The Sermons to the Seven Churches: The Church of Loveless Orthodoxy

Psalm 116                 Acts 20:28-32                   Revelation 2:1-7

The Sermons to the Seven Churches: The Church of Loveless Orthodoxy

I’d like to introduce you to Jack and Jill, a boy and a girl who had been dating all through high school but had decided to go to different universities. One day, Jack received an email from Jill.

Dear Jack

I am so busy here! The professors give us tons of readings and assignments – way more than we ever had in high school. I have hardly had any free time to spend with my new friends. But I went out anyway last night with my roommate to a local hangout just to get away from the school scene for a while. 

The letter went on to describe the rest of the evening and how much she enjoyed spending time with her new friend…and after an apology for not writing more, because she was tired and needed to get some rest, she simply signed off:

Love Jill

Now, on the surface this letter would not sound strange to those who don’t know Jack and Jill well…but for Jack it was devastating. Firstly, all her previous emails began using the superlative Dearest instead of simply Dear Jack. Secondly, she used to begin her emails by telling him how much she missed him and how sad it was that they were at different schools and only then would she tell him the more general things about university life, work load, and other students. And then, finally, there was her signature. Whereas she used to end her emails with Love Jillie, a name only Jack used for her, in this email she simply signed off as Jill.

Dr Jeff Weima, in his book, Paul the Ancient Letter Writer, used this illustration to demonstrate how “variations in habitual or expected ways of writing letters can communicate information in and of themselves, and that such changes are therefore important for a correct understanding of what the letter writer was intending to say.”  

But it is not only the variations or omissions that we need to be aware of when we read ancient letters and documents. Every age and every culture had its own form of communication shaped by their own respective worldviews, their societal customs, their philosophies, their fables, myths, stories, and writings, their own idiomatic speech, their physical surroundings, their climate, and their own historical backgrounds, that would influence their writings in ways that later readers might miss or misunderstand. 

Now, we have many tools today that help us bridge this chasm between our time and that of the ancient civilisations. The field of archaeology, where the physical remains of material culture left behind, such as tools, buildings, and artifacts, are analysed, providing us with insights into how people lived at that time.

The field of epigraphy where the ancient inscriptions on monuments, tombstones, and other durable materials are identified, deciphered, and interpreted to understand the language, culture, and history of the people who created them. Closely related to this field of study is palaeography in which old manuscripts, scrolls, and other historical documents are also analysed and deciphered to understand the use of language, dating of events, and the conventions used by scribes.

If you use all these studies alongside your studies of the biblical texts, you may be rewarded with a pretty comprehensive tool that will help you understand much of what can sometimes seem to be unclear. 

So, let’s see what we can come up with as we dive into the seven sermons to the seven churches using these tools, shall we?

First, let’s look at the overall structure of the letters:

Internal Structure:

Each letter contains some or all of the following eight points.

1. The Commission: “(And) to the pastor of the church of (whatever city) write…”

2. The Christ Title: A description of Jesus taken from 1:9-20, usually with more than one title except for Pergamum. This description is generally linked to later references in each sermon.

3. The Commendation: An acknowledgement of the positive features of the church, omitted only in the sermon to the Laodiceans. 

4. The Complaint: A statement that highlights what is wrong with the churches, which is omitted in the sermons to Smyrna and Philadelphia. 

5. The Correction: A gracious solution to the fundamental problem. Here, the imperative “repent” is omitted in the sermons to Smyrna and Philadelphia. 

6. The Coming of Christ or the Consequence: The purpose of his coming to each of the churches was to exact punishment if they did not repent. It is omitted in the sermon to Smyrna and in the sermon to Laodicea. 

7. The Consequence or the Conquering Formula: This is a promise that Jesus gives to those who conquer and the Greek word used here is one we are all familiar with! (nikao = NIKE).

And then finally…

8. The Call to Hear: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

But there is also an external structure that is equally important for us to observe.

A. Ephesus: unhealthy church

B. Smyrna: healthy church

C. Pergamum: unhealthy church

D. Thyatira: unhealthy church

C1. Sardis: unhealthy church

          B1. Philadelphia: healthy church

A1. Laodicea: unhealthy church

The sermons to Smyrna and Philadelphia are unique as they “are the only two sermons that omit the complaint unit, and both churches face attacks from ‘those who call themselves Jews and are not but are (of) the synagogue of Satan”, a striking expression found nowhere else in the Bible.” 

Now, I’d like to address two more introductory items before we begin to examine the sermon to the church in Ephesus, and that is the interpretative principle I will be using for these sermons and a very short history of Ephesus. 

In 1641, Thomas Brightman, perhaps following in the footsteps of the Medieval Catholic Mystic Joachim of Fiore who divided history into three “ages” or “eras”, taught that the seven churches in Revelation 2-3 represented seven successive stages or seven dispensations in church history, ending, of course, in his own contemporary England. This was later redeveloped by John Nelson Darby in the late 1820’s and early 1830’s and was popularized by his influence on the Plymouth Brethren and even later by works like the Scofield Reference Bible in the early 20th century. 

The general divisions, although the adherents disagree about which historical periods the churches supposedly represent, are as follows:

Ephesus: The Early Church Period

Smyrna: Persecution during the Patristic Period

Pergamum: The Period of Constantine

Thyatira: The Middle Ages

Sardis: The Protestant Reformation

Philadelphia: The Period of Missionary Expansion

Laodicea: The Modern Period

This method of interpretation is fraught with many difficulties as any church historian will be able to tell you, because it simply lacks any supportive or conclusive historical or theological evidence, plus it is very late in the interpretive history of the Church and has no support from theologians up until the 17th Century (this is and always should be a red flag unless we are willing to believe that the Church has been wrong from the time of the Apostles until then)…but it is especially problematic since there are many local allusions and images and references in the sermons that only make sense when applied to the seven historical churches in Asia. 

So, I am taking a forthtelling approach to the interpretation of these sermons rather than a foretelling (or prophetic) approach, in which we will examine each sermon in its original historical setting and then, once we have established the original meaning for its original recipients, we will examine the possible contemporary application(s).

Now, Ephesus has a long history. The port city was founded by Greek settlers from Athens in the 10th Century BC. The Temple of Artemis, to which Ephesus owed much of its fame, was founded about 600 BC. It was considered the most important Greek city in Ionian Asia Minor and then later, under Caesar Augustus, in became the first city of the Roman province of Asia. In Roman times it was situated south of the Caister River, the silt from which has since formed a fertile plain but has caused the coastline to move ever farther west. 

The Book of Acts tells us that Paul (after having left Priscilla and Aquilla in charge of a fledgling mission in Ephesus when he returned to Jerusalem and Antioch from his second missionary journey) returned to the city in about AD 53.  He then ministered there for about two to three years and wrote several letters from there, including the letters to the Corinthians. He left Ephesus roughly in the year AD 57 and travelled first to several cities in Macedonia and Greece before returning to Jerusalem where he was arrested and imprisoned. 

We know that Timothy was in Ephesus with Paul and that he was later stationed there probably around AD 62 because Paul sent him there, specifically to deal with false teachers (1 Timothy 1:3-8; 4; 2 Timothy 2:14-26) and he later wrote two letters to him, namely 1 & 2 Timothy. Church tradition tells us that Timothy was the first Bishop of Ephesus and that he was martyred there in AD 97 during the reign of Emperor Nerva. Onesimus, one of Paul’s converts, then became the 2nd bishop of Ephesus. The apostle John also served in Ephesus for a time. 

The Goths destroyed the city in AD 262, and it never recovered its former splendour. But the emperor Constantine, however, erected a new public bath there, Arcadius rebuilt at a higher level the street from the theatre to the harbour, two Church Councils were held at Ephesus in AD 431 and AD 449, and the emperor Justinian built the magnificent basilica of St. John there in the 6th century. But by the early Middle Ages the city was no longer useful as a port and therefore fell into decline.

All this to say that the church in Ephesus was founded and maintained by some of the best Christian leaders at the time…Paul, Priscilla and Aquila, Timothy, John, and Onesimus…one would therefore expect them to be orthodox, wouldn’t you?

And that’s exactly what Jesus commends them for: their orthodoxy. Now, let’s look at the 1st part of the sermon itself.

To the angel(messenger/pastor) of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands. “‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's sake, and you have not grown weary.

First, the Commission. Depending on your theory on when John wrote the Revelation, the messenger or pastor of the church in Ephesus could have been either Timothy or Onesimus or someone under their authority. However, it is also possible that the seven messengers were seven delegates sent from the seven churches to John on the island of Patmos and they are therefore the messengers who take the messages back to the churches. But alas, I could not find any reference in my limited collection of commentaries that address this (which always makes me nervous), so take this as my speculative, overactive mind at work.

