Revealing God’s Ultimate Truth…

I’m in a bible study with a great group from my church and we are studying the Book of Revelation. I have to admit this is only the third bible study in which I’ve participated…and it is very intense! Of course, the Book of Revelation itself is intense…and at first glance, very scary (which is why I think I, like many, haven’t really read through the whole book before)…with its images of dragons, demons, giant locusts with human faces, devil symbols of 666 and…well, you get the picture. And of course its apocalyptic prophesies of God’s judgement, wrath, plagues and punishment that will come at the end of the world upon those who have not been obedient or faithful. It’s a tough book to read, even when I’m doing so with my husband and then discussing it with a great group of believers led by great study leaders. But one thing rings true over and over throughout Revelation, just like it does throughout the Bible: God will save those who are faithful, just like he has since the beginning of time. It’s tough to BE faithful, to act faithfully no matter what we are going through as human beings, given our egos and our own wills, which can so often lead us astray. We see over and over throughout the Bible how people turned away from God even though they had mighty leaders like Abraham, Moses, David and so many more,  and ultimately, Jesus Christ and His disciples who followed.  You might say today it’s harder than ever to act faithfully with so much evil in the world and so many distractions for our time and attention. And who is here to lead us? We forget sometimes that Jesus left us the Holy Spirit to guide us…and of course, since the beginning God has given us His Word in the Bible. So while there will still be doom and gloom ahead – no matter who is elected as US President, no matter how much ISIS spreads and how badly Christians and other faithful people are persecuted, no matter how much evil seems to be in this world – the ultimate truth, promised in Revelation, which echoes all of the Books in the Bible before it – is that good, and God, will triumph over Satan and evil, and if we keep believing and acting through our faith, we will see that time in all its glory. So I’ll end with the last line of the Bible as my prayer this week: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.” (Rev. 22:21)