Big God, Small World
Take a deep dive into the book of Revelation! Our hosts, Elizabeth Bristol and Christine Hobbs, take you verse by verse in order to lead you to a deeper understanding of the hope we have as Christians!
Big God, Small World
Episode 6: Shining - Chapter 1 Verses 6-8
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
The Bible tells us to "shine like stars in the universe."
Not everyone is called to be a missionary, but each Christian is called to share the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus Christ.
We may not have the words, but we should all have the actions. Living such good lives that we set an example for Christ can do more than a thousand words.
God draws people to Himself and it is up to us to show them the way to Him, through Jesus Christ. We can do this by shining bright and showing them Jesus by how we live.
Watch Christine's Revelation Study video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecV-Gfutd_U
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Thank you for tuning in to Coffee with Jesus. I am one of your co-hosts, Elizabeth Bristol, and today Christine Hobbes and I are going to continue our discussion about chapter one in the book of Revelation. There are four places in the Bible. Did you know this, Christine, where Jesus his return is described as coming like a thief? You know, meaning it's unexpected. They're not calling Jesus a thief. Only the Father knows when, right? He doesn't even know when. But he does say in Revelation 16, 15, when I come, it will surprise you like a thief. But God will bless you if you are awake and ready. So I love that because that's our goal here, right? To be awake and ready.
SPEAKER_01But he's not trying to trick us. No, I'll just add that, right? So it's not like it's, but he is saying for those who are sleeping, right? Wake up and get ready because I will come.
SPEAKER_00You know, so I just, if any of our listeners know someone out there who is aiming to do the same, you know, to be ready, um, please feel free free to click the like button and the share podcast because it does help us reach more people who might be interested in learning what the Bible says about these end times so they too can prepare. And thank you for doing that. This is our sixth companion podcast to partner with Christine's series on the book of Revelation. So she breaks down each chapter line by line. And um, yes, we had an intro introductory podcast, and we've done five on chapter one, right, Christine?
SPEAKER_01Correct, correct. I think that's where we're at.
SPEAKER_00I know. Don't want to confuse anyone, and I was thinking I was getting confused. But last time we spoke about Jesus paying the penalty once and for all for anyone and everyone willing to enter covenant with him. And the result of that is verse six. I like that. We become a kingdom of priests to God the Father. I like this, you know, picture. We become children of the king, right? With special privileges and access to his riches, and we gain heavenly responsibilities. I love what you said on the podcast that we move from death row to the White House with security clearance.
SPEAKER_01Right. Exactly. And first Peter, um, chapter two, verse nine says, Um, but you are his chosen people, the king's priest. You are a holy nation, people who belong to God. So interesting that he redeems us, yeah, and then puts us into a position of being part of the kingdom, doing the work of the kingdom.
SPEAKER_00Right. But he trusts us.
SPEAKER_01Right. He certainly doesn't need us.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01So so there's a blessing in that in some way.
SPEAKER_00Wow. Yeah. And he well, he chooses us to tell about the wonderful things he's done. Yeah. Bringing us out of the darkness of sin into his wonderful light.
SPEAKER_01So he tells us to shine, like he tells us to not hide our light, to be salt and light to the earth. And that kind of rolls into this verse a little bit that we're we're supposed to be an example, and and that's why he calls it a royal priesthood. Like, yeah, you know, we're part of that. And we tend to think only those who went to theology school can can be that.
SPEAKER_00Right. But we're all missionaries.
SPEAKER_01We all are missionaries, and we are all part of doing if we're part of the kingdom, then we're supposed to be doing work for the kingdom in some capacity, whatever we're gifted in.
SPEAKER_00Right. I love that scripture that we're supposed to shine like the stars of the universe as we hold out the word of life. I love that. It's an important mission.
SPEAKER_01It is life and death that we're dealing with.
SPEAKER_00Well, you know, like we said last time, that he what Jesus did for us, right? We couldn't have done. Um, he came down from heaven and died on the cross to cover what we owed in his perfection. And um, not only could we not have ever paid, covered that, but no one else could have. And also I like to think too that he showed us how to live, you know, um, because sometimes, I don't know, sometimes we don't, it's it is hard to think about uh following what the Lord tells us to. And and just like you're saying, like even speaking up boldly about the truth that others might come to know Christ and be rescued. Okay, so I've been a Christian now. Um, what do we think? 30 something years. Wow. And initially I was, I was such a people pleaser that when when he first became important to my life, I was a little nervous. I wasn't one of those people, you know how they talk about it sometimes that you get so excited, you're telling everyone about it. I knew what I thought my friends were gonna respond. How, and I was I didn't want to lose him as friends, you know. So I was not like that, bubbling over to share what he did.
