A Pastor's Thoughts on COVID-19

The Coronavirus

Introduction

God's peace to all who read this.

In the past several days the pastors of Immanuel have talked with pastors from all over the United States. We've had video conferences with pastors from the Fairmont Ministerial Alliance. We've communicated via email and Facebook with all of the LCMS pastors in our circuit. We've read and watched messages from our district president and our synodical president. We've read article after article.  And, most importantly, we have prayed. 

The Coronavirus pandemic is very serious and it's affecting everyone. There are many difficult and complicated questions that have arisen. The could boil down to one basic and over-arching one: as Christians how are we to navigate through all of this? 

In what follows, I hope to outline a brief theological position on how Christians are to act during this pandemic and other crises in general. I'll look to Scripture, the Fathers, and Martin Luther for guidance. After meditating on all of this, we'll see that Christians during any pandemic are called to act out of love for God and neighbor, and that compassion and generosity must be practiced openly and courageously. 

Scripture

There are several passages that come to mind during this crisis. I'll first cite ones that seem to urge believers to gather no matter the circumstances - even if governments tell urge them to stop proclaiming the Word. 

First of all, there are the New Testament exhortations to gather as the Body of Christ, in person, in order to pray and celebrate the Eucharist.


Let us not neglect meeting together, as some have made a habit, but let us encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching. - Hebrews 10:25 (BSB)

Some are asking the question, "Perhaps by our quarantines and our neglect of public meetings we are acting in an ungodly way?" The governor of Minnesota and the president of our nation urge all churches to close and all gatherings of more than 10 people to cease. Yet, we must ask if this is God-pleasing. Many argue that Christians should disobey. Even the Apostles disobeyed officials. 

"But Peter and the apostles answered, 'We must obey God rather than men.' - Acts 5:29 (ESV)

There is a real struggle here: how can the Body of Christ continue to live and act as the Body, when her members are scattered at their homes in isolation and not celebrating the Lord's Supper together? Is it possible to remain the Church in such a situation? Finally, is the Church called to resist the government's commands to cease all meetings? 

There are many other worries I could add. Churches' ministries might not be sustained over the course of weeks or months without regular offerings. Funerals might have to be postponed because of the danger of infection at wakes and funerals. Neighbors and family members may be sick and quarantined without safe ways for their friends and loved ones to visit them and help them. Parishioners, accustomed to no church gatherings for a long period of time, might conclude that church in the future is no longer necessary. In addition, we must be concerned with our members' incomes. We also have to consider how small businesses will be badly hurt. 

All of these questions are necessary to ask, but there is a primary reality we must first accept.  Right now the Church now has an opportunity to be the voice of hope, comfort, and reason during a complicated and shocking crisis. All the other questions will be answered in time, but firstly we must believe and behave as those who have hope. 

Because of the threat of infection, especially among the "least of these," in-person gatherings of Christians must cease. The Coronavirus is most dangerous for the elderly and those we pre-existing medical conditions. It is also more easily transmitted than other viruses, and it can lie almost dormant in an infected person who will not display obvious symptoms until later. It's a sneaky, dangerous, devilish thing. Heeding our government's directives right now is the correct course of action because we have been given the commandment to love our neighbors.  

The Church must be thinking about others right now and strive to limit the transmission of the virus. This most certainly does involve cancelling events and gatherings. This also involves listening to the experts' advice on the danger of this thing.  We've got to think of the interests of others.  The Apostle Paul writes, 

"Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others." - Philippians 2:4

The interests of others, in the Spring of 2020, involves national health and wellness. It involves at-risk people in our neighborhoods. It involves quarantines and many other precautions that may seem unnecessary or silly.  Our love of God is demonstrated through our love of neighbor, and a significant part of that love right now is doing all we can, especially the simple things, to protect the elderly and the weak. 

John also has much to say about Christian love and care of brothers and neighbors. This verse from his first letter brings me to my next point, as well, about generosity and hospitality during this crisis: 


"But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth." - 1 John 3:17-18


The Coronavirus outbreak must now be an opportunity for us to deepen our love and care of one another.  It is, in effect, an occasion to put others first before ourselves. Months ago most of us would not think of calling up an elderly parishioner simply to chat. Months ago none of us would consider that our next-door neighbor might need some bottled water. Months ago almost nobody was concerned that our churches might "run out of money" and not be able to support church workers and clergy.  