Second, the Christ Title. Repeating a description already used in Revelation 1, Jesus described himself as the one who holds the seven stars (which we already know are the seven messengers or pastors) in his right hand but also as the one who walks among the seven golden lampstands. 

Now, some commentators say that for ancient readers and hearers, the “seven stars” would have evoked several associations – the seven known planets, the seven stars of Ursa Major, or the seven stars that make up the Pleiades. The last is possible as in both Job 38:31-32 and Amos 5:8 God is described as the Creator or Lord of the Pleiades or the seven stars. Others have linked the description of Jesus holding the seven stars in his right hand with claims by some Emperors to be divine. None of these explanations are conclusive however, and it is best to simply focus on the authority and power of Jesus (the right hand in Scripture does signify both, see: Exodus 15:6; Psalm 16:8; 44:3; 63:8; 98:1; 118:15; 139:10; Matthew 22:44; Acts 2:34; 7:55; Romans 8:34; Hebrews 1:3) and on the caution and comfort it offers those who are in those powerful hands. 

The description of Jesus walking among the golden lampstands, that we now know are the seven churches, emphasized his presence with them which is at once both comforting and yet also challenging. On the one hand to know that Jesus is always present with us is reassuring, especially if we feel abandoned or alone…but on the other hand to know that Jesus is always present is also perplexing, especially if we are not walking in step with the Spirit. He knows everything about us, the good, the bad, and the really ugly.

Third, and this will be the last point we look at today, let’s look at the commendation…or, at least should I say, the five commendations! 

Commendation number 1. ‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance…” This is a rather general commendation simply acknowledging that they walk the talk and are not easily deterred or discouraged. In our own present church atmosphere where compromise seems to be the order of the day, this commendation is laudable and desirable. Like the Ephesians, we ought to walk the talk and not be swayed by what is contrary to God’s Word.

Commendation number 2: “…and how you cannot bear with those who are evil…” This is a little more specific as it tells us that the Ephesian church did not avoid conflict nor did they simply put up with sin in the church. They refused to tolerate any wicked people. In our contemporary pluralistic and relativistic society, this seems unkind, but the Old Testament is full of stories of what happens when we begin to tolerate evil people in our midst…we become desensitised and eventually we succumb to the same wickedness. So, we would do well to learn that lesson and to apply it vigorously.

Commendation number 3: “…but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not and found them to be false.” Apparently, this track record of defending orthodoxy was celebrated well past the writing of the Revelation. In a letter to the Ephesians, the Early Church Father, Ignatius of Syrian Antioch quoted Onesimus, who had succeeded Timothy as the bishop of Ephesus, as praising the Ephesian church because “all of you live according to the truth and no heresy resides among you. On the contrary, you no longer listen to anyone, except one who speaks truthfully about Jesus Christ.” 

In that same letter, Ignatius wrote, “I have learned that some people have passed through on their way from there with an evil teaching. But you did not permit them to sow any seeds among you, plugging your ears so as not to receive anything sown by them.”  Somehow, the Ephesian church managed to actively and aggressively test those who claimed to be apostles (in other words, those who claimed divine commissioning and authority) to make sure that no heresy was ever taught in their congregation. The application is rather obvious, I would think.

Commendation number 4: “I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's sake, and you have not grown weary.” The Ephesian church was to be commended as they remained faithful despite the relentless attempts of false teachers and had not dropped their guard. Both John’s first and second epistles warned believers not to entertain teachers who did not acknowledge the Person of Jesus (1 John 4:1-3a; 2 John 7). Jude warned against false shepherds (Jude 4). Peter in his second epistle reminded his readers that just as there had been false prophets in Old Testament times, so there were false teachers in their time. And an Early Church document known as the Didache, provided instructions on how to recognise and deal with false teachers (Didache 11:3-11). 

But it should not surprise us that the Ephesian church at the time John wrote to them had to deal with false teachers because…and here’s one of those beautiful reminders that John was writing to very specific historical churches…in Acts 20:29-31, Paul prophetically warned the Ephesian elders that after his departure “…fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be alert…” As we can see, not only were they alert but they had a good track record of defending the faith. Well done good and faithful servants…

Commendation number 5: “Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.” Now, this commendation comes near the end of the sermon, but I’m going to deal with it here because of the similarity in subject matter. While the church managed to keep out the itinerant heretics, they seemed to have had a problem with a local group of people known as the Nicolaitans. Who were these people? Well there have been many guesses, but just not enough evidence to be sure.

What we do know is that in Revelation 2:14-15, in the sermon to the church in Pergamum (and perhaps also the reference to Jezebel in Revelation 2:20 in the sermon to the church in Thyatira) John linked the Nicolaitans with the behaviour of Balaam who taught King Balak that he could weaken the Israelites by enticing them to commit sin, specifically to practise idolatry and to commit fornication (Numbers 25:1-9, Numbers 31:14-16). So it is probable that the Nicolaitans encouraged others to participate in activities expressly forbidden in the Law as well as in the decision of the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15:20, 29). Perhaps it won’t be hard for you to see how their behaviour mirrors the behaviour of the current revisionists in the modern church. 

As in the Corinthian church, the claim seems to have been that participation in idolatry that involved both food and sexual activity did not have any effect on believers because the gods were not real gods. But whatever the case may be, the important thing for us to note here is that unlike some in the church in Pergamum who held to the teachings of the Nicolaitans (2:15) and in Thyatira who tolerated a woman Jesus called “Jezebel” (2:20), the church in Ephesus aggressively resisted this heretical group and were therefore once again commended for their uncompromising pursuit of orthodoxy. 

So, in summary, the Ephesian church seems to have been a very “healthy” church in that they jealously guarded the faith by testing the teaching of false teachers and by rejecting the false practices of those who compromised the truth by indulging in the culture of the nonbelievers around them. 

So, how would we shape up if this letter was written to us today?

Do we faithfully walk the talk or are we easily distracted, deterred, or discouraged?

Have we become desensitized to wickedness in the church?

Do we defend orthodoxy and reject the false teaching of the revisionists in our society?

Have we remained faithful despite the relentless attempts of false teachers, or have we perhaps dropped our guard for the sake of unity or peace or something else?

And then finally, do we hate compromise, or do we seek ways to excuse our involvement in the unlawful or sinful practices of our culture?

How do you rate us on a scale from 1 to 5? Are we on par with the Ephesian church? Are we somewhere in the middle? Or are we perhaps lagging behind?

But before you either beat yourself up or pat yourself on the back, in next week’s sermon we will learn that sometimes too much of a good thing can become a bad thing and what appears to be very healthy could very well be dangerously ill. 

Stay tuned and come back next week for the next gripping instalment…

Shall we pray?

© Johannes W H van der Bijl 2025.

Weima, Jeffrey A.D., Paul the Ancient Letter Writer: An Introduction to Epistolatory Analysis. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2016

Weima, Jeffrey A. D., The Sermons to the Seven Churches of Revelation: A Commentary and Guide. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2021

Love Communicated and Demonstrated

Hebrews 12:1-4               Revelation 1:9-20                   John 1:9-13

Love Communicated and Demonstrated

Some of us may recall at least one experience of being separated, for a variety of reasons, from our loved one(s) for a time. The letters, telegrams, telephone conversations, emails, or WhatsApp messages were very dear to us as we freely expressed our longing and concern for those we care about, affirming them of our undying devotion and our unfailing commitment to our relationship. Writing and sending or receiving and reading (or even re-reading them years later) these messages allowed us to transcend our physical loneliness and gave us a sense of togetherness for a brief and magical moment.

God’s communication to us in the Scriptures is something similar…and, indeed, his words to the seven churches have all the elements of a concerned carer. Through these very specific “sermons” to seven specific churches, God wanted them to know that even though they might have felt separated from him the complete opposite was true. Not only was he present with them, standing, as it were, in their midst, but he was holding them all in his hands. And so the first lesson they had to learn from the outset, even before he addressed them specifically, was that they needed to regain a singular vision…that they needed to take their eyes off the world and troubles (tribulation) of the world and fix their eyes on Jesus, crowned with glory and honour and seated at the right hand of God as the universal monarch who presently rules and reigns over all things, having been given authority over all things in both heaven and earth. 

So, before we start examining each sermon written to each of the seven churches, we need to first examine the relationship that exists between God and his people. In the previous sermon we saw that our basic experience as believers in Jesus (just like John and the seven churches) is that in spite of the fact that we are in the world and therefore experience the troubles and tribulations that go along with its fallenness and brokenness, God is sovereignly working all things together for the good of those who love him (Romans 8:28) because we are in the kingdom of the one who is currently reigning to place all his enemies under his feet (1 Corinthians 15:24-25). We may be living side by side with the weeds but at the right moment, a moment known to God alone, those that are the enemies of God and of his people now will be uprooted and cast into the fire at the end of the age (Matthew 13:36-43).