SPEAKER_01Right, right. Right? I know, and I'm the opposite. We we, you know, having known you for a while, you know who I am, and I am literally the clubber. And so, you know, even now, you know, same thing, have been walking with the Lord for a long time, and sometimes I'm just wow, like Lord, I did that so badly. And it's like, why would you include me in it? I'm so bad at this, you know, and um, so like all of us, we have strengths and weakness. And you know, I was talking to somebody this week and I was saying how um, you know, when when we use the Bible as a weapon against non-believers, yeah, well, they're only behaving like they would as a non-believer. So when I wield scripture at a non-believer, all they feel is judged. Yeah, yeah. Whereas if I wield the Bible to a believer to sharpen iron, sharpens iron, yeah, that's where I'm supposed to wield the Bible. But we're supposed to shine and love and all of those type of things to the world that's unbelievers and share good news, not whip them with the do's and don'ts.
SPEAKER_00And God, just like we talked about last time, is all about free will. So we need to be about free will too. Like whether anyone wants to be a part of his kingdom or not, we need to let them decide, choose, you know, just like God does. Right. Right? It's important to let them know, but it's important to let them choose.
SPEAKER_01Well, and hopefully our our joy, yeah, right, is supposed to shine through the joy and our peace, right? Brings them to like, wow, what's different about you? And you know, sometimes I'm not really great at that. If I'm being honest, let's be truthful. Some days I do better at that than others, right? And I think, Lord, I'm so bad. Thank you. Oh my word. I I was trying to share the gospel, and this is where when we say, Well, what prevents us from doing this? This is an example of that. Like, I really tried, and I was trying to, you know, you you get the well, I'm a good person, I'll be fine. I'm a good person. And the clubber over here said, No, you're not, none of us are, you're wicked. That is not what they wanted to hear. No, they were so mad at me, and and so it's an example of like God knew my heart. I was like, Lord, I tried, I did it so badly, and then it puts the fear in me to try to do it again.
SPEAKER_00That will okay, so uh part of my design, right? Part of how he created me is um evangelism. Like I was, you know, he put me on the mission field all those years and Jericho and Mozambique. And um, but when God first became important to me, I had a little too much zeal. Like again, I wasn't like telling everyone, but when there was this one friend, I don't know why I I and I and I was, I I really I apologized to her. I mean, I was it was not good, and she really um she really exemplified him better than I did, I think. But I learned an important lesson, and like you said, it was scary to try again because I didn't want to hurt anyone else either. Right, right.
SPEAKER_01When it doesn't go well the first time, you're you're nervous to try it again. But I think the important thing is that he does use us in spite of us, right? So all I can say is, Lord, I did it badly, but redeem my attempt and send somebody else who will say it differently where they'll hear it. And so even if we're not bold in speaking, we can be bold in prayer. Yes, I like right. So there's other ways of going about this, and you know, me being somebody who studies a lot, I have to be careful I don't wield the word at somebody. Like I gotta be better at the loving them where they're at. But man, what a privilege that God invites us to be part of his word, knowing how imperfect we are, somehow he invites us to do this. And sometimes I think, why? But he did, and so we go from really being slotted to be sent to hell to being part of a kingdom and getting the chance to share. And I think our role is to just pray up before we go into any situation, not to do it in our own flesh and power, right? As I did and did it poorly, but to say, open my mouth where my mouth should open and close my mouth and let me see them as you see them. You know, if that's all that's to take place, to just love them, then let me just do that and do that well. I am still working on that 30 years later, right?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so because that's true, because as if we truly understand the truth, there's also that side of it. I don't want to stay silent. Like I just had another friend pass away, and it's like, okay, yikes, you know. Um, I don't want to, I don't know.
SPEAKER_01It is, it's that fine line because here I am studying revelation, right? And I know what's coming, right? And I feel like it's coming soon, right? And that we're running out of time, and so I want everybody to know, but I I'm, you know, some I don't know if you start there, and the Lord does the drawing, yeah. So he draws the people to himself, and we just have to be willing and able to speak into what he's doing. True. So I don't know, I don't have an answer for that. I don't always do it well.
