God's story in our eternity

The study of Revelation is rich and enlightening. God wants us to be ready for his Son’s return, and as his followers, we know that, in the end, we will win; still, we must remain engaged in the spiritual battles we face every day. As we examine future events, let’s remember our present responsibility of ongoing obedience. Having a certain hope for the future should strengthen our spiritual confidence so we continue to honor the God we will worship and serve forever. 

When studying Revelation, four main perspectives are used to categorize how end-time prophecies are presented: historicist, preterist, idealist, and futurist. I won’t go into all the details, but understanding these different approaches is important.

Weekend Recharge!

Weekend Recharge!

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, which we discussed last time, signal a period of global peace brought about by the Antichrist, followed by widespread destruction that wipes out one-fourth of the earth’s population. 

In my understanding of the end times, the Church will be raptured, meaning it will be taken to heaven before the tribulation begins. This is known as the pretribulational view, based on 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and 1 Corinthians 15:51-53. Just as God delivered Noah and his family from the flood, Lot and his family from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and Rahab and her family from the destruction of Jericho, God will deliver his family from the tribulation.

Last time, we saw John distressed because the One sitting on the throne held a scroll with seven seals, and initially no one was found worthy to take it. The scroll reveals God’s plan, which would be thwarted if no one could open it. However, there was one who could open the scroll. He is the Lamb that had been slain—once dead, but now alive. Jesus, the Lamb, was the only one worthy to be given the scroll. 

When reading Revelation, many share that same feeling: “There’s too much dang confusion in here. I give up!” Let me emphasize that our goal for this study is to clarify what we can, highlight what we need to learn about end-time events, while not losing sight of what matters to us today. And let’s remember that this prophecy can be summed up in five words: In the end, we win!

Upon his impressive entrance, Jesus wrote to the seven churches in the province of Asia (Rev. 2-3). Letters to these churches place the prophecy within its historical context. Now, we turn our attention to the last days (Rev. 4-22). Before describing future events, we are shown a vision of heaven in chapters 4 and 5. This provides a preview of what is to come. Today, let’s examine this scene in Revelation 4 with four striking brush strokes.