And this should not be surprising to us who trust God’s Word, because in Proverbs 19:21 we read that although there are many plans in the mind of human beings, it is always the Lord’s purpose that will be established. God’s detailed and definite plan, a plan we may not always see clearly, cannot be thwarted by anything or anyone no matter how powerful or influential. Satan himself cannot stop the inevitable so how much less mortal humans?

All through Scripture we are confronted with a sovereign God who has chosen to bind himself in love to his people by means of a merciful, gracious, and irrevocable covenant. In the New Testament we are told that those who believe on the Lord Jesus and who align themselves with him by submitting to his Lordship, are the sons and daughters of God. In John 1:12-13, we are told that “…to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” 

Those who are in and remain in Jesus will endure to the end…we will overcome…we will persevere because we are kept in the same hands that initially saved us (John 10:28-30). As Paul told the Philippian believers, “I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6). Jude 24 tells us that God is able to keep us from stumbling and to present us blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy…” 

This is why we must keep looking to Jesus, because he is the founder and perfecter of our faith…plus we have his example of endurance despite unbelievable suffering…he kept his eyes focussed on the joy that was set before him…that’s why he could endure the cross and despise the shame, because he knew that he would be seated at the right hand of the throne of God. So, we should consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that we may not grow weary or fainthearted. (Hebrews 12:2-3).

That was the whole point of the book of Hebrews. Keep your eyes fixed on the world and its troubles and you will see only defeat. Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus and his triumph over the world and its troubles and you will see only victory. It is all a matter of focus…a singular vision. We are in the world, but we are also in the kingdom.

And as we are in the kingdom, we ought to be engaged in kingdom purposes. As Jesus said in John 20:21, “as the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” Scripture calls us witnesses, ambassadors, and people who have been given the ministry of reconciliation. We are meant to be the light of the world. We have been instructed to make disciples of all nations by bringing them into his life and teaching them to obey all that he has commanded us. The normal life of a follower of Jesus is one of constant discipleship, always seeking to extend the borders of his kingdom as our first priority. 

But we cannot engage in kingdom work if our eyes are fixed on earthly things. If we have no idea about what God has done, is doing, and will do, we will not know what we are meant to be doing. Jesus only did what he saw his Father doing (John 5:19, 30; 6:38; 8:26) and therefore he spent much time in watchful and listening prayer before he started each day. 

As we read the Scriptures, we are often confronted with the difference between God’s ways and our ways. If you are sensitive to the Spirit, you will realise how far short you fall and how far off the mark you really are…and such a realisation brings about a crisis of faith. If this is the God I profess to follow, then something needs to change in my life. I must readjust my life to conform with him and his ways. This is far more than a simple “New Year’s resolution”. This must be an immediate and a sustained action on our part if we are to remain obedient to him. Nor is this a one-time event…it is a lifelong process of revelation, realization, readjustment, and repeat. 

The most important aspect to this progressive course of sanctification, is that we must learn to walk in step with the Spirit (Galatians 5:25); we must learn to walk in uncompromising obedience to his revealed will. The churches in Asia had heard and responded to God’s call through the Word preached to them. By doing so, they had entered into a covenant relationship with him and had embarked on a lifelong journey of positive progressive change through the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit. 

This is the basis for each of the seven sermons sent to the seven churches in Asia. The book of the Revelation is first and foremost a covenant document calling for ethical change. You see, prophecy in Scripture isn’t about predicting distant events for idle speculation or morbid curiosity or to tickle itching ears, but rather it is about calling people to live faithfully and ethically and biblically now.

In every sermon, each church is addressed individually so that Jesus might address specific issues peculiar to each local body. But then, from chapter 4 on, the Lord revealed to them collectively what was to take place shortly…soon…within that generation (Matthew 24:34). In Matthew 21:43, Jesus had predicted that the kingdom of God would be taken away from the unresponsive and unbelieving Jews and given to a people producing its fruits, both Jews and Gentiles. As we saw in the previous sermons, Jesus had warned those who judged him and murdered him that they would live to experience his judgement on them. He had told his disciples that his kingdom would have a global manifestation as he had been given authority over both heaven and earth. And the sign of this new-world order would be the destruction of the remaining vestiges of the old-world order, namely the Temple and the earthly Jerusalem.

It is interesting to note that the Early Church Father, Athanasius understood the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem in AD 70 in this way. In his book, On the Incarnation, he wrote: “For it is a sign, and an important proof, of the coming of the Word of God, that Jerusalem no longer stands, nor is any prophet raised up nor vision revealed to them, and that very naturally. For when He that was signified was come, what need was there any longer of any to signify Him? When the truth was there, what need any more of the shadow?”  To them, as it should be to us as well, the destruction of the Temple and the earthly Jerusalem was and is a sign that in the heavenly Jerusalem there will be “no temple…for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb” (Revelation 21:22). The messiah whom they had rejected and crucified is risen and ascended and is enthroned in heaven as King and Judge of all.

The unbelieving Jews had forsaken their God and were persecuting his people, not just in Jerusalem, but throughout the Roman Empire. As we saw in the last sermon, the book of Acts recorded that in the 1st Century, prior to the great persecution under Nero in AD 64, persecution of Christians primarily came from or was instigated by the unbelieving Jews. 

Like Gomer in the book of Hosea, the Old Testament Bride had become the Great Whore likened in Revelation to Babylon (Revelation 17:5-6; 18:24; Matthew 23:34-39), Sodom, and Egypt (Revelation 11:8), all names of cities and places of wickedness and oppression from which God had rescued and redeemed his people in the past. Although the seven churches in Asia were experiencing persecution by the unbelieving Jews and would soon feel the full force of persecution by the Roman State, they would experience the victory of Jesus within that generation.

The forty years between the Ascension and the destruction of Jerusalem was a period of grace, of testing, of trial, of preparation, and finally of judgement. 

In the Old Testament, God would often give forty days or forty years as an opportunity for repentance, transformation, or mercy. For instance, God gave Noah 120 years (three sets of forty), to warn people about the coming judgement, before the flood came, lasting for forty days and forty nights (Genesis 7:4, 12, 17). 

Moses spent forty days and nights on Mount Sinai receiving the Law from God (Exodus 24:18; Deuteronomy 9:9). 

The spies explored Canaan for forty days, but Israel’s lack of faith led to forty years of wandering in the wilderness (Numbers 13:25; 14: 33-34). 

Elijah’s journey to Horeb took forty days and forty nights culminating in a humbled prophet (1 Kings 19:8). 

Jonah told Ninevah that in forty days, God would destroy the city, but the people repented, and God relented (Jonah 3:4). 

Ezekiel bore the iniquity of Judah for forty days, one day for each year of punishment for Jerusalem, as a warning and a call to repentance (Ezekiel 4:6). 

In the New Testament, the number forty appear far fewer times than in the Old Testament, but they are significant, nonetheless. Jesus’ 40 day long fast in the wilderness echoed Israel’s forty years wandering in the wilderness, as a redemptive echo, if you will, indicating a testing period and the beginning of messianic grace (Matthew 4:2; Luke 4:2).

Jesus appeared to his disciples during the forty days between the resurrection and the ascension (Acts 1:3). This was a time of recommissioning and preparation for the coming of the Holy Spirit in which Jesus, like God with Moses on Mount Sinai, gave the disciples instructions for the new covenant era. 

In his sermon, Stephen mentioned the fact that Moses was in the wilderness forty years before God met with him in the burning bush, again a time of preparation and humbling (Acts 7:30). But he also mentioned the forty years of wilderness wandering and Israel’s repeated failure to obey God as a prelude to his denunciation of the religious leaders and the Sanhedrin. “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As you fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the righteous one, whom you have now betrayed and murdered, you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it.”

There were also forty years between the ascension and the destruction of Jerusalem in which the unbelieving Jews in Jerusalem and elsewhere were repeatedly confronted with the message of salvation through Jesus alone. But instead of repenting and positively responding to the Gospel, they actively persecuted the followers of Jesus. 

But as the Lord graciously waited for them to respond, just as he did in the time of Noah, Moses, Ezekiel and others, the Christians suffered at the hands of the unbelieving Jews. But that would all soon come to an end. All that Jesus revealed to John in the Revelation would “soon take place” (Revelation 22:6) and the Church was to be ready for the “time was near” (Revelation 1:3). Some have dared to make these time indicators (soon, shortly, now, near, quickly, etc.) mean something that they do not, but that is simply not good exegesis.

