But My Word  

  Week 4  

A Rider on a White Horse    

   Late in the first century, most of what later became the New Testament had been written. 

   What next? Church revival? Someone who knew Jesus personally? Strength to overcome Satanic forces?

   The Roman emperor decreed that his subjects address him as Lord and God. What should persecuted Christians do?

   John - the first to believe when he and Peter ran to the empty tomb - may have been the last living member of Jesus' inner circle. True God chose this former fisherman in this time period to write a gospel, letters, and the apocalypse/prophecy/letters known as the Revelation.

   John - a rare witness to both the crucifixion and the ascension - affirmed that his teacher, Jesus, not only spoke the word, He is the Word. 
 

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us (John 1:14). 

   In his first letter, verse 1:1, John associated the Word with life. 
 

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard ... 

have seen with our eyes ... have looked at ... our hands have touched - 

this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.

   Could this witness have made his credibility any clearer?

   Finally, God communicated the Revelation to John through Christ himself, angels and visions. 

   With the sun blotted out, John saw a rider on a white horse descending to earth in awesome glory, with the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. 
 

He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, 

and his name is the Word of God (Rev. 19:13).

Wednesday: Power of the Word