The Hope of Revelation
My D-Group had finally made it to the book of Revelation! To get here, we are using Foundations F260 for the Old Testament, then we stopped and began Foundations NT260 for the New Testament. We began in January 2019 and have arrived at our last few weeks together as a group. One of the hardest books to understand is Revelation, so I am SO grateful this plan ends with the Gospel of Matthew! Very refreshing after trying to understand a very difficult book in the Bible.
In preparation for our weekly meeting, and for my own deeper understanding, I’ve read numerous commentaries with my daily reading.
But one book that I’ve found so very helpful is not a commentary, but a book on the themes found in Revelation by J. Scott Duvall, The Heart of Revelation.
In his book, he covers the themes of God, worship, the people of God, the Holy Spirit, our enemies, the mission, Jesus Christ, judgment, the new creation and perseverance.
As I started reading Revelation, and the introduction of this book about Revelation, the author did something that has let me off the hook of trying to figure it all out. He said no matter how hard we study and how many commentaries we read, there is much in Revelation we will NEVER understand. He said most of us approach the study of Revelation one of two ways: we either ignore it because it’s too hard to understand, or we try to make it all about us. He encourages a third approach…read it to figure out how to live until Jesus does come back by studying the big picture and the main themes we find, but being okay with not understanding it all.
What a great way to focus as our D-Group started reading Revelation, especially since these young women are about to replicate this group as they begin their own D-Groups. And, we are taking turns leading each week so I have encouraged them to not expect to understand it all either. But to grasp Who Jesus is in the midst of studying and how we should live to make Him known in the meantime.
So often as I’ve read the chapter for the day, I see so many connections to where our world is today, wondering if the end is near. But some of my big takeaways from the study of Revelation, and the reading of this book by Duvall are:
- Keep my eyes on Jesus
- Persevere in faith as long as I have breath
- Lift His name high every chance I get
- Boldly share my faith
It’s not for us to know the exact time of the events in Revelation, but it is our responsibility to live faithfully until He comes or we leave life on earth to live life in heaven forever.
I think this is a good time to ask ourself, just how am I, in the confusing world we live in, reflecting Him to a world in desperate need of hope, for today, and for eternity?
J. Scott Duvall summed it up beautifully in the final chapter of his book: “We wait in hope because we trust our God.”
Banner photo by Wendy Bandurski-Miller on Unsplash
