“Things have never been so bad” (Esther 1-3; Psalm 139; Revelation 1

“Things have never been so bad!” It’s a phrase you may have heard people saying. I imagine it’s something that every generation has said at some point. Certainly we get to hear more from across the world today and so it may feel there are more disasters, but as we read the Bible we see we are not the first generation to face awful atrocities. The book of Esther tells us of a plan to destroy all the Jews. When the book of Revelation was written, Christians were facing the reality of being wiped out, and the apostle John was not writing from the comfort of his study, but from prison. He had lost many friends to the oppressive Roman empire, and he had lost his freedom as well.

The books of Esther and Revelation tell us that even when things look really bad, God is still in control and is ultimately working for the good of His people. John wants to reassure troubled Christians in the first Century, and in every future generation that all three persons of the Trinity are for them. John sends grace and peace from God the Father (v4), the one who has all of history in His hands, from God the Holy Spirit (v4 seven spirits means Holy Spirit since 7 is the number of perfection). What a comfort to troubled Christians, you might feel small and alone, in the first Century as Rome oppresses you, or in the 21st Century as different ideologies oppress you, but if you are one of God’s people, God’s Spirit is living in you!

John sends grace and peace from God the Son, and look how he’s described “the firstborn of the dead”! He’s conquered death, that takes some of the sting out of the persecution, death is not the end! Jesus is the firstborn, and what happened to him will happen to all who belong to Him, we will be raised! He is the “ruler of the kings on earth”. Don’t fear Trump or Putin or Xi Jinping, Jesus is the ruler of kings of earth.

What sort of king is he? Look at the beautiful words at the end of v5 “to him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood.” He loves us! He loves His people enough to die in our place. When you know Jesus is the king of all, and He loves you, you can face most things, even anything. What we need as face troubles, and face “things have never been so bad” is a vision of Jesus in His glory which is what John gives us next. We can’t go through every verse in detail, but just re read Revelation 1:13-16, see the glory and purity and power of Jesus.

When John sees Him, he is so overwhelmed that he falls to the ground. Yet this awesome King Jesus tells him not to fear. Don’t fear, because this awesome king is for you! Don’t fear, for He has conquered death. He has the keys of death (v18). If you have the keys of something, it means you have authority over it, you can unlock it. Jesus Christ has authority over death! He can and will unlock it for every single believer in Him.

Whether you feel “things have never been so bad” or not, what you need is to see the glory and power of Jesus and to then hear him saying “fear not”. The one speaking is the one who loves you and has freed you from your sin by His blood, and one day will unlock death for you.

When you see that, perhaps the response of the psalmist is appropriate “search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” (Psalm 139:23-24)