Conclusion to Revelation

Having journeyed through the preaching of Revelation, I hope you have gained fresh insight into the book. I am sure there are some who were surprised by the conclusions taken by our preachers. I hope it was a good opportunity to reevaluate some of our presuppositions that have been built around this book for decades.

It is okay to disagree on these matters as no one can claim precisely what will happen until after the second coming of Christ our Redeemer. The core beliefs about the general end times we need to hold firmly are:

1. Jesus Christ will return publicly, bodily and glorified as revealed in the scriptures.

2. The bodily resurrection of all humanity, with believers forever unto a body conformable to Christ, while unbelievers unto a state of eternal dishonour.

3. Jesus Christ will judge all humanity according to their works. The outcome of this judgement depends on whose works are being used for evidence.

These disagreements about the end times usually result from the interpretation method of the bible text. The common argument put forth is the “literal vs symbolic” approach. However, this is too simplistic as context is critically important in interpretation. Whether a text is literal or symbolic in its meaning, depends on the surrounding material.

There is also the context of whether it is quoted from the Old Testament and how Christ has already fulfilled this (Luke 24:27). Many Christians have a huge discontinuation blind spot between the Old and New Testaments. There is a danger that we view the promises to Israel applicable only to the ethnic Jew and not the Gentile people of God. This can affect the way we interpret the text in Revelation as it reuses imagery from the Old Testament prophets.

If your appetite for God’s word has been increased by this preaching series, here are some suggested homework you can do to further explore the issues mentioned here:

1. Read up on Covenant Theology as it explains how God established relationships with various people in biblical history.

2. Explore into greater detail the technique of Hermeneutics that teaches the principles, laws and methods of bible interpretation.

3. Deep dive into Jesus’ teaching of the end times in Matthew 24 and 25.

Our pursuit of greater understanding of God’s word is to call others to Christ with greater clarity. We have been reminded by Revelation that the grace of God is true, but also that His terrible wrath awaits all who are not saved. No one knows the hour or the day. Surrender to Jesus as your Lord today.

Bro Mervin's final words to Moriah, before he went home to be with his Redeemer on 26 May 2023.