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

He Calls Me More

Beneath the weight of weary skies, I stood with trembling hands,

The path ahead a shadowed maze, the past a field of sand.

My name unknown, so small and lost, a reed a breeze could bend,

But then a voice, a golden glow, spoke softly like a friend.

He did not fault the frailty found within my fainting frame,

Nor did he mock the muteness of my secret searing shame.

He did not name the fears I bore, nor count the wounds unhealed,

But bid me rise in faith to follow what he had revealed.

Not strength of mind or sharpened will, of birthright nor of skill,

But power born of certain trust in perfect love distilled

And demonstrated through an act of undeserved exchange,

Where Jesus gave his life for mine; I am no more estranged.

He calls me more than I have been, and more than I can dream,

His plans transcend my highest hopes; frustrations are redeemed.

My name is written in his hands, I live within his light.

He beckons me, though small and worn, to walk by faith not sight.

So here I am, no more unnamed, though troubles hem me in,

For he who sends is near at hand, and I am strong through him.

Though I am least, though I am last, yet still I dare to go,

Not by my might, but by his word, that guides and makes me bold.

Based on Judges 6:14, John 1:12, Deuteronomy 7:7.

© Johannes W H van der Bijl 2025

To Be a Blessed Hymn

To Be a Blessed Hymn

You dwell far beyond what my thoughts in their reach can hold,

yet never beyond what a worshiping heart is told.

You know that I love you, for you are in thorough control,

the wellspring of goodness, perfection in cause and in goal.

My heart melts with joy for the Lamb who has made me whole,

my brother, my bridegroom, has written my name in his scroll.

He died in my place, and he rose with my name in his hands.

in him I am known, and in him my identity stands.

I’m never more mine than when all of myself is in him.

I’m never more lost than when lost in his grace once again.

There, under his mercy, I enter my true human frame,

not driven by fear but remade in his glorious name.

But oh, how my love is like ice in a storm punctured cave,

with frost-covered stones where only his fire can save.

Let him warm my soul, lift the burdens that I cannot bear,

and carry me over the wreckage of my sad despair.

O shape me, dear Jesus, till yours is completely mine.

O Spirit, descend till my life is once more in line.

O Father, look on me with mercy that does not dim,

and orchestrate in me the sound of a blessed hymn.

© Johannes W H van der Bijl 2025

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yo3YbpqriR0

Then We Are Stronger

Johann and Louise: Training Disciples to Make Disciples in the Netherlands I’ve been thinking about my life from the time I first met Jesus in 1980 up to today. I’m still in touch with many of my colleagues and converts, those we trained and those we taught, those who have become Bishops, leading pastors, missionaries, and evangelists themselves in many countries all over the world and then some. They still read and engage with my sermons, writings, my poems and songs, and other social media posts and many read and use my books as evangelism tools, Bible study material, and resources for their own sermons and writings. In many ways, Louise and I serve a global community that includes developed and developing countries…I often like to use the word “glocal” to describe what we do.   But we cannot do the work of ministry without our support team…our partners…our supporters…we cannot do what we do without you. Our SAMS-USA personal support account has now reached an all-time low. We have prayed about this and are still convinced that the Lord led us to Christ Church, Heiloo. Evangelical churches are few and far between in North Holland…this is not the so-called “Bible-belt” of the Netherlands…a narrow band that stretches from Amsterdam to Zwolle. Ministry here is tough and slow but rewarding.   Would you please pray with us and seek God with us?   God willing, we will be at the SAMS-USA pre-conference (where I will be speaking on ministry in post-Christian Europe) and the New Wineskins Conference at Ridgecrest, NC from September 16-20. The plan is then to drive down to Greenville, SC and preach and speak at Holy Trinity, North Augusta on September 21. We are hoping to meet with our supporters in the Upstate as well as all in the Low Country, but we need you help to facilitate these meetings. We don’t have much time as we leave for Ambridge to meet with the SAMS leadership and staff on September 25 and return to the Netherlands September 27. We do hope we will be able to also meet up with some of our friends and colleagues in Ambridge somehow…   Louise and I are burning the candle on both ends as well as in the middle…trying to reach people through friendship evangelism is not easy because it must be real if it is to be meaningful…and building friendships, especially with folks with radically different worldviews takes time and effort and commitment. And then there is the preaching, teaching, writing, and the many things that go with church planting... We need our friends…we all do…we need you. Please pray. Please help. https://give.samsusa.org/missionary/johann-and-louise-vanderbijl Love, hugs, and blessings Johann and Louise Support Us Johann and Louise spent two years helping to develop the St. Frumentius Seminary in Gambella, Ethiopia. They then worked in Southern Africa, serving in seven southern African countries, while continuing to work with the Diocese of Egypt, North Africa through engaging in a disciple making movement in order to grow the body of Christ. They are now serving in Heiloo, the Netherlands. We are sent  through the Society of Anglican Missionaries and Senders, a missionary sending community, engaging in building relationships with the worldwide church to experience the broken restored, the wounded healed, the hungry fed, and the lost found through the love and power of Jesus Christ.  Support SAMS Copyright © 2016 Society of Anglican Missionaries and Senders, All rights reserved. www.sams-usa.org      Our mailing address is: PO Box 399 Ambridge PA 15003 Attention to: Johann and Louise van der Bijl Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list

