Reading 61

Reading 61

Revelation 3-6

Have you ever had a vivid dream and woke up wondering if it meant anything? For the Apostle John it was not a dream but a vision and though he may not have understood everything in the vision, he did know that it was chock full of meaning.

At this point in his life John was an elderly man who had been exiled to a mining colony because of his faith in and witness to Jesus (1:9). It was a time when the early church was experiencing persecution and believers were dying for their faith. According to church tradition the Apostle Peter was crucified upside down while Paul was beheaded in Rome. John had not escaped unscathed and when he wrote that he was “your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus” (1:9) he wasn’t sympathizing from the rocking chair.

It was in the midst of these circumstances that Jesus Christ gave John this apocalyptic vision (apocalypse means “to reveal”). The primary purpose of the vision was probably to encourage the brothers and sisters to stay faithful to Jesus. To let them know that God knew they were suffering and that at the time of His choosing He would set things right.

There is much in this vision that is difficult to understand, but there are also things that clear. One of them is found in chapter 5:8

“And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.” (NIV)

This tells us that the prayers of God’s people are an aroma pleasing to him. They are precious to him, being brought to him in golden bowls and it lets us know that the prayers of God’s people come directly into his presence. There’s no screening process to see which prayers are “up to snuff”.

Whenever we struggle it is not uncommon to wonder if God hears our pleas. The Apostle John would want you to know that, yes indeed, God hears your prayer, they are precious to him, and at the right time in the right way he will answer.

--Nils

Reading 61 Audio