The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) - Day 359: John's Apocalypse (2023)

Episode Date: December 25, 2023

As we begin reading from Revelation, Fr. Mike makes us aware of the symbolism found throughout this apocalyptic book and highlights its goal of strengthening the Church through the worship that happens at Mass. He also encourages us to find strength in God when facing challenges, just as Paul did. Today’s readings are Revelation 1-3, 2 Timothy 3-4, and Proverbs 31:8-9. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/bibleinayear. Please note: The Bible contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.

Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of Scripture. The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension. Using the Great Adventure Bible Timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today. It is day 359. We're reading from the book of Revelation, chapters 1, 2, and 3, as well as the conclusion of St. Paul's second letter to Timothy, chapters 3 and 59. We're reading from the book of Revelation chapters one, two, and three, as well as the conclusion of St. Paul's second letter to Timothy chapters three and four. We're also reading the

book of Proverbs chapter 31 verses eight and nine. As always, the Bible translation I'm reading from is the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition. I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension. If you want to download your own Bible in a year reading plan for these last seven days, you can visit ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a year. And that'll be neat. You can also subscribe to this podcast for the last week. And then, you know, it's one of those things. Let go of your pride. Let go of your pride.

Just subscribe. Come on. Just kidding. I'm not accusing anyone of anything. I'm just joking around. It is day 359. We are reading Revelation chapters 1, 2, and 3, 2 Timothy chapters 3 and 4, as well as Proverbs chapter 31 verses 8 and 9.

The Revelation to John, the Apocalypse, chapter 1, introduction and salutation. The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants what must soon take place. And he made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is he who reads aloud the words of the prophecy, and blessed are those who hear and who keep what is written therein, for the time is near. 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, 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 and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever, amen. Behold, he is coming with the clouds and every eye will see him, everyone who pierced him and all the tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so, amen.

I am the Alpha and the Omega, says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty. A vision of Christ. I, John, your brother, who share with you in Jesus the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. I was in the spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet 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 Sard Sardis, and to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea. Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands.

And in the midst of the lampstands, one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash across his chest. His head and his hair were white as white wool, white as snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire. His feet were like burnished bronze, refined as in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars. From his mouth issued a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand upon me, saying, Fear not, I am the first and the last and the living one. I died, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and Hades. Now write what you see, what is and what is to take place hereafter.

As for the mystery of the seven stars which 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. Chapter 2. The Message to Ephesus. To the angel of the church in Ephesus write, The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands, I know your works, your

toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear evil men, but have tested those who call themselves apostles, but are not and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you,

that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember then from what you have fallen, repent and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place unless you repent. Yet this you have, you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who conquers, I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. The message to Smyrna. And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write, The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life. I know your tribulation and your poverty, but you are rich, and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not fear what

you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison that you may be tested, but for 10 days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the spirit says to the churches. He who conquers shall not be hurt by the second death. The message to Pergamum. And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write, the words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword. I know where you dwell, where Satan's throne is. You hold fast to my name and you did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas, my witness, my faithful one who was killed among you where Satan dwells. But I have a few things

against you. You have some there who hold the teachings of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice immorality. So you also have some who hold the teachings of the Nicolaitans. Repent then. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth. He who has an The message to Thyatira. And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write, The words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. I know your works,

your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first. But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and beguiling my servants to practice immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols.

I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her immorality. Behold, I will throw her on a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation unless they repent of her doings, and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches shall know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches shall know

that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you as your works deserve. But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call the deep things of Satan, to you I say, I do not lay upon you any other burden. Only hold fast what you have until I come. He who conquers and who keeps my words until the end, I will give him power over the nations and he shall rule them with a rod of iron as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received power from my father.

And I will give him the morning star. He who has an ear, let him hear what the spirit says to the churches. Chapter three, the message to Sardis. And to the angel of the church in Sardis write, The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your works.

You have the name of being alive, and you are dead. Awake and strengthen what remains and is on the point of death, for I have not found your works perfect in the sight of my God. Remember then what you received and heard, keep that and repent.

If you will not awake, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come upon you. Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy. He who conquers shall be clothed like them in white garments,

and I will not blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my father The message to Philadelphia. And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, The words of the Holy One, the true One, who has the key of David, who opens and no one shall shut, who shuts and no one opens. I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie.