But now? 

Now generosity must be one of our chief focuses during the pandemic. Generous in love, in attention, in gifts, in help. Our Lord teaches, 

"Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” - Luke 6:38

The Apostle Peter writes, 

"Show hospitality to one another without grumbling." - 1 Peter 4:9

We can continue to "meet" over the phone and internet while still loving our neighbor and protecting her or him. We can be available during this emergency to provide relief and assistance.  We must strive to practice generosity and hospitality right now. We also must give more to our churches than we normally do during non-crises! This virus is displaying the very real danger of death, but Christ has overcome death. This is the Church's message and it must be louder, not quieter, right now. 

In addition, this must also be a time for a renewed reading of the saints, a re-commitment to devotional time with family, and a restful time for scriptural meditation. Above all else, Christians must be praying continually. 

I haven't gone into concrete specifics about how congregations can help their neighborhoods, but that will be different for each town or community.  The exact ways that congregations can help in their respective communities has got to come from the people and their flexibility and creativity in the face of need and circumstance. Simple measures that come to mind include the distribution of food and water, or even of books now that libraries are closed. This and much more could be a part of Christian help during the viral winter that has come to America with COVID-19. 


The Church Fathers

As the Church grew and spread over the ancient Roman world, many different writers and thinkers supported the Christian view of neighborly love, care, and generosity. We also must remember that these writers were operating in a very dangerous world. Plague,  war, and persecution were commonplace. 

Clement of Rome (? - 99 A.D.) was an early Christian leader who wrote one (or possibly two) letters that survived history.  His first is an important one to the Church gathered in Corinth. He was a disciples of the Apostles and is only one generation removed from the New Testament eyewitnesses. He may be the "Clement" of Philippians 4:3. 

In his letter, Clement outlines how Christians must act in the world: "So let our whole body be preserved in Christ Jesus, and let each put himself at the service of his neighbor as his particular spiritual gift dictates. Let the strong care for the weak, and let the weak respect the strong. Let the rich provide for the poor, and let the poor give thanks to God because he has given him one through whom his needs are met.  Let the wise man show his wisdom not in words but in good deeds. Let the humble not draw attention to himself, but leave it to others to speak well of him." 

Basil (330 - 379 A.D.) wrote a very interesting work called Ethics in which he states succinct, ethical commands to the Christian reader, and then cites the Scriptures in support. In this work there is much that is helpful, especially if we remember that, when Basil wrote in the 4th century, there were countless wars and epidemics.  At 48.6 he writes, "[It] is necessary to set one's mind upon and be anxious about the needs of the brethren, according to the will of God."  At 70.16 he writes, "[It] is necessary to care not only for those present but also for those absent and to do everything required by the need for edification." 

Elsewhere he writes about the need for Christians to provide food and clothing as well as edification and forgiveness to all the brethren (i.e. other Christians) and to all neighbors. 

John Chrysostom (c. 347 - 407 A.D.) was an archbishop of Constantinople and a mellifluous preacher and prose writer. He points out that Christians' good works are evidence of their salvation, and that they have the opportunity to show unbelievers how great and praiseworthy the Christian life is. He writes, "Let us show forth then a new kind of life. Let us make earth, heaven; let us hereby show the pagans of how great blessings they are deprived. For when they behold in us good conversation, they will look up on the very face of the kingdom of Heaven. Yea, when they see us as gentle, pure from wrath, from evil desire, from envy, from covetousness, rightly fulfilling all our other duties, they will say, 'If the Christians are become angels here, what will they be after their departure hence?" 

There are many other Church Fathers and Mothers I could cite, but the above three will sufficiently demonstrate that Christians have always valued the service of neighbor above themselves especially during tough times. This love and attention, then, is a way to demonstrate to others how Christ truly transforms us. 

