What is Revelation about?  With apocalyptic and prophetic elements, the whole biblical narrative reaches its conclusion in this book.  John delivers the message to the church from the one who was, is, and is to come, firstborn from the dead and now carrying all power and authority.  That message is to come up here!  Take your place and rule and reign as kings and priests.

The veil lifted for Elisha’s servant, Ezekiel, Isaiah and others; they were each granted a vision of a heavenly reality.  Here too, John sees another dimension.  His eyes are opened as he encounters Jesus in a vision – ‘one like a son of man’, with a voice like the sound of rushing waters and eyes blazing with fire!

The radical nature of what Jesus has done, and what he calls his followers to, crystallises when he tells the Ephesian church they have great doctrine but have fallen away from the fullness of life they once knew, and calls them again to seek to live in victory and thereby to eat from the tree of life!

Jesus addresses the churches at Smyrna and Pergamum.  He knows what they’ve been through, testing times and suffering, and encourages them to stay faithful to the end, even to the point of death.  Where they have already slipped into idolatry and immorality, he spells out the only way back: to repent and get right with God.  He gives special promises to those who will overcome.

Jesus gives the church in Thyatira an excellent report in many areas but speaks frankly about idolatry and adultery which have been tolerated.  For those who overcome and do his will to the end, he will give authority over the nations!

Wake up church!  Though they look alive, the church in Sardis is, in fact, dead.  Giving them the opportunity to repent, Jesus warns them of his unexpected return.  To the church in Philadelphia, he places before them an open door that no one can shut and again urges them to live in the victory he has already won.

Jesus addresses the church in Laodicea, a city full of rich bankers.  He urges them to turn away from their self-sufficiency and buy from him riches that the world cannot offer.

John enters through an open door into heaven and continual exuberant worship.  Jesus, the Lamb who was slain, takes centre stage, the only one worthy to open the seals.