Bible Society of South Africa
Gerhard Lindeque

Seven days of inspiration from Revelation - Day 3

It is I! Don’t be afraid

Se(di)ngolwa (t)sa Bibele

TSHENOLO 1

Kreste o bonwa ponong

9Nna Johanne, ngwanabo lona, ke le molekane wa lona ho Jesu matshwenyehong, le mmusong, le tiisetsong, ke ne ke le sehlekehlekeng se bitswang Patamose, ka baka la ho bolela lentswe la Modimo le ho paka Jesu. 10Ka letsatsi la Morena, ka tlalwa ke Moya wa Modimo, mme kamora ka ka utlwa lentswe le phahameng, le kang modumo wa terompeta, 11le reng: “Seo o se bonang, o se ngole bukeng, mme o e romelle dikereke tse supileng, e leng e Efese, e Semirna, e Peregamose, e Thiatira, e Saredeise, e Filadelfia, le e Laodisea.”

12Ka reteleha ho bona hore na ke mang ya buang le nna, mme hoba ke etse jwalo, ka bona didulwana tsa mabone tsa kgauta tse supileng. 13Hara didulwana tsena ka bona e mong ya kang Mora Motho, ya apereng seaparo se phuphuthang, a itlamme sefubeng ka leqhama la kgauta. 14Hlooho le moriri wa hae di ne di le tshweu jwaloka boya bo bosweu, le jwaloka lehlwa, mme mahlo a hae a ne a le jwaloka malakabe a mollo. 15Maoto a hae a ne a benya jwaloka lethose le hlwekisitsweng seboping. Lentswe la hae le ne le le jwaloka modumo wa metsi a lewatle. 16Ka letsohong la hae le letona o ne a tshwere dinaledi tse supileng. Ka molomong wa hae ho ne ho etswa sabole e bohale, e sehang kamahohle. Sefahleho sa hae se ne se le jwaloka letsatsi ha le kganya haholo.

17Eare ha ke mmona, ka wela maotong a hae jwalokaha eka ke shwele. Yaba yena o bea letsoho la hae le letona hodima ka, o re: “Se tshabe, ke nna Wa Pele le Wa ho Qetela, 18ke nna ya phelang. Ke ne ke shwele, empa ke nna enwa ke phela kamehla le mehla. Ke tshwere dinotlolo tsa lefu le tsa Nqalo ya Bafu.

19“Ka baka leo, ngola tseo o di boneng, tse seng di etsahetse, le tse tlang ho etsahala kamorao ho tsena. 20Ha e le sephiri sa dinaledi tse supileng, tseo o di boneng ka letsohong la ka le letona, le sa didulwana tsa mabone tsa kgauta tse supileng, ke sena: Dinaledi tse supileng ke baruti ba dikereke tse supileng, le didulwana tsa mabone tse supileng ke dikereke tseo tse supileng.”

TSHENOLO 1:9-20SSO89SOBula ka mmadi wa Bibele

John finds himself on the island of Patmos. His seclusion on the island depicts the suffering that believers of all times must endure. Just as Jesus Christ was rejected, so will his followers be. The world will always try to silence the voice of the church. John is, nevertheless, carried away in the Spirit. With this, we are assured that we can experience the presence of God’s Spirit everywhere.

We experience God’s presence, among other things, on the Lord’s day – on a Sunday – when believers gather to celebrate Jesus Christ’s resurrection. On this day, God still speaks to his church through his word, in a special way. The church is called the seven congregations and is represented as seven lampstands. After all, the church must be the light for the world.

In this passage, as in the Gospels, Jesus Christ is referred to as someone who looks like the Son of Man. The description of his appearance does not have to be explained in detail. It only emphasises Jesus Christ’s glory and authority after his resurrection from the dead. The consolation for the church is that Jesus Christ is the Living One and that he is with his church. The images used have a double consolation for the church. The image of the sword from the mouth assures us that Jesus Christ is speaking to his church from heaven. He rules his church like a king with his sceptre in his right hand and, at the same time, he protects his church, the seven stars.

Jesus Christ’s divinity is evident from these words: “It is I! Don’t be afraid”. With these words, God reassures his church. Jesus Christ has conquered death. He is with us through his word and Spirit.

Think about:

  1. 1.How is the voice of the church silenced today?
  2. 2.Where do you experience God’s presence?

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