The message of the book of Revelation has proven itself to be relevant once again as the world faces its current apparent pandemic crisis.
But the message is not what you might think. Years of enduring the fearful forecasts of the end of the world by end-times misinterpreters of the last book of the Bible have caused us to overlook its real message.
Which is this: God is sovereign over human history.
Here’s why I say this. The main, visionary section of the book (chapters 4-22) is introduced in chapters 4 and 5 by the vision of the throne room of God and the Lamb. In these chapters, the word “throne”, signifying God’s sovereignty, appears seventeen times. This vision demonstrates the authority of God and of the Lamb over all that is about to unfold in the book’s remainder. The trials of believers, the apparent victory of the enemy, the eventual destruction of the latter and victory of the church, are all under the sovereign control of God.
Why do you think Christ is called the Alpha and the Omega? It’s because these two words, the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, symbolize the beginning and the end. In a book which surveys the whole panorama of human history from the cross of Christ to his return, the apostle makes the point that Christ is Lord over the beginning, Lord over the end, and Lord over everything in between.
Throughout the course of church history, the book tells us, God sends various forms of judgment upon an unbelieving world to wake it up, just as he sent the plagues of Egypt. That’s why those plagues reappear in two of the three sets of judgments, judgments that encompass the whole range of disasters that befall the human race, among which is pestilence or disease.
Am I saying the current epidemiological crisis is a judgment of God? That I do not know. What I do know is that the world we live in, which has indiscriminately slaughtered hundreds of millions of defenceless and innocent children, richly deserves some measure of judgment.
But what I can say for sure that is God is still on the throne. We have been through worse crises than this. I was ten years old when nuclear missiles were aimed right at us. We did air raid drill sitting under our school desks, as if that would help us. And of course, there have been fake crises that at the time struck terror into many hearts - remember Y2K? The whole world was going to shut down, except that it didn’t.
So as Christians, let’s take this opportunity to reassure unbelievers around us that there is a God on the throne of the universe, and that this is a great time to turn to him. And let’s remind each other that because of that, we have no need to fear.
He is still the Alpha and the Omega. He has not changed his name. And that is the rock on which our house stands. And stand it will.
Read the Book to the very end and you’ll find out.
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AWAKENING MINISTRIES // FOUNDATION of FAITH Project
Foundation of Faith Project is strengthening generations in faith and bringing beautiful changes to the communities around them. Through teaching, mentoring and coaching, many are finding out who they are and who they are destined to be. They are bringing more to their world. David Campbell is the key leader in this initiative and you can support him financially directly through Awakening Ministries.
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