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This is a unique book in the New Testament. In the Gospels, we have a record of the life of Jesus that's life of Jesus on Earth that's written from four different authors, four different perspectives. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. We also have letters written by various men, including the Apostle John, who writes Revelation. The Apostle Paul being the most prolific of those writers. But here in Revelation of Jesus Christ, we have an account that is written by John, but it is from a vision given to him by Jesus. Jesus is telling him what to write. So while God is the author of all scripture, this is a direct, almost dictation from Jesus to the Apostle John. Now John is there, it says, on the Isle of Patmos. And what we know from history is that John was being exiled in Patmos. Patmos was an island off the coast of the mainland. And so he was there to live out his days as a punishment for preaching and teaching the gospel, even though he was told over and over again to stop. As a matter of fact, at one point they tried to kill him by boiling him in oil, but he didn't die. So they exiled him to Patmos, and while he was in Patmos, he was visited by Jesus. There have been many debates about the meaning of this book. People have tried to discern things like when will Jesus return? Is there going to be a tribulation? Is there going to be a rapture? As well as the culmination of history and final judgment of all humanity. And to be sure, some of those things are included. But we have to ask, what did the initial recipients or readers of this book think? What was the purpose? Now most biblical scholars and commentators say that the book was written to strengthen and comfort and encourage believers in Jesus, believers in the gospel, practicing Christians who are facing persecution from the Roman authorities, and that that persecution was going to get worse. The reason for the persecution was their belief that there is only one God, there were monotheists, and the Romans were not, and that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and Savior of sinners. Romans believed in many gods, and the emperors themselves were to be worshipped as gods, much like if you remember the Egyptians, the Pharaoh was viewed as a god. That's why there are things like the Pantheon. Pan means all the god. Pantheon was a building that was built for the purpose of worshipping the many gods in Rome. And the Parthenon was built for the purpose of worshipping particularly Athena. But Christians refused to worship any of these other gods or any of the emperors, and therefore they were viewed as a threat to the government of the state. So, to encourage people not to worship Christ or the Christian God, to dissuade them from that, anyone who did could be subject to horrible persecution, torture, and death. Now you think, how did that dissuade those people who were being killed? They made a spectacle of it so that it would be a warning to anybody else who was either worshipping Christ or considering Christianity that if you did that, this is what's going to happen to you. And this is what happened to some people. Some Christians were thrown to wild beasts to be killed and eaten. I remember the Colosseum and the Christians put in the Colosseum and then lions and other wild beasts, bears and leopards were allowed to enter into the Colosseum and they killed and in some cases ate the people. Others had their limbs tied to horses. So, one arm tied to one horse, one arm tied to another horse, and in the opposite direction, their legs tied, each tied to another horse, and the horses were whipped and went opposite directions until the people's limbs were torn off. Others had holes drilled in their skulls and then molten lava poured into those holes to cook their brains while they're still alive. Others were crucified and lit on fire and used as torches to illumine parties put on by the emperor. Now, this revelation then is written to strengthen, comfort, and encourage those who would be facing such things. And if it did encourage them, if it did comfort them, if it did strengthen them, then it could certainly comfort, strengthen, and encourage us. Because it's unlikely that any of us will face these particular horrors, although some people, possibly in Ukraine, have faced horrors, not these in particular, but horrors. But this book was a comfort to them and it should be to us as well. We may face persecution at some point. I mean, right now standing for Christ in Nova Scotia might bring derision from others. People may reject you. People might even hate you if you were known to be a follower of Christ. You could not get a promotion. You might even lose your job if you don't go along with the government on certain things like pronouns. But our persecution, even if we can call it that, is relatively mild. So let's look together at what should be an encouragement to us in this book. And the first thing which should strengthen us and encourage us is when Jesus says, I am the Alpha and the Omega, who is, who was, and who is to come. John is seeing a vision of the resurrected Christ in all of his glory. Remember, John was the beloved disciple, the disciple whom Jesus loved. He was the one who was leaning against Jesus' chest at the Last Supper. He was the one who didn't run away when Jesus was being