Monday, August 26, 2024

Ben continued our series, The End, this weekend with an overview of the book of Revelation. What emotion comes to you when you read or hear about this book from the Bible? For me, it’s craziness. The book’s imagery is wild and difficult to understand.

The book of Revelation was written by John, either the apostle John or a messianic Jewish prophet named John, around 95 AD to give hope to 1st century Christians, inspiring them to remain faithful—even during difficult times.

The BibleProject summarizes the chapters this way:

• Revelation 1: Introduction and Purpose
• Revelation 2-3: Letters to Seven Churches
• Revelation 4-5: Picture of God’s Presence and People
• Revelation 6-11: Cycles of Seven Divine Judgements
• Revelation 12-18: Visions of Key Characters and Events
• Revelation 19-22: The Final Battle into our Future Home

Revelation is an apocalypse, which means a divine revelation, a vision, with events from the beginning of time to the end interwoven throughout. John’s readers would have recognized the apocalyptic, prophetic, and symbolic writing style. Much of the symbolism in Revelation references the Old Testament, revealing God’s faithfulness.

To demonstrate this, Chris Harrison and Pastor Christoph Römhild conducted a Bible Cross-References study in 2007, where they produced a visualization, connecting old testament prophecies to new testament fulfillments. Their study identified 63,779 fulfilled prophecies! God is faithful.

In the first chapter of Revelation, we are reminded of God’s perspective in light of who he is, what he has done, and what he will do.

Revelation 1:8
“I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end,” says the Lord God. “I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come—the Almighty One.”

Alpha and Omega—the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. God began his work at the beginning of time, and he will complete it at the end of time. Our God is all-knowing, all-present, and sovereign. Only he is certain of the future, and he promises that though we will encounter trials and tribulations, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

John’s message is just as relevant today. Instead of focusing on all the darkness around you, let God’s light shine in you and through you, because darkness cannot extinguish light.

Bottom line: God’s LIGHT will help me SHINE BRIGHT.

Questions:
How do we endure until the end, even when it gets hard? Do you trust in Jesus?

Have you been curious about the book of Revelation? Have you read it? If not, what is stopping you?

Next Steps:
Watch the BibleProject’s overview of the book of Revelation by clicking Part 1 and Part 2. This will make reading and understanding it much less intimidating.

21 Days of Prayer - Day 15

Focus: To Reflect God’s Heart (Luke 15:7)

Prayer:
Dear God, your heart and love for us shine through your deeds. You love us so much that you didn’t abandon us when we wandered away. Instead, you chased after us. You gave your Son, Jesus, to save us. Today, we pray that you increase our love for others and ignite our passion for reaching out to those who are lost. Help us see the chances we have to share who you are with the people you have put in our lives. Amen.

Series Theme Verse:

Hebrews 3:14
For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ.

This post was written by Jenn Macke, a regular contributor to the LivingItOut Devotional.