A good recent podcast covering the Fathers' position on caring for the weak and poor can be found here: https://www.ancientfaith.com/podcasts/

Martin Luther

By now the reader has possibly seen the references to Martin Luther's letter "Whether One May Flee from a Deadly Plague" (1527). It's included in volume 43 of the 'American Edition' of Luther's works. Many LCMS blogs and websites have shared it this past week. It's a rather long piece, but I'll try to share some of the good Doctor's main points. 

Luther commends the fearless person who remains in his city during a plague and accepts it as God's judgment. This of course is written before germ theory existed; Luther's point is not that it is good to spread plague to other people, including children and the elderly. Rather, it is that a fearlessness in the face of death is always praiseworthy. Likewise, public leaders should remain in their areas because God has entrusted certain people and places to them, and it would be sinful to abandon them during times of trouble. Yet, Luther also allows that it may be godly to flee a city during plague, provided that this is done in good faith and with a view to one's neighbor. 

One focus throughout this letter is vocation. Certain people are called to serve, protect, and care for others, and to flee because of the plague would be to reject one's vocation.  God calls all people into relationships, and it is a duty given by God to bless and love others. A recurring phrase in the letter is "our love and duty toward our neighbor." This determines how Christians must act during challenging times. 

Luther's position is well summarized in his words, "If someone is sufficiently bold and strong in his faith, let him stay in God's name; that is certainly no sin. If someone is weak and fearful, let him flee in God's name as long as he does not neglect his duty toward his neighbor but has made adequate provision for others to provide nursing care." 

He reiterates his point after citing numerous biblical examples of people remaining to assist the sick and helpless and others fleeing to save their lives. Either is acceptable if - and only if - that course of action is done in service to one's neighbor. 

Lest anyone thinks that it is acceptable to ignore medical experts and governmental directives on public health, Luther writes, "If one makes no use of intelligence or medicine when he could do so without detriment to his neighbor, such a person injures his body and must beware lest he become a suicide in God's eyes." We should look at the willful rejection of quarantines or other CDC guidelines as a rejection of intelligence and medicine. A rejection that Luther obviously condemns. Again, this is a matter of vocation; our course of action must be in direct service to our neighbor and our society's good. 

Throughout the letter Luther asks his reader to use human reason as well as trust in God's Word. I'll conclude this section with another good quote: "Moreover, he who has contracted the disease and recovered should keep away from others and not admit them into his presence unless it be necessary. Though one should aid him in his time of need, as previously pointed out, he in turn should, after his recovery, so act toward others that no one becomes unnecessarily endangered on his account and so cause another's death." 

Dr Luther offers well-reasoned advice here that is centered on vocation and thus, the two great commandments (Mark 12:28-31).  A link to the letter is included on this page: https://blogs.lcms.org/2020

Conclusion

I certainly haven't covered all the questions Christians will be asking during this Coronavirus pandemic. There are many more difficulties that need to be addressed. However, I have demonstrated that quarantines and other necessary measures can be seen as God-pleasing because they are defending our neighbors and slowing the spread of COVID-19.  

We can look to Scripture, to the Fathers, and to Dr Luther to see the wisdom in helping others, in being generous, and in being safe. We can see how vocation is central to all of this. Christians are called to be faithful neighbors, friends, and citizens. We may have to put off certain things right now - even sacraments like the Lord's Supper - but this is not because we malign their importance or distrust their power. It is because we have our neighbors to care for. 

We've got to be generous right now, and carry on the Ministry of the Word in creative ways. 

- Rev. Adam Carnehl

A picture of Luther caring for Wittenberg citizens during the plague

Midweek Lent 4 - Sermon on Isaiah 52:13-15

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Brothers and sisters, this is a difficult time.

It’s a time of sickness, death, and uncertainty.

We are worried about our loved ones and about our neighbors.

We’re asking questions about food, protection, and safety.

We’re upset by sports cancellations and school closings.

We are trying to steer a course between panic and apathy.

We are coping with the possibility of isolation, loneliness, and sickness.

We are coming face to face with our mortality and life’s transitoriness.

So, we’re trying to find our way through all of this, as many of our fellow Christians have in past centuries.

The way I see it, Christ who is “the way” {John 14:6}, who is our “captain” {Heb. 2:10}, in whom all the promises of God are a resounding “yes” {2 Cor. 1:20}, is our sure and certain hope during  the Coronavirus, throughout our life, and one day, at the moment of our death.