Behold, I will make them come and bow down before your feet and learn that I loved you. Because you have kept my word of patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial, which is coming on the whole world to try those who dwell upon the earth. I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have so that no one may seize your crown. He who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The message to Laodicea And to the angel of the church in Laodicea. and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not knowing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. Therefore, I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, that you may be rich, and white garments to clothe you, and to keep the shame of your nakedness from being seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, that you may see. Those whom I love,

I reprove and chasten. So be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him and eat with him, and he with me. He who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I myself conquered and sat down with my father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The second letter of Paul to Timothy, chapter 3, Godlessness in the last days. But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of stress, for men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents,

ungrateful, unholy, inhuman, implacable, slanderers, profligates, fierce, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding the form of religion but denying the power of it. Avoid such people, for among them are those who make their way into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and swayed by various impulses, who will listen to anybody and can never arrive at a knowledge of the truth. As Janus and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth,

men of corrupt mind and counterfeit faith. But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men. Paul's charge to Timothy Now you have observed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions, my sufferings, what befell me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra, what persecutions I endured, yet from them all the Lord rescued me. Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will

be persecuted, while evil men and imposters will go on from bad to worse, deceivers and deceived. while evil men and imposters will go on from bad to worse, deceivers and deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it, and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings which are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Chapter 4. I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom, preach the word. Be urgent in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, and exhort. Be unfailing in patience and in teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own likings, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander into myths. As for you, always be steady. Endure suffering. Do the work of an evangelist.ist, fulfill your ministry. For I am already on the point of being sacrificed. The time of my departure has come. I have fought the good

fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. From now on, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge will award to me on that day. And not only to me, but also to all who have loved his appearing. Personal Instructions. Do your best to come to me soon. For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful in serving me. Tychicus, I have sent to Ephesus. When you come, bring the cloak

that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books and above all the parchments. Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm. The Lord will pay him back for his deeds. Beware of him yourself, for he strongly opposed our message. At my first defense, no one took my part. All deserted me. May it not be charged against them. But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength

to proclaim the word fully that all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion's mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil and save me for his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen. Final greetings and benediction. Greet Prisca and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus. Erastus remained at Corinth. Trophimus I left ill at Miletus. Do your best to come before winter.

Eubulus sends greetings to you, as do Pudens and Linus and Claudia, and all the brethren. The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you. The Book of Proverbs, chapter 31, verses 8 and 9. Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are left desolate. Open your mouth, judge righteously, maintain the rights of the poor and needy. Father in heaven, we give you praise and glory. We thank you for bringing us to this new day,

to this new book of the book of Revelation, as well as the conclusion of St. Paul's second letter to Timothy. Thank you so much. Thank you for these last days of this 365 day journey. We give you, we can't even begin, Lord God, to count up the blessings, not only the blessings of beginning, the blessings of making it through to the end. We have talked so many times, Lord, about having a good beginning. You remind us that it is better to have a good ending than it is to have a good beginning. Help us to end well. We make this our prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. I want to go in reverse. I want to talk first about the second letter of St. Paul to Timothy.

A couple of things that are just, they're just beautiful. You know, as Paul is encouraging his spiritual son, Timothy, one of the things that he's reminding him of doing is he's reminding him of the fact that suffering is going to be part of this, that he's reminding him of doing is he's reminding him of the fact that suffering is going to be part of this, that there are those who are going to oppose you and there are those who are going to fall away. I mean, he already wrote to Timothy about this and he's just reminding him of this. In fact, you know, even just those hard words, those sad words at the end of chapter four or middle of chapter four, really, where St. Paul says, do your best to come to me soon. You can hear the ache in his voice.

For Deimos, in love with his present world, has deserted me, gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Damasia. Luke alone is with me. And get Mark and bring him with you. He's very useful. He goes on to say, Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm.

And at last, in verse 16, chapter four, at my first defense, no one took my part. All deserted me may not be charged against them, but the Lord stood by me and gave me strength. And that's just, it's so important. We have to recognize that this is our lot, right? This is going to be our story as well, that there are people that we're going to trust. There are people who are going to be in our comrades in arms when it comes to following after the Lord. And we just pray that we're not the ones who fall away. We just pray that we're not the ones who betray. We just ask the Lord, please, Lord God, help me not betray it. But also when those friends, when those family, when those people in my life, when they do

fail me, help me also like Paul to be able to pray. May it not be charged against them. Help me to forgive, to let it go. You know, St. Paul also, two things I just want to highlight, because there's really powerful lines in chapter three, where St. Paul's writing to Timothy, he says, as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it. And now from childhood, you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Now, as St. Paul is writing about the sacred writings, he's talking about the Old Testament. And I think that is so good for us, all of us who have gone through the entire Old Testament,

