28APR2019 | Revelation One - There's More to Come

If one looks hard enough, one could make the case no book in the Bible is more open to sensationalism and misinterpretation than Revelation. The apocalyptic nature of the text along with the graphical imagery leads one in many different directions, many of which can be terrifying if one is not familiar with the language and imagery of the day. Also, given the commonly-accepted (but simply inaccurate) understanding that Revelation is written as a series of events occurring chronologically to scare people into confessing Christ as Lord before he comes again, one can easily find themselves truly living in fear as certain things come to pass.

Looking at Revelation from another perspective, however, finds one discovering not a graphic, scary, fear-mongering warning to 'turn or burn' sensational supermarket tabloid full of fodder that is designed to grab headlines. Indeed, Revelation is full of hope, joy, assurance, and salvation. This Sunday we begin a series where we will look at six portions of Revelation, discovering some essentials for being a faithful follower of the resurrected Christ.

We see early in John's Revelation five verses that help us set the stage for diving into the glory of Christ's presence. Verses four through eight of chapter one remind us of some absolutely key concepts that, when we hold fast to them, put us in a position to where instead of living in fear of the second coming of Christ we live in hopeful anticipation for the fulfillment of God's work of reconciliation, redemption, restoration, and renewal between the creator and creation.