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The last book of the Bible is the book of Revelation. The revelation of the Apostle John is not written to confuse but to bring comfort and hope.
John writes the purpose of the book of Revelation in chapter one, verse 3:
Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near.
Hundreds of commentaries exist about the book of Revelation; thousands of websites too; and millions of sermons have been preached through the centuries.
I took a course on the book of Revelation in seminary. On the first day of class, the professor had a stack of 10 commentaries and another stack of 20 commentaries on a table in the front of the room.
He began his teaching on chapter one by saying:
This stack is the first 10 commentaries on the book of Revelation that I read, and when I had read them, I thought that I was an expert on this book of the Bible. Then I read this other stack of 20 commentaries and realized that I knew nothing about the book of Revelation.
My point: It is fine to read commentaries and understand the Greek, but there is confusion in too much knowledge; you miss the point of the book. The book of Revelation is the last book of the Bible and it is written to give comfort.
Comfort to all believers throughout the history of the church.
To fully understand the book of Revelation you need the right attitude. It is fun to debate theories, but the full meaning will not be known until the return of Jesus.
What Jesus wants you to know now is that He is in charge.
We will be reading and studying the book of Revelation this semester with this attitude. The attitude of comfort.
The right attitude to read the book of Revelation: God is in charge; justice will be served; answers will be revealed; Jesus wins, and we will be with Him in eternity.
Comfort and hope!
Throughout 2021, I will write 30 to 40 Interruptions on the book of Revelation. Today, let us not be confused; let’s be comforted by my favorite passage:
And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” Revelation 20:2-4
Many preachers, commentators, and e-media influencers conclude the book of Revelation with something like, “I’ve read the last chapter of history. This last chapter says that Jesus wins!”
Amen. Come quickly, Lord Jesus!