If you are a pastor, please read all of this. If you are not, please forward it to your pastor. He needs to hear it. And of course, read it yourself.
Discouraging times need an encouraging message.
The end of the first century was coming to a close. John, the last remaining Apostle was in exile on Patmos, and Jesus had not yet returned. With the passing of each year and the martyrdom of the Apostles, the hope of the 1st Century church wavered. At first, they expected Him to come at any time. Then, as time passed, they surely expected the time to be closer. But now John is coming to the end of his earthly sojourn and Christ will not return in His glory before the Apostolic age ends.
Not only that, but the church had also endured several seasons of persecution—first under the Jews, then Nero, and now under Domitian.
In this setting Jesus speaks these words of encouragement and challenge to His people. This message is intended for the churches of John’s day, but also for all the churches of the age between the close of the canon and the ultimate return of Christ.
It is for us.
The Jesus who was, who is, and who is to come.
The self-descriptions of Jesus in Revelation 1 are profound. He is the timeless one. He is the Alpha and Omega. He is the beginning and the end. He is the first and the last. He is the one who was, who is, and who is to come. He is the one who lives, was dead, and now lives forevermore. …
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