The End of the World: A Reflection on Revelation, Part 5
Scripture Reading:
“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power…”
A great deal of John’s concern in the way he presents the unfolding drama of Revelation is to uncover the lie that the surrounding culture was trying to portray: that the power of Rome was invincible. Loyalty to the culture and the empire was essential, don’t question the status quo. Everyone was doing it, so be like everybody else.
Does this sound familiar?
In response, the primary point of Revelation was to reveal the truth and to expose the lie. It was never a message for later generations to decode. Rather, it used a form of standard and understood writing of the day known as Apocalyptic Literature. Through this interesting but often confusing book, then, the basic and ultimate message is that God is in control. The power of Rome or any overly dominant culture can become corrupt, temporal, and misguided. Only God holds true and eternal power. This was a hopeful, yet subversive message then, just as it still is. Only God is worthy of glory, honor, and power.
Consider today what John might address about our own culture. What concerns should we have regarding the Christian perspective? Today, make these words an echo in your heart and mind: Holy, holy, holy, the Lord God the Almighty, who was and is and is to come.
David Jordan is the Senior Pastor at First Baptist Church of Decatur. He contributes regularly to our devotions and blogs. Dr. Jordan is also a regular contributor for Baptist News Global.