An Introduction to Revelation (Part Two)

By Jeff Arnette       Today we will wrap up our introduction to the last book of the New Testament. Over the past couple of years, we have covered every book of the Bible and hopefully it has been a blessing to you. Last week, we dealt with the introductory topics like authorship, dating, history, and purpose. Today we’re going to look at the 4 major themes of the book.   The Return of Christ.     The first advent of Christ was marked with humility. He was born of a virgin in the village of Bethlehem and placed in a feed trough for a crib. His Second Coming will be very different and will demonstrate his power, glory, and judgment of sin. Revelation 19:11-19 describes beautifully as we see Jesus descending from heaven riding a white with an army of angels to wage war on his enemies and set all things right.   The defeat of evil.     In Revelation John saw visions of horrible and terrifying creatures. A prostitute who opposed God and his people a great dragon who is Satan himself. He wages war against Jesus and when he sees that he cannot stop his coming, he turns toward the church and all those who trust in Jesus (Rev. 12). In the end, all of God’s enemies are defeated and judged for their sins. This reminds us that while evil seems powerful, even overwhelming at times, God is still in God and seated on his throne. He will be victorious.   God’s final judgment.     Revelation teaches us that God is not slack in his judgment of sin or evil people. While it may seem like things never change, everything is happening exactly as God planned. Judgment day is coming and no one is going to escape it. He will judge and punish those who refuse to trust in Jesus (Rev. 20:11-15).   God’s Reward.     Revelation teaches us that believers are constantly being challenged to remain faithful in the face of persecution. He also shares that God will gloriously reveal the overcomers as his own children. Just as the evil will have to face God’s judgment, his followers will experience peace and eternal rest in his presence. God promises to give the victorious the right to the tree of life that stands in God’s paradise (Rev. 2:7).

- Jeff Arnette preaches for the Central Haywood church of Christ, Clyde, NC.  He may be contacted through the congregation's website: https://centralhaywoodcoc.com/