[LESS INFO] 2 VIEWS | ADDED 12:44:52 06/03/08
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From the evangelical perspective, an excellent way of using the Book of Revelation as a way to comfort and edify the church. The approach is very useful because it shows that there is more than one way to use Revelation to help the church, and furthermore it can be used in a way that does not cause controversy over various interpretations of the symbolism or competing doctrines of endtimes prophecy. While those discussions are useful for Bible - believing and adhering to have, they sometimes obscure the fact that the primary purpose of Revelation was to present to the church the Savior, Jesus Christ, in His glorified ascended and victorious state. The presentation of a Jesus Christ who suffered, died, and yet overcame for the church and is coming again for that same church should give us confidence that just as Satan was not able to prevail against Jesus Christ, He is not going to prevail against us, for our Redeemer lives and will one day justify us before the Father! So whatever sickness, weakness, family problems, financial problems, mental or emotional infirmities, grief, guilt over past sins or struggles with current sin, be not discouraged or afraid, because just as Jesus Christ overcame if you are in Christ you WILL do the same and share in His victory!
And yes, the prophetic passages do play a role in the encouragement. While not getting into what a particular passage means, what a particular symbol represents, or the precise sequence of events, look at the big picture: the day of the Lord is coming! War, disease, famine, economic exploitation, slavery, racism, genocide, totalitarianism, greed, Sodom and Gomorrah moral and cultural climates ... you have but a short time, because Jesus Christ is going to return and deliver justice! The wicked of the world will be judged and destroyed in punishment, and all of world will be ruled by Jesus Christ with a rod of iron. So while conjecture over the identities of mystery Babylon and the man of sin isn't harmful - so long as an out of proportion fascination with it and/or arguments over it do not become a snare to you and tempt others - the main thing that Revelation depicts about them is that THEY WILL BE DESTROYED!
The glorious revelation of Jesus Christ, the hope and the promise of the coming Jesus Christ, and the final victory over Satan, his demons, and death itself and the destruction of the wicked empires and systems of the world on the terrible glorious day of the Lord is perhaps the most useful application of the Book of Revelation to Christian doctrine and living. The imminent return of Jesus Christ and the soon to come destruction of the wicked as depicted in Revelation should serve as a call and exhortation to holiness through obedience to God's Word and also motivate us to honest sustained God - honoring evangelism. I hope that this sermon will contribute to a fruitful perspective on and use of the Revelation of Jesus Christ to His servant John in your life and ministry!