except for those last verses in Proverbs chapter 31, all of us who have gone through the Old Testament, we recognize that the entire Old Testament is pointing to the new. In fact, the New Testament is hidden in the old and the old is revealed in the new. And so here is Paul writing to Timothy saying, yeah, you've been familiar with those. They've instructed you and goes on to say, all scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. And that's just, again, one of the reasons why maybe, maybe in eight days, we're going to start back in day one and one more lap around the Bible in another year. But we also recognize that we pray that God helps us not just to start well, but he has helped us to finish well. St. Paul in chapter four,

verse seven, he says, I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. And there's something so, I don't know. I don't the race. I have kept the faith. And there's something so, I don't know. I don't even know if I have words for it. It's just so powerful. We just say, God, please let that be me. Let me not fall away from you. Let me not abandon you ever, ever. And if I do bring me back, because we know this, that the Lord's love for us never fails. Even if we walk away from him, he is faithful. We heard that yesterday or the day before that, that even if we're unfaithful, he is always faithful. Even if we don't care about him, he cares for us. Even if we say, I reject your love, that love of his for us never wavers ever, ever. So Lord, if we have walked away, if we have fallen away, bring us back, bring us home. So revelation, a couple of things. This is maybe, is the the one you've been waiting for everybody

i don't know if that is i don't know if you've been afraid of revelation or if you've been excited for revelation but a couple things about the book of revelation is this is going to be a great book it's a lot like daniel it is a lot like those other books of the prophets apocalyptic literature right where there's a lot of symbolism for example um talks about the number 10 when you hear the number 10 in the book of Revelation, there's 10 horns, there's 10 days for 10 years, this is going to happen. Just know the number of 12 will be a number of fullness, right? Number seven is number of Sabbath, the number of covenant. Okay. So the number of 12 be a number of power, a number of completeness. 10 is powerful, but not all powerful. 10 would be powerful, but limited.

And that is just kind of a little insight, little clue that when we read the word 10 here in the book of Revelation, that's what that is oftentimes, I believe maybe even every time is referencing. There's power there. It's long lasting, but it's not lasting forever. It's not all powerful. So it's limited power. It's limited time. Hopefully that makes sense. But let's look at the dating. So John says that he writes the book. And so the traditional belief is that John, the beloved John, that he wrote this book of Revelation, that this is a revelation from Jesus Christ to John so that he can pass it on to the churches. Now we talked about the seven churches. So the addressees of John's book of Revelation are these seven churches in Asia.

And we just get to hear in these first three chapters, we get to hear what's going on in those churches. But before that, let's back up even more and say, what's the dating of this book of Revelation? There are, I think, two theories, essentially. One theory is that the dating of this book is from the nineties, that the end of John's life, he's an old man at this point. And he's writing this book of Revelation during the era or that the end of John's life, he's an old man at this point, and he's writing this book of Revelation during the era or the age of the Emperor Domitian. So that's one of the theories. Another theory is that this is happening in the 60s or 70s. So, you know, 30-ish plus years ahead of that time would be another theory, and that would be under the time of Nero.

Now, a couple reasons why I like, I prefer, in fact, that this would come from the 60s, 60s before the year 70. And one is because when we get to the number 666, everyone is afraid of the word 666 or the numbers 666. That is in Hebrew numerology, a number indicating the name of Nero Caesar or Caesar Nero. So, you know, all the letters, all numbers have a letter value or all letters have number value. And so if you add those up later on, we're going to hear this where John says, this is code, but if you're smart enough, you can figure this out. Because if I'm writing this during the time of Nero, then it makes sense that I'm going to keep this a code. And so they don't see me essentially, you know, lambasting the emperor who wants to kill all

these Christians in Rome. So it would make sense. And also there's some variations that have the number 616, and that still spells Nero just in, I think, in the Latin language. So it makes a lot of sense that if this is happening during the persecution of Nero versus the persecution of Domitian, that makes sense to me. Also, what makes sense is that Jesus had said that essentially I'm coming soon and the end of the world is happening soon. In fact, remember in the Gospels, Jesus prophesied that I'll come back

before all these things take place, that essentially the world will end. Before this generation ends, all these things will take place. So since Jesus prophesied this, you'd say, wait a second, when did that happen? And if you remember, in the year 70 AD,

what happened was Rome destroyed Jerusalem. They destroyed the temple. And we have to understand how important the temple was. I mean, I've emphasized this, I think over the last 359 days, but the temple was everything. In fact, remember when God showed Moses on the mountain, the dimensions and the building of the temple, it was meant to be a little microcosm of the cosmos, right? A microcosm of the mountain, the dimensions in the building of the temple. It was meant to be a little microcosm of the cosmos, right? A microcosm of the world, of the universe. That's meant to be, that's what it is. So in the year 70, when the Romans came into Jerusalem and destroyed the temple, what this is a prophecy of destroying the world because the temple again is the epicenter. The temple is the epicenter, not only of finance, it's not only the epicenter of politics for the Jewish people, it's the epicenter of worship.