crucified. And so Jesus comes to him and says, I am the Alpha and the Omega, the one who is, who was, and who is to come. You might not be familiar with the terms Alpha and Omega, but Alpha is the first letter in the Greek alphabet. And Omega is the last letter in the Greek alphabet. So he's saying, I'm the first and the last, and he actually says that, who is, who was, and who is to come. So matter what you're facing, John, and the readers of this letter and us, no matter what you're facing, I haven't changed. I will not change. My promises are unbreakable. Even if you die, I have the keys to death in Hades, he says. So even if you die, you will not die. You will not remain dead. So when he says he's the Alpha, he's the beginning. I want to remind you of some verses that speak to God the Son being the first. When I was in seminary and learning theology, could somebody close that door back there? Thank you. No, the one downstairs. Yes, thanks. When I was in seminary, one of my favorite preachers is John Piper, and I read a book by him called The Supremacy of God in Preaching. And one of the things he said that you should do in your sermons is to saturate them with scripture. So be prepared to be saturated. I want to remind you of some of these verses in Genesis one. It says in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. And John chapter one says in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him and without him. Not anything was made in him was life and life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it. So those two verses together in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. And the word was in the beginning and everything was made through him and you think, okay, what was the word? Well, the word became flesh and dwelt among us. Verse 14, we've seen his glory is that the only son from the father full of grace and truth. So the word is the pre incarnate son of God. And the word became flesh became Jesus, both divine and human. And Paul writing in Colossians says, he is the image of the invisible God, the first born of all creation. For by him, all things were created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible. For the thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities, all things were created through him and for him. He is before all things and in him, all things hold together. So this Jesus who's speaking to John in the Isle of Patmos, John, the one who is exiled, is the same yesterday, today and forever. He has been from all of eternity, God, the son. Hebrews chapter one says long ago, at many times, in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets. But in these last days, he's spoken to us by his son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he created the world. He is the radiance of his glory and the exact imprint of his nature. And he upholds the universe by the word of his power. So God, the son, Jesus Christ is upholding the universe by the word of his power. That's who is talking to John. No wonder John fell as though he were a dead man. And we read in Daniel chapter seven. The ancient of days took his seed, his clothing was white as snow and the hair of his head was like pure wool. His throne was fiery flames and the wheels were burning fire. That sounds very similar to what John sees in his vision. And Daniel in chapter 10 says his body was like barrel. I didn't know what barrel was B E R Y L. Maybe you don't either. But it's a gemstone and it can be emerald aquamarine, yellow, rose colored, red or clear. Doesn't say which it was, but it could have been all of them. His face is like the appearance of lightning. Does this sound familiar? It's almost like what we just read. His face was the sun shining in full strength. His eyes were flaming torches, his arms and legs gleam of burnished bronze. That's what John saw. And the sound of his words were like the sound of a multitude, which is very similar to many waters. Daniel says he saw the vision. The men who are with him didn't see it, but a great trembling fell upon them and they fled to hide themselves. So I was left alone and saw this great vision and no strength was left in me again. When anyone is confronted with a vision of God, a vision of Jesus, they fall as though dead. Then I heard the words of his voice and I heard the sound of his words. I fell on my face in a deep sleep and my face to the ground and behold, a hand touched me and sent me trembling on my hands and knees. A hand touched me. Remember the passage we read in Revelation. It says that Jesus laid his hand on John. So these visions of Daniel bear an almost exact resemblance to what John sees in his vision. And as we go through the book of Revelation, what we'll notice is that Revelation of all the books in the Bible might have more references to the Old Testament than any other. See, the ancient of days and the man in Daniel 10 are the same in Revelation 1. And we're to take great encouragement and comfort and strength from knowing that our Lord and Savior is the very one who created everything. He's the God of the past, the God of the present, and the God of the future. He's the same in the future who is to come. Later in Revelation, chapter 19, I saw heaven opened and white horse, and one sitting on the horse called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and his name is written that no one knows but himself he