Revelations from Revelation - Look Up!

Life is full of tragedy and moments that don't seem to make sense. This past week I heard the news about the tragic funeral of a young man, near my age, who was killed in an accident.  That weekend he was planning to propose to his girlfriend.  In an instant the celebratory sound of wedding bells would be replaced by ominous toll of the funeral bell.  In an instant tragedy redirected the gaze of his loved ones from the future towards the present.  Tragedy, trial, and tribulation have a way of redirecting our gaze.  It is during these moments of fear and anxiety that Jesus directs his church to turn their eyes in a different direction.

As the early church in the late first century was beginning to face persecution for their faith, which John describes as tribulation (1:9) Jesus attempts to reorient their focus.  He begins with an invocation of blessing whose source is none other than the Triune God in all their heavenly glory.  He begins with YHWH (who is and who was and who is to come), the seven Spirits, and from Jesus Christ.  Here They are equally joined together as the fount of the river called "grace and peace."

Yet, something is different because John decides to expand one figure above the rest, namely Jesus.  In verses 5-6 we are told he is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.  During a time when the early Christians in Asia Minor were threatened to give up their faith, bend to the whim of the culture, or perhaps be threatened with death by the social and political powers, Jesus comes to them and declares that it is he who is in charge and not the so called rulers.  Therefore, like Him, they would need to remain strong.  They would need to cling to their witness, but how?  In the face of so much potential fear and pain, what encouragement could they have?

John continues in verses 12-18, where Jesus is lifted up in all His magisterial glory, described as YHWH.  In fact, as John turns to look on him, the very sight of him is so overwhelming that John fell at His feet as if he had died.  Then in full resurrection power, He raises John up and declares that He is the one over all things, holding the power over Death and Hades itself.  In one swift descriptive move John disarms the only thing that the powers (namely Rome) who held them in bondage could threaten them with, death.  As the one who overcame death, and conquered the grave [Hades], Jesus encourages his followers to do something unnatural.  Instead of looking around at the circumstances, Jesus invites them to change the direction of their gaze upward, above all the threats, toward Jesus to see Him as the victorious one.

Life can be downright difficult at times, and it is so easy to look at and name all the things that are going on around us.  But in the midst of adversity and tribulation the book of Revelation encourages us to do one thing first, look up.