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A Vision for Life

Psalm 2                 Hebrews 12:1-2                     Revelation 1:1-6

A Vision for Life

Victor Frankl, a Holocaust survivor and world-renowned psychiatrist, once observed that “Ever more people today have the means to live, but no meaning to live for.”  Other studies have also revealed a quiet crisis. Many people today merely endure the present while hoping the future might hold something better. But what if the present itself is sacred? What if meaning is not postponed, but planted right here — in the soil of today?

Many in the Church play a similar waiting game with God. Often, they take their cue from (in my opinion) an incorrect understanding and interpretation of the Book of Revelation. Countless Christians are simply enduring the present while waiting for an undefined “something” – a time in the future when God will end all this and take us all to a better place. And they often justify this morbid waiting game by claiming that this is the message of the Book of Revelation.

They claim that the book delivers an undecipherable message except, perhaps, for the final generation on this planet…exactly who gets to be this final generation is, of course, never made clear…it always seems to be the generation at the time, whether that be the year 1000 or today. Many doomsday prophets have claimed to have lived in the the so-called “last days” and have been wrong, the present million-dollar booksellers and filmmakers included. 

People tend to be so incredibly gullible, don’t they? If you have no sense of or interest in history anyone will be able to take advantage of your naiveté. To many at various times in the past and the present, the Book of Revelation is nothing more that a glorified crystal ball with a little Christian veneer sprayed over it for good measure.

But by treating this book as if it were a deck of tarot cards, many believers have completely missed the point. Like every other book in the Bible, we need to ask ourselves certain foundational questions so that we may be able to strive for correct understanding, interpretation, and application. 

The first question we need to ask is, what does the book say about itself? The opening line tells us that this is a revelation or unveiling of Jesus Christ, which can mean two things: that it is from Jesus (which it is), but it can also mean that the book is intended to reveal something about Jesus (which is does). 

So, the book of Revelation first and foremost points to our Saviour and as such, it is a book that should and, indeed, must lead us into a deeper and more profound relationship with our Lord. Thus, from the opening sentence we may safely assume that the book itself points us away from its current misuse as a final countdown calendar. It is a revelation of Jesus, and we should be looking for him, not nuclear warheads.

But the book also tells us that what is about to be revealed is to take place, words echoing Daniel 2:28 and yet, unlike Daniel, the things revealed in Revelation will take place soon. Throughout the book there is a sense of immanency, urgency, and immediacy…the time of fulfilment for the First Century audience was near. 

