I Spy God

Triumph of Christ and His Church

“As John nears the end of his vision, he sees the wedding of Jesus, the Lamb, and his bride, the church.  There is joy and honor bin being invited as a guest to the wedding supper.  yet even in this blissful scene looms the grim reminder of the destruction which awaits those who have been unrighteous.  As the father of all unrighteousness, Satan is finally and totally destroyed.  It is therefore clear that Christ and his saints will ultimately triumph over both Satan and his evil power.  That knowledge should be more than sufficient to comfort and encourage every believer in his ho9pe for the future.”

Read:  Revelation 19:6-21, 20, 21:1-8

Glory and Grandeur of Heaven

“God gives John a vision of what heaven will be like.  It is pictured as a Holy City, having a river flowing through it with a tree of live on either side.  The cares and sorrows of this life will not be known in heaven, and great joy will abound.  This vision of a new heaven and a new earth provides an exciting conclusion to a book whose opening lines told of the majesty of God’s first creation.”

Read:  Revelation 21:9-27 & 22

“So ends the revelation to John and the last of Holy Scripture.  In the teachings of Jesus there is abundant life; in the example of his divine Person there is love; and in the power of his resurrection there is hope.”

All quotations taken from The Daily Bible.

Hope of the Faithful

“Throughout their epistles, Paul and the other inspired writers had continually reminded their readers of the glorious hope for those who would remain steadfast in their faith despite whatever pressures might tempt them to abandon it.  The messages now brought by three angels are strikingly similar in their appeal.”

Read:  Revelation 14:1-13

Judgment Against Unrighteous

“At this point John envisions God’s ultimate judgment on mankind.  The scene he describes is a harvest of the earth, upon which God’s wrath is imposed.  With the pouring out of seven terrifying bowls comes a sense of finality  God’s righteousness and holiness are manifested through a cleansing of sin from the world.”

Read:  Revelation 14:14-20, 15, 16

Special Judgment upon Babylon

“In the images of a drunken prostitute and an incredible scarlet beast, John sees the vision of what appears to be a special judgment of God.  Whatever might be the true identification of this ‘Babylon,’ its destruction is accompanied by terrible lament.”

Read:  Revelation 17, 18 & 19:1-5

All quotations taken from The Daily Bible.

Wrath of God Against Evil

“Striking similarity exists between the trumpets which are about to be blown and the ten plagues brought against Egypt.  Hail and fire, water turned to blood, periods of darkness, and the appearance of locusts all seem to complete the parallel.  The sixth trumpet will bring death among mankind, just as in the Passover, when death came to the firstborn of each Egyptian family.”

Read:  Revelation 8:7-13, 9, 10, 11:1-14

Righteousness of God Seen in Coming of Christ

“With the blowing of the seventh trumpet comes the announcement of the kingdom of God through Christ.  This was the good news of the Gospel writers — that Jesus, the Word who had become flesh, had come into the world to establish his kingdom.  The signs of his coming are seen by John as being the opening of the temple, accompanied by earthquakes and various celestial disturbances.”

Read:  Revelation 11:25-19

Opposition to Christ’s Church

“John now sees God’s people as a star-crowned woman whose son, Christ, rules all nations.  Rising in opposition to the woman is Satan himself, who wages war against God’s people in two ways, Satan is first seen as a dragon, which seems to represent political oppression, and then as a beast coming out of the sea to make war against God’s people, which may represent religious persecution.”

Read:  Revelation 12 & 13

All quotations taken from The Daily Bible.

Majesty and Centrality of God

“The vision which John is about to receive begins with praise for God as the Creator of the universe.  Through the songs of various creatures, God’s great majesty is declared to be worthy of glory, honor, and power.  Significantly, sharing in that honor is he who is called ‘Lion of the tribe of Judah’ and also ‘the Lamb.’  Both descriptions are obvious references to Jesus the Christ.”

Read:  Revelation 4 & 5

Destructiveness of Sin

“With the opening now of the seven seals, John sees four symbolic horses, the souls of Christian martyrs, and preparation for the blowing of seven trumpets.  In all of this is a reminder that, despite the power of sin, there is always a remnant of God’s people who remain faithful, even in the face of martyrdom.”

Read:  Revelation 6, 7 & 8:1-6

All quotations taken from The Daily Bible.

The Revelation to John

“One of the most unique and intriguing writings of all Scripture comes as a fitting conclusion to God’s revelation to man.  It is a writing reminiscent of the recorded visions of Ezekiel and Daniel.  Its true Author by revelation is Jesus Christ, and the apostle John simply acts as scribe.  On a particular Lord’s day, as John relates the experience, he receives through an angel a revelation from the Spirit of God in which he is directed to write what he sees and to send it to seven churches in Asia.

What John sees and records sis a prophecy, both strange and moving, in which Christ as sovereign Lord engages in battle with the forces of evil and is clearly the Victor.  The account is couched in figurative language, supernatural imagery, and verbal and numerical symbolism that is not easy to fully comprehend.  Yet it stirs an excitement about the future for all Christians and gives hope that present sufferings will be lost in a victory so wonderful that the mind of man can only begin to grasp it.”

Read:  Revelation 1, 2 & 3

All quotations taken from The Daily Bible.