It is the center of the world. It is a microcosm of the world. And so here is Jesus in Revelation. Here is Jesus in the Gospels who's prophesying, yeah, the end of the world will happen in this generation. sense that we would say that this would be written in the year 60 so that John is prophesying, getting the people ready for the destruction of the temple and that ransacking of Jerusalem in the year 70 AD. That's my, it's an opinion. Other people have different opinions that are informed as well, but that's also going to inform us a lot about what's going on for the next number of chapters. So just FYI, with all of that in mind, one of the things we know is that regardless of what emperor this was under, this was a time of

persecution for Christians. And regardless of what year this was, this was a time of great persecution for Christians. And so what is God doing? God is saying, okay, I want you to get prepared. I want you to get prepared for this persecution and just know that there is a battle happening that's going on in this world between evil in the world and between God. Not that evil and God are equal, not at all, not even close. But because we live in this world, because we live on this planet,

because we live in this time that's broken, there is this battle that is waging. So let's begin. Chapter one, we have this revelation. And you can't even begin. I'm so glad you all read the Old Testament because you know that when someone like John, when he says something like, here is Jesus, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, the ruler of the kings on the earth. Or when it says that here's Jesus, I saw one like a son of man come. Like, wait a second, I've heard those terms. Like in Daniel, book of Daniel, that's a really big deal. Jesus even

himself says, you will see the son of man coming in power and glory. So we know the background for all this, but the background of the context of this is I, John, your brother, in chapter one, verse nine, who share with you in the tribulation, in Jesus and the tribulation and kingdom and the patience, endurance on the island of Patmos. He was exiled to the island of Patmos and he's there on the Lord's day. Now this is going to be really critical because this is going to set the stage for everything that happens after this. This is not a book of revelation that's all about just about future stuff. It's not about just about like, it's not about the rapture. It's not about anything like that. It is about strengthening the body of Christ, strengthening the church via the worship that

happens at the mass. This is going to be so important. It's about strengthening the church through the worship that happens in the mass. That's what the book of Revelation is all about or largely about. So they're on the Lord's day. What's the Lord's day? The Lord's day is the day that Christians celebrate the mass. Every Christian at this point on Sunday would celebrate the mass.

And he hears these words, you know, right? What you see, right? What you see, he turns and sees the voice speaking to him. Saw the seven golden lampstands. In the midst of the lampstands, one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe, golden sash across his chest. What's that? Those are priestly robes.

That's what they are. So you have Jesus, the one like a son of man's that? Those are priestly robes. That's what they are. So you have Jesus, the one like a son of man, the high priest with priestly robes. He turns and sees him on the Lord's day. This is so, so critical. And he sees this. And what happens? Verse 17, when I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead.

Now this is just, man, how often? You know, of course, Jesus doesn't want us to be afraid of him. But we have this thing called the fear of the Lord when we know that here is God himself and here I am not God. Here is the creator of everything. I'm a measly creation that sometimes I think

we have this, maybe not you, but we can have this cavalier attitude of, yes, I just approach God however I want. Come as you are. There's a sense of this. Of course, God loves us as we are. But man, if I turned and saw the Lord God himself standing in front of me, I would do,

this is John the beloved. He didn't even run away at the here's a fiction. This is John who was faithful. This is John who suffered. John was boiled alive and didn't die. And then here he is. If anyone could boast, like St. Paul says, if anyone could boast, it'd be John.

If anyone could just run up to Jesus and say, hey, Jesus, we were best friends when you walked on this earth in the incarnation, it'd be John. But when I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. I just think that next time you go to adoration, next time you go to adoration, just realize, here's the truth. Next time you go to mass and you see the Eucharist elevated, that's Jesus. Sometimes we just get so distracted. Sometimes we're so blah. Sometimes we're dead inside about this.