SPEAKER_00Because sometimes he really encourages me too at the same time, where someone really wants to know, and I'm being the one that's holding back because I'm being afraid or something, and yet this person really is someone he sent to me and and really wants to know.
SPEAKER_02Right.
SPEAKER_00So that part's really fun too.
SPEAKER_01Well, and he's sovereign over it all, so I have to say, okay, Lord, you redeemed me and you brought me, and you tell us that we get to be priests to the king, which is him. Yeah, okay, and so I'm not good at it, and I do it badly sometimes, but somehow in your sovereign way, you'll redeem it and bring it about in such a way that it works. Yeah, and and so we can't get caught up on ourselves. We have to say, okay, Lord, I do what you will with it. I tried, you know. Yes. So yeah, so verse six is really, you know, kind of cool to know that we just jump right over the the line of of redemption and into going to work.
SPEAKER_00And verse better or for worse, pretty wild too, right? Like he's coming with the clouds. I remember something was happening recently, and I asked a friend, like, do you think that's him? And she said, Oh no, when it's him, there's gonna be no question. Right.
SPEAKER_01Well, verse seven, let me read it. It says, Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over him, so it is to be amen. Wow, let it be done, is what amen basically means. It's so be it. Yeah, yeah, so be it. So, and again, behold, anytime we see the word behold in scripture, it means pay attention.
SPEAKER_00Oh, okay.
SPEAKER_01So, behold, like we hear that word when he says, behold, um, John the Baptist, um, the the Lamb of God. Behold, it's the Lamb of God. Pay attention. You know, here we get behold, he's coming with the clouds. So, what do you think? Do you think he's literally returning on the clouds? I do.
SPEAKER_00Is that literal? I do. I that does it is pretty wild. And um, the thought of seeing that is both exciting and a little scary, you know, like Madden, I don't know. I like I, you know, do we get lifted up with him? I mean, I'm a little afraid of height sometimes.
SPEAKER_01Well, and here's here's a theology issue, right? Because some believe that this verse is the rapture verse, and others believe, and we'll, if you don't know what the rapture means, we'll get into it. Chapter four. So when we get there, we'll talk a whole lot about that. But others believe that this verse is when he returns to rule and reign on earth. Okay. I think it's that personally. You could argue with me the other, and we can you know, agree to disagree. So I think that this isn't us being lifted up, I think this is coming back. Okay, he's coming back to rule and reign. And again, we're jumping ahead, but there'll be this millennial kingdom. So I think that that's what this is about. He's jumping to the end, like he's coming back. Yeah, um, and we'll talk about the difference and the different beliefs that people have when we get there. I don't want to get too much into that, but I agree with you, Liz. I think that this is literal because I know in Acts chapter one, it told us that he uh literally ascended into the clouds and that the disciples watched him and that they were actually standing there watching him go up, and then all of a sudden an angel appeared and said, What are you looking at? He's gone, like he ascended. You can move on now, and that's an acts. Wow, so I think it's literal.
SPEAKER_00Well, and even too, I don't know, just that it's amazing to me. We keep talking about that, how the whole Bible speaks into this book, right? So all these other verses that speak into this, that honestly, I hadn't really seen it before. Um, but now that we're studying it and digging them all out, like Ezekiel 30, number three, you know, for the day is near, even the day of the Lord is near. Um, you know, then there's Zephaniah 1, 14 and 15. Near is the great day of the Lord, near and coming very quickly. Listen, the day of the Lord. In it, the warrior cries out bitterly, a day of wrath, that is that day, a day of trouble and distress, a day of destruction and desolation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness. You know, and even Daniel 713, I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven, like a son of man, was coming, and he came up to the ancient of days and was presented before him.
SPEAKER_01Right, right. So it talks a lot about it being a time of fear, wrath, yeah, desolation. Um, why do you think that they'll be mourning because of him? Like in our verse, if we go back, it literally says, and all the tribes of earth will mourn over him.
SPEAKER_00Right. Okay, so our friend just died last week, right? And you and I have been mourning with her, or not with her. Like it's we both were so sad to lose her. And yet, as soon as we thought about where she is, she's been talking about wanting to go to heaven forever. Like we know she is ecstatic, she loved Jesus, she is having way more fun than we are down here, and so it's different, right? I think, okay, um, again, for those of us that are that have our sights set before that and all the scriptures that tell us that, um, it won't be like that, you know, it won't be morning. We're sort of almost looking forward to it, right?
