Trail magazine is a popular read among European mountain climbers, because it is designed to inform them of the tools they need to explore what they call “the most beautiful, spectacular and challenging mountain regions of Europe.”
However, the February 2004 issue provided directions for climbers to descend Britain’s highest peak, the 4,409 feet mount Ben Nevis. Descending the Ben Nevis requires explicit instruction, so the article gave step by step advice on navigating the trail down the mount.
There was one problem with the directions, they were wrong. If someone followed the directions in poor visibility, they would end up walking off the north face of the mountain, dropping 1,000 feet into a gully.
The editor of Trail blamed the error on a production malfunction. He said, “the printing equipment caused a sentence to be missed while publishing the article.” And he promised that “a correction would be placed in the next issue.” (“The Quickest Way to Gardyloo Gully,” news.telegraph.co.uk, 1-22-04; www.PreachingToday.com)
Living life without critical instruction also causes a person to fall into a ditch so to speak. The Bible is our guide and will help us reach the future God intended for each of us.
Have you ever wondered what the future of the world will look like? This is the answer that Jesus gave us through the apostle John in Revelation chapter 1: The focus of the whole book of Revelation is declared in 1:1-2; “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants — things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ.”
The book of Revelation is a letter written to Christians so we can be confident and encouraged about our future. The apostle John was around 90 years old wrote when he wrote the book of Revelation.
John’s original audience were Christians who were heavily persecuted at the time the letter of Revelation was written. In fact John was writing this while he was incarcerated on the Greek Island of Patmos. During these days there were many Christ followers who wondered about the end of the world because of the persecution they were facing and because Jesus said He would come again.
The book of Revelation is focused on Jesus Christ and His sovereign plan is for us. However this perspective is different from how the Gospels revealed Jesus.
- The gospels displayed His humanity, humility, compassion suffering, death and resurrection to secure our salvation.
- The message of the book of Revelation displays; His deity, sovereignty, mercy, justice and second coming to secure our future.
Our study in the book of Revelation began in November of 2020. Covid, and my health ultimately meant that it took longer than I would have planned to finish the study. Since there were those breaks in our time in the book of Revelation I felt it best to review what we have studied thus far.
I’m going to share with you 16 guiding principles from the book of Revelation that have encouraged us up to chapter 16. Also I will give a key verse from each chapter. We were given this information to encourage us by understanding that Jesus has a plan for the future and His plan can guide us on our journey in life right now.
Here are three encouragements from Revelation Chapter 1:
- Chapter 1 strengthens and consoles Christians who were enduring persecution for their faith.
- exhorts believers to honor Jesus Christ and reflect on the implications of His authority.
- reveals that Jesus Christ is physically coming with authority and power.
“I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end,” says the Lord God. “I am the One Who is, Who always was, and Who is still to come—the Almighty One.” – Revelation 1:8
Here are two encouragements from Chapters 2 and 3:
- Chapter 2 and 3 shows us how Jesus evaluates the believer’s work done through the churches.
- encourages believers that they were to expect Jesus to return at any moment.
22 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what He is saying to the churches.” Revelation 3:22
From chapter 4 we find this encouragement from Revelation:
- Believers can find comfort in the fact that Jesus is in absolute control.
The point of chapter four is summed up in this verse. All creatures will give glory and honor and praise to God because He is the Creator and Sustainer of everything.
“You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created.” – Revelation 4:11
In chapter 5 the book of Revelation specifically encourages Hebrew people:
- to announce that “the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David” the mighty conquering King of Israel, the Messiah will fulfill God’s ancient promise to ultimately deliver Israel.
“But one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed.” – Revelation 5:5
Revelation chapter 6 encourages us as we experience human mistreatment.
- Christ will enforce His holiness and His justice on the earth.
I looked up and saw a white horse standing there. Its rider carried a bow, and a crown was placed on His head. He rode out to win many battles and gain the victory. Revelation 6:2
Chapter 7 shows how to obtain salvation:
- This chapter explains God’s provision for salvation from His wrath, but it also answers who is able to stand with God in heaven.
“They are the ones who washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” Revelation 7:14
The power of prayer encourages us from chapter 8:
- It shows God’s power and the power of our prayers.
4And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand. 5 Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake. Revelation 8:4-5
There is a warning that is revealed in chapter 9 that encourages us to flee the devil.
- We are shown that Satan will be unleashed along with his demons to destroy the people of the earth.
There is coming a day when the whole world will realize just how hideous and destructive Satan really is.
1I saw a star fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit. Revelation 9:1
In chapter 10 believers are again comforted:
- Believers are reminded that Jesus will return to earth again to set up His kingdom, and His promise will be fulfilled!
And the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it, that there would be no more delay, but that in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled, just as He announced to His servants the prophets. Revelation 10:5-7
Revelation chapter 11 declares our hope:
- To announce to believers that there will be a day when Jesus will be inaugurated as King and reign on earth.
“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever.” Revelation 11:1
Revelation chapter 12 advises us that:
- There will be a jealous revenge of Satan and his demons.
“Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!” Revelation 12:12
Revelation chapter 13, sounds an alarm:
- An era is coming when the antichrist will rise in power and influence the nations of the earth.
And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. … And to it Satan gave his power and his throne and great authority. -Revelation 13:1-2
In chapter 14 we are encouraged because:
- There will be a special group of 144,000 Jewish believers who will go through the Great Tribulation and end up as martyrs. They will stand victorious with Jesus Himself and sing His praises.
Then I looked, and behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with Him 144,000 who had His name and His Father’s name written on their foreheads. Revelation 14:1
Until the rest of our study in Revelation, I want to encourage you from chapter 15:
- Believers on earth should be encouraged to keep a heavenly perspective, and be confident about the future. Through the book of Revelation we are given a divine point of view of the end of the world.
Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and amazing, seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is finished. – Revelation 15:1
Revelation teaches us that we serve a conquering, triumphant, sovereign, just and merciful God. If our God is not the God as described in Revelation then there is not a God.
The book of Revelation encourages Christians to remain faithful in spite of the theories of modern science, global events, and conspiracies of man.
Romans 3:4 “Let God be true and every man a liar.” Let’s look forward to the physical return of Christ, and all that He has planned for our future.