When the six seals are opened, we see a picture of much destruction. Yet on the fifth seal, we see these waiting witnesses, the martyrs who have been killed for their faith. They wonder how long until they are avenged. Yet they are told to rest and to wait a little while longer. The saints that have died before us are in the presence of Christ, but they wait because Christ has not finished his redemptive work yet. In the mean time, we are called to live for Christ and his return.

A dystopia is an imagined state or society in which there is great suffering and injustice. The beginning part of Revelation 5 has John weeping, because no one in heaven or earth is able to open the scroll. It’s a picture of what the world would be like without God’s redemptive plan. Do we marvel in our own part of this suffering, in our own sense of sin apart from a mediator? We can thank God that we do have a mediator who is the lion of Judah and the root of Jesse, the lamb who was slain.

In Revelation 4 the door to heaven is opened and we see that the Lord is king over all creation. We witness a great throne room and we see the living creatures and the 24 elders praising God. The elders lay aside their crowns because they acknowledge God alone as the true king. All creatures should give praise to our eternal God.

In a world of enmity, we certainly need a savior who will be our peace. Ultimately the peace we need is not from this world, but a peace between God and us. Praise God that at just the right time, Christ came as a baby at Christmas so that we might be reconciled to God.

Even though fatherhood in this world is broken by sin, the fatherhood of God is amazing. The qualities of the coming Messiah promised in Isaiah’s day was that he would be like a loving father who lasts forever. Christ has adopted those who believe in him into his family forever.

Even though God’s people had failed because of sin, we have a Messiah who is a mighty God. He loves us with an everlasting love and turns our record of sin into joy. Let us rejoice in what God has done in a mighty way. Let us know the depths of his love and the way that he has redeemed us. Let us rejoice that one day God will gather together his people to save them for all eternity.

Isaiah 9:6 has for well-known names that describe what the coming Messiah would be like: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. In a world that is disconnected and cut off, this messiah is a wonderful counselor. The promised child is wonderful because he does great things and he is beyond understanding. And he is counselor because even though he is God himself, he is accessible to us. Jesus comes to us to give us his great counsel.

Old hundredth is a beloved psalm of praise that calls people to give thanks to God, for he is good and worthy of our thanks.

Rich Laodicea is very much like today’s church; affluent but spiritually deprived. This church is lukewarm and because of that it lacks anything useful. Yet Christ calls his church to be repentant and to put their trust in Jesus who offers the free gift of salvation.

The church in Philadelphia was a suffering and powerless church. Today we might suffer from disasters, poverty, and persecution too. To this church Jesus promises the key of David, an open door, and a pillar in God’s temple.