That is what the book says about itself.

It also tells us that it is a revelation, not an obscuration. The book was meant to be understood by its original recipients. This statement in itself is extremely important as many interpret the book as addressing things way beyond the purview of any First Century audience. So, when we try to fathom its meaning, the second question we must ask ourselves is to whom was it first addressed? If we can figure that out, then we are able to study their history, their culture, their politics, their language, especially their idiomatic speech, their geography, and so on so that we might set the images and symbols and figures of speech in their original and proper context. 

As Dr Weima always says, when approaching any New Testament text we need to listen with two ears: an Old Testament ear – its language, symbols, themes, promises, and narrative trajectories because the New Testament is deeply rooted in and constantly echoing the Old Testament – and an Old World ear because the New Testament has its own original historical, cultural, political, and social context with its own social norms and structures, language and rhetoric, religious pluralism, and political tensions. In other words, to faithfully interpret the New Testament (especially a book like Revelation) you must immerse yourself both in the Scriptures that preceded it (the Old Testament and, at times, even the Old Testament Apocrapha) and the world in which it was written (that would include interacting with archeological studies, epigraphic studies, language studies, and a study of many extra-biblical texts). This approach guards against superficial or anachronistic readings and opens up deeper and richer meanings in the biblical texts. 

So, as we seek to understand this book we must always remember that John was writing to seven existing churches in Asia minor (modern day Turkey) who were well acquainted with the Old Testament with its symbolism and idiomatic speech and who were dealing with very specific First Century problems. Like every other book in the Bible written to specific people, understanding its original message helps us apply it properly in our own day and age. 

So, the first question we must ask is what does the book say about itself and the second question is to whom was it addressed.

And then thirdly, what was the original setting? What was the cause or concern that brought about its writing?

After the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and the initial work of the Apostles, missionaries, and evangelists, the Church expanded rather rapidly. If you remember from the book of Acts, the predominantly localised Jewish persecution only fanned the flames as dispersed believers took the message with them beyond the borders and jurisdiction of Jerusalem and ancient Palestine. This often caused the unbelieving Jews in those areas to enlist the help of the Roman authorities, which wasn’t difficult to do, seeing that the titles used by the believers in reference to Jesus were the exact same titles ascribed to the Roman Emperors. 

From the time of Caesar Augustus, the titles “lord”, “son of god” (remember he was the adopted son of Julius Caesar who was considered a god), “saviour of the world”, and “king”, echoed in the temples built in many cities all over the Roman Empire for the Emperor Cults. So, using the same titles for Jesus was viewed as an act of treason against the Empire and punishable by death. 

Also, as all of life in the First Century was religious, the rejection of the ancient gods in favour of an unseen God (bear in mind that the Early Church not only had no images or idols, but they also did not have temples or church buildings), was seen as endangering the wellbeing of the general populace who believed the gods would punish them if they did not honour and serve them properly. It may interest you to know that Christians were often accused of being atheists at the time. 

And then, in the mid to late AD 60’s, when the zealous Jews revolted against Rome, not only in Jerusalem and ancient Palestine, but throughout the empire, they also attacked the Christians, especially the Jewish Christians, as apostates…but Rome also attacked the Christians because of they came under suspicion because of their Jewishness and because of the reasons I stated before!

So it is a rather complicated affair, but let it suffice for now to say that it seems that from the outset the growing Church was a countercultural movement on every level and, as such, it faced strong opposition from those who did not accept their message. A careful reading of the letter to the Hebrews gives us a glimpse of the impact of such opposition. 

Many believers, especially Jewish believers, were wondering whether or not they had made a mistake. Didn’t Jesus promise that he would judge their enemies? What about his prediction of the destruction of Jerusalem? Unfulfilled prophecy was not a good thing, and many may have wondered if Jesus was a false prophet. 