SPEAKER_01Well, and and actually, this is one of the reasons, and again, we'll get to this, I promise. But when we talk about where people fall in their belief system about, you know, no tribulation rapture, um, some believe that doesn't happen at all. Some believe that the Lord removes those that are his from the earth before the tribulation period, others believe that it happens at the end of the tribulation period. I kind of think if it was at the end of the tribulation period, that half would be cheering and half would be mourning, right? But it doesn't really say that. It says that they're mourning. Like if I just went through a tribulation period and my savior's coming to rescue me out of it, I am not mourning. I am like, oh, thank God you're here. I'm so sorry.
SPEAKER_00So right, exactly.
SPEAKER_01So that kind of is an interesting tidbit that I'll just tease you with because we're gonna talk a whole lot more about that as we get further along in the study.
SPEAKER_00Um, but interesting mourners are the ones that are not ready or paying attention, because of course we feel this way, but I would not feel this way if I was afraid of this being truthful or afraid of him um because I didn't have a relationship with him. Right, right.
SPEAKER_01Um, even those that you know they have a belief in God, but they're not really in like I said to somebody the other day, I say, Well, you know, I think Jesus is coming back soon. Wow, yeah, and they made a face like it scared them, right? And I said, No, no, no, no, no, no, no, don't be afraid. If you know Jesus, you shouldn't be afraid. I said, That's gonna be a really good thing. Yeah, and I thought, oh, interesting. Like it kind of is a telltale sign of where you're at in your walk with the Lord, and even okay, so my mom, right?
SPEAKER_00Her dad was a minister and she grew up in church. Her faith was different than mine because all of our faiths are different, but you know, she was the one who introduced me to church and God, and and it was interesting to watch her as she got closer to death. There was a bit of a fear, and I I sort of got it because we, you know, we talk about it, but we don't really know. Like it's hard to seriously imagine what dying might be like and crossing over. Um, so I don't know. I I felt for her.
SPEAKER_01Well, you know what's interesting when uh you know, you and I lost our parents at the same time. I think we've mentioned that before. Um, and my father being in a hospice hospital, the nurse actually said that they could tell which ones were Christian and had a belief and which ones didn't. And they said that. The fear level was way different. Those who had a faith weren't frightened as they passed. I said interesting. Like I don't even know how we got on this the topic, but interesting, right?
SPEAKER_00Wow. Well, and even, okay, I know it's not about um proving it, but it like we were talking about earlier, you know, as you read the Bible and explore the evidence, as you know, all these different archaeological digs, this is crazy to me to watch all the things. Of course, there's the Dead Sea Scrolls, right? But even just this last year, I looked it up, and it's wild how many things that they are finding that support the biblical texts. And so again, it feels like God is, I don't know, there's proof.
SPEAKER_01Well, and that's what you'll hear people say sometimes. Well, how do you know it's true? And and because I am somebody who's a prophecy buff, I always say, Well, our God tells us what's going to happen before it happens. And guess what? He's batting a thousand. Amen. Right? And then, and then just like you said, the archaeological findings that keep being burped up from the earth, they are proving that what scripture said, where they thought, oh, well, there's no evidence of that, suddenly, like the pool of shalom um was discovered. And they didn't think that that was there. And they discovered it trying to build something fairly recently. I mean, all of us have to say, based on writings by historians that speak of this person, referenced as Christos or um the one that led the way. Like there's writings that are outside of the Bible that speak about Jesus and reference him in in ways that they weren't believing necessarily, but they they wrote, so he existed. Nobody's debating that.
SPEAKER_00Nope.
SPEAKER_01So what do you do with that? Right. That's the question. That's the question. And so we as Christians, if you're professing Christianity, we need to not just say, Well, I believe it because my parents brought me to church. You need to really know why do you believe what you believe?
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Because if you if you are going to try to share, and people are going to come at you, you need to have an answer ready for them.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Because that's what they're going to say. Well, I don't know about that. That seems silly.
SPEAKER_00So there's verse eight. I am the Alpha and the Omega, says the Lord, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty. Right. And you know, Alpha's the first letter of the Greek, Omega is the last letter of the Greek, and Jesus is saying them the beginning and the end and the judge of all things. And that made me look up too. I was thinking of another verse I like with um every jot or tittle. And when I was living in Jerusalem, I was studying Hebrew, and again, all these things that came to life for me over there that we don't understand. Um, Matthew 5, 18 through 19 says, For assuredly I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, uh, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till it is all fulfilled. And that jot in the tittle refers to in the Hebrew language, right? You know, Yod is the smallest letter. And it just he he again, it's just the scriptural accuracy, even how the Bible itself says, you know, um, we're every single one of these things, we're it's gonna happen, you know, and we're gonna see it. So that enduring significance of God's word, I don't know, it just blows my mind and just makes me want to study it more. It's weird.