Throughout this Lent we’ve been entrusting ourselves to Jesus, our Suffering Servant, by committing ourselves and our families to him in prayer and repentance. Now, in the face of this pandemic, we have got to entrust all that we are and all that we have to Him.

We have to remember that since the ancient times of the New Testament, there have been countless epidemics, wars, persecutions, and disasters. Many millions of Christians have suffered and died. The saints and the confessors and martyrs themselves testify, there is no other way but Christ, no other solution but Christ, no other answer but Christ.

Even the prophets foresaw this, and just imagine what they experienced in their lives and ministries. Think of the times and struggles of people like Moses, Elijah, Deborah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel.

What fears did they experience? What questions did they have? What was their world like?

In Lent we’ve been reading the Servant Songs from the Prophet Isaiah. Let’s look into him now and see what his situation was like and how he saw the Christ as the answer to confusion, difficulty, and death.

Isaiah was actually experiencing a siege by Assyrian troops when he recorded many of his oracles. The foreign armies, led by Sennacharib, had infamous, deadly troops: bowmen, footsoldiers, and charioteers. Thousands marched south into Judah after King Hezekiah had entered into an alliance with Egypt. The northern kingdom, Israel, was already a lost cause. It had been conquered by a former Assyrian king, Shalmaneser V.  Later the people were exiled to Assyria.

So, around 701 B.C. Sennacharib led a massive force into the southern kingdom.  King Hezekiah was afraid for his people, especially after the Assyrians split their forces in two. One half besieged the city of Jerusalem, with Hezekiah and Isaiah, and the other marched south, to the large and important Judean city of Lachish. The Assyrians surrounded the city and built a massive ramp of stones and earth so that their siege weapons and battering rams could reach the walls.  After they breached the walls, they destroyed the city and enslaved the inhabitants.

An ancient Assyrian relief depicts the battle in great detail. It’s a massive, stone relief that adorned a palace in Nineveh. It’s now displayed at the British Museum in London.  Across panel after panel, you can see various scenes of Judeans being thrown down the cliff and executed by Assyrian footsolders.  Sennacharib stands triumphantly on the backs of his defeated enemies. Other residents of Lachish are led away, en masse, off to exile and forced labor in Assyria and Babylon.

Jerusalem had heard about the defeat and the bloodshed and the slavery. And they waited for their turn.

Sennacharib recorded all of this in cuneiform writing on different clay prisms, which have somehow survived the turbulent centuries. These annals of the king can be found in museums in London, Chicago, and Jerusalem today.  In these annals, Sennacherib records, “As for the king of Judah, Hezekiah, who had not submitted to my authority, I besieged and captured forty-six of his fortified cities, along with many smaller towns, taken in battle with my battering rams. ... I took as plunder 200,150 people, both small and great, male and female, along with a great number of animals including horses, mules, donkeys, camels, oxen, and sheep. As for Hezekiah, I shut him up like a caged bird in his royal city of Jerusalem. I then constructed a series of fortresses around him, and I did not allow anyone to come out of the city gates.”

Can you even imagine that horror? I can’t. But Isaiah’s hope and confidence is almost more unimaginable to us. Yes, in the midst of all this war and terror, Isaiah sees hope, deliverance, and peace.  We read this prophecy in the 37th chapter of his book:


“He will not enter this city
    or shoot an arrow here.
He will not come before it with shield
    or build a siege ramp against it.
By the way that he came he will return;
    he will not enter this city,”
declares the Lord.
“I will defend this city and save it,
    for my sake and for the sake of David my servant!”

Next we read that the Lord God sent an angel into the army’s camp and slew 185,000 of the Assyrians. Jerusalem was delivered. Isaiah and Hezekiah were spared. God had remembered his people.

Here was a physical, national moment of deliverance. Israel’s enemies were destroyed. Peace was restored. King Hezekiah had prayed and called for his people to pray. Isaiah spoke on behalf of God and promised deliverance. Then the actions of the angel proved it.