John wrote to seven historical churches in Asia to admonish them not to give up or give in and to encourage them to persevere and to endure to the end and to overcome because their suffering would soon be over. But he did not extend an empty hand to them. In verses 17-20, John reminded them of the relationship they had with the one whom they hailed as Lord and King. 

He is the First and the Last, the one who directs and controls all things from the beginning to the end. 

He is the living one, the one who died and is alive again…the one who defeated death, who cancelled the record of debt that stood against us, and who disarmed the rulers and authorities, and put them to open shame, triumphing over them through the cross (Colossians 2:13-15. 

He holds the keys of life and death in his hands and therefore we need not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul (Matthew 10:28). Rather, we should fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. It’s all a matter of focus, isn’t it? We must always remember that our decisions and our actions have eternal consequences. As we will learn in the sermons to the seven churches, compromise due to fear of persecution may result in judgement from one far greater than any earthly force.

Verse 19 gives us a rough outline of the Book of Revelation. Jesus told John to write the things he had just seen, the things that were current in the lives of the churches he would be writing to, and then finally the things that would take place soon after that.

But it is verse 20 that reveals most clearly the nature of the covenant relationship between God and his people. The word “mystery” denotes a hidden truth that is now revealed, so we don’t have to guess the identity of the seven stars or the seven golden lampstands.

The seven stars are the seven messengers or pastors of the churches. But wait, I hear you say, it says the stars are angels! True, but the word "angelos" can either mean a heavenly messenger (like Gabriel) or a human messenger (like John the Baptist) depending on the context. In Matthew 11:10 and Mark 1:2 the same word "angelos" is used to describe the ministry of John the Baptist as a human messenger. In this context in Revelation, I believe it seems prudent to translate the word as human messenger or pastor of the seven churches because there would be little point for John to write physical sermons to nonphysical or spiritual beings. 

But the point I would like to make here is that each messenger or pastor is in the hand of the Lord Jesus. However, as great an encouragement as this may appear to be, it is also an awesome thing to contemplate. I am in the hands of the Almighty God, and I represent him. If I represent him flippantly or falsely, I am in his hand, and it is a fearful thing to fall into the hand of the Living God (Hebrews 10:31). James tells us that not many of us should become teachers…for we know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness (James 3:1). So Christian leaders are warned and cautioned to present the Gospel message clearly and correctly. We do not have the liberty to proclaim what we wish or what society (or even the church community) may want us to proclaim. We cannot add to or subtract anything from God’s holy Word no matter what the reason might be. Moses, Jesus, and John tell us that those who do so will bring judgement upon themselves (Deuteronomy 4:2; Matthew 5:19; Revelation 22:18-19).

However, I must hasten to add that the hand of God is not like the hand of humans. God is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and forgiving. When King David had sinned and was given the choice of judgment, his wise choice was to “fall into the hand of the Lord, for his mercy is great; but let me not fall into the hand of man” (2 Samuel 24:14). Being in his hands is therefore both a caution and a comfort.

But being in his hands also indicates God’s divine protection. Jesus said that no one will be able to snatch us out of his hands (John 10:28). Paul shared the same confidence as he wrote in Romans 8:38-39: “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” And therefore we need not fear speaking the truth as human authorities are not able to take away what only God gives. Life and death are in his hands…and we are in his hands.

Here the Lord also revealed the meaning of the seven golden lampstands. They are the seven churches…but note that Jesus, like the Tabernacle in the wilderness, stands in their midst…in the centre. As we have seen before, the image of the lampstand recalls the presence of God in the burning bush, the pillar of fire, the Tabernacle, and the Temple. However, the prophet Zechariah indicated that this presence was the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit with us…no surprises then that when the Holy Spirit comes at Pentecost, that he comes in the appearance of fire, but not one big pillar of fire resting on a tent or temple, but a fire that rests on each individual believer, uniting them into one spiritual building made without hands. 

As such, the Church in general is the recipient of the promise as well as the vehicle through which his powerful presence is made known. His flame is our flame…his light is our light…he is the light of the world, and we are the light of the world.

In Matthew 5:14-15, Jesus tells us that we “are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.” (Matthew 5:14-15). The function of the Church is to bear the light of Jesus in the world…that’s why John described the seven churches as lampstands. 

And herein lies the reason why we are in the world, even though we are not of it. We are to shine his light in the darkness…and we know the darkness will not overcome the light because Jesus has overcome the world, and the Spirit of God lives in us. But we must continue to walk in that light if we are to prove what is acceptable to the Lord. (Ephesians 5:8-14; 1 John 1:5-7)

In describing the churches as lampstands, John did not only reveal their function as bearers of the Light of Life, but he also disclosed their identity as light bearers. Without the Lamp…without the Light…without the fire…without the flame…the lampstand is nothing. Without Jesus…without the biblical Jesus, I might need to qualify…the Church is nothing. If we walk in darkness we are not of the light (1 John 1:5-7). 

So, the Lord not only revealed to the seven churches in Asia, that their pastors/leaders were in his hands, but he also revealed to them that he stood in their midst. He revealed to them their purpose and their identity. And now, in this light and on this general foundation, they would be ready to receive personal admonition and instruction.

Like the letters and emails and messages we send our loved one(s) to let them know that they are not forgotten…that they are loved and in our hearts. So Jesus wants us to know that he loves us and is with us despite the perception of neglect or desertion or disinterest. John and the seven churches he wrote to were experiencing difficulties and they were either tempted to compromise in order to avoid these difficulties or to give up in despair. But Jesus reveals that despite appearances, he held them in his hands and stood in their midst.

Think of a time when you felt so alone that it almost drove you to distraction…that you felt fearful…that you didn’t quite know what to do…that the future looked ominous. Perhaps you are in that place right now. I pray that Jesus will show you and cause you to know that you are actually not alone at all. That you are in the hands of Almighty God and that he is right there in the thick of it all with you.

Shall we pray?

© Johannes W H van der Bijl 2025 

In His Hands

Isaiah 9:2, 6-7               John 16:31-33              Revelation 1:9-20

In His Hands

So far in our series on the Book of the Revelation, we have examined the need for a singular vision for life as believers in which our primary focus ought to be our triumphant, reigning King Jesus. Even though both Old and New Testaments promise that there would be no end to the increase of the government of Jesus…that all authority in both heaven and earth has been given to him…that he is the ruler of all…that all things have been placed in subjection to him…that he will reign until all his enemies have been placed under his feet…that the gates of hell will not prevail against the advance of the Church he will build…even though we have these promises in his Word, we do not yet see all things in subjection to him…and this may lead to a sense of doubt and despair and fear…so we are encouraged to fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and the Finisher of our faith, the one seated on the right hand of power, crowned with glory and honour, and coming on the clouds of heaven. 

Maintaining a singular focus based on what we read in God’s Word rather than what we see in the world is crucial if we are to maintain a biblical faith.

Today, I’d like us to look at what John tells us about his life and experience as he wrote while on the island of Patmos.

In verse 9, John shared with his readers two very important lessons. 

“I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.”

The first lesson is rather obvious. We are in this world and therefore we will share in the troubles of this world. In John 16:33, Jesus told his disciples that while they live in the world, they will have tribulation (same exact word as used here in Revelation 1:9), but that they should take heart as he has overcome the world…and so we have peace in him.

The second lesson is one that is far more difficult to remember, especially during times of struggle, and it may take a lifetime to understand it. John’s statement here teaches us that although we may be in this world and subject to its woes, we must never forget that we are in the kingdom as well. John told his 1st Century readers that he was their brother and their partner in the tribulation and the kingdom. In the world, but not of the world.

Again, a reminder for us to maintain a singular focus. Only one Almighty reigns. Our reaction to life in the world is determined by our understanding of life in the kingdom.

In this statement, John claimed that he was both brother and companion or partner to his 1st Century readers. In other words, he was no stranger to their experience of life in the world. Like them, he was in the world and was therefore subject to the troubles or tribulation of this world, but also like them, he was part of the kingdom of God. 

He clarifies this claim by stating that he was on the island of Patmos “on account of” his preaching and teaching the Word of God and “on account of” his bearing witness to Jesus. 

Now, let me start by saying that there is no substantial or clear evidence (archaeological or literary) that Patmos was ever a penal colony or a prison like Alcatraz. But banishment for offences that did not warrant the death penalty was quite common, so being sent to a remote island like Patmos is consistent with 1st Century practice. If you recall, all Jews were banished or expelled from Rome by Claudius because of alleged arguments about someone called “Christ” (Acts 18:1, Suetonius, Lives of the Twelve Caesars, 25).

