Daily Devotional | The Beginning and the End

If there is one book of the Bible that has the reputation of being difficult to understand, it may be Revelation. But we should not avoid it, for God promises blessing if we read it aloud, hear it, and take it to heart (Rev. 1:3).

Did you know that no other book in the New Testament has more specific references to music: song lyrics and titles, trumpets, harps, declarations of praise? The music in Revelation is embedded in a call to repent and reveal Christ.

The book is addressed to the seven churches (Rev. 1:4) to whom Jesus is speaking. Each letter (Revelation 2–3) begins with “These are the words of him” and ends with “Let them hear what the Spirit says.” In the same way, the song of the church begins and ends with Christ. We are to be entrenched in His Word and by listening to the Spirit, rooted in the life of repentance.

Chapter one begins with God’s revelation of His Son, to show us “what soon must take place” (Rev. 1:1). We sing lyrics that reveal all of Christ, the Alpha and Omega (Rev. 1:8). This includes singing that He truly was the Son of David, the Jewish Messiah “who holds the key of David” (Rev. 3:7; Isa. 22:22), the Root and Offspring of David (Rev. 22:16), and the Lion of Judah (Rev. 5:5). We sing the gospel: who He is, what He has done, and what He will do. This song includes the eternal gospel: to “fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come” (Rev. 14:7).

As believers, we “worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water” (Rev. 14:7). We are blessed by reading, hearing, singing, and living out the words of Revelation (Rev. 22:7).

Go Deeper

Do a bit of investigation on the background of the book of Revelation. What is significant about music being a focus at both Creation (see Day 1) and the very end of the age?

Pray with Us: It’s a joy to know there was music at Creation and, as today’s passage points out, music will be at the end. As we near the end of our study, we ask You, God, to show us what purpose You have for music in our life.

BY Brian Lee

Dr. Brian Lee is a professor of Music at Moody Bible Institute. He serves in music ministry at Maranatha Bible Church in Chicago and is an active classical pianist as a soloist and chamber musician. He earned a doctorate from The Juilliard School and has been invited as a guest artist, adjudicator, masterclass teacher at many institutions, competitions, and festivals. He and his wife, Helen, are the parents of three sons.