Well, He is a great teacher, a great man, and great prophet.  But surely He's not the king of the universe, is He?  Would the king of the universe get sweaty and tired?
 
    If all we knew about Jesus were what we have in the Gospels, we would be missing a great deal.  The book of Revelation "takes the cover off" Jesus of Nazareth.  It shows us that He is no longer just a human being who came from Nazareth but the one who sits on the throne in heaven and who has rulership over the entire universe.
 
    If we did not have the book of Revelation, we would not have a full picture of who Jesus is.  It was the King of the universe who was willing to become a human being, willing to serve and bless, willing to subject Himself to shame and abuse, willing to suffer and die for us.  The greatness of Jesus makes His sacrifice all the more remarkable.  The book of Revelation takes the cover off that greatness so everyone can see it.
 
Lord, give me a "hunger' to know Jesus as I have never known Him before.  May the images of His greatness in Revelation open my eyes to the privilege of relationship with Him.

 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him, to show to His servants what must soon take place.  And He signified it, sending it through His angel to His servant John.  Rev. 1:1.
 
    We are living in a time of massive change.  It seems almost impossible now, particularly for the younger generation, but 35 years ago we had no personal computers, no VCRs or DVD players, no PDAs, and no Internet.  These few items alone have changed our lives as much as all the inventions from the dawn of time until 1980.
 
    The era when the biblical author wrote the book of Revelation also witnessed a significant change in technology.  The turn of the Christian century witnessed a transition from scrolls to the codex style of making books.  A scroll consisted of a single long sheet of paper (made from animal skins or papyrus reeds) that would be rolled up on a stick, while a codex involved gluing or stitching many pieces together at one end, much like the book you have in your hand at this moment.
 
    Before John's time no one even dreamed of carrying a "Bible" around.  Scrolls were so heavy and awkward that nothing larger than one of the New Testament Gospels could fit onto a single one.  The codex style allowed books to be smaller in size and more manageable.  It also made it possible for them to be much larger in content, somewhat like increasing your hard drive space tenfold.  While scrolls the size of Isaiah and the Psalms were unthinkable, it was possible to include many Bible books in a single codex.  So the codex style rapidly replaced the scroll as the format of choice.  The major exception was the Jewish synagogue, which still continues to use the scroll format for Scripture.
 
    Writers often put book titles on the outside of scrolls, so that the reader could identify the contents without opening them.  But with the arrival of the codex, scribes frequently placed the title of a work in the opening line.  So "The Revelation of Jesus Christ" is more than just the first line of the book--it is also the title.
 
    Right from the start we learn that the Apocalypse is not the revelation of the Middle East, the Christian church, or the Islamic world.  The title of the book is not even "The Revelation of the End-time"--it is the revelation of Jesus Christ.  As difficult as the book may be to understand, its primary purpose is to teach us about Jesus.  If my interpretation of Revelation doesn’t lead to a clearer picture of Christ, you can be pretty sure I haven't really understood the book.
 
Lord, thank you so much for the advances in technology that have made Your Word more accessible than ever before.  But in all my use of technology or Scripture, help me never to lose sight of Jesus.  May this new year bring me a clearer picture of Him than I have ever had, a clearer view of just how He would have lived the life I face.