We, too, shall be delivered, but Lachish may have to fall. Sennacherib or sin, death, and Satan will win some apparent victories. But as the Word of God saved Jerusalem, so will the Word of God save us. Christ Jesus, our Suffering Servant, will.

This shocks the nations and disturbs the kings. This looks utterly foolish to the world. But it’s the Church’s foundation, her hope, her guiding light, her truth, her fortress, her deliverer, her servant.  Isaiah prophesies,

“See, my servant will act wisely;
he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted
Just as there were many who were appalled at him —
    his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being
    and his form marred beyond human likeness—
so he will sprinkle many nations,
    and kings will shut their mouths because of him.
For what they were not told, they will see,
    and what they have not heard, they will understand.”

The Suffering Servant has been raised from the dead. He has ascended into heaven. He now reigns in glory and victory.  But this glory is not at all apparent to the world. This resurrection is not at all familiar to the world. The world expects instant relief, longevity, success, and happiness. Christ brings a cross, and transformation, and victory over death.

We see our hope and our foundation, and now we go to Jesus Christ the Servant. Amen. 

Sennacherib's prism, at the University of Chicago's Oriental Institute

Isaiah 37 scroll from Qumran, one of the most complete of all the Dead Sea Scrolls

Revelation Chapter 1

"John of Patmos" by George Richmond

Ch. 1 text and commentary (esv)

1 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 2 who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw.3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.

The book begins by calling itself the "revelation of Jesus Christ." The word "revelation" here means "unveiling, disclosure." As previous posts note, this word in Greek (apocalypsis) is loaded with meaning. An unveiling of Christ should bring to mind the moments in the Gospels that Christ's nature, power and divinity are unveiled, often with shocking results. Think of the Transfiguration (Mark 9) or the calming of the storm (Mark 4).  This unveiling of Christ in this book was given in order that the servants (lit. "slaves") of Christ will see what must "soon" happen. There is always this urgency in apocalyptic and end-time teachings; the emphasis is on the here and now, the present, because now is the time to proclaim the victory of Jesus, before it's too late. John concludes this opening by saying the "time is near," thus emphasizing once again the urgency of reading, hearing, and keeping this prophecy. 

4 John to the seven churches that are in Asia:

Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth.

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood 6 and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. 7 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.

8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Ancient Christian symbols. Note the A-shaped "Alpha" and the horse-shoe shaped "Omega."
These are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. The one who was "pierced" speaks in verse 8.
This means that Jesus is truly God - the Almighty One - Alpha and Omega. The Son of God has no beginning
and no end. He "is to come" because He will appear as judge at the end of all things.

The "Apocalypse" of Jesus Christ, given to John by an angel ("messenger"), which is, indeed, a prophecy (vs. 3), is also a letter "to the seven churches that are in Asia." Asia during John's time was the Roman province of Asia: 

Now the question arises: "Why seven churches?" Ancient writers surmised that "seven" is the perfect number because it combines three with four; three is the Tri-unity of the Godhead and four is the number of the corners of the world and also the Gospels. There are also seven days of creation.  So, the seven churches signify and summarize the universal Church.

Then what does the "seven spirits before his throne?"  The "seven spirits" have been interpreted in numerous ways. They act in Revelation like God's eyes, looking around the earth like a reconnaissance team (Koester, 227).  They hearken back to the "seven lamps" and the "seven eyes" 

There is also Zechariah 3:8, 9 to consider, where the angel of God is speaking to Joshua the high priest while Satan is nearby.  "'Listen, High Priest Joshua, you and your associates seated before you, who are men symbolic of things to come: I am going to bring my servant, the Branch.  See, the stone I have set in front of Joshua! There are seven eyes on that one stone, and I will engrave an inscription on it,’ says the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will remove the sin of this land in a single day.'"  

This seven-eyed stone, linked as it is to the "Branch" (Messiah), is also connected to the removal of sin in a single day (the crucifixion).  Elsewhere in the New Testament, Christ is called the "stone" (1 Cor. 10:4; Matt. 21:42), and is shown to be both the stone that gave Israel water in the wilderness and the stone of Psalm 118 which is a stumbling block and an offence which, nevertheless, becomes the corner stone.

Isaiah 11:1-2 is also an Old Testament passage we should look at here: "A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.  The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him - the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord."