SPEAKER_01Absolutely. And even the thought of him, every eye will see him. Well, will it be every eye will see him because we're all able to see him coming down? Like if where are we going to be that every eye will see him? Maybe that is literal. Maybe we see every eye will see him because what's left by the end of the seven years will be that area of the Middle East, and that's why every eye sees him. Or, you know, there's gonna be two, again, I'm jumping ahead, but there'll the scripture tells us there'll be two witnesses, and everyone will see those two witnesses on the temple mount. Well, we're living in an age like only 20 years ago, that wouldn't have been possible, right? But literally, everyone has a cell phone, and everyone can stream something from a cell phone that that is literal at this point. Yes, it's no longer figurative, every eye really can see live news events happen simultaneously.
SPEAKER_00I was over there at the wall one time, and I think it was September. I can't remember why we're which which holiday. We're all gathered at the wall, and the ironic priests were giving the blessing. They put their fingers, you know, the Star Trek sign, right? Star Trek got their symbol from that, and they point them at you and they and they pray for you. And so everybody had their phones um taking the video to shoot that blessing off around the world. And yeah, I picture it from there even. Yeah, wow.
SPEAKER_01Well, and and him saying he's the Alpha and Omega, um, says the Lord God, who is, it means he always was, who was, meaning he was here on earth as a man, and who is to come, the Almighty, he steps into his kingship and he comes back. That's what that's saying, and it's interesting because the Alpha, everything in the beginning, he made the sun, the sea, the night. But by the end of Revelation, what we're gonna see when we get to the last chapter, and we're gonna see there's no more sun because he is the light, and we're with him, so we don't need a sun, there's no more sea because the sea was representate was a representation of the nations.
SPEAKER_00You know what I thought of something since we talked about this because you know how we were both talking about how we love the ocean and we but in heaven there is the sea of glass, correct? So that's right.
SPEAKER_01So it's a it's a different piece of of what he gives us, but not the the sea like we we have currently, right?
SPEAKER_00And then there'll be no more night, which that one uh okay. I again I alright, I don't like being tired like I have been lately since my surgery, but the idea of not ever kind of having time to rest was a little, but then if we don't need rest because we always have energy, I it's well, and it's not that you can't rest, but I think like it's like there'll be you know, people get talking about food, right?
SPEAKER_01And what's that gonna look like? And again, we'll know better when we get to the chapter 20, 21, where it talks about all this, but you know, we'll get to eat, but we won't have to eat. Okay, does that make sense? So I think it's the same with that, like there won't be night, but we'll get to rest, yeah, but we won't have to rest, right?
SPEAKER_00Right, it's all and of course, how could we imagine it? Right? It's it's it's heaven. Like, how could we really understand it? So I see myself of that, you know, not to calm down, it's gonna be good.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it's gonna be great, it's gonna be perfected because right now it's not, it's very fallen. So, but we'll go into more detail as we study this out. We've literally, by finishing verse eight, only finished the introduction.
SPEAKER_00Okay, so we made it through the introduction.
SPEAKER_01We made it through the introduction.
SPEAKER_00Oh, so thank you everyone for joining us. We do appreciate that. And hey, feel free to send us any questions you have. You know, we've said this, you know, we certainly don't pretend to have all the answers, but we will aim to answer your questions with scripture. And if we can't, we'll let you know that. And we can wonder about it together. I mean, sometimes it is fun to sort of think about that sea of glass, you know. Yeah, dear Lord Jesus, I am so grateful for every person who is listening. I thank you for um assigning this to us, you know, that we do get to be a part of your work together. And for each one who joins us, that we that you have promised even a blessing for what we're doing, for digging into this book and and um aiming to be prepared and to understand what it is that you are teaching us. So you know what it is that has brought each person here today. You know what they might be wondering about, you know what they need. And you are our provider, you're our protector, you are our everything, Lord. And so I just I do I lift up each person and I ask you to bless them in the way that they need it today. In Jesus' name. Yeah, so thank you, everyone, and please come back and join us again.