It is this world and these very real First Century issues and concerns that form the backdrop to the book of Revelation and therefore if we are to understand its message, we need to read it in that context. It never ceases to amaze me that people will carefully study any other subject, but when it comes to the Bible, which should be treated as both a spiritual book as well as an historical document, we somehow think that truth will come to us by some sort of mystical osmosis. But without a standard for understanding and interpretating the Scriptures, we are left rudderless, without a sense of connection, direction, or destination. 

Its like the story about a man who saw his neighbour struggling with a heavy washing machine at the doorway of his house. The owner of the house was overjoyed when the neighbour offered to help, but after several minutes of fruitless effort, the two stopped and stared at each other in frustration. The neighbour finally managed to say between gasps, “We’ll never get this appliance in there!” “In?” the homeowner panted, “I’m trying to move it out!”

Likewise, if you don’t know whether you are coming or going with any given text, you’re not going to get very far…and at that point you have one of two options. Either make up anything that seems to fit or give up trying to understand. 

The book of Revelation is meant to be encouraging not frustrating…John says we will be blessed when we read it, so we must work hard at figuring out what he meant when he wrote it and what those who received it understood when they read it before we make any attempt at applying it to our own situation. 

Now, as we know from the book itself, it was written by John on the Lord’s behalf in the form of a letter addressed to seven existing churches in Asia Minor. As we look at the specific messages to each church in chapters two and three, we will examine the reasons why each needed to be challenged to gain perspective and to refocus on what really mattered…why they needed to maintain a singular vision in a world filled with many distractions. 

But how would maintaining a singular vision benefit them or us, for that matter? Consider the words of the author to the Hebrews: “Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it…and then he goes on to speak about God putting everything in subjection to the Son of Man, leaving nothing outside his control, BUT then ADDS (and this is important…At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. But we see…Jesus, crowned with glory and honour…” (Hebrews 2:1, 8b-9) Remember, the recipients of this letter were Jewish believers who were second guessing their decision to follow Jesus because of hardship, persecution, and misunderstanding and the author was urging them to regain their singular vision, namely Jesus and his present universal rule. 

Whenever believers base their faith on experience or personal perception they lose sight of biblical reality. The singular vision we ought to maintain as believers is what has been revealed…the secret things belong to God and are not for us to know. 

So, you may well ask, what is the benefit of this singular vision? Well, the first benefit is that it helps us remember where grace and peace comes from. In verses 4 and 5, John wrote: “Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth.” All too often, believers take God’s blessings for granted and it is only when he withholds them that we sit up and pay attention. 

All things can become so familiar that we forget where our salvation and our status as children of God originated. We forget that if it wasn’t for God graciously reaching out to us through Jesus even while we still sinners we would still be dead in our trespasses and sins. We have forgotten that our peace and reconciliation with God came at a high price tag. Most unbelievers only give God a second thought when they are in trouble, but how many believers don’t live like that too? When the goings good, they give very little time to God…in fact, they give very little period. But when things get rough, they jam the switchboard of heaven! Dearest beloeved brethren, this ought not to be so.

Believers should want to meet with their Lord often. They should want to speak to him in prayer and hear him answer through his Word. They should want to tell everyone else about him. If its not like that, there’s something wrong with us. Just think of how easy it is to tell the whole world about the one’s you love, be that your friend, spouse, child, grandchild, or great grandchildren. But why not God who is the source of love? And so we need to recapture that singular vision so that we might remember where grace comes from and through whom you have received peace. 

So first, both grace and peace come from God the Father whom John described as the eternally uncreated one. 

But second, both grace and peace also come from the “seven spirits before the throne”. Now, here your Old Testament ear should start twitching. In Isaiah 11:2, the prophet described the sevenfold Spirit of God resting upon the Messiah: “And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.” 

These seven characteristics are often interpreted as the sevenfold ministry of the Holy Spirit and many scholars believe that this is what John was referring to here. This is the Holy Spirit in his fullness. 