Notice here the seven-fold presence of the Spirit: He is of the Lord, of wisdom, of understanding, of counsel, of might, of knowledge, of fear. This is another OT text that lies behind Revelation and the importance of the number "7" in relation to God and the Church. One scholar says, "Throughout Revelation the number seven represents God's presence by his Spirit" (Brighton, 42). 

9 I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet 11 saying, “Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”

12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, 15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.

17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, 18 and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades. 19 Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this. 20 As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

An ancient manuscript of the New Testament. Virtually all of the oldest copies of
NT books are found on decaying papyrus like this.

Map of Eastern Mediterranean (notice Patmos)

John was "in the Spirit" on the "Lord's Day," meaning he received the revelation of Jesus on Sunday, presumably when he had been worshiping his Lord and partaking of the body and blood of Jesus in the Eucharist. Then he hears a loud voice like a trumpet. 

Christians have generally accepted that the seven churches sum up all of the Christian congregations. Again, seven is the number of completeness (3 + 4) and is also the number of God's design for the world (7 days of creation).  These seven churches are all located in what is today Western Turkey. 

The "one like a son of man" should make us recall Daniel's vision of the son of man (recorded in Daniel 7), and Jesus's self-identifying as the son of man throughout the Gospels. The son of man is the apocalyptic figure of God's authority and judgment. Daniel 7:13, 14 reads, "“In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence.  He was given authority,glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed."

Since Jesus identifies as this son of man (e.g. Matt. 20:28 and elsewhere), we can confidently say that the son of man in this vision is Jesus. Yet, this is Jesus in His glory and power. The fierce description is like God has lifted the veil over John's eyes and showed him the Son's radiant being. This one, who is both Lord and God, has defeated death and risen from the grave. He is exalted, and approaches John.  We can only imagine how frightening, shocking, and powerful this vision was! 

The seven lampstands hearken back to the menorah of Moses, a seven-fold lampstand (Exodus 25), and represent the seven churches. The seven stars are the seven angels of the churches

Introduction to the Book of Revelation

Michelangelo's Last Judgment (1536-1541)

Author: John (1:1, 4; 9; 22:8). Writing on Patmos, he takes for granted his hearers know who he is: the Apostle of Jesus Christ who also wrote the fourth Gospel and three letters which are all collected in our New Testament.

Date: 90's A.D.  Irenaeus of Lyons, an important Church Father (c. 130 - 202 A.D.) stated that the Apostle John “saw the revelation... at the close of Domitian’s reign” (AD 81-96). Irenaeus received this information from Polycarp (60 - 155 A.D.) who was bishop of Smyrna and had sat at the feet of the Apostle John in the city of Ephesus.

Genre:  Revelation fits in the category of apocalyptic literature, yet it is technically also a letter (1:4) and a prophecy (1:3).  The first word in the book is apokalypsis in Greek, which means "unveiling, revelation." 

John of Patmos by Jan Toorop

Structure: the structure of Revelation is widely debated by scholars. But here is a helpful, general outline:

1. Introduction (1:1 - 3:22) - This contains the prologue, a description of John’s commissioning to write the book, and the seven letters to the seven churches.
2. Prophetic Message (4:1 - 22:5)
3. Epilogue (22:6-21)

A helpful summary of the book looks like this (taken from W. Harrington):

Overture (1)
Messages to the Churches (2 -3)
The Scroll Vision (4 - 5)
The Seven Seals (6:1 - 8:5)
The Seven Trumpets (8:6 - 11:19) 
The Woman and the Dragon (12)
The Two Beasts (13)
Salvation and Judgment (14)
The Last Plagues (15 - 16)
The End of Babylon (17:1 - 19:10)
The End of Evil (19:11 - 20:15)
The New Jerusalem (21:1 - 22:5)
Epilogue and Conclusion (22:6-21)

It is important to note the visionary events in Revelation see the entire age of the church from a heavenly perspective. Time folds in upon itself, and both past and future are experienced in the present. Each new vision is a different perspective and adds a little more to what was presented in the earlier visions. 

An ancient papyrus manuscript of Revelation.