is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is the word of God. The same is in John chapter 1, So cataclysmic will be his judgment that elsewhere in the book of Revelation it says that everyone, old and young, men and women, slave and free, powerful and powerless, will call on rocks to fall on them rather than to face the judgment of the Son of God. Christ tells us that everything and everyone is now and has always been under his rule and authority. In John says, verse 17, I died and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death in Hades. Then he tells him the mystery of the stars and the lampstands. And if you've read the Bible, you'll notice that falling as though dead is what happens when people are confronted with God Almighty. All the way back in Genesis, in chapter 12 and 15 especially, Abraham is confronted with God and he fell into a deep sleep almost like he passed out. In Isaiah, in chapter 6, when he goes into the temple and he looks up and he's in the Holy of Holies and he sees the Lord God high and lifted up. And he becomes completely aware of how sinful he is. And he says, woe is me for I am a sinful man, for my lips are sinful and I live among a sinful people. And then God sent one of the cherubim and touched his mouth with a coal and told him his sins are forgiven. We find out later in John chapter 12 that that vision that Isaiah saw in the Holy of Holies is actually the Son of God. In Ezekiel, when he's confronted with a vision of God, he falls as though a dead man. And we've read here in Daniel that when Daniel sees him, he falls as though he's a dead man. When confronted with a vision of God trembling in weakness or as Isaiah cries out, he says, I am undone. Literally, that can be translated, I am coming apart. Remember Peter in the great catch of fish in Luke chapter 6, he says, depart from me for I am a sinful man. But Jesus says, fear not from now on you'll be catching men. Why in the face of Almighty God, in the face of such a vision, in the face of such power and strength, things that you have never seen before or ever will see until heaven. Why are you told not to fear? Because Jesus says, I have the keys. I have the keys to death in Hades. I am in charge of death. Remember in Hebrews, it says that Jesus defeated death and Satan. He says, I'm alive forevermore. The risen Christ in all his glory lays his hand on John and says, fear not. I am the first and the last. I died. I'm alive forevermore. So whatever happens to you, this goes for us. Whatever happens to us, fear not. Whatever has happened to you, fear not. Whatever the future holds, fear not. He's conquered death and hell and he has the keys. If you are a Christian, you can be comforted in any affliction. Are you facing an illness or is a loved one facing an illness? Fear not. Have you lost a job? Are you in danger of losing a job? Fear not. Do you have marriage troubles? Fear not. Did the election not go your way? Fear not. Fear not. You fear not because he's the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. He's the first and the last. Remember when the disciples were in the boat and there was a storm at sea and they said, don't you care that we are not... Don't you care that we are perishing? We are not and we will not perish. He's the first and the last. So I have a couple of questions for us. Is he your first? Is he? Or do you think you're here by accident? That's what a lot of people think. A lot of people who are presumably educated, educated just enough to be foolish. Chance plus time. That's how we got here. Everything was created out of nothing. If you believe that's your beginning, if you believe that's your alpha, then you are an accident and you really have no meaning. And that means your omega is meaningless as well. I mean if you're here by complete random chance and accident, your end will be just as random and chance. And if you're beginning and your end is meaningless, so is everything in between. It's all absurd. I mean fighting injustice or any other cause, why do you care? It's meaningless. What happens is that people have the tendency to make other things their gods. In Rome it was apparently their politics. We have people like that here too. That's why Rome killed the Christians. They were not beholden to the political order. But if Jesus is your alpha and your omega, if he's your first and last, he better be your in-between as well. A lot of Christians, they're born again and they're going to heaven and in-between I'm in charge. But if Jesus is your alpha and he's your omega, he has to be all the letters in-between. I used to know him all but I'm not going to try. He's everything to you. In addition to being encouragement and comfort and strength, there's also a warning in the book of Revelation. And it has to do with Jesus being the in-between as well. Living for him is just as important as coming to faith in Christ. Living for him is as important as meeting your end and going to heaven. You don't have to fear because whatever comes to you, whatever might befall you, whatever heartache, whatever heartbreak, whatever problem, whatever illness, whatever accident, Jesus is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. And he has the keys of death in Hades. And he has promised you that you will not perish. You won't die even if you do die physically. You'll be alive with him forever. Let's pray.