A Revelation Invitation

Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen. (Revelation 1:7 ESV)

One Saturday morning I was home sitting at my desk when I heard a sudden, loud, aggressive knocking at my front door. It seemed a bit obnoxious. Why didn’t they just ring the doorbell? At first I expected someone else in the house to get the door. But the loud knocking resumed with no one answering. Whoever it was was way too impatient. Before I walked more than a few steps the boisterous banging came again. So rude! No decent person would act this way especially this early on a Saturday morning. Upon reaching the door, I opened it with a scowl on my face, ready to chew out whoever I met there. Standing before me were my parents, holding black balloons and shouting, “SURPRISE!” I realized immediately that I had misinterpreted the signs. That day happened to be my 40^th birthday. My parents had traveled nearly 2,000 miles to “honor” me and celebrate this milestone. And the rest of my family was in on the ruse.

Misinterpreting the signs is easy to do when you expect one thing but reality is something different. Preconceived notions can cause us to misinterpret Revelation. One misconception is that Revelation focuses on the end times. Consequently, many who read the passage above assume that it describes Christ’s return on the last day, at the resurrection of the dead. However, when John’s original audience heard these words they likely came away with a different impression, a perspective that made sense of their circumstances and of an understanding formed by their familiarity with the Old Testament.

With its very strong Jewish presence the churches in the Roman province of Asia would have immediately recognized John’s language of this coming with the clouds not as the end times, but as judgment against their enemy Rome. They would have been reminded of Isaiah’s prophesy: “Behold, the Lord is riding on a swift cloud and comes to Egypt” (19:1). In that context God was about to bring judgment on a nation who was opposed to him and subverting his people. John’s readers would have also remembered the answer to David’s prayer for rescue from his enemies, “[The Lord] parted the heavens and came down; dark clouds were under his feet” (Psalm 18:9 NIV) as if God were charging David’s enemies on a chariot of clouds. They would have especially recalled Daniel’s vision, “and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him” (7:13), when Israel’s savior was given dominion over the nations who would serve him. So, when John wrote that Jesus was coming with the clouds, the churches would have seen this as assurance that Jesus was about to bring judgment on their enemy Rome. God does not wait until the end of time to apply his justice against the ungodly. It begins now. Jesus was coming to rescue his people from the beast of the Roman Empire.

Up to this point in history, the Romans had subjugated every nation and race of people whom they encountered. No nation had been able to stand up to them. Now the Roman Empire at the height of its power had turned its attention to crushing this movement called the Way, whose followers refused to confess, “Caesar is Lord.” How frightening to think that they had become the target of the most powerful and ruthless empire in the history of the world. The church needed faith to persevere, assurance that victory would be theirs, hope that their future with their Savior was secure, and certainty that they would reign with him. The entire book of Revelation addresses this need. We get a glimpse of it here seeing Jesus pictured as a conqueror sent from heaven, riding into battle on his chariot to rescue his people and destroy their enemies. Every eye will see him, see Jesus, mightier even than Rome, a sight that will both comfort and terrify.

Oppression comes in many forms. And persecution comes from many sources. It may come from a government. It may come from a corporation. It may come from a coworker or family member. It even takes the form of bondage to sin. Regardless of the source, we should recall John’s vision of Jesus coming with the clouds. He will bring judgment on our tormentors and free us from their cruelties. He has the power to set things right and his deliverance begins now. His death on the cross was the first step in righting all wrongs. In the end, his rule will be uncontested. Even now Jesus comes with the clouds to rescue his people.

Lord Jesus, you are a conqueror bent on conquest. Your enemies crumble before you. It comforts me to know that those who mistreat me are your enemies, too. You are fully aware of what these tormentors do to your people and you respond. Come to my rescue. Amen.