Symbolism: The book of Revelation is saturated with symbols.

Numbers:

3 The Divine Number - the Tri-unity of the Godhead.

3 1/2 Half of seven. The number of the interruption of the divine order of things by Satan, wickedness, and chaos. An incomplete number, it signifies the age of persecution and imperfection.  This is also known as “a time, times, and half a time”; 42 months or 1260 days (three and one-half years)

4 The natural creation. Symbolizes the four corners of the earth; the habitation of man, the four winds.  Also the four Evangelists (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John).

6 The six days of creation, one short of seven, the mystical number.  For the Jew, the number six had in it the very sound of doom. Three sixes, the very enunciation of the words carries the hiss of the serpent, is a symbol for the beast. 

7 Perfection; three (the divine number) and four (the cosmic number) added together equals seven. The four-square world plus the divine completeness of God. Earth crowned with heaven. Seven was also the number of days to complete His creation. Also in the OT, there were seven high festivals in the Jewish year, four of them falling in the seventh month, and two of them lasting seven days. 

10 Totality or completeness. There are 10 commandments; the man who has five fingers on each hand and five toes on each foot was a full-rounded man. Thus five, doubled to ten symbolizes human completeness. 

12 The people of God (the 12 tribes in the OT and the 12 disciples in the NT). Four multiplied by three. 

24 The whole People of God in both the OT and the NT (12 + 12).

1000   The highest completeness (10 x 10 x 10)

The Four Horsemen by Viktor Vasnetsov

Colors:

White = Purity
Gold = Heaven
Red = Sin, Corruption, blood
Purple = Luxury, Royalty 
Black = Darkness, Wickedness, Sin, Apostasy, Evil
Pale / Green = Death, Sickness

Symbols:

Angels = Messengers 

Bowls = Judgment

Crowns = Power, Majesty

Eyes = Power of Sight

Fire = Judgement

Heads = Major Powers, Rulers, Government

Horns = Power, Strength

Israel = True Followers of Christ

Keys = Control, Jurisdiction

Lamb = Jesus, Atoning Sacrifice

Lampstands = Churches as bearers of the light

Palms = Triumph

Rainbow = Covenant Promise

Stars = Angels

Thunder = Proclamation of Judgment

Trumpets = Announcement of Warning

Wind = Strife, Commotion

Purpose: Revelation is the culmination of the Bible canonically, and the culmination of God's message of salvation theologically.  It reveals and confirms that Christ was prophetically promised and that his incarnation, death, and resurrection restore God’s creation to its original glory and righteousness.  Revelation thus points to the final meaning and final answer to all that is revealed in the Bible. In addition, as the last book, Revelation puts an endorsement on all of God’s revelation, a final confirmation of the divine truth and origin of God’s spoken and written Word. This finality points to the urgency of the last times in which all things will be brought to an end – an urgency which reminds the Christian to hold fast to the faith - “Be faithful until death and I will give you a crown of life" (2:10).

Christ's Place in Revelation: All of Scripture testifies to Christ.  The saving work of Christ is implicit throughout Revelation as it focuses on the exalted reign of Christ, which exaltation resulted from his death and resurrection. Because of his death and resurrection and since his ascension, the Lord Christ, in his state of exaltation, is Lord over all.  Revelation assumes in the entire book that the work of Christ in our place (humiliation and vicarious atonement) has already taken place, and it assumes that the reader knows and trusts that work.  The four Gospels narrate the incarnation, humiliation and resurrection of Jesus. Revelation pictures the exaltation of Christ and what this exalted reign of Christ means for the church.  Revelation tells the story of the Gospels in an apocalyptic way, and it continues the story from the ascension to the second coming of the Lord – and into eternity. Revelation also demonstrates how the church carries on the mission of Christ in the world for it was the ascended and exalted Christ who worked by the Spirit for and through the apostles.

Christ is pictured in Revelation as: the exalted Son of Man (1), the Lamb of God (5), the mighty angel of the church (10), the Lord of the church (2-3; 22), the Word of God (19:13) and the Source of the creation of God: the new heaven and earth.  He is the Lord of history, the Lord of the living and the dead, the Lord of the angels and the Lord of the world and of all creation.