But wait, I hear some of you thinking, there’s another passage in Zechariah 4:1-7 that also speaks about the seven spirits, and I would say you’re absolutely right! 

In that passage, an angel asked the prophet what he saw: Zechariah replied, “I see, and behold, a lampstand all of gold, with a bowl on the top of it, and seven lamps on it, with seven lips on each of the lamps that are on the top of it. And there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.” And I said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?” Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” I said, “No, my lord.” Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel (who was the grandson of King Jehoiachin (1 Chronicles 3:17) and the appointed governor of Judea after the exile): Not by might, nor by power, (and here it comes) but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts. Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain. And he shall bring forward the top stone amid shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’”

So, here the angel revealed to Zechariah that the seven branched candlestick is the Spirit of God who would ensure the positive outcome of Zerubbabel’s efforts despite severe opposition. Does that sound familiar? God will overcome despite opposition. Remember the verse from Hebrews? We do not yet see all things in subjection to him…but we do see Jesus, crowned with glory and honour. Gaining perspective through a singular vision once more.

However, I hear some others thinking that the seven branched candlestick was a symbol of God’s presence in the Tabernacle and the Temple, and I would say, you’re absolutely right! And yet, there are still others who are thinking that the seven branched candlestick in the Tabernacle and Temple represented the burning bush and the pillar of fire in Exodus, and I would say, you’re absolutely right! The Holy Spirit has often been associated with fire as we see in Acts 2 as well. 

But I hear others thinking that perhaps the number seven used here to describe the Spirit has something to do with the fact that there are seven churches to whom this revelation is addressed, and I would say, you’re absolutely right! The divine and complete number seven indicates that the Holy Spirit is present in every one of the churches and that he will work out his purpose in those churches despite their hardship, fear, and failures.

The finally, in a very vivid way, John reminds us that grace and peace comes to us from God the Son.

As a faithful witness, Jesus came to reveal the Father despite strong opposition from the leaders and gross ignorance from the people. He never once compromised his message. It was always reserved for those who had ears to hear…

He came to defeat the power of sin, Satan, and death by dying as a sinless human being. Satan, and death without sin are rendered powerless and therefore death could not hold him. As such he became the firstborn from the dead (and this is not only referring to physical death). Remember, in Adam all die, but those who once were dead in their trespasses and sins but who are now in Jesus are born again to life. (See 1 Corinthians 15:22) 

But as conquering king, he came to rule and reign over all things…all authority in heaven and earth has been given to him (Matthew 28:18-20) and he reigns now to place all his enemies under his feet (1 Corinthians 15:25). (Again, lets try to maintain our singular focus…we don’t yet see all things in subjection to him, but we do see him him crowned as universal king.) Jesus alone is King of kings and Lord of lords as he is the ruler of all on earth.

But most importantly for us, John reminds us that Jesus is the one who loved us and freed us from our sins by his blood…his substitutionary, atoning sacrifice of himself once for all his people. Ah, I hear the Old Testament ears twitching again. This is Passover imagery! Deliverance came to all who were under the blood of the lamb. The angel of death passed over the households (men, women, and children) that bore the sign of sacrificial atonement. 

Always keeping this singular vision before us, helps us see beyond our own limited perspective. Grace and peace comes from the creator, the sustainer, the owner, the saviour, the ruler of all creation and if this Triune God is for us, who and what can ever be against us? 

The second benefit of maintaining a singular vision is an understanding of the goal of grace and peace. “To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” And our Old Testament ears hear echoes of Exodus 19:6, where God declared that Israel would be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation if they obeyed his voice and kept his covenant..in other words, God originally intended the entire nation of Israel, not just the priestly tribe of Levi, to have a special relationship with him and to serve as mediators between God and the other nations. 