And as we have already seen with the use of the word “tribulation” in the quotation from Jesus’s statement in the Gospel of John about experiencing troubles or difficulties simply because we are in the world, the word “tribulation” here in Revelation 1:9 may not be referring to something catastrophic after all. The use of the definite article “the” may simply refer to the general day-to-day tribulation mentioned by Jesus, and yet, I hasten to add, it is equally possible that it may be referring to something more specific, like the persecutions described in some of the seven sermons to the churches. 

But either way, John was telling his readers that he was not writing to them from some ivory tower…he was in the tribulation with them.... And yet, he immediately reminded them that this was not the only reality that they shared as brothers and companions. They were also in the kingdom. 

Now, I’m sure you all remember the parable of the wheat and weeds in the Gospel of Matthew 13:24-30. “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field,” Jesus said. In his explanation of this parable in verses 36-43, Jesus told his disciples that the field is the world, the good seed are believers, the bad seed are non-believers. 

But what is important for us as we seek to understand what John was saying here, is that the good seed and the bad seed grow together in the field until the “harvest” at the end of the age. So, we may be in the kingdom, but as long as we are on this side of eternity, we will encounter the seed of the enemy. In other words, in the world we will have tribulation or troubles, but we are the good seed and therefore we take heart because we are in the kingdom.

I also want you to notice here that John linked the “kingdom” with “patient endurance”. I think the primary reason why many believers embrace a defeatist theology is because they do not yet see all things in subjection to him, so they assume the kingdom is not a present reality. But in every sermon John wrote to the seven churches he repeated the same admonition: “To the one who conquers” or “to the one who overcomes” or “to the one who perseveres”. (Revelation 2:7; 11; 17; 26. 3:5; 12; 21.)

You see, the kingdom of God is inextricably joined to perseverance or to overcoming through patient endurance. There will be a harvest, to be sure. The weeds will be uprooted first and cast into the fire at the end of the age…but until then, we who are in the kingdom will have to patiently endure the tribulation…a tribulation that is common to all who are in the world.

However, before we move on, I do want to make a few comments on the reality of the persecution of Christians in the 1st Century prior to the persecution of Christians under Nero. When we read the book of Acts, we find that most persecution of Christians came from unbelieving Jewish opposition rather than direct Roman imperial hostility. Other than in Philippi with the owners of the slave girl, and in Ephesus with the pagan craftsmen, every other instance recorded in the book of Acts was directly linked to jealous unbelieving Jews. This may be what was happening in the seven churches at that time because, in two of the seven sermons to the seven churches, John linked persecution with “those of the synagogue of Satan” who say they are Jews and are not. No pagan would ever have claimed to be a Jew.

So, we may safely assume that, prior to Nero’s persecution in AD 64, Roman involvement in Christian persecution was indirect because legally they viewed Christianity as a Jewish sect…which was tolerated.

Now, there are some who hold to the so-called “traditional” view that Revelation was written during an alleged persecution under the later emperor Domitian. I say alleged because there is no solid evidence for an empire-wide persecution of Christians under Domitian. This view of a late date for the writing of Revelation is based more on church tradition than on clear evidence. 

Ancient sources like Suetonius (Life of Domitian 10-17), Cassius Dio (Roman History 67.14), and Pliny the Younger (Letters 10.96-97), mention Domitian’s authoritarian tendencies and purges of senators or nobles, but not specifically Christians. It is interesting to note that Suetonius did mention persecution of Christians under Nero (Nero 16,2) but he said nothing about the persecution of Christians under Domitian!

So where does this tradition come from? It seems to be based on a quote found in Eusebius’ (AD 260-339) Ecclesiastical History (Book 3.17-20) drawn from a statement made by Irenaeus (AD 130-200) regarding the identity of the beast numbered 666. But it is not clear from the quote whether Irenaeus was saying that John, who had the vision, saw the vision towards the end of Domitian’s reign…or if he who had the vision, namely John as a person, was seen towards the end of Domitian’s reign. It really depends on the translator as to whether the referent to the verb “was seen” is “John” or “the vision”. Is the subject of the verb ‘he’ or ‘it’?

Based on grammar, syntax, thematic flow, as well as the lack of historical or literary evidence for a late date for Revelation, many scholars today would agree that what Irenaeus was saying was that John (the John who had seen the vision), was seen…almost in their generation toward the end of the reign of Domitian. Most scholars believe now that Revelation was written shortly before the extremely brutal persecution of Nero, in other words, sometime before AD 64.

As we have seen, most persecution prior to that date was caused, either directly or indirectly, by the unbelieving Jews…so, in the Revelation, John was predicting a radical shift in their near future. Soon Christians, who had up until that time been persecuted mostly by unbelieving Jews, would be persecuted by Rome.

But again, the word “tribulation” does not necessarily mean one singular cataclysmic event…it could, as in the Matthew passage, mean the day-to-day struggle Christians in every age will experience since we live in the world, but are not of it. So, John reminds us that though we may experience tribulation because we are in the world, we have peace in Jesus because we are not of the world, but of the kingdom. It is all a matter of focus. Indeed, a focus on the kingdom helps us to persevere and to overcome the world through patient endurance, as we wait for the time when all things will be in subjection to him and when all his enemies will be under his feet…when the weeds will finally be uprooted and removed and cast into the fire.

This is the stuff faith is made of, and we must learn to walk by faith and not by sight. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1) Faith comes by believing God’s Word even when the exact opposite seems to be the case. God was at work at the time John wrote this book, and he is still at work today. 

Now, John said he was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day. Although Scripture doesn’t explicitly say that Christians held services on the Sunday, or the first day of the week, we do know that Jesus rose on the first day of the week (Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:2; Luke 24:1; John 20:1), he appeared to the disciples on the first day of the week (John 20:19, 26), and the Early Church met regularly on the first day on the week (Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:2). We know from Early Christian writings that by the end of the 1st Century, this first day of the week was consistently referred to “the Lord’s Day”, so we may safely assume that this is what John meant here.

He was either leading or participating in a worship service on a Sunday…either alone or with other believers.

Now, “in the Spirit” does not necessarily mean an ecstatic experience because we all live “by the Spirit” and should “walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16-26), but it could mean that John was particularly inspired by the Spirit while worshipping on the Lord’s Day. Whatever the meaning, it seems clear that he was focused on God and therefore he was open to receiving from God. 

The description of Jesus’s loud voice as a “trumpet” echoes the revelation of God on Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:16, 19; 20:18) and the description of Jesus’s person echoes several Old Testament passages such as Daniel 7:9, 13-14; 10:5-6; Ezekiel 1:7; 43:2; and Isaiah 11:4, 49:2. The voice told John to write to seven specific, historical churches in Asia Minor, to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. 

It is interesting that when John turned to see who was speaking to him, he saw, not one golden lampstand (the lampstand used in the Tabernacle (Exodus 25:31-40) and Temple to represent God’s presence and his revelation of himself in the burning bush and the pillar of fire etc), he did not just see one golden lampstand but seven, indicating that God was personally present with each of the seven churches as he, like the Tabernacle in the wilderness, stood at the centre of the lampstands (Numbers 2:17).

Note that the first thing Jesus said to John after he saw him was “Fear not”, the most repeated command in the Scriptures. You see, fear is such a natural human response in uncertain and threatening situations, so repeatedly God must tell us to trust (or fear) him rather than fear our circumstances or our enemy or our enemies. Everything John had just described about what he saw and everything he would describe in what he heard indicates that God is right in the midst of us…in the thick of our messy situations…he is with us, he is in us…the words John used here speak of God’s presence, his promises, and his power.

Jesus then revealed himself to John as the first and the last, a clear reference to a term used in the book of Isaiah to refer to God, specifically emphasizing his eternality and his sovereignty (Isaiah 41:4; 44:6; and 48:12). As such, Jesus is the one who began all things and who will see all things through to the end which he alone has determined…he is the author and finisher of our faith as he is the one who died and is alive for evermore. Life and death are in his hands.

There is something extremely encouraging about the death and resurrection of Jesus as it applies to our lives. To all who watched him die, hope died with him. But he triumphed over death…now they could not see that at the time, but in the resurrection, Jesus proved that the promise of God is greater than our limited perceptions…than what we see or perceive. We may not see much light in our lives at present, but that does not mean that God’s promise will fail. 

When we focus on the struggle, the troubles, the tribulation in the world, we may lose hope…we may fear…we may doubt…or we may adopt a defeatist theology. But when we, like John, turn to focus on Jesus, suddenly the world and all its woes become immensely small and the only fitting thing to do is to fall prostrate before him and worship him. Jesus not only spoke to John, but he also revealed his powerful presence with his people, and this revelation led to John to what we could call a crisis of faith.

You see, it is relatively easy to talk about God, isn’t it? But when we are suddenly confronted with the awesome majesty of God…his sovereignty…his burning holiness…then we are faced with a crisis. Our life…our fears…our doubts come into sharp focus in the light of his glorious splendour, and when we see him as he is we are forced to respond to the reality of his Person…and John fell down at the feet of Jesus “as though dead”.

