The other day I overheard some students talking about the
book of Revelation. While I listened to the entire conversation and thus am
aware of the context, I will pull out just one statement that was made. The
statement spoken by one of the students is as follows:
“…and anyway, the book of Revelation was not written for us to know about
the end, but rather to give us hope.”
If you know me at all, then you know that I was about to jump
out of my skin. I will admit that I was eavesdropping (in my defense they were
talking right next to me during a class break), so I did not attempt to
interrupt the discussion. Yet I am flabbergasted that some believe this about
Revelation.
The book of Revelation, yes, gives us great hope, but so does
Romans 8 and 1 Corinthians 15 and the two books of Thessalonians just to name a
few passages. If Revelation was solely based upon the idea of filling us with
hope, then it would not have been written or would at least be considerably
shorter!
Why? Because the hope that most of us are referring to is not
expressed until the last four chapters of the book and, to be honest, much of
that information is spoken of elsewhere in the Bible. This means that, supposing
this student was correct, he interprets the first eighteen chapters of apostasy,
satanic influence, demonic opposition and martyrdom as our future “hope.”
Do you hope for the plagues which struck Egypt to come
against you and your family? Do you hope to watch your loved ones receive the
mark of the beast which secures for them an eternal ticket to Hell? Most of us
would say no.
The return of Christ at the end of the Revelation account
should fill us with great hope and expectation, but we must never dismiss the
rest of the book as simply an allegory. This is a real account of a real future
which is really headed our way. It may be in our lifetime or may not, but these
events will unfold in the exact way John described.
Revelation 1:1 says,
“The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His servants the things
that must soon take place. He made it known…”
The verse does not say “the hope,” but rather “the things.”
The book of Revelation is a book which is meant to be understood. John tells us
from the very beginning that this book is meant to show us future events, even
detailed ones at that. Some argue against fitting the events of Revelation into
a timeline, but right here is an example of John the Apostle encouraging you to
go crazy on your timetables.
Another Instance of Poor Biblical Treatment
I was reading a book the other day regarding the historical
background of the nation of Israel. In it, the author stated that he does not think that it is
realistic to say that Israel came out of Egypt with so many hundreds of
thousands of fighting men, so he claimed that the word “thousand,” which is
mentioned in Numbers, is merely symbolic.
Honestly, this is embarrassing. If students, even scholars,
of the Word do not believe what is written, then why do we expect others to
ever come to faith in Christ? Treating God’s Word in this way is shameful. We
have all at one time or another treated God’s Word irreverently, but to dismiss
it is an entirely different matter. Whether that be regarding end times
prophecy or the various instances Israel took a census, none of us have the
right to interject our own interpretation onto the Bible. God’s Word is simple to
understand. I am not saying that it is easy, but it is simple if we take it at
its face value instead of reading in all this symbolism (one day = millions of
years; a thousand fighting men in numerical value is just “a lot” of people;
and so on). We decide to treat portions of God’s Word symbolically when we decide its improbable.
Conclusion
We must be active in our pursuit to know God in the way God has
revealed Himself to be in His Word. The only objective way for any one of us to
come to know God is by getting into His Truth. There is no other way because
there is no other truth.
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