Revelation: A Consolatory Message Of Revelation

Revelation is a very complex piece of apocalyptic literature but, at the same time, the core message shines strong for the reader: God is sovereign and his plans will not be frustrated by rebellious humans or spiritual potentates. In the end, Jesus conquers. At the same time, Jesus is not a heartless dictator, and all the judgments poured upon the earth have a double purpose: to serve as a means for repentance.
Revelation has a tremendously consolatory message to a suffering and persecuted Church. Christianity, more than in the last 100 years, has become a persecuted religion. In our “civilized” westerner society, secularism is attempting to silence Christianity at all cost. Brutal persecution of Christians in the Middle East at the hands of
(2) Symbols are interpreted anachronistically and would be foreign to first-century Christians. (3) With the advent of popular end-time doomsday “Christian” movies and novels, Revelation is seen more as a horror thriller than a message of hope. (4) The influence of the prosperity gospel and word-of-faith theology have eroded the true Gospel and almost entirely ignore the timeless and eternal message of Revelation. In a “church” in which poverty and suffering are the result of “lack of faith,” the message of Revelation is carefully and silently pushed to the
This idolatry can be found in many forms today: commitment to technological grandeur, military might, a culture of death and dehumanization, human trafficking and prostitution for greed, the “deification” of sexuality, etc. This idolatry is with us today, will remain with us, and sadly, it was present in first century Rome. For a true Christian, reading Revelation today is a bitter-sweet experience. It is evident that thing will get worse, and that we may suffer the ultimate price, but at the same time, Christ is hyper-Conqueror, and so we are with him. Come what may, the war has already been decided: The Lion of Judah is