Yes, John and the seven churches in Asia were struggling in the 1st Century world they lived in…and yes, he was about to be told that things would get worse. So we too may face things that are hard to understand…that make us wonder where God is and if he has forgotten us or absconded. But John encourages us here to look at the one who speaks his Word to us…to focus on him as triumphant King, seated on his royal throne, ruling over all things.

If we are to live by faith and not by sight, we must take our eyes off whatever momentary affliction we are concerned with…we must take our eyes off the “tribulation” we face every day as inhabitants of this world…and we must gain a singular focus on the kingdom and on our King. We are citizens of heaven, dearest beloved brethren (Philippians 3:20). We are in the palms of Jesus’s hands and nothing in all of creation can snatch us out of his hands (John 10:28) or remove us from the love of God that is ours in Jesus (Romans 8:37-39). 

So, will you turn to focus away from the world and its troubles…will you remove your focus from the tribulation we all share in this world…and fix your eyes on the one who speaks to you through his Word even today? Such an action will be a great encouragement to you and to others…but it will also present you with a great challenge. Such as action…such a refocussing could change your entire life for ever.

You must ask yourself if you are merely willing to hear the voice from behind, or if you are willing to turn and really see who is speaking to you. 

Shall we pray?

© Johannes W H van der Bijl 2025.

Singular Vision

Psalm 107:1-9                        Colossians 3:1-11                        Luke 12:13-21

Singular Vision

Have you ever tried walking in one direction while looking in another? It doesn’t take long before you veer off course, does it? Even worse, you might trip and fall and injure yourself. And yet, spiritually, many of us attempt to live for God while keeping our eyes…and our hearts…fixed elsewhere.

Today’s readings from Luke 12 and Colossians 3 confront us with a piercing truth: we cannot live a Christlike life without a singular vision—without setting our hearts and minds on him alone.

Let us begin by hearing again Jesus’s warning through a parable and Paul’s exhortation to the Colossians.

In Luke 12, a man came to Jesus with a request: “Tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” A legal concern, perhaps not an unreasonable one, but notice what Jesus did. He didn’t address the inheritance, the legality, or even the issue of what is fair and what isn’t. Instead, he addressed the heart. He said, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.”

Then Jesus told a parable. You know it well: the rich man who builds bigger barns to store his wealth, who says to himself, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” But God calls him a fool. Why? Not because he was successful or because he was wealthy, but because his vision was fixed solely on the temporary, on the temporal, on the tangible, rather than on God and the eternal.

The rich man lived horizontally, concerned only with the ground he could till and the barns he could fill. But the call of Jesus is to live vertically, with eyes fixed on a higher reality.

You see, this is not a parable about wealth…it’s a parable about vision. When our gaze is divided…when we try to look both at Jesus and at the treasures of this world…we lose clarity, we lose focus, we lose purpose, and we lose spiritual vitality.

Jesus ended the parable with a stark and startling summary: “So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.” In other words, to be rich toward God is to maintain a vision of life that is not self-centred but Christ-centred.

Paul picked up the same theme in Colossians 3. He wrote, “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is… Set your minds on things above, not on things that are on earth.”

The call is clear: if we are in Christ, if we have died with him and been raised with him, then our vision must be lifted up to what transcends life. Our minds, our affections, our desires must be anchored in heaven, not scattered across the passing priorities of this planet.

Paul didn’t say we should ignore the things of earth, but that we must not be governed by them. We must not let them become the guiding star of our lives.

Why? Because “your life is hidden with Christ in God.” We are not defined by our possessions, our popularity, or our productivity. We are defined by the one who sits at the right hand of the Father, and we live best when our vision is directed toward him.

In verses 5 to 11, Paul revealed how to obtain such a vision.

He said: “Put to death, therefore, what is earthly in you.” Then follows a list: sexual immorality, impurity, greed, anger, slander, and so on.

A variety of sins, to be sure, but notice what all these things have in common: they are the result of looking elsewhere. They are the behaviours of hearts and minds distracted from Jesus, of lives turned inward or downward, but not upward.

Then Paul added: “You have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed… after the image of its creator.”

You see, a Christlike life doesn’t emerge by accident. It grows only in the soil of intentional vision when we choose daily to lift our eyes and fix them on the one who gave himself for us.

Just as a sunflower turns its face to follow the sun, so we must turn the gaze of our hearts continually toward Jesus. This is the only way to live lives that reflect his light and bear his likeness.

You see, a singular vision prioritizes the eternal over the material. It doesn’t ask, “What do I want to do today?” but “What does Jesus want me to do today?” How does he want me to live, to love, and to labour?

A singular vision frees us from compromise caused by covetousness. We are not measuring ourselves against people and their possessions, but against a selfless, sacrificial, and sacred Saviour.

A singular vision reorients our values. We begin to see people not as competitors or obstacles, but as image-bearers of God.

A singular vision produces peace. When our eyes are set on Jesus, we are less shaken by the shifting sands of circumstance.

So, dearly beloved brethren, where are your eyes today? What governs your affections? What demands your attention?

Jesus warns us in Luke: don’t waste your life on bigger and better. And Paul exhorts us in Colossians: focus on where Jesus is and who Jesus is.

The call of the gospel is not merely to believe in Jesus but rather to see everything through him, to live with a vision so singular that all else fades in comparison.

So, let us, then, seek the things that are above.

Let us set our hearts on Jesus, fix our minds on his beauty, our hope on his reality, and our daily living on his example. For only when we live with a singular vision will we truly live a Christlike life.

Now, I’d like to close with a poem I wrote recently titled, Insensibility

Awake, my soul, you sleeper sunk in dreams that blur your sight.

You’ve chased illusions far too long and have embraced the night.

The life you live is filled with noise, but he who knows your name,

still calls you back from every drift of comfort, ease, or shame.

Look inward, to the smothered space where memory still burns.

Look backward, where the loss began; look forward, where it turns.

You once were more than you are now, more than this restlessness,

a wonder shaped by holy hands and therein lies your rest.

Not made for hollow appetites or passing praise or gain,

but fashioned by the God who sees and understands your pain.

You live as if you made yourself, a riddle of your own,

yet still you bear the mark of him who is your cornerstone.

O God of grace, so long withstood, so grieved, so seldom sought,

when I remember who you are, I flinch at how I’ve fought

the whisper of your yearning heart, so stark against my shrill

and coarse insensibility, the clamour of my will.

I’ve known your name, but let it sink beneath a tide of fear.

I’ve heard your voice, but let it fade through each successive year.

How strange it is that seas obey, and demons heed your hand,

while I, the one you love the most, forget by whom I stand.

You’re my beginning and my end, my breath, my hiding place.

So, as I rush past sacred things, arrest me by your grace.

Undo the hold of false desires, and lift this heavy screen,

that I may walk with open eyes to grasp what lies unseen.

For you remember what you made, and you have never strayed.

You hold me in the mystery, though you have been betrayed.

Yet even in my bluster, there’s a cry that won’t be stilled,

a deeper thirst no vice can quench, no pleasure ever filled.

So come, and school my stubborn soul with truth I’ve failed to learn.

Let Jesus touch my inner core with life I cannot earn.

But if I crawl instead of run, still let me crawl your way,

and lift me from my shadowed self into the light of day.

Receive the prayers I cannot pray, the needs I can’t express.

Let mercy be my saving grace to raise me from this mess.

Not bound by what I’ve failed to be, nor buried in regret,

but drawn by love that won’t let go and never will forget.

Amen.

© Johannes W H van der Bijl 2025.

A Blessing at Birth

A Blessing at Birth

A tiny precious gift from heaven breathed into our world today,

Intricately knit together, God’s own wonder on display.

Soft as petals framed in starlight, fragile as the morning dew,

Gentle as a feather floating in a sky of pink and blue.

May the Lord of heaven warm you; may he ever keep you whole.

May his light that never falters shine upon your waking soul.

May your laughter rise like music, clear and ringing through the years,

May the arms that now enfold you, ever hold you up in prayer.

May you walk where mercy blossoms, dream beneath God’s gentle hand,

growing wise with holy wonder, following his perfect plan.

May your tears be met with kindness; may your joys be limitless.

May your heart, in every season, find the strength to love and bless.

May he who blessed the little children, hold you tightly all your days

May your name be ever spoken with thanksgiving, love, and praise.

May the peace of Jesus guard you, may you always know his Word,

May the Spirit always guide you; may his voice be always heard.

