“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands” (Revelation 2:1).
The book of Revelation makes it clear that Jesus, the mighty Son of God, is nearer than we think. The seven golden lampstands represent seven specific local churches and He walked among them. He still walks in the midst of His churches today. He knows what is good about them and He knows what needs correction. Ultimately His message to each of them offers hope to every believer that we’ll be overcomers no matter what is happening around us.
There is common ground between us and each of the seven churches the Lord addressed. We face many situations which are like those encountered by the seven churches in chapters two and three of Revelation. There are conflicts that arise both in and out of church. Our world isn’t all that different from the world of John’s day because human nature hasn’t changed. Believers are killed for their faith in many parts of the world today. The challenges the early Church faced are the same as the challenges we face today.
Even more important, Jesus hasn’t changed. He is the same now as He was then. He still walks among us and He still knows the difficulties we face. He is the same Lord and exercises the same power now as He did then. He still enables us to live in victory. When we gather to worship together He is still present. When we walk out our faith individually He still goes with us and we are never alone. His blood has never lost its power and we can live with the confidence of His companionship and protection.
While many look to the book of Revelation for information about the future, don’t overlook its message that is designed to sustain us today. He is with us and has promised to never leave us or forsake us. Knowing who Jesus is and what He means to us now helps us face each day with absolute confidence.
