Life is marked with sorrow, death, and grief. And these first 4 seals are parallel in nature and they can all lead to death. And when you look at the world, you see all of this. This is the worldwide suffering we see today.

Everyone in creation is in agreement – Jesus is worthy. He’s worthy of it all because He is God. He is the lamb who died for our sins and resurrected to give us new life and ascended and is on the throne.

God is above all evil and chaos in this world. In this look at Revelation 4, we see John seeing a new vision and how that helps us trust God. 

This passage is not about struggling Christians. Instead, it’s about Jesus wanting these unbelieving Pharisees to come to repentance.

The letters to Sardis and Philadelphia have been used to create so much shame and fear into believers. But reading them in context is important. Remember, God will never use guilt and shame to teach us or correct us.  

We are in the 2nd half of Revelation 2. God wants all to come to repentance. He has given his son for the world and loves everyone. He’s inviting everyone to receive forgiveness and life. But he will not force someone to believe. And there will be justice. Further, for the believer. We will be victorious and reign with Christ. We are overcomers. The work God began in us, he will finish. He will present us blameless before him.

This is the start of the 7 letters to the seven churches. Here, Jesus promises the believers a seat at His table, a blameless judgment, and an identity that is unshakeable.

At the end of Revelation 1, we get a description of Jesus. One who love us, is for us, has us in His hand, and tells us not to be afraid! 

Revelation 1 tells us so much about the rest of the book. And, from the start, it points us to Jesus and what He has done for us: "to Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood..."

What does the New Testament teach about Christ's return? And how do we read and understand the book of Revelation?