Revelation by Gary DeLashmutt (2013)

The book of Revelation is primarily a record of visions from God that reveal who Jesus is and what will take place in the future. From John's vision of Christ, it is clear that Jesus is both the Savior who serves us and the King whom we are to serve. The essence of Christianity is an encounter with and surrender to this Jesus who is Savior and King.

Jesus' letter to the church in Laodicea is a rebuke against their attitude towards wealth. Like this church, many of us have let our wealth cause spiritual blindness. Jesus instructs them to repent from their attitude towards wealth, invite Jesus to meet their needs, and invite Him back into their lives in a relational way.

In John's vision of the throneroom of God, three reasons are given for God's right to rule: 1) God is the only morally perfect Ruler; 2) God is the Creator who owns and cares for His creation; and 3) because Jesus has already paid the ultimate price to save humanity.

During the period of The Great Tribulation, God is involved in an extraordinary way to both judge and redeem. God judges directly to rescue his creation by destroying hardened enemies, yet often also judges indirectly to demonstrate the folly of rebellion in hopes that some will turn back. During the time of The Great Tribulation, God judges directly while taking a multitude of actions to plead with people to turn back to Him.

In the book of Revelation, there is a massive war described. Really, this was is a culmination of the spiritual war that exists right now between Satan's lies and God's truth. Our role in this is to embrace the fact that there is a spiritual war and to learn how to respond to Satan's schemes as he seeks to accuse, deceive, and devour.

Though Christ is the future rightful ruler over the world, in the end times there will be a Satanic counterfeit of Jesus' global reign. This world-ruler, named the beast, will be called forth and energized by Satan as he blasphemes the God of the Bible and persecutes those who refuse to worship him. The false prophet will validate the beast through counterfeit miracles and compel people to worship him before their utter destruction when Jesus returns. Christians are not to respond with unfounded skepticism, foolish speculation, or unhealthy fear to these future events.

One of John's visions concerns a woman with the title "Mother of Harlots," which describes the religious activities of this entity. Ultimately, the Mother of Harlots is the source of spiritual adultery within God's people. In the Old Testament this took the form of idolatry disguised by external formal worship of God, and in the present day this is a counterfeit and false form of Christianity. Those who feel aversive to Christianity may feel this way because of their exposure to false Christianity, and so the church has an obligation to fight spiritual deception through committed truth-based relationships.

In one of John's visions of the great tribulation, he sees a woman with the title "Babylon the Great," which signifies the way that this spirit of deception works politically and economically. This manifests in three ways: 1) It is the ultimate expression of human empires that defy God's rulership; 2) its materialism corrupts every political and economic system; and 3) it seduces individuals by turning good things into idols that distract and enslave. All of us live under the influence of this entity, and Jesus alone is able to break the "spell" and reconcile people with God.

In the book of Revelations, John receives a vision of a celebration in heaven, Jesus' return to Earth, and Jesus' defeat of God's enemies. Jesus' first coming was as a savior to suffer and die for humanity, but the second coming will be as a king to judge and rule over humanity. In light of this, we should entrust ourselves to Jesus before he returns and be saved. We should also embrace a way of life that anticipates His return by sharing about God's grace, relying on Him through prayer, and enduring injustice.

In John's vision of Jesus' 1000-year kingdom on Earth he sees that it begins with Satan's binding and ends with Satan's brief release followed by his final judgment. Countless numbers of Old Testament passages predict a time in history when the Messiah rules with His people, particularly in the book of Isaiah. There is a sound basis for knowing this will really happen in the hundreds of biblical predictions that have already been fulfilled. We have the opportunity to be participants in this period of history by receiving Christ.

In John's vision of the final judgment, he sees that all those who are judged are condemned and sentenced to hell. Many raise objections to the idea of hell, but the Bible abundantly answers these. Contrary to the idea of many, living a good life is not what saves people but instead it is by receiving Christ's offer of forgiveness.

The eternal kingdom of God will be a material place, will be primarily about relationships, and will be a place of healing. The main reason to believe that this will be a real place is because of God's flawless record of fulfilling his predictions. God says that entrance is absolutely free, and only requires asking God for the forgiveness purchased by Christ.

This passage on the New Jerusalem is mainly symbolic, but indicate literal truths about its glory. It will be populated by God's people, full of the beauty of perfect creation, full of human creativity, utterly secure, and pervaded by God's presence. Christians who focus on their inheritance in this kingdom will have greater resilience in adversity.

The interior of the New Jerusalem contains a garden which symbolizes its restorative power. In the Garden of Eden, man first experienced theological, psychological, and ecological separation. This restoration with God, ourselves, and nature is provided only through Jesus' sacrificial death. Those who have received this gift should then tell others.

When Jesus returns, He will evaluate all believers' body of work for the purpose of reward. The reward will be the satisfaction of seeing the significance of our service and the joy of being praised by God. This should sober us not to waste our Christian lives, motivate us to be faithful stewards of the gospel, and free us from comparison to others as we anticipate righteous praise from God.