Welcome to Hank’s Place
John 1:18 reads, “No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, He has made him known.” The “Father’s side” actually reads in the Greek, “in the bosom, the heart, of the Father.”
Jesus came – and has revealed the Father’s heart toward us. He healed the sick, raised the dead, cast out demons, corrected the religious lawyers, Pharisees, Sadducees, and gave true meaning to God’s words. He revealed God – being merciful and full of compassion: always.
When John is an old man, he receives a revelation from Jesus. It’s the last book of the Bible. Jesus identifies Himself as “the Alpha and the Omega, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” White hair like snow, eyes a burning fire, feet like burnished bronze, His voice like the roar of many waters. From His mouth a sharp two-edged sword, His face like the sun shining in full strength. Who holds the keys of death and hell. Almighty!
JESUS – revealed as Lord of Lords, King of Kings – who rules the universe. He then instructs John to write letters to 7 churches, to be read in each one. The letters have a common thread: He knows, really knows, each church. And it sounds like for most that He is not pleased with them. That they had better straighten up and do the right things, start producing for the Kingdom, or He will flush them down the, uh, tubes.
Where’s the kindly merciful, gracious Jesus of the Gospels? My dear friend I submit to you, for your consideration, that the 7 churches are actually receiving love letters from Jesus, but our mindset, and that of most theologians, and commentators and denominations, has been to continue to mix old and new covenants and read into Jesus’ words what He is NOT saying, namely rebukes and threats and ‘good works Christianity.’
We’ll take a look at these love letters and find that our Jesus of love, grace, and mercy has not changed. He is forever the God who loved you so much that He was willing to die for you rather than live without you. It’s time to throw off your Revelation fears – and COME ALIVE!
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