© Johannes W H van der Bijl 2025

Coming with the Clouds

Psalm 18:1-15                 Daniel 7:13-14               Revelation 1:1-7            Matthew 26:62-65

Coming with the Clouds

In 2009, the United States adopted a foreign policy approach toward North Korea called “strategic patience”. The idea was simple on the surface: instead of reacting impulsively or escalating tensions, the U.S. would wait—apply pressure through sanctions, hold the diplomatic line, and give North Korea space to come back to the negotiating table.

But that’s not how North Korea heard it.

To them, “strategic patience” didn’t sound like wisdom or restraint. It sounded like a threat. It looked like the U.S. was just biding its time, building alliances, tightening the noose, and waiting for the regime to collapse. In North Korean propaganda, the phrase became a symbol of American hostility. As a result, tensions spiked. Communication broke down. Missile tests ramped up. And trust, if it ever existed, evaporated.

By 2017, even the U.S. admitted it wasn’t working. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said plainly, “The policy of “strategic patience” has ended.”

Now, you’re probably wondering, what has this got to do with our text for today?

Well, I wanted to illustrate what happens when people hear the same words but interpret them through very different lenses. In this case, one side heard patience, while the other side heard provocation. One side meant peace. The other prepared for war.

And believe it or not, that’s exactly what we often do with Scripture, especially with the words found in Revelation 1:7: “Behold, he is coming with the clouds…” 

For many believers today, ‘coming with the clouds’ means the Second Coming of Jesus: to them it means triumph, comfort, or, for some, rescue or the so-called rapture. But to the original audience steeped in the Old Testament, that phrase, ‘coming with the clouds’, meant something far weightier. It was the language of divine presence, rule, and judgment. It meant God was rising in his majesty, not quietly or passively, but with an authority that would shake the earth.

So before we assume that we know what this phrase means for us in the 21st Century, let’s look at what it probably meant for the original recipients in the 1st Century. And let’s let Scripture define its own words and terms, because sometimes what sounds like peace to one person might feel like war to another.

The first time the word ‘cloud’ is used in reference to God is in Exodus 13:21-22. “And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night.” 

The second time is in Exodus 14: 19-20 and verse 24. “Then the Angel of God who was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them, coming between the host of Egypt and the host of Israel. And there was the cloud and the darkness. And it lit up the night without one coming near the other all night…and in the morning watch the Lord in the pillar of fire and of cloud looked down on the Egyptian forces and threw the Egyptian forces into a panic, clogging their chariot wheels so that they drove heavily. And the Egyptians said, ‘Let us flee from before Israel, for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians.’”

This image of the presence of God in the cloud continues throughout the Old Testament…God’s glory was seen in the cloud…a cloud covered Mount Sinai for six days and then on the seventh day God called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud (and your Old Testament ear should be twitching like crazy here…six days and on the seventh day sound like? Yes, this is echoing the creation so this is recreation imagery), God descended in the cloud to speak to Moses at the tent of meeting, he appeared in the cloud above the mercy seat in the Tabernacle, the cloud covered the Tabernacle, the cloud led them in the wilderness, the cloud filled the temple during Solomon’s dedication ceremony, and so on.

As such, the cloud became a symbol of God’s powerful, protecting presence…

But other Scriptures use the same word to indicate not so much God’s presence as his hiddenness. In Job 22:14, Eliphaz, one of Job’s friends, said: “Thick clouds veil him, so that he does not see, and he walks on the vault of heaven.” In chapter 26, Job agrees, saying that God “covers the face of the full moon and spreads over it his cloud.” In other words he darkens even that which is meant to give light. 

In Psalm 97, the psalmist tells us that “clouds and thick darkness are all around him” but quickly adds that “fire goes before him and burns up his adversaries all round”, that seems to echo the Exodus story. Hiddenness on one level but presence on another.

But there are also biblical authors that use the word ‘clouds’ to indicate God coming in judgement. In Psalm 18:9-12, David said that God “bowed the heavens and came down; thick darkness was under his feet. He rode on a cherub (one of the higher orders of angels) and flew; he came swiftly on the wings of the wind. He made darkness his covering his canopy around him, thick clouds dark with water. Out of the brightness before him hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.” 

Here David seems to have drawn together all the symbols we have examined so far including a possible reference to the plagues in Egypt and, perhaps, the strong east wind that parted the Red Sea.

And it is easy to see why this imagery could be used to describe the ominous and imminent divine approach. I remember as a child growing up on a farm in Namibia the sense of foreboding as we stood watching an approaching storm…the horizon turning dark, the huge cumulus clouds piling up high, the rumble of thunder, and the flashes of lightening. Scary and yet also full of promise as rain was always a blessing…as long as there was no major flooding, that is.

So, there’s power…there’s promise…but with God there is also protection and presence…darkness or hiddenness to some, light to others.

Now, try to keep all those images in your mind as we turn to the one Scripture that I believe will help us in our quest to understand Revelation 1:7. 

After having described as “four great beasts” the rise and fall of four successive kingdoms (that most scholars believe refer to Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome), Daniel said: “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.” 

Now, remember that Jesus said all authority in both heaven and earth had been given to him post resurrection (Matthew 28: 18-20). Peter said that when Jesus ascended to the right hand of God that all angels, authorities, and powers had been subjected to him (1 Peter 3:22). Paul said that God had exalted Jesus and had given him a name that is above every name and that every knee should bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord (Philippians 2:9-11). The author to the Hebrews said that Jesus was appointed as heir of all things when he sat down at the right hand of God (Hebrews 1:2-3). And we will see what John himself said about Jesus present rule shortly.

But when Daniel asked for clarity, he was told that “These four great beasts are four kings who shall arise out of the earth (in other words, they are human dynasties), but the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom for ever, for ever and ever.” 

Now, before we move on, we need to first ask ourselves when did the saints (or believers in Jesus) inherit the kingdom. There are several New Testament scriptures I could cite, but I think one ought to be sufficient. In Hebrews 12, a passage where the author draws a parallel between the first Exodus from slavery in Egypt and the Second Exodus from slavery in sin, we read in verses 22-24: “But you have come (and please take note of the tense) to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem…” And then he ended the passage with these words: “Therefore, let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.”

So, the vision that Daniel saw of one like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven, seems to be referring to the Ascension…he was coming to the throne of the Ancient of Days, not from it…

If this is the case, what did John mean when he said that every eye will see him, even those who pierced him when Jesus came “with the clouds”? If John was alluding to or quoting from Daniel 7, which I believe he was, what would this “coming with the clouds” mean?

To answer that question, I think we need to look first at how Jesus used the same passage from Daniel in reference to himself in his prediction of the destruction of Jerusalem as well as the judgement of the false Jewish leaders at that time and here we need to look at two passages from the Gospel of Matthew. Scripture must always interpret Scripture.

In Matthew 24:29-31, after having predicted the destruction Jerusalem and the Temple, Jesus said: “Immediately after the tribulation of those days (remember Jesus had just described the destruction of the Holy City in terms uncannily similar to the eye witness accounts of Josephus) the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. (now these are all well-known Old Testament images, and symbols used by the prophets to describe the fall of Empires, so it is not to be taken literally here either) Then will appear (or then will be seen) in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth (or land) will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels (or his messengers) with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” 

But, perhaps even more revealing, in Matthew 26:64, in reply to the High Priest’s demand, “I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God”, Jesus said this: “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on (did you get the time frame?) you (and the ‘you’ here is plural, in other words “you all will see”…which means Jesus meant the entire Sanhedrin) from now on you (all) will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Now at this point, the High Priest tore his robes and declared Jesus guilty of blasphemy…why? Because he knew Jesus was referring to the prophecy of Daniel…he knew Jesus was claiming divinity.

But what is important for our present purpose to correctly interpret what John had in mind in Revelation 1:7, is to note that Jesus did not change the imagery of Daniel here. “Coming with the clouds” here in Matthew still referred to the Ascension. The Sanhedrin, who was seated in judgement over Jesus at that moment, they would see the tables radically turned when Jesus, the Son of Man, ascended into heaven to be seated on his throne as Judge over all…including those who judged him, those who sentenced him, and those who executed him…those who “pierced” him…

So, if we take up all the threads we have examined so far, we may conclude that in context…remember John had just described Jesus as the one who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood (the crucifixion) and has made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father (the giving of the kingdom to the saints), to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” (Remember the answer Daniel was given: “And to him (that is Jesus) was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.”)

So, John is echoing or alluding to or quoting from Daniel here as well…

But it is in this context that John added: “Behold (now I’m going to get technical on you here – this word ‘behold’ or ‘look’ is in the (second person singular aorist) imperative and could mean something like “look now! – pay attention! – this is the vision you must grasp, the unveiling that defines the rest of what follows”)…so this little overlooked word ‘behold’ or ‘look’ is really important…Behold, he is coming with the clouds.” 