And yet what does Jesus say to the church in Laodicea? He says, the thing I hold against you is that you're neither cold nor hot. You just show up. Yeah, and you show up. It's great. You're there. But I would rather that you would be cold or hot. But because you're lukewarm, I will vomit you out of my mouth. How many of us, we approach the Lord's presence,

we go to mass, we go to adoration, we just even pray, call upon the name of the Lord, and we're just meh, meh, lukewarm. To me, Jesus says, when I'm like that, Jesus says, hey, listen, Jesus says, when I'm like that, Jesus says, hey, listen, either get fiery hot for me or coldly reject me because this lukewarm approach is not working. Yet, what does Jesus say? He laid his right hand upon me saying, fear not. I'm the first and the last, the living one. I died. Behold, I'm alive forevermore. And basically get up, you know? And that's so good because here's Jesus who loves us. Yes, our response, our proper response would be, I'm dead. And his response is, I love you. So both responses can be equally true at the same time.

But here's these messages to the churches in Ephesus or in church, the seven churches in Asia, first one in Ephesus. We have the lampstands and the angels. Sometimes, or the spirits is none of the translation. Sometimes like, wait, what are the seven spirits? What are the seven angels? And there are some who have said that the seven angels are the bishops of those churches in those cities, which sure, a person could make that argument. But the interesting thing is for the rest of the book

of Revelation, when it uses the term angel, it means angel. And so like, okay, well, that's kind of problematic. You don't want to just twist it to make it mean what you think it means or what it might mean in this case. Another could be angels, like actual, there's angels assigned to those churches. Another could be the Holy Spirit, that here is the, you know, seven number of covenant. Here is this Holy Spirit that is given in different ways to these seven different churches. That could be a thing. And then, of course, the gold lampstands are the seven churches, as Jesus himself says at the end of chapter one. All of these churches have things

that they need to be corrected on. And I already mentioned Laodicea, that they're lukewarm, right? They're neither hot nor cold. But I just want to highlight one, and that's the church of Ephesus, the very first church. Because Jesus says, he says, I know your works. This is chapter two, verse two.

I know your works, your toil, your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear evil men, but have tested those who call themselves apostles, but are not, and have found them to be false. I know you're enduring patiently and bearing up for my namesake, and you have not grown weary. All of these things are so good.

They are orthodox, right? They're believing the right things. Orthopraxy, they're living the right way. And they're also even suffering for the sake of the Lord. They're doing great. But he says in verse four, but I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. And this is just so key. You know, we can do, we can believe the right things and we can do the right things. And that's good that in Jesus, he even praises them

for that. But we're not just about doing the right things or believing the right things. It's about loving the one who lived and suffered, died and rose from the dead for us. It's about love. And so whenever I hear, read this, and I've read it quite often throughout the course of the year, every year, and I hear those words of Jesus to Ephesus, and I think, I don't want that to be me, because I can recognize, but I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember then from what you have fallen, repent and do the work you did at first. And that's, that's so important because I think, okay, Lord, I think I'm believing the right things. I'm trying to do the right things, but I want to be in love with you. That's the thing,

right? I just want to be in love with you. That's what he's calling you to, too, to fall back in love with Jesus. It's easy to fall in love. It is hard to stay in love. But Jesus is calling us back to that. Okay, last thing. You know, Jesus also has words for the churches that he says, okay, if you do this to him who conquers, in chapter two, to him who conquers, I will grant to eat the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. One of the reasons why I'm telling you that, that this whole book of Revelation is all, it's going to be pointing back to the mass again and again. I grant to eat of the tree of life. Here it is, the Eucharist. Not only that, but later on in verse 17, Jesus says, he who has an ear, let him hear what the spirit says to the churches, to him who conquers, I will give some of the hidden manna. And again, the Eucharist, once again, this piece of this.

And then lastly, I mean, there's more references, but to, this has been long already. I apologize for that. But there's this line that always strikes me as just the intimacy with which Jesus wants us to live with him. Right after he says, I will give some of the hidden manna, chapter two, verse 17. He says, and I will give him a white stone with a new name written on the stone, which no one knows except him who receives it. That here in eternity, here in heaven,

Jesus will give you a new name. And that name is only known between you and him. That is only known between you and him. And it's the kind of, you know, I think sometimes we think, well, does God love everyone? If he loves everyone, then I'm not special. And here Jesus is declaring, no, I have a special, I have a unique love for you. This has been a long one.

I apologize. It'll be shorter from now on, but we had to do it. I'm praying for you. Please pray for me. My name is Father Mike. I cannot wait to see you tomorrow. Oof, God bless.