He Reigns
Bible reading
1 The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 2 who testifies to everything he saw – that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. 3 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 1:1-3 (NIVUK)
Devotional
What do you think the biggest question of the early church was? I think it was “Where is Jesus?” Jesus had told them that the Kingdom of God was “near” but it certainly didn’t feel near! God’s people were being crushed, murdered and destroyed. The persecution was getting worse and it was very unpopular to call yourself a follower of Jesus. The battle which began at Jesus’ death and resurrection seemed exciting to join. Victory, they were told, was sure. But here they were, years later under one of the cruellest rulers of the Roman Empire and they were tired, afraid and desperate.
And so, Jesus breaks through to our world again, this time to show the Apostle John what must happen. Jesus had a message for His Church, a message that still rings out clearly for us! A message of hope, of resistance, of rescue and of reward.
There are two key words in the first 3 verses of Revelation chapter 1. “Near and soon”. Jesus doesn’t always seem near does He? In fact, many times He feels far away! Which is why it is important to not depend on what we feel but trust what we “know”. You and I are never far away from Jesus, or better yet, He is never far away from us. He’s there when our tears form and start to fall down our cheeks. He’s there when we burst with laughter. He’s listening to our anger, our frustration and our fear. He is near to us whenever we call him.
But the near and soon that verses 1-3 are talking about is not the nearness of Jesus but the nearness of our deliverance. Jesus is coming soon; the time is near! There is a sense of urgency in Jesus’ message.
We are to be ready, alert, attentive and expectant. There is work to be done. Sharing the message of Jesus is an important part of that! People need to hear the truth, sense the urgency and decide. But we have “internal” work to do as well. Are we close to Jesus? If He came today would we be unprepared and surprised? Jesus is coming, that is a fact. The time is soon. Jesus is on the move, coming towards us, the rescue has begun, full salvation is just around the corner. Wait, look and see.
– Connie Main Duarte
This devotional is part of a series that helps us navigate the texts of the book of Revelation with fresh eyes. A new devotional every Saturday.
These devotionals are available in Portuguese and in English.