And here again I must refer to the Greek because the verb “is coming” is deceptively simple in English, but quite rich in the Greek. The verb “is coming” here is in the present (middle/passive indicative third person singular) form. In other words, the action was happening at the moment John wrote these words and thus it was certain to happen in the future. It could even indicate a timeless present…but it is a present happening.

Now, remember what we spoke about in the introductory talk on this book of Revelation? What kind of a vision should we have as believers in Jesus? Yes, a singular vision. While we may not yet see all things in subjection to Jesus as God promises…nor do we yet see all his enemies under his feet at present…but we do ‘see’ Jesus crowned with glory and honour…we do believe that he has ascended to his throne and is currently seated on it as King of kings and Lord of lords as the “ruler of kings on earth” (as John already told us in Revelation 1:5). 

This is the same type of declaration John was making here in Revelation 1:7. If I may paraphrase: “Look now – pay attention – this is the vision (the singular vision) you must grasp, the unveiling (or the revelation) that defines the rest of what follows…Jesus has ascended to the Ancient of Days. He has been given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed. He is seated on his throne as judge of all the earth and the saints have come to the heavenly Jerusalem and have received the kingdom.” 

But I hear you ask, how can this be since John says that every eye will see him, even those who pierced him? How will they see the ascended Jesus seated on the throne? I’m so glad you asked! Remember the first quotation from Matthew where Jesus was describing the destruction Jerusalem and the Temple? After the destruction…after the tribulation…(and it may be helpful for you to look at the parallel passage in Luke’s Gospel (Luke 21:20-28) that sets this ‘tribulation’ in the time when the Roman armies destroyed Jerusalem in AD 70)…after Jerusalem and the Temple was levelled (quite literally) to the ground and was to be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, then they would “see” Jesus…Jesus would be vindicated…(remember the accusation made against him – that he had said the Holy City and the Temple would be destroyed – well, this proved that he was right – he was vindicated) – they would see Jesus crowned and reigning over all as Judge…and they would wail on account of him. 

Just one more reference to Jesus and the clouds and I will let your reeling brain rest. In Revelation 14:14-16 John said: “Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and seated on the cloud one like a son of man, with a golden crown on his head, and a sharp sickle in his hand. And another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud, “Put in your sickle, and reap, for the hour to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.” So he who sat on the cloud swung his sickle across the earth, and the earth was reaped.”

If I am correct in my understanding of what John was telling his First Century readers, then the phrase “coming with the clouds” does not refer to Jesus paragliding on the clouds in the Second Coming…if we allow Scripture to determine what these words mean, then it seems that they are simply referring to the present reign of Jesus…perhaps “coming with the clouds” was another way of saying “Jesus is ascended” or “Jesus is King” or “Jesus is seated at the right hand of God” or “Jesus is presently reigning”…a reality we must focus on if we are to understand our position in him and our role in this world. 

Now before someone burns me at some proverbial stake, I do believe in the Second Coming…I do believe that Jesus will come to judge the living and the dead…yes, he will return in the same way he went into heaven (Acts 1:11), but I do not believe that this is what John was referring to here. 

So, is it peace or is it war? The same words, yet radically different interpretations. But I do believe that when the phrase ‘coming with the clouds’ in Revelation 1:7 is interpreted in the context of the text from which it was taken, in this case from Daniel 7, it is referring to Jesus’ current status as the reigning universal monarch. And, if we add to this understanding the many references to his powerful, protecting presence in the deliverance and preservation of his people, then we have a very clear vision of what this image means to and for us.

However dark our world may seem to be…however bad things may be appear to become…as believers in what God has revealed in his Word, we maintain that one singular vision, even amid struggle. Like Stephen, even while he was being stoned to death, saw Jesus reigning as universal monarch, we see – we behold – we pay attention to the reality of Jesus crowned with glory and honour, seated at the right hand of God, presently ruling and judging everyone and everything, and coming on the clouds of heaven.

Shall we pray?

© Johannes W H van der Bijl 2025

Decisions

1 Corinthians 10:1-5

Decisions 

Historically baptism has been associated with:

Creation (Genesis 1:9-10) and Re-Creation (Noah, the Exodus, the Conquest, the Restoration, the New Creation)

as well as with

Death and Life (Life could only begin once the land had emerged from the water, the drowning of the wicked in the Flood and the saving of the righteous, the drowning of the Egyptians in the Red Sea Crossing and the saving of Israel, Jericho after the Jordan crossing, dying and rising with Jesus as new creations)

But baptism is also associated with decisions and vows, whether that is framed as a decision by an individual to follow Jesus in which the sacrament of Baptism is seen as a testament or statement of their individual faith…

OR whether it is framed as a decision made by believers on behalf of their children in which the sacrament of Baptism is seen as a declaration of covenant inclusion in the family of God by virtue of his faithfulness. 

But, I believe, Paul spoke about other decisions made after baptism that, as we shall see, are far more important than those made before baptism.

“For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud (an image of the presence of God with his people or a theophany), and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea (the Spirit and water, John 3:5), and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ (pre-incarnate presence of Jesus). Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.”

Although the Israelites got off on a bit of a rocky start, their decisions at first based very much on what we could call situational ethics…yay, Moses, boo, Moses, yay, boo, yay, boo…their final decision to leave, plundering the Egyptians as they left, was good. 

They left “under the cloud” – an idiom used today to indicate that a person's departure is not a positive or straightforward event, but rather one marked by suspicion, disgrace, or lack of trust – but not so here! They left under the guiding physical manifestation of God – a cloud, something we will look at in a fair amount of detail next week. 

And yet, there was one more boo Moses moment (when the Egyptians caught up to them) before they were baptised through the Red Sea, leaving behind a life of slavery (death) to enter a life of freedom (life and a new creation), one of the instances in which baptism brings about a new creation or a new life. 

But the yay, Moses, boo, Moses continued post Red Sea baptism, revealing a yay, God, boo, God reality until, at the borders of the Promised Land when Israel once more lost sight of the singular vision of God as their Almighty God (there are giants in the land!), the Lord said enough is enough and they were overthrown in the wilderness. For forty years they were nomads in the wilderness until that unfaithful generation died out…40, is a number used throughout the Scriptures to represent a generation – 40 days and 40 nights of flooding, 40 years wilderness wandering, 40 year between the crucifixion and the destruction of Jerusalem etc)

But my point is that their good decision before their baptism should have continued with good decisions post baptism.

Other examples I can mention as the Flood, where Noah and his families’ disastrous decisions post “baptism” indicated that no human deliverer would ever be sufficient…we just looked briefly at the Exodus, but the same can be said about the Conquest. 

Echoing warnings given by Moses in Deuteronomy chapter 6 & 8, Joshua says to the people of Israel:

“I gave you a land on which you had not laboured and cities that you had not built, and you dwell in them. You eat the fruit of vineyards and olive orchards that you did not plant. Now therefore (make good decisions and continue to make good decisions – a past decision made by your ancestors or by you is not enough!) fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt and serve the Lord. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Joshua 24:13-15.

They had crossed the Jordan, another baptism of sorts, and had won many victories, but the most important decision still lay before them. From nomadic tribesmen they had been changed into a land-owning nation, a new creation, to be sure, but if they were to continue as that nation, they had to decide to serve the Lord. 

And we know what their disastrous decisions eventually caused: the northern Kingdom of Israel was conquered by Assyria in 722/721 BC and the ten tribes were lost forever, and the southern Kingdom of Judah was conquered by the Babylonians in 586 BC and taken into captivity. 

The final example is that of the Restoration. Although the relevant texts do not explicitly state that the Exiles returning from Babylonian captivity went through the Jordan, the river had to be crossed at some point. But, as with the other examples, wrong decisions followed on the heels of right decisions that lead us on a roller coaster up to the final “boo God” moment – the rejection and murder of the Son of the Owner of the Vineyard – that resulted (after 40 years) in the destruction of the Temple and the Holy City of Jerusalem.

I could reference similar warnings made to the seven churches listed in the Book of Revelation, but I would be stealing my own thunder, so I will refrain.

So, here we stand today as the family of God, once more at the waters of baptism…the waters of decision…and soon we will be naming those decisions in the baptismal liturgy as well as making decisions or vows for the future. Of course the decisions the Beijers have made are important…the decisions we will make to support them are important…but the decisions we all will make as Amee grows to maturity and, indeed, the decisions she will make throughout her life are most important.

Choosing today to fear the Lord and to serve the Lord…choosing to walk through the Red Sea, the River Jordan, the waters of Baptism…these are all important…but those choices must continue to be made if we are not to fall in the wildernesses of our own making.

Shall we pray?

© Johannes W H van der Bijl 2025