So, as we are his witnesses and as we are seated on his throne in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6), we are meant to do the work of both priests (the ones who proclaim his death until he comes again and who teach others to observe all that God requires of us) and kings (the ones who exercise his authority over his world as his ambassadors). Remember, Jesus is currently reigning to place all his enemies under his feet (indicating an overall eschatological victory prior to his Second Coming) and remember that he has entrusted to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. (2 Corinthians 5:19-20) 

We are witnesses and we are rulers. Jesus has asked for the nations as his inheritance, and he has promised that the gates of hell will not prevail against the advance of the Church. 

If what John wrote here is true, why then do some believe that things are only getting worse and worse until Jesus comes to our rescue?

Allow me to answer this question through a story. Florence Chadwick was the first woman to swim the English Channel in both directions. Later she attempted to swim the strait between Catalina Island and the Californian shore. On the morning of July 4th, 1952, she waded into the water determined to reach California. But the fog was so thick that after swimming 20 of the 21 miles, she gave up despite being urged to continue swimming by both her mother and her trainer. Bitterly disapointed she later said, “I’m not excusing myself, but if I could have seen the shore, I might have made it.” Did you get that? “If I could have seen the shore…”

If we allow the many distractions all around us to cloud our vision, we too will be tempted to give up.

This was the original message to the seven churches in Asia Minor and this is still the same message to us in Christ Church, Heiloo. Without the singular vision of the Word, we will lose sight of the shore, and we will give up…we need that singular vision of Jesus as the victorious, reigning King.

How do we acquire this singular vision? By daily remembering that our grace and peace comes from the one who began all things, sustains all things, reigns over all things, governs all things, and who will bring all things to completion before the Day of Jesus Christ. Laying aside every weight, every hinderance, every distraction, every negative perspective, we run our race focussing on Jesus…our God, our Saviour, our King, the Judge of all, the Alpha and the Omega. (Hebrews 12:1-2)

In Lewis Carol’s book, Alice in Wonderland, Alice asked the Cheshire Cat, “Would you tell me please which way I ought to go from here?” to which the Cat answered, “That depends a good deal on where you want to go.” “I don’t much care where,” Alice replied. “Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the Cat.

If we do not maintain a singular vision…if we don’t much care for where we go…we to will be led in many different directions as we will have no singular destination or goal. 

Shall we pray?

© Johannes W H van der Bijl 2025

Frankl, Viktor E. Man’s Search for Meaning: An Introduction to Logotherapy. Translated by Ilse Lasch, Beacon Press, Boston, 1959 (original German edition: Ein Psychologe erlebt das Konzentrationslager, Verlag für Jugend und Volk, Vienna, 1946).

The Stirring

The Stirring

Beneath the sky’s cerulean sweep, where wild winds braid the trees,

A child of dust with dream-filled eyes stood restless in the breeze.

His life, a soul not yet made whole, was drawn to far-off lands,

Where moonlight pooled in secret glades and silence held the sands.

He wandered through the gloaming vale, past rivers limp and wide,

In shadows on pearlescent waves where angels seemed to glide.

He asked the stars to guide his way, the spheres to light his path,

But they, in silent mockery, just shimmered as they laughed.

Then on the heights where winds of time dissolve in clotting mist,

He found no thunderous trumpet blast, no searing seismic shift,

But only hush – a sacred hush – a stillness sharp and deep,

Where all creation bowed in awe, and no one dared to speak.

And there – a voice – not loud nor proud, but softer than the rain,

That falls on dry and withered ground to draw forth life again.

It spoke not judgment, thunder, fire, nor visions vast and wild,

But called him gently by his name, the name he bore as child.

Then all the world fell soft and still; the fear, the wonder passed.

His soul, once splintered by the storm, was found and formed at last.

No longer lost, he knelt and wept within his Lord’s embrace,

And felt, within that numinous hush, the warmth of sacred grace.

So now he walks the sunlit lands, where grief and glory meet,

A bearer of the stillness deep as peace directs his feet.

He knows the voice that calls him home is not in wind or wave,

But in the whisper on the Breeze, the still small voice that saves.

© Johannes W H van der Bijl 2025