Come Up Here!: Recent Episodes
Richard George
Revelation is the place in the New Testament where we come across the apocalyptic/prophetic dimensions in the New Testament. It is written to encourage the saints at a time of persecution. As he reveals himself to John on the Island of Patmos, Jesus also speaks to the whole church, giving seven letters containing the keys to the revival life of the risen ascended Jesus. You may not discover The date of the second coming if you join up for this series, but you will be uplifted, enriched and personally revived as you listen to and respond to a journey through this last book of the Bible.
Satan is bound, and Jesus rules for 1000 years. Then Satan is released and again attempts war, only to meet his end in the lake of fire. In a new heaven and earth, now made one, the Lamb’s bride enters a glorious eternity.
With the world and its wealth laid waste, God again urges repentance; but those once rich and powerful can only weep for their loss. Meanwhile in heaven thunderous praise heralds a celebration: the marriage of the Lamb to his bride!
The harvest of souls is gathered, and while the redeemed sing praises seven angels pour out horrifying plagues on those whose worship of the beast prevents them turning back to God. While the heavenly armies gather for battle, the seventh plague wreaks total destruction upon an unrepentant world. With God’s wrath accomplished, a voice from the temple cries: ‘It is done!’
Beasts arise from the sea and the land and John sees how people are sucked into worshipping these ungodly imperial powers. All who are not following the lamb fall into their deceit; meanwhile back in heaven Jesus’ followers sing a new song and an angel proclaiming the eternal Gospel provides still another chance to repent.
The saints move out to prophesy with a messianic anointing and the angel sounds the seventh trumpet, yet there’s more to be shown before the end. Satan is furious and pursues the people of God; God’s hand of protection is upon them.
Angels sound their seven trumpets, resulting in increasing devastation. Despite this final ultimatum to the world, many remain unrepentant. An angel hands John a scroll and he is told to go, and prophecy again.
Six seals are opened as God’s wrath begins to be revealed. A protective seal is stamped on the foreheads of his people, as exultant praise and worship continues in heaven.
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.
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.
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 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!
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.
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!
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!
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.